The Pros and Cons of Notre Dame

What is Notre Dame’s reputation?

“legendary football” “tons of school spirit” “incredible alumni network” “picture-book campus” “strong Catholic influence” “no Greek life” “strict single-sex dorms” “focus on undergraduate teaching” “conservative politics” “happy, friendly students” “top-ranked undergraduate business program” “everyone is white and Catholic” “great Honors Program” “South Bend, Indiana is in the middle of nowhere”

Most Americans know Notre Dame because the Fighting Irish have won more national football championships (11) than any other school in history. It even inspired the famous 1993 movie “Rudy” about a small but plucky student who manages to fulfill his lifelong dream of one day playing for the team. (Tens of thousands of screaming fans chant “Rudy! Rudy!” until the coach finally relents and puts him in for the very last play of the game.)

But Notre Dame (a mid-sized university in Notre Dame, IN with 9,000 undergraduates) is also a Top 20-ranked university that features: excellent academics, Top-10 ranked undergraduate teaching, a Top 15-ranked undergraduate business program, a really happy and friendly student body, and a somewhat unusual mission these days to educate “the whole student: mind, body, and spirit.” It is a Catholic university, and its core mission is to “pursue knowledge and the Catholic faith to do good in the world.”

Catholic influence.

You can’t really talk about Notre Dame without discussing its strong faith-based mission. Most leading universities are strictly secular, meaning there’s no religious or spiritual component to their curriculum or campus culture. Notre Dame is the opposite. Catholic faith is infused into almost every aspect of campus life: 80% of students are Catholic, there are crosses hanging in every classroom, many professors pray during class, multiple theology classes are required of all students, and students are divided into single-sex dorms with strict curfew. In many ways, it feels like a giant Catholic high school, which can be a good or a back thing, depending on your perspective.

The Pros of Notre Dame…

#1: Uncommon Mission — While most top universities are preoccupied with “developing your brain” so you can get a good job, Notre Dame is equally devoted to building your character and helping you find ways to give back to your community. This service-driven approach supports ND’s goal to “develop the whole person.”

#2: Centrist Politics — Unlike most top universities which skew ultra-liberal, Notre Dame is known for being much more centrist or even conservative, which many students will find appealing. While you will find progressive groups and causes on campus, they are typically independently supported and not officially endorsed or funded by the university. Nevertheless, all students are welcome on campus.

#3: Student Life — Notre Dame is known for its lively social scene and strong student community. This is a place where it’s easy to make friends, and the culture is very warm, friendly, and outgoing. Compare with this with other cut-throat universities where it’s every student for himself.

#4: School Spirit — The school spirit at Notre Dame is legendary. And this translates into one of the strongest alumni networks in the nation. The friends you meet here will become friends for life. And the extensive alumni network will prove invaluable for finding internships and jobs.

#5: Business Program — The Mendoza School of Business (10% acceptance rate) is a Top 15-ranked undergraduate business program. And Notre Dame in general is very collaborative, Mendoza itself is quite competitive. The infamous “Mendoza Curve” means that only a fixed percentage of top students can earn an A (approximately 25%), which means you’re constantly in direct competition with your classmates.

#6: No Greek Life — For many students, the fact that ND has no Greek life (fraternities or sororities) is a major plus. Instead, the school has single-sex “stay dorms,” which means you stay in the same dorm all four years with students from all four grade levels. This creates a strong bond similar to a fraternity or sorority, without any of the hierarchy or exclusivity of the Greek system.

#7: Honors Program — Each year, the school invites about 100 admitted freshmen to join the prestigious Glynn Honors Program (no application required), which provides scholarship money, small seminars with the best professors, special research opportunities, etc.

The Cons of Notre Dame…

#1: Lack of Diversity — Relative to other top universities, Notre Dame has less diversity: 60% of students are white, compared to about 30-35% at other leading private universities like the Ivies. In addition, 80% of students are Catholic, which some students say leads to a lack of “diversity of thought.”

#2: Location — The small Midwestern city of South Bend, Indiana is generally considered okay but certainly nothing to write home about. There’s not much to do, and some areas are not that safe. Fortunately, you’ll probably spend most of your life on campus, which most people agree is both beautiful and very safe.

#3: Less Corporate Recruiting — Because of its out-of-the-way Midwestern location, Notre Dame gets less corporate recruiting than other top schools. Top corporations from Silicon Valley, Atlanta, Boston and New York spend far more time on the two coasts, and the closest major airport to Notre Dame is Chicago, which is 90 minutes away.

#4. Parietals — Notre Dame has strict “parietal” rules to separate male and female students: students are not allowed in dorms of the opposite sex after midnight, or after 2am on weekends. Students do occasionally break this rule, and punishments vary from warnings to possible, eventual expulsion. This formal separation of sexes may be annoying or appealing to you, depending on your perspective and values.

#5. Harsh Winters — Because ND is located near the shores of Lake Michigan, the winters are brutally cold, with lots of wind and snow. Expect to spend long stretches of the winter months indoors.

If you like Notre Dame, you might also like…

If you’re looking for other Catholic (or Christian) universities in addition to Notre Dame (#18), you might consider Georgetown (#24), Boston College (#37), Villanova (#58), Pepperdine (#80), Loyola Marymount (#91), Catholic University (#171), and College of the Holy Cross (#28 in Liberal Arts Colleges). Notably, the Catholic influence at schools like Georgetown and Boston College is noticeably less heavy-handed than it is at Notre Dame, and some students report hardly noticing it at all.

How to get into Notre Dame…

#1: Apply REA — While the Regular Decision acceptance rate at Notre Dame is only 8%, the acceptance rate for REA applicants (Restrictive Early Action) is closer to 13%. So it definitely makes sense to apply REA if you know that Notre Dame is your first choice. But be aware that while REA is non-binding (you don’t have to enroll if you’re admitted), you are not allowed to apply ED (Early Decision) or REA anywhere else.

#2: Highlight Your Faith - Because Notre Dame is specifically looking to promote the Catholic faith, it’s probably a good idea to discuss in your college essays for Notre Dame why God is so important to you, and why attending a faith-based university is so central to your college ambitions. Of course you don’t have to be Catholic to attend the school, but it probably doesn’t hurt.