Welcome Home
Your Notre Dame Journey is about to begin
May 2, 2024
Dear newest members of the Notre Dame family,
I expect I am not the first to welcome you to the Notre Dame family, and I certainly won’t be the last. Our entire community of students, faculty, and staff is simply delighted that you have chosen to join us as you continue your learning and service to the world. We are aware of the sacrifice, commitment, and perseverance you’ve demonstrated as you’ve prepared to join our community of scholars. And while your future classmates, faculty, and mentors are eager to celebrate you and your decision to enroll at Notre Dame, as Assistant Provost for Academic Advising, I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming you on behalf of the Center for University Advising.
How We Serve You
The Center for University Advising, home of First Year Advising, offers mentorship, support, and guidance as you cross the threshold into university life and enter the next chapter of scholarship. We seek to serve first-year students in a particular way by providing personalized and professional academic advising and transformative learning experiences and resources. These initiatives, alongside your first-year coursework and community engagement, introduce the values of a liberal arts education in the Catholic tradition and empower you to grow in your academic curiosity, develop your creativity and vision, integrate the formation of your mind and heart, and ultimately pursue a life well-lived.
This summer is sure to be one of great anticipation and excitement. It may also bring about questions, concerns, and perhaps some nervousness. Though we will continue to encounter the challenges of a world in need, together as the Fighting Irish, we believe we will meet these challenges, seize our opportunity to fight, and grow in our ability to serve as a force for good in the world.
Our Partnership with You
We are excited to partner with you, your parents, and your family as you explore the boundless options at Notre Dame that can combine your diverse interests into a rich and challenging program of study. Our philosophy at the Center for University Advising seeks to empower you as the author of your distinct intellectual development. Part of this empowerment involves communicating first and foremost with you, as a student, to discover new interests, encounter new perspectives, and explore the resources of the Notre Dame community. As the primary director of your engagement with the Center for University Advising, you are welcome to forward any of our communications to your families as an invitation to join you along this journey.
Summer Transition
Throughout these next few months of your transition, you can expect to hear from the Center for University Advising weekly regarding your first steps as a Notre Dame student. One main source of communication will be the “FirstYear@ND” summer newsletter, sent regularly to your ND Gmail account. We also encourage you to follow First Year Advising's Instagram for additional information and engagement from our Student Media Team of current Notre Dame students.
Our role this summer includes: ensuring you are equipped to complete necessary enrollment tasks, assisting you as you build a Fall 2024 course schedule that works best for you, and connecting you with the countless resources devoted to serving you and your growth as a scholar, citizen, and force for good in the world. A summary of these steps should give you a general sense of what action items lie ahead.
- Connecting with the Notre Dame Community: Activating your new Notre Dame email, financial account, residential application, and access to the University’s web portals, tools, and online resources.
- Preparing for a New Academic Journey: Connecting with first-year advisors, exploring requirements, recommendations, and Fall 2024 courses, registering for courses, confirming transfer or exam credit, and requesting placement exams.
- Becoming a Scholar at Notre Dame: Exploring academic options, connecting with campus partners, reviewing your completed Fall 2024 course schedule, and completing online modules required for all incoming students.
- Anticipating Your Arrival and Welcome Weekend: Reviewing your Welcome Weekend schedule and opportunities, preparing for any foreign language or mathematics credit exams, connecting with your residential community, and preparing for life at Notre Dame.
Later this week, you can expect to hear from the leaders of Welcome Weekend, our orientation endeavor shared between the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Division of Student Affairs. As your gateway into the life of a student at Notre Dame, Welcome Weekend seeks to share the unique characteristics of our undergraduate educational experience by introducing and inspiring engagement in academic and residential life at Notre Dame, demonstrating our commitment to a safe and inclusive environment of teaching and learning, and facilitating the exploration of University resources available to you and your family. This summer, alongside our “FirstYear@ND” newsletter, you will also hear regularly from Welcome Weekend, the Division of Student Affairs, and various colleges, academic departments, and offices eager to embrace you as the newest members of our community.
During the first week of May, an email from "Okta" will be sent to the email address you listed on your application. This email contains a unique link that enables you to activate your NetID, access your new email account, and check your inbox daily.
Learn more about activating your NetID
Those of us within the Center for University Advising, like our entire community, are humbled by the opportunity to walk with you during these first steps. As the current academic year draws to an end, I invite you to fully celebrate the important milestones and relationships that have shaped your journey thus far. As you embrace this unique period of transition, know that your Notre Dame community looks forward to welcoming you home.
Sincerely,
Elly Brenner
Assistant Provost for Academic Advising
Director, Center for University Advising