Notre Dame admissions welcomed over 600 admitted students from the class of 2027 and their families to campus for Admitted Student Days on Sunday and Monday, an annual event that offers prospective students the chance to see what life is like as a student at the University.
“We are really thrilled to welcome these families,” vice president for undergraduate enrollment Micki Kidder said. “The number one predictor of whether a student enrolls in a university is if they have visited campus, so this is an incredibly important opportunity for new members of our family to experience and fall in love with Notre Dame.”
Programming began Sunday when optional tours of campus were offered. For some, this was their first time on campus. Nicholas Jacob of Columbia, Maryland, was among them. Despite the stormy conditions, he was impressed by what he saw.
“Campus was really pretty,” he said. “I liked the history of everything.”
Even for those who have been on campus before, an official tour gave the chance to see parts of campus that are harder for normal visitors to access.
“It was really cool to see the inside of the dome,” Ryan McCarthy, a prospective student from Washington D.C., said.
Later that night, students gathered at a student-only event called “Class of 2027 Connect.” The event, held in the Downes Club within Corbett Family Hall, featured music, games, photo booths, food and other experiences that were reminiscent of DomerFest, an event held during Welcome Weekend for incoming first-years.
“It gives admitted students the opportunity to meet and begin forming relationships with fellow members of their class,” Kidder said.
Sunday evening also featured a “University Welcome” event in Purcell Pavilion. Several speakers addressed the admitted students, including Kidder, assistant vice president for campus ministry Fr. Pete McCormick and senior Jack Davis. Each of them emphasized the community aspect of Notre Dame, as well as how easy it is to feel at home on campus.
“Coming to Notre Dame has been this very, very special experience where even though I left where I’m from, I’ve come to this other place that is home,” Davis said.
On Monday, admitted students were given the opportunity to visit common spaces of several residence halls and engage with rectors and hall staff, something members of previous classes were unable to do because of the pandemic.
“Our residential communities are such important and distinguishing features of a Notre Dame education,” Kidder said. “To share this with admitted students is an important and distinctly Notre Dame experience.”
Information sessions in DeBartolo Performing Arts Center and McKenna Hall on the topics of financial aid, academic advising, alumni networking and the Notre Dame Scholars Program, as well as an academic and student services resource fair in Dahnke Ballroom were also offered Monday. Students and their families had the chance to wrap up their time at Notre Dame on Monday evening with a special Mass celebrated in the Basilica.
Hosting thousands of guests on campus during the academic year while ensuring the academic and residential experiences of current students are not disrupted poses many logistical challenges, Kidder said, but Notre Dame admissions considers experiences like these essential for prospective students.
“It is an important and wonderful way to celebrate Notre Dame with new members of our family who will eventually call this campus home,” she said.
While organizing everything is a challenge, Kidder believes that it always pays off in the end.
“We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to welcome new students to our community and appreciate the many partners across campus who help us to do so in a distinctly Notre Dame way,” she said.
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