Notre Dame is Catholic and Must Stay That Way

Introduction
If you don't like the social teachings of the Catholic Church, are a rabid, leftist liberal or are generally hostile to religious convervatism, then Notre Dame is not for you. The school is reclaiming its faith, despite the vocal opposition of a minority of its students. Notre Dame's new president is an extremely orthodox, Holy Cross priest, and is steering the nation's premier Catholic university towards one thing: CATHOLICISM. Protestants and non-Catholics are MORE than welcome, but be forewarned that if you hope to live outside the scope of the Church's social teachings on sex, abortion, et al., you will be sorely disappointed.

Campus Life and Social Life
Sports here are phenomenal - from varsity to club to rec league, everyone is involved. 85% of Notre Dame students were varsity athletes in high school, and that is very evident from the active participation of students in sports. Notre Dame football is the center of Notre Dame's social life and even women's sports have a huge draw here. School spirit is intense and love for Our Lady's University runs deep.

Outside of sports, alcohol and partying remains the biggest social activity. However, a growing group of students now participate in Pillars: a group dedicated to providing alcohol-free social events every Friday and Saturday night. Last year, a full third of Notre Dame freshmen reported that they did not drink at all.

There are countless clubs and activities for all - from hobby oriented groups, to political and religious groups, there is a group for everyone, so long as your interest does not directly contradict the social teachings of the Catholic Church. AllianceND, the non-university sponsored gay rights group, has not and most likely will not receive University recognition. Its mission is to promote the gay "rights" movement, which the University aptly notes, contradicts Church teaching. Thus, if you are looking for a group such as AllianceND, you will be disappointed. Advertisement
Academics
Notre Dame is not an easy school. Students study like crazy here. Pulling the proverbial "all-nighter" is an experience every ND student has at some point, and long 8-hour study session are anything but rare. Notre Dame students study ... a lot ... and for the most part, they do well. There is a culture of studiousness that pervades campus, and it's difficult not to get caught up in it, even if you weren't much of a studier in high school. The workload might seem daunting at first, and compared to your run-of-the mill state school, the workload at ND is significantly greater, but with diligence any ND student can do well.

Notre Dame is especially known for its Engineering and Architecture Departments, which rank among the best in the country. The Business, Pre Med, and Arts and Letters curriculum are also well regarded. One would be hard pressed to find a sub-par Department at Notre Dame, as the University consistently ranks in the top 20 of all national universities. It's a great school that provides a fabulous education.

Notre Dame also has very well regarded Graduate Schools, including the Law School, Mendoza College of Business, as well the Masters in Divinity program. Graduate students are well integrated into the University and are made to feel a part of the oft-mentioned "Notre Dame Family."

Student Body
Though Notre Dame is stereotypically described as a school for the sheltered, cookie-cutter, white Catholic from the Midwest, in recent years, the University has made great strides to recruit individuals from a wide array of backgrounds. Notre Dame has a healthy population of Hispanic, Filipino, African American, and Asian students and features many ethnic and cultural events for all students. Notre Dame is also home to many Protestant Christians, non-Christians, and students of other faiths.

Students come from all over the United States. It was recently reported that based on the qualifications of Freshmen that actually matriculated, Notre Dame actually had enough qualified applicants from the city of Chicago alone to fill its Freshman class. In other words, if you're from Chicago, the stakes are higher. Notre Dame is committed to being a national university, and that requires drawing students from all 50 states as well as many foreign countries.

In Closing...
Notre Dame is an amazing place. The Catholic faith is alive here, and the University goes to great lengths to integrate elements of the Christian Faith into the lives of all students. For Catholics, there are countless options for daily Mass as well as Eucharistic Adoration. For non-Catholic Christians, there are weekly non-denominational prayer services. For non-Christians, there are prayer services for people of other faiths. Notre Dame fosters Faith and helps each individual cultivate his or her personal relationship with God. If Faith is important to you, Notre Dame will not let you down.