Notre Dame undergraduates grab their backpacks, visit the dining hall and walk to class. Later they’ll head to Hesburgh Library or their residence halls with a pile of homework to tackle. Such scenes have played out on campus for generations.
But student life has changed dramatically, too.
How so? What do current students want us to know about their lives?
To find out, Notre Dame Magazine conducted interviews with a cross-section of eight students from geographically dispersed hometowns, assorted fields of study and a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
Each one was asked a series of questions about their college years and the challenges young adults are facing today. They candidly described their challenges, successes, worries and hopes for the future, a constant state of being busy, a compulsion to fill every second of every day accomplishing things inside and outside the classroom.
Originally published by Notre Dame Magazine at magazine.nd.edu in its Summer 2023 issue.