University of Notre Dame Top Questions

Lots of middle to upper-middle class white kids mostly. About 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} minorities and you can definitely see a kind of pack mentality in the dining hall with people grouped somewhat by race. Politics, I'd say mostly conservative students, not too much pure political activism but where politics and religion meet, abortion for example, there's quite a bit of activisim.

Just guessing here: 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} white, 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Catholic, 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} well-off, 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} sheltered from the world

ND has a pretty diverse student body, but the majority of kids are still white. However, race aside, ND has a very diverse and dynamic student body anyway. Each kid going here has a different outlook on life and an interesting way of expressing himself/herself. Kids wear whatever to class and there is a very small amount of judging done on campus.

8,000 students is just the right size for a college campus, because there are always people you don't know, but if you ask enough friends and acquaintances, you'll find that everyone actually kind of does know each other!

The student body, just like at any university, is full of people different from yourself. There is a culture of unity at Notre Dame, but at the same time there are factions. Cultural clubs are opportunities for people to understand and learn about one another, from time to time, however, they become dividing lines that may seem difficult to cross. At the same time, if you want to, it is easy to mix into groups different from yours if simply through clubs, student council, or mutual friends. As far as class differences go, you will encounter people who have more money than they know what to do with and others who are barely scraping by. Though everyone seems to have more or less the same economic appearance, you will be surprised when you find out the truth about the range of incomes on the campus. Going to class you'll get sick of northface jacket after northface jacket, but will be happy that people dress pretty casually. Business students have an unofficial (but at times very strongly recommended by certain professors) dresscode. One thing about ND is that the male student life and female student life is quite different. The campus currently houses 27 (soon to be 28) single-sexed dorms. With something 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population choosing to live on campus, these dorms become a type of sorority or fraternity. Though the same rules are written for both men and women, you have different people upholding them in each dorm, and male dorms are overwhelmingly, and obviously more lax than female dorms. The school just became co-ed in the 70s so there are still hints of that "boys club" atmosphere.

I hardly ever see the EMO or punk rock sort of person at ND. ND, while somewhat diverse, doesn't have every type of student imaginable, like the Universities of Illinois or Indiana or the like. I feel like I've moved into more of a bubble than I was in in high school, which sounds a bit unfortunate, but it's because the ND admissions team is very good at looking for a certain type of student - and in a way we all end up with the same values (more or less) and therefore the same appearances...

To be honest, Notre Dame is not that diverse. Most of the students are white upper class Catholics. Different types of students do interact, but there´s not that much diversity anyway. Most Notre Dame students are from the Midwest probably, but there are students from all over the country actually, and internationally as well. Students are politically aware and active, and I´d say the student body is predominantly right leaning, since it is a rather conservative school. But there are definitely those who are more liberal on campus as well.

fun and loyal to their school

The school is Catholic, but having said that, there are tolerant people on campus.

I came to Notre Dame and expanded the diversity of my friends which I think it great! However, intergender relations is kind of lagging. Most Notre Dame students are from either Chicago, or somewhere else! A quarter from Chicago, the rest pretty evenly distributed all of the country and the world. However, most students are quite wealthy. The student body is fairly conservative Republican as well.

notre dame is not a particularly diverse place. there are too few minorities represented, and as a catholic university, the environment is not super friendly to LGBT individuals or groups. however, different groups do interact, and at the very least, the school joins people from all over the country and from various socioeconomic levels (although many from the upper tier). political apathy is common, and the student body in general is much more conservative than at the majority of other universities.

LOTS OF CATHOLICS, NOT ENOUGH DIVERSITY, TOO MUCH SAME-NESS, BUT STILL COMPASSIONATE, LOVING PEOPLE

There are students at Notre Dame who drink on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights; there are students at Notre Dame who study in their dorm rooms on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. There are conservative students at Notre Dame; there are liberal students at Notre Dame. There are students from lower-class families at Notre Dame; there are students from upper-class families at Notre Dame. But, despite the diversity, every student at Notre Dame is eager to learn in an environment that is intellectually stimulating.

the student body is great but sometimes judgemental thats about it and people are like that everywhere

Very homogenous. The student body is overly Catholic, white, and upper-middle class. Fitting all of those categories, I can't say what it would be like for other students, but I imagine it would be a little disconcerting. Geographically, the student body is very diverse as there are students from all over the country.

I wish the campus was more diverse. It's weird for me, because I came from a public school that was about half white half non-white. Culture shock. It's clear that people are for the most part well off, which can kind of make me feel uncomfortable at times. However, a lot of people do have campus jobs, which makes me feel better about that issue. I would say i hear more from the left wing, but i think as a whole the campus is predominantly right. For the most part, kids hang out with people in their dorms. That's who I'm closest with.

It's hard not to get caught up in the designer labels and look past into who people really are. It's easy to stereotype students, but once I get to know people, I usually find so much more to them than the appearance. Many people here probably came from communities where they were highly esteemed, and it is different now that we are all put together. We have to re-establish ourselves in this community where no one knows all of our achievements.

It surprises me how many students feel out of place here. But at the same time, I can't help but that think that that is their own faults. There is no reason to not be able to feel comfortable at least one place on campus. There are so many different people here that its hard to imagine how people can always feel alone. Its like they want to feel that way, and so they don't put themselves out there at all. And I don't buy that they are shy or homesick. They're just resisting becoming the person they should, and it's a little said. College is about growing and changing and when you refuse to let that happen, it just becomes a mess for you and everyone who knows you.

I love that the Notre Dame student body is a group of very passionate students. We don't all necessarily support the same things, but whatever our passion is, we go at it whole-heartedly. Those who love sports often become part of the Student Managers for the sports teams--and they put in A LOT of time and are often over-looked for the amount of work that they do. But they do it because they LOVE sports! Those who love politics have the opportunity to be part of groups on campus that support the Democrats/Republicans/etc--or they can join the Student Government and be a part of things themselves. Those who have a strong religious presence in their lives are able to attend mass, sing in various choirs, play instruments for masses, or just lead prayer services within the dorm. For me, I love to bake. Notre Dame, and my dorm, Badin, in particular gave me the means to turn that love into a fund-raising program for our Relay for Life team. Like I said, it doesn't matter what we love, but the fact that Notre Dame students will put their whole heart into it.

Largely caucasian. Very little racism. It seems sometimes the minorities separate themselves from the mainstream (especially asians and hispanics). The campus is generally conservative, but the leftists on campus (though small in number), seem to raise hell about all sorts of issues just to piss other people off.

The student body at Notre Dame is very homogenous. Most students are from well-off, white, Catholic families that were raised on basically the same values. It makes it easy sometimes to relate to people, but it greatly hurts the attitude of the student body because they are not exposed to a wide range of races, religions and incomes, which is what the nation is really made up of. I feel it would be hard for a minority in any of the three previously mentioned catagories to feel entirely at home on this campus.

Very homogonous. There is no diversity, and everyone is relatively similar. This is a huge positive, but perhaps an even bigger negative.

people are too conscious and affirmative action sucks. probably a gay student would feel out of place here, unless he/she were comfortable with him/herself and willing to make normal friends. students wear jeans and sweatshirts to class. we joke that it's the "uniform" of girls at ND. different types of students interact. about 1/4 of the students are from the midwest, and then 2/3 of the rest are from elsewhere in the US. the rest are international. financial backgrounds: mostly middle class, but its not uncommon to meet someone aboslutely loaded. students say they're politically aware, and someetimes they know what they're talking about. no. students joke about their future jobs because we all know we're going to end up rich if we just follow the conveyor belt with our super ND diplomas. if only we could make it to graduation.

Like I said before, it's conservative and religious. Of course, not every student falls into these categories, and you can seek them out, but they're not the norm. Most people are catholic, but the degree to which they follow their faith is all of the place. A ton of people are permiscuous on Saturdays and religious on Sunday. Some people are able to really embrace their faith though, and find others who have similar views and "higher morals". Students don't dress up for class, period. Maybe like 3 girls do. Sweats/Jeans/Sweat-shirt is the norm. Theres a stereotype that ND girls are ugly, and that they only look good on Fridays. To some extent that's true, because they go from sweats and no make-up to a skanky top and lipstick on Friday night. Everyone is athletic, there is always someone jogging by, and as a whole everyone is healthy. Although a conservative school, people arent really aware of whats going on outside the ND bubble. There aren't protests or political action, and if there is, only like 3 people participate. Minorities generally stick together, but everyone is friendly and interacts with one another.

One downside to the background of Notre Dame is the overpopulation of conservatives. I don't mean republicans, but I mean those who are so afraid of losing our tradition (which does define the college) that they don't want to grow. Individually, students are open minded, but as a mass, there are some general moods that are possibly homophobic and anti-non-Catholics. I, of course, push the liberal view as much as possible, as a Devil's advocate. Students love to think they'll be loaded some day. It's funny that the Bible is so against that..

I can understand why any minority group could feel out of place on Notre Dame's campus because there is not huge diversity on campus. Like I said before I have never felt like there has been racial or socioeconomic issues/tension at any even I have been at, however, I have heard that it exists. I know some people find it almost surprising at how many black people I know or hang out with and I thought it was bit of a sad commentary because I had never noticed before. I feel like for the most part people are very welcoming and open to other people's thoughts and cultures and for the most part respect them as long as they get a chance to learn about them. I feel like there certainly is an effort to support events that will encourage open talking and action, people just don't always take part in them. I feel that most Notre Dame students are predominately from upper class or higher middle class white families. I feel like part of this is due to legacy, what types of people originally came to Notre Dame, but I also feel like Notre Dame caters to a specific type of person. I do feel like students are politically aware. I can't say that I know whether people are truly predominately in one direction, but there certainly is a significant amount of conservatives on campus that definitively control the direction of things on campus. But discussion is certainly encouraged and I do think that people are welcome to discuss controversial topics on campus. I think that people do occasionally talk about how much they'll earn one day, but more so students are known to compete with each other rather than talking about what kinds of jobs they hope to get.

my faith has increased surmountably ever since coming to ND. the religious environment helps me cement my faith, learn more about it and find my place within my religion. i've learned a lot after to coming to ND. because i have become more knowledgeable about my religion, i'm able to support and argue for it well. the dorm masses really inculcate a spirit of inclusion into the faith life and community life. masses truly inspire us. praying "our father" and holding hands really had a great psychological impact on my life. and for that im truly blessed and greatful.

Notre Dame is a somewhat homogenous community, but I don't think that differences are suppressed here. Many people tend to be politically right, but a good amount are also liberal. There is a fair amount of political apathy on campus, however, which is frustrating. Students tend to dress casually, but there are those girls who were dresses and heels to class. In the dining halls, people often sit with there dorms at their dorm's table, especially boys dorms. Otherwise, there are the different athletic teams that tend to sit together and often times different ethnic groups will sit together. We have very few people who are out-of-the-box, most tend to try to dress in similar ways and there are few who are eccentric. People set their goals high and some talk about making a solid living in order to be very comfortable after they are settled.

they are okay

Diversity at ND is limited, at best. Sure it's there, but for the most part, if you're white, upper or upper-middle class, Catholic, most likely Irish, and have conservative leanings, most people here are like you. There is a huge geographical range, though, which is fantastic for meeting people. I'm from Chicago, and my three other roommates are from Seattle, Detroit, and Buffalo. Also, a HUGE percentage of the students are athletic, either at the college level, or they varsity lettered in high school and now play intramurals. The gyms are always a hopping place, and it's a little intimidating for those of us without perfectly defined muscles.

-great community -money a touchy subject -again, it's competitive, but i find people to be very open and welcoming

Students are mostly white, upper-middle class Catholics. Most people will assume that you're Catholic and be surprised if you're not. People usually wear jeans or sweatpants to class. Most people are relatively laid back, which is sort of atypical for a prestigious university. Also, everyone is so nice out here - always holding doors open for you and saying hi. A lot of students are from the Midwest - the Chicago area. Every fifth person will tell you they're from Chicago, but we all know they're from the suburbs a half hour from the city.

too rich and homogeneous to understand all aspects of a problem, people's socioeconomic backgrounds and family affect decisions a lot. predominantly right. I think liberal, non-athletic or slightly punk students would feel out of place.

It is not as diverse as is ideal, but progress is being made. Students are spirited and have great pride in Notre Dame, their halls, and themselves. They come from all over and have all sorts of views on the world.

football is huge, for the most part, the student body is white and preppy, lots of drinking on the weekends, lots of pretty well-off children (finances)

Notre Dame does not have the most balanced student body. For instance, LGBT students often do not feel welcome here because they are discriminated against by many devout Catholics. Notre Dame does have a decent number of minority students, but for the most part, people only hang out with people of the same ethnicity. It is usually a type of self-segregation. Also, certain minority students such as Asians and Hispanics like to speak in their native languages, and this can be hurt their chances of making friends from other ethnic backgrounds. Students also seem to self-segregate based on their family's socioeconomic background. Gender relations between the students are also unbalanced, and Notre Dame is in many ways a patriarchal school.

We're not extremely diverse (pretty much white catholic kids), but there isn't any tension between people from different backgrounds. The only student who would feel out of place is one who isn't willing to mix working hard and playing hard or who isn't willing to be open to learning new things about other people. We're an extremely welcoming student body - you just have to open up and be welcoming yourself....afterall, isn't that what college is about? meeting all kinds of people from all different places and backgrounds and getting to be great friends with them?

Notre Dame is not diverse enough..... I am used to more types of people in one place & sometimes get bored/ discouraged trying to keep my friends from other cultural backgrounds which has never happened to me before.

The student body is pretty homogenous, there's not a lot of diversity. And the few minority students taht we do have tend to stick with each other.

The campus could be more diverse. But there many active multicultural groups.

People often say Notre Dame has little diversity. I see diversity on campus in the many clubs that represent different ethnicities and religious beliefs. I see different types of students interacting. Statistics have shown that many Notre Dame students come from white, high-income families. I think the students try to accept those with different lifestyles and beliefs, but there are many people who voice their opinions negatively.

Student body is primarily heterosexual affluent whites, although generally welcoming of diversity (possibly save for homosexuality). People wear sweats to class. Students usually are groups of friends from the respective dorms. Students are politically active though not extremely well informed. Predominantly conservative.

Although it may not seem like it at first glance, Notre Dame really does have a very diverse student body, not only in race and outward appearance, but in beliefs and opinions and states of mind. The large variety of students that I have met while at Notre Dame is incredible and I wonder at how different each and every person is on campus. While it is true that there is a large variety of caucasian students at the university, it has never seemed overwhelming to me or as though it is unfair for other races of students. I do not know what the official breakdown of students is according to their race, but i have yet to meet someone who is not accepting of other people based on their beliefs or heritage or race or any other factor.

There's not a lot of diversity. Most kids are white, upper middle class, and Catholic. That's just the bottom line. There are VERY few LGBT kids and while this is our most diverse class, only 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} minorities. If you're not Catholic, don't worry about it too much. I'm not and I get alonge fine...I'm not even Christian and I still feel like I fit in and my friends don't judge me or anything. Most students either dress very well and conservative (think polos, sweaters, etc.) or sporty (sweatpants, North Face fleece, etc.) There are pretty much no hipsters here (thank God). Different types of students do intereact, but for the most part people tend to stick with their own kind, particularly in regards to race. The black kids hang out with the other black kids, the asians hang out with the other asians (and the Koreans hang out by themselves), the latinos with the other latinos, etc. Most students are from the Midwest, but you get students from (literally) across the globe. A lot of kids are from farther away places like Florida, the east coast, and California, but you do get a ton from Indiana, Illinois (suburbs of Chicago!), Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, etc. Financially, most kids are rich. They say they're not, but at home they drive a BMW and they wear JCrew everyday and have five North Face fleeces. They're rich. A lot of students are politically aware and a lot. For the most part kids are right and conservative, due to the Catholic aspect. Pro-choicers be ware!

There is not much diversity on campus (regarding race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.). Many students discriminate against people who live alternative lifestyles and some even condemn them as being immoral or abnormal. An extremely liberal student, a non-straight student, a student from a low socio-economic category, and a non-believer or non-Christian would feel out of place on campus. Interaction among different types of students is uncommon. Most Notre Dame students seem to come from the Midwest and California. The student body seems to be largely upper middle class. Most students are conservative when they enter Notre Dame but become increasingly liberal. There is a wide range of activism from the completely apathetic to always ready for a protest. I rarely hear students talk about their future salaries.

Racial Groups on Campus: Lots of them, awesome programming (Asian Allure, Wabruda, Blak Images, Voices of Faith, etc). Religious Groups: Very prevalent; Campus Ministry is huge, lots of service opportunities. LGBTQ: A couple of non-recognized groups; a major controversy here. Socio-Economic Groups: None. Other Groups: Students do everything here, we were leaders in high school and we're leaders here. Student Feels Out of Place: Studious introvert, LGBTQ (I know some who love it here, others who hate it), Ethnic minority looking for similar people, Non-athletic people. Students wear: Lots of sweatshirts and North Face during the winter, lots of shorts and sandals during the (brief) warmer months, sometimes people dress nicely. Different Types of Students: Interact all the time. You will always be able to find someone who thinks differently than you if you look for it. Four Tables of Students in the Dining Hall: 1) Men's dorm talking about football; 2) Football players eating like pigs with lots of people (girls & guys) hovering around and sneaking glances; 3) Large group of diverse friends (male & female, white & non-white); 4) Wannabe or former jocks eating alone and watching SportsCenter on the flat-screen TVs and scarfing their food.

People are very tolerant and accepting overall around ND, although there's still not as much racial and class diversity as there ought to be. Everyone can find their place in the ND family, even though reaching out to different kinds of people must be a conscious effort. ND students are from all over the US and abroad, and upper middle-class is (sadly) by far the most prevalent. Some students take time to dress nicely for class, but the majority of people are laid back or just totally apathetic.

I think Notre Dame is a fun, diverse campus and there are a lot of different groups doing a lot of different things and it is easy to become involved in any one of them at any given time. You can get involved in a bible study group or a bagpiping club and that makes it really cool because there are so many options to choose from and you can really try new things. There are also many different foreign students and different groups all over and all of these groups do interact in the dorms and in the classrooms and there doesn't seem to be any clear separation between people. Some students dress up for class, others wear sweats. There is a big mix and it is really just whatever you feel comfortable in. In the dining hall, a lot of times you will see a group of kids from Spanish speaking countries and a group of athletes and a group of girls and a group of boys, but that doesn't mean that you won't see tables where all of these groups or intermingled. Typically students here are somewhat wealthy, but that's not to say that only wealthy kids go here because there is a lot of financial aid and scholarships available that make it possible for anyone to go here. I think a majority of students are conservative, but there are still a large number of liberal students and other political beliefs and there doesn't seem to be much clash among these groups. Notre Dame is not a very political campus, but there are several clubs that work toward promoting awareness and different views. Students here know that their education will help them make a lot of money in the future, but the main emphasis isn't so much on money rather than family and friends and just doing something that makes you happy. At Notre Dame, you learn that there is more to life than just money.

If you're not Catholic, straight, and white, you're immediately subjected to a certain amount of discrimination. Politically, most students are either moderate or way right. There is a liberal base, but it's pretty small.

This school is very conservative and not very accepting of certain groups.