University of Notre Dame Admission
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The Facts

Notre Dame is a fairly sizeable private university located in Notre Dame, Indiana that is just shy of the small city of South Bend. The university houses about 8,285 undergraduate students and approximately 3,104 graduate students. The university is officially a Roman Catholic institution, however, students say that the religious influence isn’t mandatory, though a majority of the students are catholic, and if not catholic, another Christian denomination. The university has many programs housed at its campus, including a much lauded School of Theology.

Competition to get admitted to Notre Dame is quite fierce, and only getting tougher. Last year over 12,095 students applied to the school and only 3,524 were admitted. Eventually, 1,996 students actually enrolled for the coming fall. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1270 to 1460 and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 30 to 33. Additionally, over 95% of admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class.

Notre Dame has a student to teacher ratio around 13:1, and like other large schools, the introductory classes are quite large, however the more specific classes tend to be quite small and primarily based around discussions. The school offers many majors, which students aren’t required to declare until their second year, giving them an ample chance to explore their options. Some of the most popular majors with students include majors in political science, finance, preprofessional studies, psychology, and English.

An interesting tidbit: Notre Dame is proud to have one of the most extensive and proud alumni network in the nation who enable the school to survive financially almost on their own!

The Social Scene

The Notre Dame campus is quite sizable, boasting 27 dorms, both old and new architectural wonders including a massive a modernly stunning church where mass is usually held. The campus has many winding paths and small parks where students like to study when it isn’t bitterly cold. There are no fraternities and sororities, but students have no problem hosting crazy bashes in their space-deficit dorm rooms.

Drinking is definitely a popular activity at Notre Dame, but usually doesn’t interfere with students’ studies. Of course, the name of Notre Dame brings football to the mind of most people; the movie “Rudy” made Notre Dame’s legendary football legacy stick. “Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!” is now a cultural verbal statute. Both students and alumni turn out to the games in droves, and love to tailgate and party day and night during the Fighting Irish’s season.

Students say there is a real sense of community here and attribute that quality to the major school spirit. The dating scene can feel a bit stuffy sometimes because of strict visiting hours at dorms, but there are lots of attractive guys and gals to be found.

What's Good

“The school feels like one big family and people aren’t afraid to smile at a stranger.”

“The school spirit here is obviously incredible and imbues the campus with an incredible energy.”

“The alumni are really supportive and help to offer us some amazing internships and opportunities after graduation.”

What's Bad

“If you don’t like football, it can be quite difficult to have any fun during the fall.”

“The surrounding areas of Notre Dame and South Bend offer absolutely nothing in the way of entertainment, which is quite dull.”

“The lack of frats and sororities make the party scene fairly lackluster. It’s only good during football season.”

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