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If I were to describe the stereotype of ND students, I would say we are athletic, wealthy, Catholic kids who like to study hard and play hard. We are intelligent, have a strong sense of family, and are not very diverse.

I would say the stereotype is fairly accurate. There are a lot of wealthy students here, but they are not the obnoxious kind of wealthy. They don't flaunt their money. Everyone is incredibly down-to-earth and students use their money to do amazing things for the global community, which they care a lot about.

85% of Notre Dame students are Catholic. That being said, I am not Catholic and I have never felt like the religion was shoved down my throat.

Notre Dame is more diverse than people think, and the University is trying hard to make it even more diverse. However, people tend to hang out with people like them, which is unfortunate.

ND students are incredibly intelligent and work really hard, even though they all try to pretend like they don't. Although there are no sororities or frats, most students party hard on Friday and/or Saturday and then stay in all Sunday doing homework.

Diversity is slim. Because of the Catholic nature of the University, the LGBTQ environment is not as good as I would hope. However, I have many friends who are a part of the LGBTQ scene who love it here. Different ethnic groups tend to associate only with each other, which is unfortunate, but it is also not always the case. Everyone here is pretty much Conservative, which can be pretty frustrating for me when I try to express my own opinions.

I am not Catholic, rich, athletic, or a genius and I still feel right at home here! College is what you make of it. I spent a lot of time worrying about not being Catholic and it held me back, but once I realized no one else cared, things were much better.

Students are from all over the country and all over the world. They are super into volunteering. Everyone wants to volunteer, and there is no doubt in my mind that, someday, a ND student will!

The first thing I should mention is dorms. What sets Notre Dame apart from other schools is our residential system. Compare it to being sorted into a house like at Hogwarts. Everyone thinks their dorm is the best, and there is a big rivalry to win "Hall of the Year." So along with that, popular student activities often are associated with your dorm. Each dorm has a signature event (examples include mud volleyball tournaments, chariot races, etc.) and they do lots of things together as a dorm community. You can also play pretty much any sport (from ping pong to football) for your dorm.

The marching band is huge here. There are tons of other musical groups - choirs, a capella groups, bagpipe bands - you name it!

I'm a little biased, but Student Government is also huge here, and very influential. They plan a ton of events for students and also create changes for students around campus.

There are many religious groups, academic associations, service organizations, etc.

Every year, in the first couple weeks of school there is an activity fair where over 100 student groups set up booths and you can find out more about each one!

Parietals are a rule that at 2am on weekends and midnight on weeknights, boys must be out of girls rooms and vice versa. This is a rule that can be broken, but is strictly enforced if you are caught (read: BIG trouble). Students HATE parietals because they infantilize us. While the University sees this as vital to the Catholic identity, I really think they need to treat us as adults and let us make our own lifestyle decisions.

I do see the upside to parietals though. When you get stuck with that random roommate freshman year that wants to have a boy over EVERY SINGLE night, you can kick him out. It forces you to sleep, mingle with your dormmates, etc.

Also, I should mention that although parietals are annoying, it is still possible to hang out with people of the opposite sex "after hours." Every dorm has a 24-hour space where you can study, play ping-pong, or watch TV at any point with anyone. Our student centers and eateries are also open past 12/2.

upper middle class, Catholic white kids (probably Irish) who are smart but love to drink and love football.

http://www.thingsnotredamestudentslike.com/

This site is a hilarious blog about the quirks and stereotypes of Notre Dame students. As a student, I can tell you - it's spot on. If you have been accepted and want to know if you will fit in, check out this site. If two or three of the blogs seem like you - welcome to the family!

You can learn funny and interesting insider stuff that the typical freshman won't know...unless they're a legacy. So they will all probably know.

I feel like at Notre Dame, boys either want to hook up with you once and never see you again, or they want to marry you.

Because of the single sex dorms, it is more difficult to just be good friends with students of the opposite sex. However, it is not impossible. You just have to work a little harder. And everyone wants to do the same thing, so people are very receptive. The problem disappears as you get through your freshman year.

Because ND students have a strong sense of family, and everyone wants one of their own some day, you get a lot of serious relationships on campus. There is really no casual dating. You're either in a committed relationship, or you are 100% single and doing whatever you want.

You'll hear a lot about "Ring by Spring" where ND girls who are in relationships with ND guys want t be engaged by the time they graduate. While that is mostly a thing of the past, I definitely know a few girls who have that goal.

We have no sororities or fraternities here.

What we do have is a strong residential system, like the houses at Hogwarts. All of our dorms are single-sex, so you live with about 200 other boys or girls. All of the housing is assigned completely randomly, but once you get placed in a dorm, 98% of students stay there for their entire college experience.

Each dorm basically functions like its own sorority or fraternity. Like I said, they are single-sex, so they are already similar. Each dorm has its own dances, social events, charity fundraisers, mascots, colors, etc. There are dorm rivalries and competitions and all kinds of fun. Because every single student is included in the residential system, there is no exclusivity or hurt feelings like those associated with Greek life. And, there is no "rush" cost - just room and board! No hazing. All of the benefits of a tight-knit community with none of the costs!

What I really thing sets Notre Dame apart is the dorm life. We don't have sororities or frats but because the dorms are single sex, they are basically sororities with no hazing and no exclusivity or clique-iness. We all think our dorms are the best and we have big competitions and rivalries, as well as dances, charity events, and all kinds of fun stuff! 80% of students live in the dorms and 98% of students stay in their same dorm all three or four years that they are on campus. We are our own little community and I love the girls in my dorm more than anything! Notre Dame is one big family, and your dorm-mates are like your sisters (or brothers). I also do love the school spirit. I love that everyone is grateful to be here and loves it here and really believes in what this place is all about. That doesn't happen at every school (I'm from a college town and it definitely isnt like that at Mizzou!). No one is stuck-up or snotty. We are all hard workers, but we know how to enjoy life, give back, and laugh at ourselves. I love the people here more than I can possibly express!

The industrial city of South Bend. Not a big college town. If you come to Notre Dame, you sure aren't coming for the college town. South Bend residents are not the biggest fans of Notre Dame students and there's not much to do here.

That being said, we do have a little area right off campus with a Five Guys, Chipotle, Urban Outfitters, Brothers Bar, and more that really cater to the students. It's a quick walk!

There is some stuff to do in the city and lots of great restaurants, but honestly everything you need and probably want to do (besides the bar scene) is available on campus. We hardly ever leave.

Each dorm has "study lounges." Some are more effective than others, and I don't really use my dorm's.

The library is great because it has 13 floors full of study space.

Another popular spot is the Coleman-Morse center. They have free popcorn and soda all the time for students! There is comfy seating, fireplaces, and big-screen TVs.

If you want to "study" (aka be distracted when you run into people you know), go to LaFortune student center. The booths are the coveted spots since you can spread out, but the tables work, too. There are tons of places to eat in LaFortune, so you can always get study snacks. Plus, your friends will be coming in to get food, so they will stop to chat.

Classroom buildings are open most nights and weekends, too. You will find your perfect little spot on campus and go there often!

You've never heard of Notre Dame?!?! Impossible! Just kidding.

It's an underrated Top 20 US University. Everyone thinks of Notre Dame as this legendary football school. But we are so much more than that. The #1 undergraduate business school in the United States, for example.

Perfect size - 8,000 undergraduates and 2,000 grad students. Tons of school spirit, down to earth, friendly, and extraordinarily loving people.

The quintessential college experience. If you want to have "the college experience" while still having a superb education - this should be your #1 choice!

The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The administration and Student Government coordinated a memorial mass. About 8,000 people attended the ceremony, and continued it with a candlelit procession to the Grotto at dusk. It was an incredibly beautiful and moving sight. Events like that, and the deaths of Declan Sullivan, Xavier Murphy, and other members of our Notre Dame family, are somber occasions and very sad. But there is this wonderful sense of community, hope, and genuine love and care that rises from them. We come together as a family to deal with the loss and hurt and it is a profound experience. In the midst of such sad occasions, this is often when I feel the most at peace with my college decision. I could never ask to be in a more caring environment than Notre Dame.

For many people, weekends start on Thursdays. Probably because Sunday is a day of work!

Thursday: heading to Fever aka FEVE (if you're 21) or going to the ND nightclub to see a band play, etc.

Friday: Relaxing and lazing around until dinner. Hit up a few different dorm parties starting at 10, then heading off campus to a friend's house for a better party.

Saturday: Wake up late, get brunch in the Dining Hall, be lazy until repeating Friday.

Sunday: Wake up late again, and buckle down on all your homework!

There are lots of variations. I know people who go out 4 or 5 nights a week, and I know people who never stop studying. For me, I usually go out one night (Friday, typically) and stay in on Saturday with just a few friends to either watch a movie or get ahead on my work.

Each dorm has its own unique identity. Each dorm has their own signature events, mascots, and stereotypes.

Some dorms have air-conditioning, and some don't. You really only need air conditioning the first couple weeks of school, so it is very bearable to live in a dorm with no air conditioning.

Since the dorms were all built at different times (mine was built in 1936 and the most recent was built in 2009) there is no normal set-up for dorms. You can be in anything from a single to an 8-man room. As a freshman, you will always have a roommate and you will most likely be in a double or a quad.

The dorms ar scattered throughout campus and dorms identify themselves based on what quad they are on.

The Professors here are, for the most part, awesome. They love Notre Dame as much as the students do and are in touch with campus events. They take it easy on us on Football Fridays, since no one is really paying attention. Things like that. They love to see students outside of class -they never act like they have more important things to do. Students are their priority. I even have a professor who holds his office hours on Sunday instead of during the week since "let's be honest- that's when you all do your homework anyway." Professors are required to have four hours of open office time each week for student questions, but most have more than four.

Of course, we have some professors who are absolute duds (lots of Theology teachers ,for example - sad, since we are a Catholic University), but I think that is true of every school. It is definitely the exception, not the rule here.

Religion, obviously.

Based off that, anything that Conservatives have strong opinions about are hot-button here.

Gay marriage and gay rights in general. Abortion is a big one. Sustainability.

There also seems to be much heated debate about the oh-so-important issues of "whether Notre Dame needs a jumbotron," "is North Dining Hall or South Dining Hall better," and "what will replace Sbarro in the Student Center?"

This all depends on your major! More so than popular classes, we have popular professors. Professor McKenna in Anthropology has classes that fill within minutes (including his Tap Dance tutorial). Likewise, everyone in the Business school looks forward to taking Finance with Ackermann. We have an awesome site for students called NDToday.com in which students give honest reviews of professors and classes so you can look at your options before you sign up!

To an extent. If you don't go to Notre Dame, you can't really understand what this place is all about. We get a lot of flack because there are a lot of people out there who don't like Notre Dame and we get stereotyped more than pretty much any other school. Like most stereotypes, it has held because there are quite a few students that fit the stereotype - but not all. Not by a long shot!

If you are looking for the quintessential "college experience" come here! We are the epitome of everything college is about.

You will (mostly) love and (occasionally) hate things about Notre Dame, but you will never ever regret your choice to come to the most awesome school in the US!

BEAUTIFUL. Our campus is gorgeous. It is so compact. You never leave the landscaped grounds to get to any other part of campus. We are not spread out through the city - it is all one big bubble of a campus. The Golden Dome is the first thing you see as you drive in and there is just this amazing sens of awe. It looks like everyone's stereotyped fantasy of college with the old majestic buildings and students playing frisbee on the quad.

Also, inside South Dining Hall is JUST like the Great Hall of Hogwarts

Ummm...DUH. We're NOTRE DAME! Only the most famous college football program in the nation. Yes, we have been in a slump. But that doesn't stop any of our school spirit! We still have over 100,000 people on campus every football weekend. Notre Dame Stadium, which holds 80,795 people, has been sold out for every game for the last 20 years.

Let's not forget our other sports! This last year, Womens Soccer and both Mens and Womens Fencing were National Champs. Hockey made it Frozen Four, Mens Lacrosse made final four, Womens Basketball made it to Final Four, and Mens Basketball participated in March Madness. We are an athletic powerhouse!

About 80% of ND students played a varsity sport in high school, so our campus is really active. Lots of students play interhall sports for their dorm, which is very recreational.

We also have club level sports that you have to try out for.

We have two dining halls - North Dining Hall (NDH) and South Dining Hall (SDH). There are arguments about which one is better, but honestly the food they serve is pretty much the same. It's all you can eat - you swipe in and can stay as long as you want.

If you don't have time for a sit-down meal, you can do Grab N Go, which has a bunch of quick options to choose from to put in a brown bag to take with you.

We have two meal plans: 14 Flex is the default in which you get 14 meals a week (the week starts Saturday morning) and $345 a semester to use at our campus cafes, and the on-campus eateries like Burger King, Subway, etc. You can also do a 21 meal plan, which is 21 meals a week (3 per day) and no flex points. GO FOR THE FLEX POINTS.

If there was one word I could use to describe Notre Dame it would be TRADITION.

We have soooo many traditions. Let me name a few:

1) The football players hitting the "Play Like a Champion Today" sign before heading out onto the field. (Students all get a chance to hit the sign before they graduate!)

2) Whoever you kiss under the Lyons arch is the person you will marry

3) Whoever you walk around the lakes with first is who you will marry

4) The ghost of George Gipp (the Gipper), our first All-American, haunts Washington Hall

5) The North Quad vs South Quad midnight snowball fight after the first big snow

6) Don't walk on the grass on God Quad or you will flunk your next test

7) Don't walk up the front steps of the Main Building or you won't graduate on time

8) You have to climb the Stepan Center geodesic dome before you graduate!

9) Rushing the field after big football victories

10) The seniors throw marshmallows during the fourth quarter of their last home football game

11) Midnight Drummers circle the night before home football games and the band/player parade on game day

12) Running through the Stonehenge fountain

13) Frosh.O Weekend serenading and the Domerfest all-night party for the new Freshmen

14) The Zahm Hall Bun Run (look it up)

15) The football team ALWAYS sings the Alma Mater with the student section after the game, win or lose. That is my favorite tradition.

Bad news first!

Worst: the disparity between boys and girls dorms is ridiculous. Girls, get used to going to boys dorms to do anything loud or fun, even if it does not include drinking. The rules are way strict in girls dorms and any type of get-together is likely to get broken up. Also, parietals are not fun. 2 am is pretty early by college standards, and that is the time on the weekends when you are forced to go back to your own dorm and go to sleep. But honestly, all dorm parties are the same and they aren't that great.

Best: Beer and wine are allowed on campus, if you are 21. The administration (especially in boys dorms) usually look the other way if you are drinking, even if you are underage AS LONG AS YOU DO SO RESPONSIBLY. If you get out of hand or get sick, you will get in trouble - but if you are hanging out and just having some fun and there happens to be alcohol involved, they are cool about it.

The other great thing? If you don't drink - everyone is so cool with that! No one will ever try to make you drink. Notre Dame also sponsors TONS of awesome events on weekends including concerts, themed dance nights at our nightclub (go on Hip Hop night), poker tournaments, comedy shows, hypnotists, and tons of free food!