The University of Notre Dame

Date: Jan 29 2005
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
Here are my random, scatter-brained thoughts on my experience at Notre Dame (excuse my poor grammar, spelling, and literary style - years of pure scientific training has dulled my language skills).

Having a few years of graduate school under my belt at another university, I appreciate my undergraduate education at Notre Dame more than ever. I'm currently in my third year at the number one veterinary college in the nation, and most of my classmates here went to ivy league or ivy league caliber institutions, and I truly feel that my undergraduate education was superior to those of many of my classmates. I'm not a genius, but Notre Dame prepared my well to be successful here. The biology program at Notre Dame was exceptional, and in some cases I found that I was light years ahead of many of my classmates who majored in biology at other prestigious universities.

As far as the social atmosphere of Notre Dame, I think it was a great experience. I consider myself a rather liberal non-catholic, and although the pervasive attitude of the school is conservative, I found that most students at ND are willing to listen to other viewpoints, even if in the end we must agree to disagree. The conservative attitude at ND allowed my to really challenge my liberal beliefs, and it gave me a different perspective on life than did the pseudo-hippie atmosphere of my hometown. Really, no matter what you political/social ideals, I think you can enjoy your time at ND as long as you are an open minded person that doesn't mind being in the minority on certain issues. It didn't bother me that I was different than most of ND students, because on the whole, I found that they were tolerant and appreciative of my minority viewpoints. Yes, there are some close-minded conservatives at ND, but my experience was that these "closed minds" were in the minority, and I have found during my current stint in graduate school that close-minded left-wingers can be just as stiffling to open learning.

One aspect of Notre Dame that I am truly thankful for was the study abroad programs. I think Notre Dame does an excellent job of encouraging students to study and live in many different places all over the world. The student abroad options one has at Notre Dame are seemingly endless.
The student body's commitment to community service at ND is unparalleled by any other experience I've had in my life. The students have a true interest in helping their fellow classmates as well as the community (and not just the South Bend community, but communities throughout the world). I think the school spirit is an extension of this collaborative nature. When congrerating at ND athletic event, there is this feeling of amazing solidarity that I sorely miss now that I am at a different institution. The football games also make for informal renuions, and every year I go back to see many of my friends. With each passing year I appreciate these reunions more and more.

I do not mean to paint ND as pure utopia nor do I mean to push it on anyone who is not interested in going there. I believe that one can have have a great educational and social experience at many universities throughout the world. I just wanted to convey that as an atypical ND student, I still loved my time at ND.