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   mmullen1

   eNotes Editor

   There is no Greek System at Notre Dame.  Residence hall life at ND is quite different from living arrangements at most other colleges.  The ND website calls dorm life "the hallmark of the Notre Dame experience and the wellspring of the University’s rich tradition."  Students are randomly assigned to a dorm freshman year, and usually students stay in that dorm for the next three, sometimes four, years.  About half of the senior class moves off campus (though the percentage varies from year to year). In certain ways, the dorms are similar to fraternities and sororities.  Dorm pride is a big thing at Notre Dame.  Students play intra-murals for their dorms, go to dorm dances, parties, and usually find their closest friends in the people they live around.  A student's ties to his/her dorm can be quite strong.  It is not unheard of to have alumni walking around their old dorms on a football weekend, trying to get a peek at their old rooms.  There are no co-ed dorms at Notre Dame, and so the single-sex living environment is similar to greek housing (though, admittedly, my knowledge of the greek system is somewhat limited since ND doesn't offer it).

   There are many pros as wells as some cons to the way dorm life at Notre Dame is structured.  I'd be happy to respond to any other questions in particular.  The Notre Dame website is also a good resource to learn from.

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   Posted by mmullen1 on Monday September 8, 2008 at 11:37 AM