nd12

What You Make of It

You're going to have to work hard, but if you're a dedicated student you should be able to get quality grades and go out as much as you'd like. More importantly, Notre Dame offers an incredible amount of opportunities, from study abroad to doing research. There is money available for every venture imaginable, one just needs to reach out and take advantage of what's offered. Though there are some professors that are research-oriented (you'll get this at any school), there are even more that will invite you over for dinners, e-mail and meet with you years after you have them for class, and become some of your most trusted friends and mentors for the rest of your life.

More Than You'd Think

South Bend isn't the greatest city in the world, and nobody would dare to claim such a thing, but it certainly isn't the worst either. As long as you don't plan on mingling with the locals, South Bend is everything you really need. There's really an unreasonable amount of restaurants (every chain you could possibly imagine), enough fun bars to go out each night of the week and not go to the same one twice, and enough quality student housing to make living and partying off-campus an enjoyable experience. Only 1 1/2 hours from Chicago, even closer to Lake Michigan, and in a city that offers a lot more than advertised.

Gonna Kill Me to Leave

Lou Holtz put it best when he said "Notre Dame is just special. People ask me to describe it. I say if you've been here, no explanation is necessary. If you haven't been, no explanation will suffice."

Really couldn't have had a better time here. Yes, some things about the school frustrate me and will frustrate others, but that will be the case everywhere you go. I have friends that go everywhere under the sun and I have not found a place that balances everything as well as Notre Dame does. This place really is special, and I couldn't imagine going anywhere else.