The University of Notre Dame

Date: Jul 03 2014
Major: Finance (This Major's Salary over time)
I have had an amazing experience at Notre Dame. Other comments stated that there is a certain stereotype of a Notre Dame student and while that stereotype is sometimes true, I believe that I have met some of the most open and friendly people at ND. The students might be more open than the administration in regards to social issues but I believe they are working on changing that.

Freshmen year is about getting to know people in your dorm but that does not mean you cannot be friends with people outside of it. In fact, most of my best friends ended up not being in the dorm that I have lived in the past three years. The separation between the genders in the dorms does make for a little awkward gender relations at times but that tends to get better each year. By senior year, people are generally very open and many live off campus so that you can hang out with members of the opposite gender whenever you want too.

Although most students get very into football, I have some friends who have not bought any tickets to the games. I personally like sports but have never been a die hard fan. That being said, football games are not all about football itself. It seems to be something bigger. Everyone takes so much pride in the school whether we win or lose and it is something very special. Tailgates are a time to hang out with friends and family. ND tailgates are unlike any others I've been too. Students care about meeting their friends families but at the same time it is still a very fun atmosphere. I can say now that I have become a pretty die hard ND fan and have attended multiple other sporting events other than football but you certainly don't have to in order to fit in.

Academics are definitely challenging and competitive, especially in the business school. However, that is often the atmosphere that many graduates will experience when they enter the workforce in the majors they are pursuing. Teachers are very willing to help out and there are many resources on campus available. Clubs are also a great resource as many upper classmen lead them and mentors are easy to find.

The weather in South Bend is definitely not the best but I think the beauty of the campus makes up for it. You may be walking in the snow a bit but I don't think it takes any longer than 20 minutes to get anywhere on campus. Many of my friends from the West coast had quite a shock to their system freshmen year but there is a sun lamp in the health center if the cold is too much.

Overall I would definitely recommend my school to anyone reading this review. Freshmen year is difficult anywhere you go so I hope some of the freshmen who wrote negative comments waited it out because it always gets better. One last piece of advice: study abroad if you get the opportunity. You will 100% not regret it and I had some of the best experiences of my life.