Notre Dame is located in South Bend, Indiana, a mid-size city covering approximately 40 square miles around the St. Joseph River. Located about 100 miles from Chicago, South Bend tends to rely on the university and its students to power the local economy. The city contains a regional airport, museums, and performance spaces. Lindsay Sena ’10 reports that “while ND’s campus is exceptionally beautiful and safe, the city of South Bend doesn’t have a ton to offer college students. While some students live off-campus as upperclassmen, the neighborhoods surrounding campus are not considered to be as safe as the campus.”

Notre Dame’s campus is known for its Gothic buildings, the golden dome that sits atop the administration building, and “Touchdown Jesus,” a giant mural overlooking the football stadium depicting Christ with his arms raised like those of a football referee. Most students rarely venture off campus during the school week, so they can often be found in one of ND’s on-campus hangouts. LaFortune is the most popular spot: in addition to its study areas, LaFortune has a Subway, Burger King, Sbarro, Starbucks, and a small convenience store called Huddle Mart. During the school day, there are several other cafés where students meet to grab a quick coffee, such as Waddicks, located in O’Shaughnessy Hall. Reckers is another popular hangout best known for being open and serving food 24/7. After a night out or on the way back from a party, many students head to Reckers for a smoothie or pizza. Legends is another popular hangout, even though it is a farther walk for most students. Legends has a restaurant and bar (for those 21 and over, of course), and on the weekends frequently hosts stand-up comedians, concerts, and even events like speed dating and a dance club.

The dorms at Notre Dame are much more than simply where students sleep. There are 28 single-sex dorms on campus, 15 for men and 13 for women. Unlike at many other universities, the majority of students prefer to live in the dorms throughout their Notre Dame careers; at any given time, approximately 80% of students can be found living on campus. Each dorm has its own unique structure and personality, including a dorm mascot and annual campus-wide ‘signature events.’ The oldest dorm, St. Edward’s Hall, was built in 1882, while the newest, Duncan Hall, opened for the 2008-2009 academic year. There is no shortage of opportunities to become involved in one’s dorm. Within each dorm there are various commissions and a ‘hall staff’ that includes Rectors, student Residence Assistants (RA), graduate-student Assistant Rectors (AR), and a dorm president and vice president. The dorm also elects one senator to serve in Student Government. Because ND enforces ‘parietals,’ rules stating that no member of the opposite sex may be in a dorm’s bedroom area past midnight on weekdays or 2:00 a.m. on Friday or Saturday, many students choose to hang out in the dorm’s common lounges when parietals strike. Each dorm has these lounges available, which include couches, chairs, tables and televisions and are perfect for holding meetings, studying, or just talking. There is no Greek life at Notre Dame, so most students find that their dorm forms the basis for their community of friends. In addition to hall events, each dorm has several intramural sports teams. Every dorm also has its own chapel and laundry facilities.

Without question, the biggest sport on Notre Dame’s campus is football. ND’s football team and even its fight song are arguably the most well-known in the country. The Fighting Irish have a long history of producing competitive teams and future pro talent, and the team is welcomed by fans wherever it travels. Students, alumni, faculty, and other Irish fans fill the stadium for every home game. For many students, Notre Dame football is second only to God. Home football game weekends provide a whole new aspect to campus life and are truly a remarkable experience. While no team is as revered as the football squad, other popular teams include ND’s basketball and women’s soccer teams. Also of note is Notre Dame’s men’s ice hockey team, which in 2008 made it to the NCAA Championship for the first time in its history, losing to rival Boston College. Undergrads who don’t take part in NCAA sports are afforded plenty of opportunities to represent their dorms in intramural leagues. More on Unigo: (A little) More Than Just Football: Ten things freshmen should know about Notre Dame’s sports scene