Indiana College Road Trip: Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame combines rigorous academics, top-flight athletics and a strong religious heritage. The Catholic school is home to the storied Fighting Irish sports program, whose football team has been depicted in the movies "Knute Rockne: All American" and "Rudy."
Notre Dame ranks among the top 15 in both U.S. News' National Universities and undergraduate business program rankings.
Collegiate Gothic architecture and numerous green spaces abound on the 1,261-acre campus, located adjacent to South Bend. Although the university's 8,600 or so undergrads are typically accomplished and ambitious, it's rare that they are "cutthroat and competitive," says Claire Doyle, a 2019 graduate from South Bend who majored in English. She says the school has a very supportive academic atmosphere.
[Read: How to Get Good Grades in College.]
There is a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and ample research opportunities that draw more than a third of undergrads.
In addition, the number of undergrads who participate in community service is "astonishing," Doyle says. According to the university, nearly 90% of students undertake service learning projects, many of which are organized by the Center for Social Concerns. Study abroad programs are also extremely popular, with more than 70% of undergrads taking advantage.
Notre Dame tends to attract undergraduates who are eager to make a difference for others and who are "not only interested in cultivating the mind but also the heart," says Erin Hoffmann Harding, vice president for student affairs. Rev. John I. Jenkins, the university's president, says that the college curriculum is designed to allow students to grapple with big questions about what a good life involves.
[See: Colleges With Great Service Learning Programs.]
Students can choose from about 75 degree programs across six colleges and schools, including architecture, business, engineering, global affairs, science, and arts and letters. A core curriculum is required of all, and it includes traditional liberal arts disciplines like science and the humanities plus subjects like theology and philosophy.
The university was founded by a Catholic priest from the Congregation of Holy Cross in the mid-19th century, and the campus is filled with religious iconography. A mural on the library called "The Word of Life" -- affectionately known as "Touchdown Jesus" -- depicts Christ with arms raised to the heavens, surrounded by notable Christian saints and scholars. The quad at the center of campus includes a basilica, and a main administration building is topped with a golden dome and statue of the Virgin Mary.
About 83% of undergrads identify as Catholic, and there are more than 50 chapels across campus, including ones in the residence halls that offer weekly services geared toward college students. "A lot of people who don't go to church so often at home really like it because it's so cozy," says Mariah Geary, a senior finance major from Westchester County, New York.
Undergrads who come from other faith traditions, or none, note that they still feel a strong sense of belonging, and there's a range of interfaith resources available.
[Read: What It Means When a U.S. College Has a Religious Affiliation.]
The university has more than 400 student organizations.
Irla Atanda, a senior American studies major from Jacksonville, Florida, says sports tend to unify everyone on campus. Even when she studied abroad in Santiago, Chile, she made a point of watching Fighting Irish football games with her classmates.
The school does not have fraternities or sororities, and freshmen are assigned to single-sex residence halls, which are hubs for recreational sports and social activities. Among those: the comedy skit and musical extravaganza performed each February by residents of Keenan Hall, a men's dorm.
Notre Dame also has an annual boxing tournament, Bengal Bouts, which raises money to support religious missions in Bangladesh.
More From the Indiana College Road Trip:
-- Purdue University--West Lafayette
