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Ask a Senior: What to Wear and What to Study

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Sara Spitt
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Notre Dame chapter.

Welcome to our newest segment, “Ask a Senior,” where we address your questions, concerns, and doubts about life at Notre Dame! 

Q: One of my main worries is what to wear and when to wear it. What do girls usually wear to classes? What should I wear when I move in? What should I wear to Domerfest? I know I’ll need some more formal dresses, but how many should I bring when I move in in the fall? Thank you so much!

Coming from a uniform-wearing, Catholic high school, I too had concerns about what the heck I should wear when I began college.

Generally speaking, girls wear nicer clothing for the day-to-day activities of college. J. Crew, Banana Republic, Lilly Pulitzer, and similar brands run rampant around campus. For some examples, check out these style blogs: Fall, Winter, Finals, Spring, Classic ND, For Your Feet

That being said, I am a firm believer in wearing what makes you feel good! If jeans and a button-down are your jam, then rock that look. If you live in your Norts (Nike shorts) and tennies, you won’t be the only one. 

To move in, breathability and comfort are key. You’re going to be lifting boxes, running up stairs, and waiting in the South Bend sun. Shorts and a t-shirt are really all you need. As for Domerfest (lol, Domerfest.), your outfit has already been picked for you by your awesome Frosh-O commissioners! Unless things have drastically changed in the past year, you will wear your dorm’s Frosh-O t-shirt and probably jean shorts. 

I would say only bring one formal dress to start. Your dorm will likely host one formal during the year, so you’ll only need more than one dress if you get asked to another dance. Formal season typically starts at Thanksgiving and ends in February, meaning you have some breaks to switch out dresses. Additionally, one of the benefits of living in an all girls dorm is 150+ extra closets to raid! Ask a friend to borrow a dress! Sharing is caring. 

Q: I am in the College of Science, but still so undecided as to what I want my major to be or what I want to academically focus on in college. While I am definitely curious about Biology and Science Business, I feel like I have talent and interest in a wide range of other areas too (like languages and humanities). How will I possibly be able to narrow down all of these options and (when the time comes) feel good about the decision I’ve made? Thanks!

All freshman spend their year in the First Year of Studies program and don’t need to declare their college until the end of the year. The brilliant thing about FYS is that it gives you the opportunity to try a few things before committing to one program. FYS allows you to get some required classes out of the way while also letting you sample some courses you may not have thought about taking. 

I’m sure you’ve all heard this a million times, but KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN! There’s no need to pigeonhole yourself into one track before you even know if you’ll enjoy the more advanced courses in that field. It is AWESOME that you have so many talents and interests, use them! You don’t need to declare a major until sophomore year. Take advantage of that time to find the classes you like the most and do well in. Notre Dame also has a ton of minors to be explored. If you truly love Biology but you also want to express yourself in the humanities, find a minor that suits you!

But, how do you find what you actually like? It’s all trial and error. Personal anecdote: I started college positive I wanted to double major in Biology and Theology. Nothing could shake my confidence in this, until I found out I was failing Biology. I ended up dropping Bio and taking a Sociology course the next semester, which led me to believe I wanted to study Sociology. Another Sociology class brought me to the realization that Peace Studies was my calling. It took me a while to settle on a path and it’s perfectly normal to switch your major, or even your college, before finding the perfect fit. Now, I’m a triple major in Theology, Peace Studies, and Italian and I couldn’t be happier!  

 

Go Irish! HCNDXO

 

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Sara Spitt

Notre Dame

Meet HCND's current Campus Coordinator and Editor-in-Chief! Originally from outside of Chicago, Sara is a Senior Peace Studies, Theology, and Italian major at Notre Dame (yes, that is three majors; no, she doesn't have any free time). When she isn't painting her nails, Sara enjoys cooking vegetarian friendly dishes, taking pictures for The Dome yearbook, and reading for fun. Sara began writing for Her Campus Notre Dame in May of 2013 and quickly fell in love with the site and it's staff! After writing for the inagural editorial staff (shout-out to AnnaLee, Katie, and Lex!) for a semester, Sara decided to branch out and become an editor. She particularly enjoys doing interviews and sharing travel expereinces, as well as connecting with the HCND reader network through thought-provoking social commentaries. If you like what you read from her on a weekly basis, this self-proclaimed "Queen of Social Media" has several accounts for you to follow - twitter, instagram (@saraspit22), tumblr, and a blog!