Politically, ND will be more conservative as compared to other college campuses filled with young people. Which means it will be center/left rather than far left. There’s a big pro life presence on campus, but also a big orientation towards service and social justice. Pence got protested when he spoke at the ND graduation; Obama and Biden did too.
ND is one of the most (maybe the single most) geographically national colleges in the U.S. The school happens to be located in IN, but the kids come from all over (including plenty from metro areas in NY, IL, CA, TX and FL).
The ND campus is physically surrounded by lakes, big parking lots, two golf courses, and two other college campuses. So even though SB is a decent sized town, the campus feels very set off by itself. Almost like a rural school out in the country (especially in the winter). Then add in that ND is about 80% Catholic. And also that ND students typically spend 3 or 4 years living in the same “stay hall” dorm.
Net result is a VERY campus-centered student experience. The town really isn’t that big an influence one way or the other. The upside is a very passionate, tight knit, family-like community that most ND students love. For other kids, ND feels too small and homogenous.