Nifty Notre Dame

Basilica

Today, we got off to a much earlier start, waking up at 7 AM to catch a Greyhound bus to South Bend, Indiana. We caught a small taxi car, but my cohort and I had to use our ingenious minds to rig three seatbelts to secure the four of us. After eating a breakfast of muffins and sandwiches at the Greyhound station, we took a 2 hour bus ride. The time on the bus was spent making up for lost hours of sleep from the early morning. By the time I woke up, we arrived at South Bend airport and an overpriced taxi took us the rest of the way to Notre Dame University.

Out of all the universities we visited, Notre Dame looks the best in my opinion. Each campus had its own perks, WashU. with its 1800's architecture, Northwestern right next to Lake Michigan, but Notre Dame had the most comfortable college campus  feeling. Although I am not very religious, the religious and gothic architecture and statues made the campus seem alot more animated and lively. Each building we passed by, was grander than the next. Even the main admissions office had a gold dome and The Virgin Mary at the top. Right next to it was the Basilica, the grand main cathedral of Notre Dame campus.

"Stone Hedge" Fountain

Free stuff always makes everything better. We were given booklets and a cinch bag with the Notre Dame insignia on it. I can tell that I will be using this a lot throughout the entire trip. 

Washington Univeristy and Notre Dame had the same amount of visitors during the tours and info session. What I liked most about the Notre Dame presentation was a small video introducing everything that Notre Dame was proud of and its greatest characteristics. This was a nice intro and gave us a feel of the campus that couldn't be explained in words. 

Everyone had a chance to introduce themselves, and this showed the great diversity amongst the population demographics in Notre Dame. Some students were from California like us, and others all the way from Maine. The rest of the info session was the usual deal, starting with academics an ending with admissions tips. Unfortunately, we didnt have enough time to cover financial aid, which I think is one of the most important parts. I think the fact that there is 90% student satisfaction in residential life stood out the most to me. 

I was curious to find out from the tour guide, what made student life so special. The tour guides led with an ice breaker, literally breaking out their favorite dance moves. This made everyone else feel more comfortable with their tour guide and led to more interaction and questions. I found out that there is no Greek Life, but is substituted with certain dorm characteristics, such as dorm mascots and events. Roommates and dorm houses are also randomly assigned, leading to a tighter community, in which everyone has to learn together as a community. Surprisingly, this has proven highly effective for the 90% student satisfaction. Our tour guide was more geared towards solid facts and history of the campus rather than student life and culture. I didnt mind this considering that the school had a great history behind its  Roman Catholic background. 

My favorite part about Notre Dame University was the fact that all your roommates are randomly selected. I am always willing to meet new people and create a tighter community. But I really feel like being catholic is ideal in receiving the full experience of the Notre Dame University culture. I really admire how everything they do is geared towards teaching the world about their culture. 

Tomorrow is our first experience at University of Chicago and I can't wait for orientation!!! Find out what happens next on the ILC BLOG!!!

Touchdown Jesus Mosaic