When Terresa Stalard enrolled at University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, she had never actually been to the campus. In a recent interview, she revealed to me, a WGU Indiana graduate, that there were several things about Notre Dame and the surrounding area that surprised her.
1.) Steam Tunnels Carry More than Steam
Notre Dame uses underground steam tunnels to carry heat because it seems to be the most efficient method. While Terresa wasn’t surprised by that fact, she was surprised to learn of some other things that might be found in those tunnels. She never explored the tunnels herself, but was told that there is a memorabilia room as well as bowling alley.
She can’t swear that it’s true, but several students who claimed to have visited the tunnel told her that these were just a couple of the things you could find if you went exploring.
2.) Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
Beautiful religious settings in the way of grottos, statues, and other religious areas are all part of the Catholic experience. Visit most any Catholic home and you are almost certain to find randomly placed religious artifacts. This is why Terresa expected to see them inside the school.
What she didn’t expect was the Grotto of Our Lady of the Lourdes; a perfect spot for those intimate moments of reflection, to propose marriage, or even a place to enjoy an outdoor mass.
3.) Library Inside Bond Hall
When you attend a university like Notre Dame, you expect extravagant libraries where every whisper carries an echo and there is no book you can’t find. When it comes to a school with a reputation like Notre Dame has, you might even expect a library such as one you would find in a castle. At least these were Terresa’s expectations before she arrived.
Terresa says she wasn’t disappointed with Notre Dame’s library, but she was surprised to find a small library inside Bond Hall. She calls it “an unexpected study nook right there in the middle of everything.”
4.) Notre Dame is the 7th Ranked Christian School
Notre Dame is so immensely popular as a sports school, that some people tend to forget it’s also a Catholic school. In fact, for some reason, some people don’t even know it’s a Catholic school because all they hear about is Notre Dame football.
Terresa did some research to learn what else Notre Dame was famous for aside from football, simply because she wasn’t interested in football at all. What she learned was that Notre Dame is ranked 7th as a Christian school, something that made her parents all the more willing to send her to Notre Dame.
5.) Town and School are Separate
When you move away from home to go to school, and especially when you go to a school as well-known as Notre Dame, you most likely think the people in that town are going to be very supportive of the school or at least welcoming to its students. This is not the case with South Bend, Indiana.
Don’t forget that South Bend isn’t just a college town, but an industrialized area that is part of the major crossroads for goods shipped between the east coast and Chicago. The people of South Bend were hit hard by the recession and may not always appreciate college kids coming into town, especially if those college students expect special treatment because of the school they go to.
They may get special treatment, but it isn’t likely to be of the variety that they imagined it would be. Terresa suggests students just stick around the campus or avoid mentioning that they are a student of Notre Dame if they do go to town.
Kathy Foust, a graduate of WGU Indiana and a freelance writer, has a keen interest in various college experiences. Terresa Stalard, who attended the South Bend Indiana campus of Notre Dame University generously offered to share some of the details of her experience in order to help educate potential future students of Purdue about some of things college students might be most interested in. Terresa enjoyed the academic challenge of Notre Dame, but found the social atmosphere to be less friendly than she would have liked.