Important Dates

As we shift to summer, here are some important dates to keep in the back of your mind in case you are asked by an incoming freshman:

June 2: First Year of Studies will send course selection information to incoming freshmen
June 23: Course selection forms are due
August 1: Advisor information sent and course schedule available online
August 22: First Year orientation begins

Students have already received instructions for activating their netID and obtaining an e-mail account (sound familiar? They have to do it, too!).

A bit more information is found on the First Year of Studies website here.

The First Year of Studies FAQ page (and some really old pictures) is here.

And I thought college rankings were bad...

We do not officially rank high schools; we know some schools have different things to offer than others, but there is no list in the Admissions Office that says "School X is better than School Z."

Newsweek, however, decided they were going to rank the best high schools in the United States. You can find the article here, and I am pointing you to it for some of the general conclusions they have drawn, not necessarily to look up schools in your area to see how they're doing (though I know doing that is likely inevitable--I looked up my high school).

Newsweek found that smaller schools tended to give students more individual attention and help them better grow as academics and individuals during their four years of high school. I do not think a smaller school is automatically better than a larger school, but I think there may be some truth to that conclusion.

Take, for example, the First Year of Studies at Notre Dame. Instead of "throwing" students into a large college environment with little direction, first-year students are instead placed in a program with other incoming students. They are then "divided" into even smaller groups and assigned to a specific counselor who helps students make a quick adjustment to college while also choosing a major, a career path, classes, etc.

Smaller high schools may not automatically equal a better education, but I think, if you look at the situation in general, the personal and individual attention given to students--at least here at Notre Dame--is a benefit.

First Year Mailings

On their website, the First Year of Studies has posted the letters they send to admitted students. While the letters you see right now are those from last year, they give you a good idea of what the confirmed students will receive in the mail over the next few months.

www.nd.edu/~fys/summer.html

Have a great day!