Here are two lists you need to know:
You'll notice that ND doesn't top the Party schools list. Clearly not Top 20. You parents may love that (we hope you do, at least, otherwise we're screwed). The players won't looooooove that, but hey guys, let me assure you: you can have a good time at ND, or any other non-Top-20 party school.
Top Party Schools that regularly compete with ND for recruits? Penn State, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin, FSU, Tennessee, ASU. Moms, if you want your kid to become a boozehound, by all means, join Urban the Liar (he can also learn to shoot AK-47s in Gainesville), or JoePa (your kid will learn how to party like the undead!)
But if you want your kid at a top football program, and to actually LEARN something at a top-rated institution? Notice the ONLY top football program in the top 20 academically? Yep, that's Notre Dame folks. (I don't consider Stanford a top football program, and yes, ND still is one).
Not a new message, but one that should be reiterated from time to time.
By san diego irish July 27, 2009 - 5:37 pm
Good point Biscuit. If you want to have a good time in college, it isn’t hard, even at good academic schools. I’ve been to many parties at Stanford (no i wasn’t a student there)that were as wild (minus the drugs) as anything I saw at SDSU (no i didn’t go there either).
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By DeepTeaKup July 27, 2009 - 7:18 pm
Good lord, 36k per year for ND? Yet another reason for me to teach my kids that ND is evil. By the time they are ready for college, it’ll be 75k.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By DeepTeaKup July 27, 2009 - 7:20 pm
BTW, you can’t convince anyone ever has fun in any part of Indiana. I don’t care how close it is to Chicago.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By BJDomer July 27, 2009 - 7:34 pm
DTK, that’s just tuition. Throw in cost of housing, books, and transportation, and it pushes 50k. They make up for it with cheap hot dogs, though.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By The Biscuit July 27, 2009 - 7:42 pm
DTK, 2 things. Yes, it’s expensive. It’s also not a state school that pumps out 20,000 degrees per day. Less supply = higher prices. They teach Econ at UM (sucks) right? 2 – we had a ton of fun at ND. But ask MQ about it, bc I don’t remember 90% of it. And don’t pretend like Michigan (sucks) and Ann Arbor are better than Indiana and South Bend. Both are small, midwest towns. Yeah, ND isn’t in Chicago, but most schools aren’t in big cities. And Ann Arbor sucks balls.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By domer.mq July 27, 2009 - 9:02 pm
DTK, it’s true. Biscuit had an absurd amount of fun at ND. I dated the same girl for most of college. My mistake.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By Bad Kermit July 27, 2009 - 10:34 pm
DTK, photographic evidence suggests that I had good times in South Bend, but I can’t remember it.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By DeepTeaKup July 28, 2009 - 12:00 am
Biscuit,
Remember part of what endears me to you guys is that I did not actually go to UM, I just grew up idolizing Bo. I did get accepted to UM, I just did not want to cough up the international tuition (which back in my day would have worked out to over 30k per year).
I’ve never refuted that ND is a good school, I’m just constantly shocked by the amount of money private higher ed can cost. Having two (soon to be three) kids who my wife insists are going to go to Catholic school, I just worry about how to convince them that ND is pure evil and is to be avoided at all costs after they have gone through 12 years of private Catholic Ed. Any advice?
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By BJDomer July 28, 2009 - 12:43 am
DTK, just have this guy recruit your kids to ND. I can guarantee they won’t end up here.
http://www.bluegraysky.com/images/TyGolf.jpg
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By J July 28, 2009 - 7:14 am
You undermine your case by selecting the top 20. Since Cal, UCLA and Northwestern make the top 25 you should at least acknowledge them. Now Northwestern is no football powerhouse while UCLA has possibilities and Cal is a popular pick to challenge USC this year.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By domer.mq July 28, 2009 - 10:33 am
DTK, also true. BK had an absurd amount of fun in college. Fun fact: BK didn’t drink until Jr. year. 2nd Fun Fact: BK caught up to everyone else’s consumption levels by the end of Jr. year. I dated the same girl through most of college. My mistake.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By The Biscuit July 28, 2009 - 1:27 pm
J, I didn’t undermine anything. They listed the Top 20 party schools, not the Top 25. I just did the same. Cal would be close for sure, I’ll give you that. But I say close because they’re NOT top 20, and not really a traditional top tier football program though they’ve made a ton of progress in the last decade and are knocking on that door. If they started winning the Pac-10…well, ever, I’d probably give them the nod. But today? Nope.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By WiscoDomer July 28, 2009 - 1:36 pm
It seems that choosing to limit the lists at the top 20 was for continuity. The link to the Party schools only lists the top 20. I did find it interesting that that Wisconsin is in the top 10 in party schools, and ranks 35th in the country academically. I had always known UW was well respected in certain fields of study, but hadn’t realized how well respected the institution as whole was. As far as party schools, I’m a little disappointed by the 9 ninth place finish. There was once a time when Bucky was considered the top party school by the likes of Playboy.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By The Biscuit July 28, 2009 - 3:33 pm
Pretty well-rounded performance by UW. If they could get things together on the field, they’d be pretty high up in the triumvirate of collegiate awesomeness (Academics, Football, and Partying).
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0
By WiscoDomer July 29, 2009 - 1:25 pm
I keep holding out hope that Alvarez will get tired of the AD job and get back on the sideline. I know it’s far fetched, but a guy can dream.
Thumbs Up/Down:
0 
0