With a campus as photogenic as ours, it’s no wonder there’s a host of Instagram accounts dedicated to capturing captivating moments around the University. Here’s a roundup of the cutest, coolest, Notre-Dame-related Instagrams. If you’re considering applying here, take a look through some of these to get a feel for campus life!
Best campus photography: @notredomer
I love this photography account for its simplicity. The pared-down captions let the beautiful pictures, taken from angles most of us haven’t seen before, speak for themselves (and the photographic eye of the owner). When asked for comment, the owner said that they don’t [post… to be noticed [themselves]” and would prefer to remain anonymous.
Best animals: @squirrelsofnd
The beautiful trees dotting the quads are the homes of the cutest squirrels in town. They’re pretty unafraid of people, as shown by the post to the right, and you can often spot one grabbing a bagel or apple from the trash! This account takes submissions, so if you’re quick with your camera, your picture could be featured!
Best comedy: @ndbackpackruns
This account features backpack-wearing students running across campus. Something about the combination of the music overlay and the zooming in makes me laugh every time I watch them. It’s also safe to say I will think really hard before I hit the ground running to DeBart.
Best non-football sports team: @ndwbb
We all know that @ndfootball has some great content, but I think the ND Women’s Basketball team page deserves a shoutout. With amazing hype videos, action shots, and interesting player profiles, they have definitely earned the blue checkmark next to their username. In case you didn’t know, they won the NCAA Women’s Division I Championship my freshman year and got second place in the tournament last year, they are definitely a major point of school pride. Go Irish!
Best social justice: @black.at.nd
Created in response to the wrongful killings of innocent black people such as Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbury that took place this summer, @Black.at.ND aims to “share the experiences of Black students, alumni, and employees” of Notre Dame. While this is a more serious topic than the others featured, I would be wrong to not include such a well-run, educational account that aims to educate and raise awareness about microaggressions on campus. Seeing their posts has opened my eyes to the prejudiced and racist comments that my non-white peers endured that I would not have otherwise known about.
Best run by a women’s dorm: @flaherty_fronana
Hot (cold) take: Fronana is the BEST dessert in the game, and is (I think) one of the greatest losses of the Coronavirus semester. Available every Thursday night from 9:30-11:45 p.m. on the first floor of Flaherty, in the kitchen/lounge area, Fronana is an example of one of the student-run dorm food services. Their Instagram publicized the featured flavor of the week, which included combinations like Girl Scout cookies, berries and cream, and salted caramel pretzel. Just thinking about the smooth consistency of the frozen banana base, paired with some Nutella and Oreo crumbles is enough to make my mouth water. If you can get your hands on some next year, you will not be disappointed.
Best run by a men’s dorm: @morrisseymanor
While the pizza-testing O’Neil Instagram is pretty funny, the Morrissey Instagram wins for one phrase, three words: The Medallion Hunt. Every spring, the hall hides a “medallion” somewhere on campus and makes a scavenger hunt for students to track it down. It’s actually so fun, and I was so sad to miss out on it last year! Here’s a picture of one of the clues from 2019. Best of luck!