verabradley

Hey,
I'm really interested in attending ND, but my one concern would be that once off campus there is absolutely nothing to do. I love the campus itself, but the fact that it is so contained worries me. Does anyone have any input in terms of potential "cabin fever" on campus?
Thanks!

kevdude

Define "not much to do." SB might not seem like a bustling metropolis, but it is in fact a decently sized city, and much of the community around Notre Dame does cater to the students. There are seemingly thousands of different restaurants and movie theaters, and plenty of bars once you hit 21. The College Football Hall of Fame and the Potowatomi Zoo are both only a couple of miles from campus, and downtown Chicago is never more than 2 hours away - perfect for a day trip. I think a lot of students are swayed by "boundless off campus activities!" but really, how often do you plan on going to an art gallery or a hundred different bars? The majority of college life (and this holds true for almost all of my friends, at ND, Northwestern, UChicago, NYU, you name the city), happens on campus - off campus amenities are a bonus. And ND has a very strong cultural component on campus that draws in big acts every weekend, screens movies every week. There is ALWAYS something to do on campus, and more importantly, there's always something NEW to do. Granted, we can't stroll a few blocks and be in little Italy or the East Village, but there's still plenty to do.

hawkswim09

Campus is the source of entertainment and there is plenty of entertainment. Also, ND is building a new shopping village that will be open next year. By what I have been told, there is plenty to do on campus and those who are "bored" simply stay in their dorm. if you are proactive, you can find plenty to do on campus.

verabradley

Thanks for the opinions! Kevdude makes a good point in that, how often does a student really take advantage of art galleries, etc outside of a campus? everything that a student would do on a city campus can also be done at ND. thanks so much.

kevdude

By the way, did I mention we also happen to have an Art Gallery on campus? Several, actually, but the one I'm talking about is the Snite Museum of Art. Just sayin', for anyone else who's reading this.

verabradley

that's really cool, thanks for the tip! didn't see that on the tour.

red06

There's more to do thank you think ... I'll elaborate once finals are done ...

alexi_x3

hawk, do you know what kinds of stores will be in the new shopping center? im assuming there wont be a bloomingdales or anything like that, lol

red06

The top anchor department store is still Macys. It's not the biggest Macy's in the world, but it suffices

alexi_x3

oh i wasnt even expecting a macys, red. im pleasantly surprised...i was thinking they'd put dinky little stores that no one really shops at.

hawkswim09

i do not know particulars, but they said they wanted to have variety, and the place they are building looks pretty large. I would imagine some clothing stores, supplies stores, etc.

red06

Yeah, it's pretty big. While its no Mall of America, it's quite a large mall for a metro area of ~200,000