Virtually every student goes to the football games in the fall; you're basically required to shell out the $95 for a ticket booklet and go to the games. Even if you aren't a football fan, you won't regret spending the money. It's part of the experience of going to school here. Basketball and hockey games are also very popular. Unfortunately, other school-sponsored events are significantly less popular. There are a plethora of theatre shows, concerts, comedians, and guest speakers made available to students by various organizations, but I feel like a lot of students don't take advantage of these great opportunities very often. Legends, the on-campus bar and nightclub, hosts six events every weekend, from Thursday to Saturday. This includes one or two concerts featuring up-and-coming musical artists every week. However, these events are often poorly attended, unless the band has the advantage of name recognition.
The social life revolves around the residence halls. Since these halls are single-sex only, they act in place of fraternities and sororities on campus, minus the partying. Most students' closest friends come from their dorms. Roommates are assigned randomly freshman year, which can be a drag or a blast depending on who you get. My sister, who also goes here, was in a quint with four other girls her freshman year, and they all got along famously. In contrast, I was in a double, and my roommate and I didn't have very much in common. We tolerated each other, but never talked very much or did anything together. This latter situation is probably the most common as a freshman. It can be frustrating sometimes, but it is also a learning experience. You find out more about yourself and your values, as well as the kind of people you like and don't like. Furthermore, you learn how to interact with people even if you don't like them.
As far as dating goes, there really isn't much. There seem to be two kinds of relationships at Notre Dame: drunken hook-ups, and serious couples bordering on engagement. There is not much middle ground; for some reason, nobody really goes on casual dates. This might stem from the kinds of things there are to do on weekends: partying (hence the drunken hook-ups) or hanging out with a group of friends. People usually go to concerts, events, and shows in groups, although these would be good activities to do with a date. Some people have suggested that students do not feel like they have enough time to date. Also, there is the conspicuous lack of places to go off campus. There is not really a college town in the traditional sense of the word. South Bend is not exactly classy, and there are no cute little restaurants that students can walk to (or even drive to). Basically, aside from off-campus partying, everything goes on on-campus. There are usually plenty of things to do on campus to keep you entertained, though, if you don't want to go to parties.