Everyone knows of the unspoken hatred between Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s girls. There are the stereotypes that we give each other along with name-calling. People assume that it is just socially impossible for us as Saint Mary’s girls to get along with Notre Dame girls and think that at parties we have to stand at opposite sides of the room. Let’s take it back to Domer Fest where we all awkwardly walked in with our matching, bright pink Saint Mary’s shirts and stuck out like a sore thumb. All eyes were on us and not in a good way. Remember how awkward we felt? Everyone knew we went to Saint Mary’s and there was no hiding it. It is pretty obvious that I am Saint Mary’s student when I pull out cash instead of using flex points at Starbucks or use my co-ex at South Dining hall. You think everyone is staring at you or that you have some sort of flashing sign above your head that says Saint Mary’s on it.
I am here to tell you that this little hatred is all in our heads. I have a first hand account of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s girls being friends. My older sister went to Notre Dame and I go to Saint Marys and she is my best friend. My sister also has friends who went to SMC, whom she actually adores! Sure we jokingly make fun of each other for being a Smick chick and an ND gal, but that doesn’t mean we are serious! Think about it. If Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame girls didn’t know what school the other went to, there is a good possibility that they would be friends.
With this being said, being a Saint Mary’s girl definitely has its benefits. People think that going to an all girls school means you’re going to:
A) become crazy boy-deprived or B) stay in your room and watch chick flicks while eating a pint of ice cream all night.
But in reality that is highly unlikely.
We have so many great opportunities placed in front of us that I will forever be grateful for. But along with that we have some pretty awesome perks. Who can say that they can roll out of bed ten minutes before class and still get there on time? Well we can. No makeup? Yes please. Hate to break it to you though boys, we don’t run around at night having pillow fights. We have other more interesting activities to focus on. There are clubs, sports, and social events that we have. But on the weekends we are also fortunate enough to be able to go to Notre Dame to hangout with our friends. And what about those football games?
I don’t think people understand how appreciative we are to be able to be a part for something so incredible. We thank you, Notre Dame. Allowing us to be a small part of such a fine institution is something we are very appreciative for and are overjoyed to be able to experience, but we wouldn’t trade being Smick Chicks for anything in the world.
Photos provided by the author