诺特丹大学
诺特丹大学又名圣母大学，始建于19世纪中期，经历了一个多世纪的辉煌，享誉全美，是一所私立天主教大学、研究型大学，位于美国印地安纳州圣的南本德。大学包括圣十字学院与圣玛莉学院两所罗马公教的文理学院。诺特丹大学作为美国精英大学中的贵族典范，本科教育稳居全美20所顶尖学府之列。在2001-2009年《美国新闻与世界报导》所作的年度大学评估中，诺特丹大学本科教育名列全美大学第18名，被《纽约时报》给予最高的五颗星的学术评分。
学校简介
和西方众多古老的大学一样，圣母大学（University of Notre Dame，又称“诺特丹大学”）带有浓厚的宗教和上流社会色彩，依赖于强大的校友会，与当权政府和一些显赫的商业财团保持着千丝万缕的关系。其校友包括前美国国务卿赖斯，著名作家Nicholas Sparks等
目前美国金融机构100强的总裁CEO中，本科毕业于圣母诺特丹大学的人数占最多，雄踞全美各大学榜首。
。诺特丹大学拥有全美最大的校友网络，有275个校友俱乐部，19万校友，遍布全球。大学设有专门机构，帮助历届毕业生建立起联系。校友会在世界范围内都相当活跃，历届毕业生们在生活和事业上相互支持，他们都把自己看做是大学的永久“家庭”成员。目前，圣母诺特丹大学的捐赠基金资产总额约为420亿人民币。
其2010年《美国新闻与世界报道》全美大学本科教育排名位居第19，而根据美国权威机构The Princeton Review，圣母大学更是全美“梦想大学”的第五名，仅次于哈佛耶鲁的其他世界顶尖学府。2010年，该校大学部商科课程获Bloomberg/Business Week选为全美第一；Times 高等教育更选她为全世界天主教大学第一位；《美国新闻及世界报导》的排名，则是第十九位；而《华尔街日报》评选最佳EMBA课程，圣母大学得第六名；她的协助就业中心在08年的《Princeton Review》排列第二位；至於大学部教授实力排名，在《美国新闻及世界报导》位列第四。
圣母大学的医科先修班（premedical science studies）也很出名，结业学生超过八成能入读美国其他大学医学院。商学院、法律学院、建筑学院亦是该校的强项，法律学院在伦敦设有修课中心，建筑学院在罗马亦设有上课中心，务求让学生兼具国际视野
根据payscale网站的资料，圣母大学本科毕业生事业生涯中期的中等年薪为十二万一千美元左右，在全美各高校中位居第八。
在圣母大学 167年华诞之际，美国总统奥巴马作为演讲嘉宾也前来发表演讲。奥巴马总统将是继艾森豪威尔、卡特、里根、老布什和小布什之后,第六位在圣母大学毕业典礼上致词的美国总统。
大学校训：Vita, Dulcedo, Spes (Life, Sweetness and Hope)，即：生命，甘甜和希望。圣母诺特丹大学另一个著名的特色是十分注重对学生价值观的培养，其方式之一就是鼓励学生关心社会和服务社会。80%的学生在校期间都曾参与各种形式的社区服务活动, 10%的毕业生会自愿到美国或全世界较为贫瘠的地方无偿工作一年甚至多年, 这使圣母诺特丹大学的学生获得美国各界的认可并享有盛誉。
学术机构
诺特丹大学的一万多名学生来自美国各地和世界100多个国家。一些学科具有很强的科研学术实力。如政治学、社会学、政治经济学、经济伦理学、逻辑学、商学、会计学、历史、哲学、英语和医学等在相应领域有较大的影响力。大学法学院全美名列前20，商学院名列前30位。
大学的商学院规模较大，有2300名学生，包括会计学、金融、管理学、信息系统、会计学硕士、非盈利组织管理学以及市场学。大学EMBA 世界排名第20名。
诺特丹大学神学院是美国神学研究的重要场所之一。尽管大学神学院主要针对罗马天主教进行教学、研究，但仍然吸引了美国各地其他教会的众多学习者来此进行研究、学习。神学院有 100 余名教职人员从事神学方面的教育。大学神学院秉承学院天主教的宗旨，对神学进行更全面、深刻的研究、教学。
大学还设有文学院、艺术学院、法学院、商业管理学院、工程学院、建筑学院、理学院等研究生院和数百个研究所和实验室，著名的有辐射实验室，国际事务研究所，费米国家加速度实验室，材料科学实验室，人类学研究中心，当代社会研究中心，城市研究所等科研机构。诺特丹大学首创了滑翔机，在空气动力学，无线电通讯，合成材料及纳米技术等研究领域全美领先。
大学校园
诺特丹大学校园内有两个澄清的湖泊和一大片森林，湖中天鹅成群。在绿草茵茵、树木丛丛的的校园中，不时可以见到松鼠等小动物的身影。校内有 200幢建筑物，价值连城，闻名于世的三幢建筑是金圆顶大楼、圣心罗马大教堂和外观绘有基督故事壁画的海斯伯格图书馆。大学建筑多为古典的拜占庭式西洋风格建筑。校园内建筑分散，都隐藏在高大的雪松，红叶树之中。庞大的圆形体育馆可容纳10万名观众，还有专门可供比赛用的高尔夫球场。
商学院
诺特丹大学门多萨商学院(Mendoza College of Business)创立于1921年，为适应迅速多变、日益复杂、高度技术性的全球环境，Mendoza College of Business商学院也不断调适并改变课程内容以培养学生具有专业与热诚的职场表现。
圣母大学
Mendoza商学院院长Carolyn Woo案头的第一要务就是向学生灌输商业道德的理念。院长希望吸引和录取已经深信“生活远不止意味着拥有许多财富的学生，而且他们应当对获取成功过程中自己的所作所为与成功结果本身同等重视。
门多萨商学院2002-2008被美国商业周刊评选为北美20所顶尖商学院之一，入选金融时报世界顶尖商学院100强。门多萨商学院近两年连续被商业周刊评为全美第一
圣母大学橄榄球队
8 0 年来， 位于印第安纳中部的圣母大学橄榄球队，纵横美国大学橄榄球赛场，在这个国家的各个角落，这支以金色头盔而闻名的球队，被大学橄榄球迷视为圣地。
上世纪70年代初的一个秋日的清晨，一个小男孩被“囚禁”在教堂里，坐在靠背长凳上的他不停地扭着屁股，偷看着唱诗班上方的挂钟。让孩子郁闷的是，冗长的布道迟迟都没有结束，等到终于结束时，牧师竟然号召大家再一起做一遍祷告。噢，当你的两膝跪在地上时，这种祷告就显得格外得令人痛苦，更何况，早上11点半钟，圣母大学的橄榄球精华剪辑就要开始播出了。终于，男孩一下子弹了起来，沿着漫长的街道，他跑了足足两里路，从纽约州一个小城的这头跑到另一头，总算一下子扎到沙发上，看着电视上闪现出金黄色的头盔，解说员林赛•尼尔森的声音在小屋里回响，在这个家庭里，没有人曾经上过圣母大学，可是，他们却把这支球队当做自己的主队。
圣母大学这支名叫“爱尔兰战士”的橄榄球队与球迷之间的联系，超过了常人难以理解的范围。球队深处印第安纳州的北部腹地，而且属于一个天主教大学；而他们的球迷，却遍及美国的各个角落，甚至超越了所谓的国界。而这种联系，却又是真真切切而又不可动摇的。很多球队都曾经被视为美国之队的代表，从达拉斯牛仔到表演时间的湖人，到杜克大学篮球队，再到五虎时期的密歇根大学篮球队，可以说，任何一支曾经拿过一枚总冠军戒指，拥有一些固定的市场，球衣的颜色又特别醒目的球队，都曾经被冠上过“美国之队”的名头，可是只有纽约扬基和圣母大学橄榄球队，可以真正代表美国之队的精神，而以烧钱著称的前者，始终让人感觉缺少了些什么。在美国体育界，圣母大学橄榄球队可以说是独树一帜、无人能望其项背。
而在2006年秋天，新一轮大学橄榄球联赛开赛时，“爱尔兰战士”又一次席卷而来，一群新血补充到球队中，为首的是第二年执教该队的主帅查理•威斯，这位毕业自圣母大学的教练，曾经是这支球队的忠实拥趸，在看台上为爱尔兰战士当了足足四年拉拉队，2005年，他怀揣着拯救圣母大学于水火的梦想，回到了这支球队。
总能在逆境中浴火重生，这恰恰是圣母大学橄榄球队最大的魅力。没错，爱尔兰战士也会经历低谷，可它从来不会深陷泥潭被人淡忘。艾拉•帕塞吉安在1966年和1973年，两度带领球队夺得全美大学联赛冠军，1966年的这场胜利，终结了这支球队17年的冠军干涸期。而在主帅杰瑞•福斯特没法再引领球队前进时，洛•霍尔兹适时出现，1988年再次为球队夺得久违的冠军。圣母大学的球迷永远怀有一个信念：只要这支球队承诺他们将重返巅峰，他们就一定可以实现这个诺言。
眼下，我们可以称之为威斯时代的黎明——没错，圣母大学是那种少有的可以用“时代”这种狂妄的字眼，来衡量其历史进程的球队——它再一次成为大学橄榄球的核心。一位电视网的高层主管这样形容圣母大学的威力：“当圣母大学回到巅峰，整个赛事都被注入了活力。当这支球队状态很好，所有跟大学橄榄球有关的行业，都能从中受益。”那么，圣母大学的力量缘自哪里？炫目的球衣色彩、神奇的触地得分、鼓舞人心的球队战歌、超过八十年的传统，还有最重要的一点：一个与时俱进的商业计划。
圣母大学的傲人传统，始于上世纪20年代的传奇教练纽特•罗可尼。罗可尼不仅仅是一位中场休息时的演说家。“当你提起罗可尼，人们就会想到电影《纽特•罗可尼：美国名人》，”默里•斯波博说，他写了一本书：《电闪雷鸣：圣母大学橄榄球队的创建》。“其实，罗可尼在很多方面都很有见地，他是第一批强调速度的橄榄球教练，这造就了圣母大学橄榄球队在20世纪20年代的成功。而且他是一位精明的商人，当时，有些学校在出卖他们的广播权，但是罗可尼却免费赠送他们的广播权。在那个时候，广播在全国的影响力是很大的，几乎你到美国的每个地方，你都能听到圣母大学橄榄球队的消息。”对20世纪30-40年代的天主教异教徒来说，圣母大学是一块试金石。“为什么圣母大学会在异教徒中流行起来呢？”斯波博说，“因为圣母大学常常赢球，赢球才是硬道理。”
1923年-1946年，是圣母大学和西点军校双雄争锋的年代，两所学校的交锋成了美国体育界的大事。正是在那个年代，现在的年轻人的爸爸们以及爷爷们培养起了对“爱尔兰战士”的感情，这种感情不但源自胜利，也源自宗教，或许更重要的是，源自一种信念：“爱尔兰战士”不仅仅是一支橄榄球队，他们还是高明的技战术和有纪律性的团队的象征。这些是否正确还没有定论（这种自得其乐的态度也正是有不少球迷讨厌圣母大学橄榄球队的原因），但是爱尔兰战士寄托了太多球迷的热爱。“圣母大学橄榄球队意味着很多，他绝不仅仅是一支大学橄榄球队，”斯波博说，“球队历史悠久、影响深远，球迷对它的爱戴代代相传。”
1991年，距离罗可尼把球队的广播权赠送出去已有好几十年，美国国家广播公司买下了圣母大学橄榄球队的主场比赛转播权，这是全国第一支——现在仍是唯一一支——享受此待遇的大学橄榄球队。购买转播权的合同确保了圣母大学橄榄球队的主场比赛会在满天飞舞的大学橄榄球赛直播中脱颖而出。
你永远都知道哪里可以找到爱尔兰战士。又有别的男孩急匆匆地跑回家看他们的比赛。球迷对圣母大学橄榄球队的热爱，一直存在。
常青藤联盟新贵
诺特丹大学作为美国人眼中公认的世界顶尖名校，与麻省理工学院，斯坦福大学，以及加州伯克利大学一道跻身常青藤联盟新贵，在学术与知名度上挑战以哈佛大学为首的老牌常青藤联盟。
国际学生录取要求
虽然是教会学校，但是大多数在校中国学生均非天主教教徒。但是学校对国际学生要求很高，对中国学生来说，想被录取难度很大。更何况中国学生间竞争激烈。保险的：SAT至少2150+，TOFEL至少100+。最好有其他好的社会经历，essay一定要写好。
专业设置
圣母大学University of Notre Dame设有数十个学科专业，涉及领域较广，主要有建筑学、生理学、生物学、生物医学、生物医学工程学、生物化学、生物物理，分子生物学、社会学、无机化学、有机化学等、学科专业数量虽不是很多，但大部分专业具有很强的科研学术实力，可以授予硕士、博士学位，一些学科如化学工程、商业管理、会计、历史、哲学、政府学、英语和医科预科等在相应领域有较大的影响力。 该校还设有文学院、艺术学院、商业管理学院、工程学院、建筑学院、理学院等研究生和辐射实验室、国际事务研究所、费米国家加速器实验室、材料科学实验室、人类学研究中心、当代社会研究中心、城市研究所等科研机构。
大学排名
美国新闻和世界报道本科排名
第18名 2009年大学本科排名
第18名 2010年大学本科排名
第19名 2011年大学本科排名
第19名 2012年大学本科排名
全球排名
第199名 2009 THE - QS 排名
第89名 2012 Times 排名
其他排名
第14名 2010美国大学会计专业排名
第16名 2010美国大学拓扑学专业(Topology)研究生排名
第23名 U.S.News 2009年美国大学法学院排名
第30名 2010美国大学化学工程专业研究生排名
第38名 2010美国大学电子工程专业研究生排名
第41名 2010美国大学土木工程专业研究生排名
第44名 2010美国大学数学专业(Mathematics)研究生排名
第56名 2010美国大学物理学专业研究生排名
第62名 2010美国大学化学专业研究生排名
第65名 2010美国大学计算机科学专业研究生排名
第95名 2010美国大学生物学专业研究生排名
新生申请材料
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托福成绩单
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艺术或建筑补充材料
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推荐信
高中成绩单
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入学要求
雅思6.5分（护士和教育专业要求雅思6.5分，法律要求英语7分），写作最低6分。
费用
学费/生活费：
43,000 USD + 1,3000 USD
学校地址
学校地址:220 Main Building Notre Dame, IN 46556-5602
所在州: 印地安那州
建校时间:1842年
2.
诺特丹大学拥有全美最大的校友网络，有275个校友俱乐部，19万校友，遍布全球。大学设有专门机构，帮助历届毕业生建立起联系。校友会在世界范围内都相当活跃，历届毕业生们在生活和事业上相互支持，他们都把自己看做是大学的永久“家庭”成员。目前，圣母诺特丹大学的捐赠基金资产总额约为420亿人民币。根据美国权威机构The Princeton Review，圣母大学更是全美“梦想大学”的第五名，仅次于哈佛耶鲁的其他世界顶尖学府。2010年，该校大学部商科课程获得Bloomberg/Business Week选为全美第一；Times 高等教育更选她为全世界天主教大学第一位；《美国新闻及世界报导》的排名，则是第十九位；而《华尔街日报》评选最佳EMBA课程，圣母大学得第六名；她的协助就业中心在08年的《Princeton Review》排列第二位；至於大学部教授实力排名，在《美国新闻及世界报导》位列第四。 圣母大学的医科先修班（premedical science studies）也很出名，结业学生超过八成能入读美国其他大学医学院。商学院、法律学院、建筑学院亦是该校的强项，法律学院在伦敦设有修课中心，建筑学院在罗马亦设有上课中心，务求让学生兼具国际视野 根据payscale网站的资料，圣母大学本科毕业生事业生涯中期的中等年薪为十二万一千美元左右，在全美各高校中位居第八。在圣母大学 167年华诞之际，美国总统奥巴马作为演讲嘉宾也前来发表演讲。奥巴马总统将是继艾森豪威尔、卡特、里根、老布什和小布什之后,第六位在圣母大学毕业典礼上致词的美国总统。
大学校训：Vita, Dulcedo, Spes (Life, Sweetness and Hope)，即：生命，甘甜和希望。圣母诺特丹大学另一个著名的特色是十分注重对学生价值观的培养，其方式之一就是鼓励学生关心社会和服务社会。80%的学生在校期间都曾参与各种形式的社区服务活动, 10%的毕业生会自愿到美国或全世界较为贫瘠的地方无偿工作一年甚至多年, 这使圣母诺特丹大学的学生获得美国各界的认可并享有盛誉。
学术机构
诺特丹大学的一万多名学生来自美国各地和世界100多个国家。一些学科具有很强的科研学术实力。如政治学、社会学、政治经济学、经济伦理学、逻辑学、商学、会计学、历史、哲学、英语和医学等在相应领域有较大的影响力。大学法学院全美名列前20，商学院名列前30位。 大学的商学院规模较大，有2300名学生，包括会计学、金融、管理学、信息系统、会计学硕士、非盈利组织管理学以及市场学。大学EMBA 世界排名第20名。 诺特丹大学神学院是美国神学研究的重要场所之一。尽管大学神学院主要针对罗马天主教进行教学、研究，但仍然吸引了美国各地其他教会的众多学习者来此进行研究、学习。神学院有 100 余名教职人员从事神学方面的教育。大学神学院秉承学院天主教的宗旨，对神学进行更全面、深刻的研究、教学。 大学还设有文学院、艺术学院、法学院、商业管理学院、工程学院、建筑学院、理学院等研究生院和数百个研究所和实验室，著名的有辐射实验室，国际事务研究所，费米国家加速度实验室，材料科学实验室，人类学研究中心，当代社会研究中心，城市研究所等科研机构。诺特丹大学首创了滑翔机，在空气动力学，无线电通讯，合成材料及纳米技术等研究领域全美领先。
诺特丹大学门多萨商学院(Mendoza College of Business)创立于1921年，为适应迅速多变、日益复杂、高度技术性的全球环境，Mendoza College of Business商学院也不断调适并改变课程内容以培养学生具有专业与热诚的职场表现。门多萨商学院2002-2008被美国商业周刊评选为北美20所顶尖商学院之一，入选金融时报世界顶尖商学院100强。门多萨商学院近两年连续被商业周刊评为全美第一。
圣母大学橄榄球队
8 0 年来， 位于印第安纳中部的圣母大学橄榄球队，纵横美国大学橄榄球赛场，在这个国家的各个角落，这支以金色头盔而闻名的球队，被大学橄榄球迷视为圣地。 圣母大学这支名叫“爱尔兰战士”的橄榄球队与球迷之间的联系，超过了常人难以理解的范围。球队深处印第安纳州的北部腹地，而且属于一个天主教大学；而他们的球迷，却遍及美国的各个角落，甚至超越了所谓的国界。而这种联系，却又是真真切切而又不可动摇的。很多球队都曾经被视为美国之队的代表，从达拉斯牛仔到表演时间的湖人，到杜克大学篮球队，再到五虎时期的密歇根大学篮球队，可以说，任何一支曾经拿过一枚总冠军戒指，拥有一些固定的市场，球衣的颜色又特别醒目的球队，都曾经被冠上过“美国之队”的名头，可是只有纽约扬基和圣母大学橄榄球队，可以真正代表美国之队的精神，而以烧钱著称的前者，始终让人感觉缺少了些什么。在美国体育界，圣母大学橄榄球队可以说是独树一帜、无人能望其项背。
常青藤联盟新贵
诺特丹大学作为美国人眼中公认的世界顶尖名校，与麻省理工学院，斯坦福大学，以及加州伯克利大学一道跻身常青藤联盟新贵，在学术与知名度上挑战以哈佛大学为首的老牌常青藤联盟。
University of Notre Dame Introduction
Every year in late August, freshmen converge upon Notre Dame’s campus in South Bend, Indiana, rushing from one freshman orientation event to the next. During the many dances, activities, and the Orientation Mass, a certain phrase resonates throughout the campus:“the Notre Dame family.” This one phrase, which has a slightly different meaning for each student and alum, is a distinctive element of the University of Notre Dame.
The phrase “Notre Dame family” embodies three of the main characteristics of Notre Dame: community, tradition, and Catholic heritage.
The campus setting makes it easy to foster a close-knit community. With its tree-lined paths and two lakes, the 1,250-acre campus seems to be isolated from the rest of the world. The university is located ninety miles east of Chicago and has more than 135 buildings on campus. The dorms in particular are an integral part of the campus and enhance the feeling of community. Seventy-six percent of students live on campus, and most remain on campus for three or four years.
Notre Dame’s Catholic roots are a vital part of life at the university. Even the buildings on campus, such as Sacred Heart Basilica, the Grotto, and “Touchdown Jesus” on the side of the library, demonstrate the Catholic character and influence at the school. Eighty-four percent of Notre Dame students are Catholic, and the Catholic nature of the school is emphasized in all aspects of life at the university, including classes. In fact, one of the main social activities of the week for dorm residents and off-campus students is Sunday night mass in the dorm chapels.
The Notre Dame family can trace its roots back 165 years to when Fr. Sorin and his fellow Holy Cross religious brothers founded l’Université de Notre Dame du lac (Our Lady of the Lake) in three small log buildings. The campus has grown significantly since that time, but the strong desire to educate students in the classroom and beyond remains. By the time freshmen reach graduation day, they will realize that they are part of a unique group that extends beyond South Bend. And although the students may have different memories of what makes Notre Dame such a special place, each will have been shaped in some way by the elements of the Notre Dame family.
The plethora of activities, programs, and facilities at Notre Dame allows students to create their own experience while at the university. As the phrase “Notre Dame family” has a different connotation for each student and graduate, so does the “Notre Dame experience.”Although the school encourages students to be involved in all aspects of university life, students can choose if they want to focus more on academics, service, student government, or the arts. It is the same for social activities, where there is something for everyone. The spirit of Notre Dame students and graduates proves that there is something special about the place. The fact that people affiliated with Notre Dame call it a family shows that students and graduates really care about the school and the people involved with it. All in all, it is the last lines of the Notre Dame alma mater, “Notre Dame, Our Mother,”that truly summarize how its students and graduates feel about the school: “And our hearts forever, Love thee, Notre Dame.”
University of Notre Dame Academics
For many students, Notre Dame marks the first time they are required to question and articulate their feelings about their faith, social beliefs, and politics. No longer are students asked to simply regurgitate information as they did in high school; instead, as students learn world history, finance, and calculus, they begin to define themselves and what is important to them. A Notre Dame graduate once stated, “In the Notre Dame classroom, the spirit and the intellect culminate.”
As a Catholic school, the university could easily expect that students believe only what the Catholic Church teaches, but often, the required theology and philosophy core classes force students to take a serious look at what they believe and why. The Notre Dame learning environment is a unique combination of faith and questioning.
The Colleges and Majors
Notre Dame is divided into five colleges: Arts and Letters (the largest), Business, Science, Engineering, and Architecture. Overall, the most popular majors are finance, psychology, and political science, with majors such as history and economics growing in popularity. Notre Dame also has a strong preprofessional studies program, which combine medical school prerequisite courses with a liberal arts major or additional science classes. Each college also has its own academic organizations and honor societies, including the Arts and Letters Business Society and the Management Club.
First Year of Studies
Before selecting a college, all students are enrolled into the First Year of Studies (FYS), a program created to help freshmen adjust to college-level academics. The FYS assigns each student an advisor, who guides students with course selection, choosing a college and/or a major, and with concerns about classes. The FYS center also provides students with tutors and study groups if necessary. Students must fulfill the core requirements of theFYS before they can enter sophomore year. Usually, students do not have any difficulty completing the required classes since approximately half of each incoming freshman class receives class credit for AP classes and SAT Subject Test scores.
Although taking calculus for a future political science major might seem like sheer agony, Notre Dame adheres to the philosophy of a well-rounded education, and offers its core classes as a way to achieve this purpose. For example, while in the FYS program, all students must complete one semester of Freshman Seminar and Composition and Literature (Comp and Lit). Freshman Seminar is a literature class that addresses any topic the professor selects, from reading Plato’s Republic the entire semester to studying the subject of leadership through reading books about Ghandi. Comp and Lit is more of a grammar class that focuses on improving the overall structure of a student’s writing through rewriting and peer evaluations. By the end of their sophomore year, students are required to declare a major, but at this point, most students have created a program of study simply by taking electives that interest them.
College Seminar
If students declare Arts and Letters as their college, they are required to complete a unique course called College Seminar, a semester-long class with approximately thirteen to twenty students, guided by an Arts and Letters professor. Each course is built around the academic specialty of the instructor, but all explore the breadth of the liberal arts.
Internships
Students have the opportunity to apply for internships that pique their interest, both on and off campus. For example, the local NBC affiliate, WNDU-TV, and the Notre Dame News and Information office offer internships to qualified students. Many students apply to be teachers’ assistants their senior year, a rewarding experience that allows upper- and lower-class students to work together closely.
Study Abroad
Many students go abroad their sophomore or junior year. In fact, among research universities, Notre Dame has the sixth highest percentage of students engaged in international study programs. Some of the popular year-long programs are in Angers, France; Innsbruck, Austria; and Toledo, Spain. Students who participate in the year-long programs tend to go during their sophomore year and are required to take intensive language courses before they go. The favorite semester-long programs include London; Santiago, Chile; and Fremantle, Australia. All of the abroad programs are competitive to get into, so often students end up enrolling in other universities’ programs, although it does sometimes affect class credit.
Physically Challenged Students
To further diversify Notre Dame academics, the university provides programs to accommodate students with disabilities. For example, students with challenges can get note takers, have extended time on exams, or use textbooks on disk to ensure equal access to all disciplines and facilities.
Libraries
Students also have access to over three million volumes in the ten libraries located on campus. Most of these facilities have late hours and are open twenty-four hours a day during exams. In addition, there are eight computer clusters throughout the campus, many of which are always open.
Because Notre Dame is a highly competitive college that requires students to put in long hours of studying, it is common to see students heading off to the library on Friday and Saturday nights to do class work. Notre Dame students are dedicated to their education and are willing to put in the extra hours on the weekend if necessary, even if they are only going to be studying on the extremely social second floor of the Hesburgh Library. After four years of intense learning at Notre Dame, students are armed with the tools of the Notre Dame academic environment—independence, questioning, and discipline—and are prepared to commence learning in the real world.
University of Notre Dame Admissions
The University of Notre Dame looks for students who are Renaissance individuals—intellectuals, leaders, athletes, artists, and volunteers. Basically, Notre Dame wants the best all-around students.
In a recent freshman class, 13,945 students applied for entrance, 3,727 were admitted, and 2,000 enrolled. On average, the students who enrolled graduated in the top five percent of their senior class; in fact, thirty-four percent ranked one, two, three, four, or five in their class. As one recent Notre Dame grad put it:
So, how does Notre Dame evaluate all of the applications it receives every year? There are five areas on which students are judged: high school record, standardized tests, teachers’evaluations, extracurricular accomplishments, and the essays and personal statement submitted with the application.
From a student’s high school record, Notre Dame considers the quality of the school’s curriculum. Notre Dame recommends that applying students take four years of English, math, science, foreign language, history, and electives. The admissions counselors especially look at students who have pushed themselves by taking honors and AP-level classes, in addition to courses such as precalculus or calculus, chemistry, and physics. Notre Dame also considers a student’s class rank, grades, and the academic competition at the high school.
Standardized Tests
Notre Dame requires either the SAT or the ACT and candidly admits it places a great deal of emphasis on standardized tests. The mid fifty percent score ranges of entering freshmen are 1320–1500 (SAT, based on 1600) and 31–34 (ACT). Recommendations
Because Notre Dame does not interview candidates, teacher recommendations are one way for the admissions counselors to learn about the applicants personally. Students should have a variety of teachers, who have worked with them extensively, write their evaluations.
Extracurricular Activities
As mentioned earlier, Notre Dame seeks enthusiastic students who have developed themselves inside and outside of the classroom; therefore, the university weighs extracurricular activities heavily. Students are judged on leadership positions in clubs and student government, school and community involvement, and special talents. Also, because service work is an important aspect of life at Notre Dame, the university looks for students who have volunteered at social service organizations such as nursing homes, soup kitchens, and day care centers.
Personal Statements
Finally, a student’s essays and personal statements are thrown into the evaluation mix; these compositions are vital to providing the admissions counselor with an inside look at the student. For instance, one essay asks students to reflect on how a book, poem, play, or piece of music has influenced their lives. Also, Notre Dame requires two long essays and three shorter essays, which is more than many schools’ applications.
Application Plans
Notre Dame has two application plans, Early Action and Regular Action. With Early Action, a good option for people who have exceptional grades and standardized test scores, applications are due the beginning of November. If admitted through Early Action, students do not have to withdraw their applications from other schools and they have until May 1 to inform Notre Dame of their decision. Most students still apply Regular Action, however, in which applications are due at the beginning of January.
International and Minority Students
The student body at Notre Dame is geographically diverse, representing all fifty states, more than 100 countries, and five continents. Notre Dame believes international students add a unique perspective to the campus and make the university an international center of teaching and research; however, due to the Catholic heritage of the school, Notre Dame is not as ethnically mixed as it would like to be. Only about twenty-one percent of the student body are minority students.
Similar to many highly competitive colleges, Notre Dame has made a serious commitment to recruiting minority students; for example, Notre Dame hosts two events every year to introduce minority students to life at the school. One is the Fall Open House, which has become a popular event for prospective students. Later in the year, after acceptances are sent out, Notre Dame brings admitted students and their families to Notre Dame for a three-day campus visit to help them with the decision process.
Women
Notre Dame also has increased the number of women in its student body. About five years ago, the ratio of men to women was three to one; now it is almost one to one. To accommodate the increased number of women students, Notre Dame converted some male dorms into female dorms and constructed several new residence halls.
Children of Alums
Part of the reason Notre Dame has maintained its traditions and family feeling is the fact that about twenty-five percent of the students are children of Notre Dame alums. Each year the university aims to admit the appropriate number of daughters and sons of alums to maintain this statistic.
Visits
For applying students who wish to visit the campus, Notre Dame will arrange an informational meeting with an admissions counselor and an overnight stay in a residence hall with a student host. To get the feeling of attending Notre Dame, the prospective student sits in on classes and eats at the dining hall. The program is a great way for students to experience the campus and decide if Notre Dame is the right fit for them.
Financial Aid
When compared to other Catholic and private universities that are nationally recognized for academic excellence, the overall costs for Notre Dame tend to be lower. For a recent academic year, Notre Dame expected tuition and academic fees would be around $36,847, and room and board approximately $9,830. For books, students can expect to pay about $950 per year. To cut back on the cost of books, students often purchase course materials from each other or buy used books from Pandora’s Books, located on the corner of Howard Street and Notre Dame Avenue, about three blocks south of campus. The university reminds students to expect costs to increase annually in order to maintain Notre Dame’s solid academic environment.
As for personal expenses, the overall cost of living in South Bend is less than in other cities, but students typically spent $1,000 to $1,500 per year for incidentals as well as social and weekend activities, such as going out for dinner, movies, and other social activities. In the last few years, the university has made aggressive efforts to substantially increase its financial aid funding.
According to Joe Russo, Director of Student Financial Strategies:
This growth in funding stems from generous support from benefactors, programs including post-season football bowl games, the Affinity credit card (each time alums use their Notre Dame credit card, money is donated to Notre Dame’s financial aid fund), the NBC contract to televise Notre Dame home football games, and licensing income from Notre Dame paraphernalia sold around the United States.
The Package
When a student receives financial aid from Notre Dame, the university works with the student and his or her family to create a financial aid package, often a combination of low-interest loans (Perkins Student Loans and Stafford Student Loans), scholarship money, and work-study. The university encourages work-study for students on financial aid to help cover their personal expenses. Options for on-campus employment include working in the dining halls, computer clusters, at the athletic department, and in the library. Also, the Notre Dame alumni clubs across the country provide hundreds of scholar
ships annually, now totaling more than $2.5 million, to incoming students.
Grants and Other Options
As part of Notre Dame’s efforts to increase the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity at the school, the university offers the Holy Cross Grants. These scholarship programs are awarded to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Other financial aid options include two-, three-, and four-year ROTC scholarships with the Air Force, Army, or Navy (includes Marines). These scholarships sometimes cover full tuition, and books, and provide a $150 monthly stipend. A little more than five percent of Notre Dame’s students are on one of the above ROTC scholarships. In fact, Notre Dame’s Navy ROTCunit is the second largest in the country (the Naval Academy is first). To apply for financial aid, students are required to submit the standard Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the PROFILE of the College Scholarship Service (CSS) by February 15, but are encouraged to file them as early as possible.
University of Notre Dame Students
Students at Notre Dame are as busy with club meetings and sports during the week as they are with their normal course load. Although Notre Dame does not have a Greek system, students reside in the same dorm throughout their stay at Notre Dame and are often identified by the dorm they live in. For example, it is common to hear students refer to each other by saying, “She lives in Walsh” or“He used to live in Carroll Hall.” The dorms organize a large number of student activities, including volunteer tutoring at local schools, dinners with Brother/Sister dorms, and residence hall councils.
Volunteering
On the non-athletic side, the Center for Social Concerns (CSC) runs more than thirtyfive community service clubs that offer students the opportunity to participate in volunteer programs in the South Bend area, as well as across the country and around the world. About seventy-five percent of the Notre Dame student body participated in programs coordinated through the CSC, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Neighborhood Study Help Program, and Recycling Irish. The CSC epitomizes the Notre Dame spirit. The center uses a holistic method by enhancing students’ spiritual and intellectual awareness of today’s social realities through service opportunities and seminars.
The center also identifies volunteer programs to participate in around the country with service trips to areas such as Appalachia and the inner cities. In addition, each summer, more than 125 Notre Dame alumni clubs sponsor 200 Notre Dame students in Summer Service Projects around the United States. Said a recent graduate, who participated in a Summer Service Project while at Notre Dame:
Special Interest Clubs
Notre Dame has more than twenty special interest clubs including College Republicans, College Democrats, and Knights of Columbus. In addition, the university offers twentythree ethnic organizations such as the African and American Student Alliance, the Hispanic American Organization, and the Korean Club.
Performing Programs
Although Notre Dame historically has not been known as a performing arts school, that is quickly changing, especially with the construction of the new DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, which opened in fall 2004. Students currently have a variety of programs to choose from. There are a range of music groups, from Shenanigans, a song and dance troupe, to the Liturgical Choir, and nine instrumental music groups, including Concert Band. If students are interested in drama, a number of different troupes put on performances throughout the year, including The Freshmen Four, St. Edward’s Hall Players, and the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre, which produces four plays. The relocation of Actors From the London Stage to Notre Dame has prompted a surge in Shakespearean productions on campus.
Publications
For future Pulitzer Prize winners, Notre Dame has several student-run publications: The Observer, the daily newspaper; Scholastic, the weekly news magazine; and The Dome, Notre Dame’s yearbook. All of these publications have positions for students interested in copywriting, design, and photography. Students with a strong interest in music have the opportunity to be DJs at WVFI-AM, the alternative music station, and WSND-FM, the classical music station.
Additional special annual events on campus include the Notre Dame Literary Festival, the Collegiate Jazz Festival, and the Black Cultural Arts Festival.
Weekend Activities
The weekends offer Notre Dame students plenty of social and recreational activities as well. In the fall, weekends are dominated by Notre Dame football games, both home and away. Students often have family and friends visit on these weekends to tailgate before the game, follow the marching band across campus, and dine by candlelight at the dining halls. Many people say that life at Notre Dame ends after football season, but, since Notre Dame has joined the Big East, other sports, such as men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, hockey, lacrosse, and men’s and women’s basketball games, have become popular events. In fact, women’s basketball games average 7,800 fans since winning the 2001 National
Championships
Although traditional dating is not common at Notre Dame, dorms host dances and formals throughout the school year.
Notre Dame does not allow hard alcohol in dorm rooms, and the university has strict penalties if underage students are caught drinking in the halls or carrying alcohol across campus. On-campus parties usually end by 2:00 A.M. when parietals, or visiting hours, end. As a university that is based on Roman Catholic values, Notre Dame has single-sex dorms and enforces visiting hours. If a student is found in a dorm of the opposite sex after parietals, there are serious consequences.
Upper-class students often host parties at off-campus student housing complexes, such as Campus View and Lafayette Square, or hang out at popular bars, such as Corby’s and Legends, the restaurant/bar located on campus. Many students enjoy dining out on the weekends at favorite local restaurants, such as Macri’s Deli for sandwiches, Bruno’s for pizza, Rocco’s for pasta, and CJ’s for burgers. Also, the Student Union Board (SUB) and the Snite Museum show recently released films on campus.
Popular Social Events
• Junior Parents Weekend
• Morrissey Film Festival
• Fisher Regatta
• Beaux Arts Ball
• Glee Club Christmas Concert
• Bengal Bouts
Athletics
Tradition is an important aspect of life at Notre Dame, and the most famous tradition at the university is football. From the “1812 Overture” played at the beginning of each game’s fourth quarter, to the world’s oldest marching band, to the legends of Knute Rockne and the Gipper, “Fightin’ Irish” football is rich in tradition. Because of the team’s national reputation, many believe Notre Dame is much larger than its average enrollment of 8,300 undergraduates. Overall, the Irish athletic programs annually rank among the top twenty in the nation for both men and women.
Intramural sports are very popular. Each dorm usually offers football (men), flag football (women), basketball, and soccer. Since the majority of students played varsity sports in high school, and many were captains of their teams, intramural sports are extremely competitive. In fact, Notre Dame may be the only school where students play intramural football wearing full gear. Women’s flag football is equally competitive; injuries such as concussions, broken wrists, and cuts requiring stitches are not uncommon. In line with Notre Dame’s love of football, the championship games for both of these football teams are played at Notre Dame Stadium. After classes, students work out at the athletic facilities available on campus, including the Rockne Memorial (the Rock), the Joyce Center, Rolfs Sports Recreation Center, Rolfs Aquatic Center, and Loftus Center. Students are able to swim, run on tracks and treadmills, ride stationary bikes, lift weights, or participate in aerobics classes at these fitness centers. In addition, Notre Dame has a new Ben Crenshaw-designed golf course for students and alumni to play on from April through October.
The traditions of Notre Dame extend past the football season. Events such as the Keenan Review, a “talent” show performed by the residents of Keenan Hall; An Tostal, the student spring festival; Bookstore Basketball, the world’s largest five-on-five outdoor basketball tournament; and the Blue and Gold game, the spring inter-squad football scrimmage, all contribute to traditional life at Notre Dame.
Alumni
Every home football game, Notre Dame alumni wander around the campus, remembering the days when the university belonged to them.
Wearing their green shamrock-covered pants, they visit the bookstore, stop by concession stands, and stroll past their old dorms. As the current students pass the old alums on their way to tailgate, Notre Dame students promise themselves they will never become sentimental graduates, but when graduation day arrives, they find themselves reminiscing about their time at Notre Dame as well. The recent grads might be wearing jeans instead of plaid pants, but suddenly they also become nostalgic about their alma mater. Notre Dame alums are known for being maudlin when it comes to the university, and are the butt of many jokes as a result, but it is difficult to leave Notre Dame and not realize that it is a special place. Once someone attends Notre Dame, whether it was in the 1940s or in the 21st century, that person is always a member. It isn’t a coincidence that Notre Dame boasts one of the largest and most loyal alumni networks of any U.S. college. The university has 218 clubs in the United States and fifty-four alumni clubs worldwide.
After graduating from Notre Dame, alumni locate all over the world and enter a wide array of professions. Every year, Notre Dame sends the largest percentage of its graduates into the career world. The most popular fields graduates enter into include, law, marketing and sales, engineering, medicine, and accounting.
Career Center
To help students secure positions in the business world, Notre Dame’s Career Center holds seminars about writing résumés and preparing for interviews, and also counsels students on what professional careers fit their interests. The Career Center invites a range of companies to the campus; however, many of the companies tend to be better matches for business and engineering students than for liberal arts majors.
Advanced Degrees
Many students go on to pursue advanced degrees, in law, medicine, MBA programs, or other graduate programs. Almost half of all Notre Dame grads eventually go on to complete at least one advanced degree.
Service Programs
After graduation, social service continues to be an integral part of many students’ lives. In recent years, about ten percent of each graduating class has entered into a one- or two-year service program, domestic and abroad. The Center for Social Concerns, which brings numerous postgraduate service programs to campus, advises students on what programs are available and would be a good match in terms of structure, location, and activity. Some of the more popular programs include Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE, a Notre Dame-founded program), Inner City Teaching Corps, and the Peace Corps.
Alumni Support
In terms of alumni annual giving, Notre Dame ranks third in the nation, but alumni are dedicated to Notre Dame more than just financially. Approximately 161,000 alums participate in events organized by the alumni clubs, such as golf outings, happy hours, and vacations. There are also activities meant to enhance the spiritual, educational, and professional aspects of alumni’s lives. For example, the Alumni Association has started a program that brings graduates back to South Bend to rehab houses in the area and the Chicago Alumni Club frequently hosts networking meetings for graduates.
When a student graduates from Notre Dame and is unclear what area he or she wants to enter or is looking for a career change later in life, the Notre Dame alumni make up a strong support network. Graduates often look to each other for career guidance, resources, and connections, even if they graduated generations apart. Alums permeate every field worldwide, from politics and the film industry to medical research and education, yet they all share the moral, ethical, and spiritual framework of the Notre Dame family.
Prominent Grads
• Regis Philbin, ’53, Television Personality
• Mark Shields, ’59, Political Analyst for CNN and PBS
• Bruce Babbitt, ’60, Former Secretary of the Interior
• Eric Wieschaus, ’69, Nobel Prize-Winning Scientist
• Condoleezza Rice, ’75, Master’s, Secretary of State
• Judge Ann Williams, ’75, U.S. Appeals Court Judge for the Seventh Circuit
• James Weatherbee, ’74, Astronaut
• Hannah Storm, ’83, ESPN
Faculty
The majority of classes at Notre Dame have fifteen to twenty-five students. With classes that size and a student-teacher ratio of twelve to one, students and teachers develop close relationships, a crucial element of the educational experience at Notre Dame. Teachers often invite students to their homes for dinner to hold class discussions or simply socialize.
Academics at Notre Dame is a two-part machine, student and teacher, and when they are functioning in sync, they create the spirit of Notre Dame. Professors at the university guide their students, but allow them the necessary freedom to discover their interests and strengths.