University of Notre Dame Reviews

"The best part of my experience was the community, my dorm really became my family, we had a tight-knit bond and a great support system. Academically, it really pushed me, the classes were tough but the professors genuinely wanted to see us succeed.One thing you have to be ready for is the winters, they are freezing so you'll absolutely need a heavy winter coat. But I still wouldn't trade my time there for anything. It required a lot of hard work but It was a great experience."

"Notre Dame is a great university with both an active campus community and dorm life. Academics are top notch and challenging without being overwhelming. Students do not pick their major until their sophomore year which allows them to explore options before committing to one in particular."

"Growing up, I had heard so much about this wonderful university and the incredible community, but didn't realize just how true the tales I had been told, really are. The curricular rigor is exactly what you would expect from one of the top universities in the world, aided and instructed by intelligent professors with a diverse set of backgrounds and areas of expertise. Every professor is truly dedicated to the success of every single student, and willing to go above and beyond to ensure students have the right tools to excel in the course(s).The Notre Dame community is truly like a family. This is a cliche statement, but to say it "holds true" among the Fighting Irish, would be an understatement. Need directions to a specific classroom? Walk up to any stranger on this campus, and not only will they tell you how to get there, but if they are able, will walk with you even if it is clear across the campus.In three words, Notre Dame can be described as Tender, Strong, and True.Read Less"

"Notre Dame is a very special school that offers students access to best-in-class resources, academics, and athletics. It was a privilege to attend Notre Dame, and I left the school a better person with lifelong friends. If I had to choose to do it all over again, I would not hesitate."

"Notre Dame's academics, tighter-knit community, and alumni network are what make this university so unique. I started Notre Dame as a shy freshman. When I graduated, I was more confident. Notre Dame's study abroad programs had me see the world. And the academics had me grow personally and professionally. What a college student may not realize at Notre Dame is how vast the alumni network is, and how a Notre Dame connection could help you far in the future. Lou Holtz's quote is true: "those who know Notre Dame, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation will suffice." You will transform academically, emotionally, and spiritually in your time there. The challenge is to take advantage of all the experiences and classes there are to offer.Read Less"

"Notre Dame is a special place for so many reasons, but most of all the culture. There is a spirit of Notre Dame that lives in every student, faculty and community member, and it is 100% the people that make it the best place for college. The academics are challenging in the best way, and campus life is perfect for the development of the spirit."

"The school has great academics and amazing research opportunities. The professors are clearly passionate and very accomplished. However, I did not like the school environment, and I found it to be very exclusive. Most students come from very wealthy families and that is visible in how they interact with others. There is not much of a social scene except for drinking/football games."

"I really liked my university. It created a good environment for me to grow as an adult and find myself. I was able to make a number of friends who had similar interest and views as the world as me, and I saw myself morph into the adult that I wanted to become. The classes were appropriately challenging, and the on campus experience was great. They were adequate sports. They were good clubs and the dorm life helped me to find my crew."

"Notre Dame is a phenomenal place to learn, and I will recommend it to anyone who will listen. Notre Dame has challenging academics, a prestigious place in academia, but best of all it has a community atmosphere that is unparalleled. The comradery is intoxicating and the tailgates can make anyones week of classes worth it. More so than that, the school stands on 5 pillars: mind, heart, zeal, family, and hope. Throughout your education, these pillars will slowly seep into your subconscious and give you a feeling of responsibility to use your education for the good of others. Truly the only downside to Notre Dame is the price, so if financials allow, I highly recommend attending this amazing school and seeing for yourself why so many seem obsessed with this place.Read Less"

"Though financial support in the low cost of living area of South Bend is plenty sufficient, the ACMS department's academic environment too heavily tends to lone wolf style advising, only advising students per individual standards of each PI, discouraging interdisciplinary work. Program design is not well aligned given current academic and industry job markets, where graduates are prepared primarily only for job options in financial/data science industry, despite diversity of options that should be under the applied math umbrella. The stats side of the department has slightly better graduate outcomes, but that is primarily due to the high demand for data science credentialed professionals. Little mentorship or job prospects are offered by faculty themselves. Lastly, general mistreatment of students rampant across graduate education is not being addressed and actually actively ignored/permitted in this department. Attrition is approximately 40% and average time to degree is 6.7 years.Read Less"

"My undergraduate education has been the best decision of my life so far. During my time at the University of Notre Dame, I was challenged to think about not only my education but my faith, my family, and the world in a new light. Receiving a faith-based education in a community that values education and community to the highest regard is an experience that not many undergraduates receive. From the choice of classes to the on-campus community to the numerous clubs and societies, these staples of Notre Dame are what make it unique and enjoyable for all its students. I was able to pursue my academic interests (mainly economics) while incorporating my personal passion of the Irish culture and people. I had relationships with my professors that allowed me to find funding for opportunities such as presenting at an international conference as an undergraduate student and being published in multiple university publications as well encouraging me to continue pursuing my educational passion of Irish Studies beyond my undergraduate degree. Most importantly, I have learned how to fail and how my shortcomings in one area do not make me any less of a person. Everyone at Notre Dame is intelligent and talented, but what makes us belong is our uniqueness and our desire for something greater community and the desire to serve others. My undergraduate education has shaped my identity as a young adult and as a new graduate student which is something that I cannot iterate enough.Read Less"

"Notre Dame is a great school academically. The professors are knowledgeable and approachable, and the school spirit is phenomenal. The diversity of the student body (socioeconomic, religious, racial, etc) is still lacking, but the school is working on that. There are some archaic rules, and the gender relations are pretty poor, but Notre Dames flaws serve to bond the student body in a very unique way. Its a fun experience, and academically a great one."

"The University of Notre Dame is a very high quality and friendly school. The most striking quality about my school is how friendly everyone was throughout my 4 years of study during my Bachelor's degree -- the student body is non-competitive and people love to help each other and work together. The faculty are very supportive and very personal. All the professors I personally had (in science and psychology courses, mainly) were very available to help students during office hours, although I didn't go often. The lecturers were also very good, and I think the content I learned in school was very high quality compared to other people I've met who went to other schools. The exams are very fair and the more difficult classes (such as organic chemistry, etc) are known to curve-up to benefit the whole class. The campus is beautiful and there are many many places to study (quietly and in groups). Students are required to live in campus dorms for 6 semesters (3 full years) which is a few requirement... Even though it wasn't a requirement when I was there, I still stayed in the dorms for all 4 years. The surrounding city (South Bend, Indiana) is not the best city (boring, relatively dangerous at times), not walking distance from ND campus), so for a lot of people living on campus for all 4 years is the best option. It really isn't bad, BUT: ALL DORMS are SINGLE SEX, and males cannot enter female dorms after 12am on week days and 2am on weekends (and vice versa). This is a huge problem for some people, and there are some illegal ways around it, so consider if this would be a deal-breaker for you. The dorms themselves are very fun and very nice with good furniture (for the most part) and nice quiet study spaces. Living in the dorms also comes with a meal plan for 14 meals per week and $360 in "flex points" to spend at campus stores and restaurants on campus. The dining hall is really nice (there are 2) and everyone thinks the food is pretty good for a university (one of the best in the country). I would definitely stay 4 years on campus again if I could go back and re-choose. Now some negatives.... Like I said, the separation of the sexes within the dorms is a pretty negative thing for some people. I didn't mind it, but I didn't really like it overall. Besides for it being annoying with friends or significant others, its actually hard to make friends of the opposite sex freshman year, and therefore gender relations can get somewhat awkward (overall, throughout your time at university). Some people have no problem with this and make friends easily, but many other people have noted problems with this system. Everyone is still nice to each other, it's just hard to get close to them when you live so far apart. Another thing to consider is that this is mostly a liberal arts, business, and law school. I was a pre-medical student and I know I had fewer opportunities for medical-related activities and classes than my friends did at other universities. HOWEVER, I was recently accepted into an amazing graduate program so the education does pay off and everyone knows that Notre Dame is an amazing school regardless of what major you completed. About the religious aspect... Notre Dame is a Catholic university. There are chapels in every dorm (not required to go to mass), a basilica on campus, and 2 semesters of REQUIRED theology courses (6 credits total, but actually very interesting for even non-christian students). A fair amount of your classmates will be practicing Catholics who attend mass often, but there will also be many people who were raised Christian or Catholic and don't really believe in it, and also other students with no faith at all. Unlike other religious schools, no one would give you any issues if you weren't Catholic or didn't go to mass at all at Notre Dame. If you love the Catholic faith and are very involved, however, I'm sure you would really love the Catholic culture at Notre Dame. Overall, I think having a Notre Dame degree has already helped me in life, and I'm only a half year out of school. It wasn't a perfect school, but I felt my classes and professors were amazing with very diverse topics and very interesting!!! There are lots of fun things on campus, and the campus is so beautiful!Read Less"

"Notre Dame is a wonderful, engaging campus, with an active and involved student body across all levels of the collegiate experience. The faculty, staff, and students work cohesively as a dynamic unit. The campus itself is beautiful, and features locations unlike any other university environment in the nation."

"This is a great school. It is small enough to feel like you are not just a number, but big enough to have lots of culture and diversity."

"Notre Dame is a great school with a caring and close community and a beautiful campus. I loved my time there and feel it has prepared me well for life after school."

"Notre Dame is a place where you gain so many opportunities by being a part of a traditional university. Notre Dame challenged me academically and to make a difference in the world through the education I received. I will always call ND home due to the amazing professors and life long friends."

"Every day I feel lucky that I was able to attend the University of Notre Dame. The education I received was above average, and I felt more prepared for graduate school than other individuals entering my graduate program from different schools. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is very small and tight-knit, which allowed me to receive as much personal instruction as I needed. The professors genuinely wanted to help each student learn and to reach their full potential. The university gives me opportunities every day, even after graduating. It's easy to make connections with potential employers or new friends over your experiences at Notre Dame. Notre Dame turned me into the person I am today, academically, spiritually, and ethically. I couldn't have asked for a better and more complete undergraduate experience than the one I received at the University of Notre Dame.Read Less"

"I could not have asked for a better experience than what I had in the College of Arts and Letters. The faculty in both the English and Gender Studies departments encouraged critical thinking and open dialogues both in and out of the classroom. I would especially recommend writing a senior thesis! It was a challenging, year long passion project that utilized all the skills I'd honed throughout my undergrad career."

"Notre Dame is an amazing school with a fantastic culture. The minute you step on campus it feels like home! I learned so much from the teachers and made friendships that will last a lifetime. I loved every minute of my four years at Notre Dame and wish I could go back for more."