Testimonials
I can’t even begin to tell you how much Notre Dame has changed my life and how absolutely blessed I feel to say that I am a Domer! From the moment I set foot on to campus, I really did feel like I was home. I came to Notre Dame from a really small town. A town where everyone knows your name and you can’t help but smile at each person that you pass on the side walk. In looking at colleges, I was so afraid of losing that atmosphere. I was afraid of feeling lost in the bigger picture, but when I got to Notre Dame I realized that this would never be a problem. Notre Dame truly is my home and I have loved every minute of my time here.
I am now a senior and it is hard to believe that I transferred almost three years ago. Frankly, it is hard to remember life without Notre Dame and the wonderful people that I have met here. When I was in high school people would always say that “high school is the time of your life”, but WOW! Were they wrong! Notre Dame has been the highlight of my life and not because of all the knowledge I have gained in class, but because of the knowledge that I have gained about myself. I once heard a quote from Fr. Hesburgh and he said, “You do not come to Notre Dame to learn how to be something, you come to Notre Dame to learn how to be someone.” It was at that moment that I realized how far I have come as a person since I arrived at Notre Dame, and how much I truly owe this institution for the person that I have become.
Love thee Notre Dame,
—Missy, ‘07
Welcome Home. This is the first thing I heard when I arrived on campus. The beauty of it is that the welcome never ended. Each time I met someone new, whether it was my rectress, my RA, Fr. Jenkins, or the boys from Knott Hall that offered to help move all my stuff in, they always made sure I knew I was home. This was important to me, when we leave home we should not be without one. ND is everything I would want and expect from my own family…
Following the first school mass where everyone on campus attended, whether they were catholic or not, we sang the Alma Mater. When the entire crowd sang and moved as one, I had chills like never before. And they never end. After each pep-rally, football game, or campus gathering we stay and sing the Alma Mater, and it reminds us we are together. Together as the Notre Dame family, and I can think of no other place that I would rather be.
—Lisa, ‘08
“There’s nowhere else but Notre Dame.” We’ve all heard the mantra. Even before matriculating at the institution and having first-hand experience to speak from, I perpetuated such an attitude. But it wasn’t until my inaugural visits as a student to locations like the grotto, the stadium, the dining hall, and even to classes that I became enlightened as to the true meaning of those few words that I had recited for so long. I truly believe that as transfer students we’re all the more capable of identifying the special distinction of Notre Dame. Those things that make Notre Dame unique are immediately evident to us and it follows that they are more likely to be appreciated.
Of the many aspects that make Notre Dame one-of-a-kind, being a welcomed addition to its caring and friendly community was most impressive to me. Words simply cannot describe the happiness and serenity that I felt after mere days in an entirely new home. To start over at a new place after establishing meaningful relationships and having learned another school’s culture is a scary and courageous thing to do. Not a day goes by that I’m not pleased that I took that chance.
—BJ ‘08
