Most people visit their prospective college about 7 months before they attend. I visited Notre Dame at 7 months old. Since then, I have returned for the football games at least once a year and spent every other weekend during the fall watching from home. My mother and her sister both went to ND, as it was my Irish Catholic grandfather’s biggest dream for his children to attend. Although it had always been my proclaimed dream school, once I got into high school, I began seriously researching schools. Ultimately, I came to the same conclusion as my 7-month-old self.
Notre Dame is the perfect balance of fun, sports, and academics. I have always been captivated by the incredible school spirit and countless traditions, such as touchdown push-ups, trumpets under the dome, prayers at the grotto, and more. South Bend’s location is only an hour and a half from Chicago, which allows students to spend time exploring the city. The campus itself is also gorgeous, centered around the Golden Dome. There is a beautiful lake that many students run around.
While Notre Dame’s random roommate system often scares people, for me, it was one of the deciding factors. Notre Dame doesn’t have sororities. Instead, they have single-sex dorm halls that each student is assigned to as a freshman and lives there for three years. These dorm halls have colors, mascots, fundraisers, a weekly mass, and dances. One of the boys’ dorms has a midnight milkshake mass open to anyone to attend and get a free milkshake. Living with students of all ages and having that built-in community, without the stress and competition of sorority recruitment, makes me more comfortable with leaving home. All freshmen starting college will inevitably feel lonely, but being part of a smaller community than just Notre Dame will hopefully help to make it feel less overwhelming.
Academically, Notre Dame’s Mendoza School of Business will provide an education based on real-life experiences. ND has a core curriculum, so no matter what your major, every student needs to take Theology, Sciences, Math, and English. A well-rounded education centered around problem-solving and analytical thinking will help to prepare students for life after college. Notre Dame’s alumni network is one of the biggest and most involved in the country, due to the intense college spirit that the ND community builds throughout the four years, providing amazing resources when looking for internships and job opportunities.
Lastly, I look for faith as the bedrock of my college experience. At AOSE, the monthly masses, theology classes, and other faith experiences have helped me to grow closer to myself, my peers, and most importantly, God. At Notre Dame, I look to a Catholic institution to continue to grow in my faith.
