Vision Youth Info You Need to Know

Arrival and Departure

We expect you to arrive on Monday of your scheduled week. (We cannot accommodate earlier arrivals.) Registration takes place between 2:00 pm and 4:30 pm in Geddes Hall. You should plan to depart in the afternoon on the Friday of that same week. The program concludes around 12:30 pm on Friday. (Lunch on Friday is not included.)

Please let us know at least one week in advance if you will be making a late arrival (i.e., after 4:30 pm on Monday). Should you miss a flight or experience any other major delay in your travel schedule, please immediately contact the Notre Dame Vision office at (574) 631-7425.

Notre Dame Vision does not have access to housing or luggage storage for participants before or after the program week.

The program will conclude on Friday with Mass at 11:30 am in DeBartolo Hall. Participants will then be dismissed to return to the dorms to pick up luggage and depart. Plan to be picked up around 12:30 pm at your dorm or you can depart for the airport at that time.

Location and Travel

Notre Dame is located in northern Indiana, just outside the city of South Bend. It is only a few minutes south of the Michigan border and 100 miles east of Chicago on the Indiana Toll Road (80/90) at exit 77. Notre Dame is a self-contained community with its own security police force and fire department. We are on Eastern Time, which is the same as New York, one hour ahead of Chicago and three hours ahead of Los Angeles.

You will find helpful information about travel to and from South Bend at www.sbnair.com and nd.edu/visit. You may also call (800) 366-3772 for Anthony Travel Service, the University’s official travel agency.

If you drive to campus: Exit the Toll Road at Exit 77, and follow the map provided to park in the Rugby/Wilson Lots. Walk to Geddes to register where you will receive a campus access pass, then return to your car to drive to your assigned dorm to quickly unload and move your car to the lot indicated on your access pass.

If you fly or take the South Shore Rail to South Bend Regional Airport: The South Bend Airport is approximately a 15-minute cab/Uber ride from the Notre Dame campus. Uber now offers Uber Teen for minors. (Note that the Amtrak train station is at a different location.) Ask the Uber/cab driver to drop you off at “Library Circle.”

If you are flying into Chicago airports: The shuttle bus between Chicago Airports and South Bend ceased operation in December 2019. There is a transportation company unrelated to the University called Blue & Gold Transportation which you can contact to make your own arrangements. (The University does not promote this company, we only offer it as a suggestion/option.) It is encouraged to fly into South Bend Airport. If Chicago is your only option, you could take the train or bus or cab to Millennium Station, and then take the South Shore from there to its final stop at the South Bend airport.

ATTIRE

South Bend summers are warm and humid, so bring plenty of shorts, short-sleeved tops, and other casual, lightweight clothes that are easy to wash. (No halter tops, crop tops, spaghetti straps, or short shorts/skirts, please!). In general, we ask that participants dress in accordance with a general sense of Christian decency.

Weather at Notre Dame: Temperatures in the summer are typically in the 70’s and 80’s during the day and occasionally in the 90’s. A raincoat and umbrella are also recommended, as well as a sweater or sweatshirt for occasional cool nights and some ultra-air-conditioned buildings.

Please note: Any persons whom the leaders of Notre Dame Vision deem inappropriately dressed for the program – e.g., clothing that is too revealing, offensive messages or slogans on clothing – will be asked to change immediately. In the unlikely event that such a person does not have any appropriate attire, the participant will be required to return home that day at their own expense and without reimbursement for program fees.

RULES

Your week will be a wonderful experience of learning and sharing, making new friends, and having a great time. It is essential, therefore, that you and your parents or guardians are fully aware of the rules and that you abide by them while at Notre Dame. It is of utmost importance that you follow the Code of Conduct for Summer High School Residents.

Any student who violates one of these rules will be expelled from the program at the director’s discretion without reimbursement of program fees, will have his or her parents or guardians notified, will need to leave campus immediately, and will be asked to return home at his or her parents’ or guardians’ expense.

Please note: Cell phones or any other electronic devices are allowed to be carried throughout the week, but must be silenced/not in use while program activities are in session. If someone is found using one of these during a program activity, the device will be confiscated and returned at the end of the week, or mailed home at the participant’s expense. Notre Dame Vision is not responsible for any lost items during your stay.

If any needs arise during the week, please first speak to one of the Mentors who are prepared to respond immediately to your concerns.

As Notre Dame Vision is an experience of community, participants are required to attend from Monday at 5 pm through the closing mass, departing at 12:30 pm on Friday. Early departure is not permitted and may incur financial penalty.

Packing

High School Students will be staying in a college dorm room that will have ONLY a bed, dresser, desk, chair, and closet/storage area. You will need to bring sheets, pillow, and towels. There is no air-conditioning in the Vision dorms.

Required

Bed Linens (XL twin)
Blanket
Pillow
Towel
Toiletries
Alarm Clock
Sweatshirt/Sweater
Comfortable Casual Appropriate Clothes
Water Bottle
Athletic Attire
Spending Money

Return to Vision Website

Click on the map to open in full-screen.

Registration and Check-IN

Please register immediately upon your arrival at Notre Dame (though no earlier than 2:00 pm on Monday). Registration for Notre Dame Vision is from 2:00 pm to 4:30pm on the Monday of each scheduled week at Geddes Hall, which is located just northwest of the Hesburgh Library and east of the Golden Dome. Please see the Campus Arrival Map above.

Registration will be in the Coffeehouse on the first floor of Geddes Hall. In order to register, your balance must be paid in full and all required documents must already be on file. You will receive several items at the registration desk, including your meal pass, directions to your residence hall, and other materials and information about the week.

Tours: Our mentors will be available during registration hours to give general tours of the campus. Please meet them at the foot of the steps of the Main Building/Golden Dome. If you would like to schedule a more in depth tour, please contact the Eck Visitor's Center for arrangements.

Residence Halls

Women and men will stay in separate campus residence halls. The residence halls will not be air-conditioned.

The staff of each residence hall includes 25-35 Notre Dame Vision undergraduate Mentors. They are joined by hall managers who will be available 24 hours a day should you need assistance. If your parents or guardians need to reach you for an important matter while you are at Notre Dame, they should call the Notre Dame Vision office at (574) 631-7425, anytime from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT and we will relay a message to you. In case of an emergency during non-business hours, they should call Campus Security at (574) 631-5555.

Rooms are typically furnished with a bed, dresser, desk and chair, and closet or storage area (one per person, as you will likely be rooming in singles and doubles, although triples and quads are occasionally assigned if a student arrives by themselves, does not have a roommate, and doesn’t want a single). Room requests are not guaranteed. Please consult the “packing list” for what you will need for your dorm room. Feel free to bring musical instruments, sports equipment and other athletic gear for your use during recreational hours.

We are not able to accept any personal mail for Notre Dame Vision participants.

Meals

Meals will be provided up to thrice daily in the dining halls beginning with dinner on Monday and ending with breakfast on Friday. If students need additional meals or snacks, students may visit a variety of eateries on campus, many of which are located in the LaFortune Student Center and Duncan Student Center. Lunch on Friday is not included in the program. Visit Notre Dame Food Services at dining.nd.edu for more information regarding places to eat at Notre Dame and accommodations for food allergies.

Banking

Notre Dame is now a "cashless campus" (see this link for more info). There are ATM’s in the student centers and cash is still accepted at the bookstore. We suggest that students bring an ATM/Debit card, traveler’s checks, or cash for spending money. Students do not need a great deal of pocket money, but will need some for snacks, souvenirs, or cab to/from the airport, if necessary.

MEDICAL

You will complete the online “Health Information and Consent for Emergency Medical Treatment Form” as part of the registration process. If anything changes before your program week, please contact us with any additional issues, including any medical conditions or dietary restrictions, that you think we should be aware of, that may require an accommodation, or that could impact the safety or well-being of your child during the Program. Notifying us of any such conditions is entirely voluntary, and any information you share shall be treated as confidential and may only be disclosed to University officials or healthcare providers who have a legitimate need to know of such information.

If you are susceptible to allergies, be prepared for the Northern Indiana climate, as you will be spending a significant amount of time outside. Two fine hospitals, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and Memorial Hospital are within a few miles of campus should their services be needed.

TUITION/BALANCE

Please pay your balance due by May 30, 2025. Please make checks payable to “Notre Dame Vision.” Credit card payments are accepted through the Notre Dame Vision Online Store. You can mail your balance payment via check made out to “Notre Dame Vision” at our offices: Notre Dame Vision, 334 Geddes Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556.

What to Expect

After you register at Geddes Hall you will be directed to your residence hall for the week. Once you move in, you can join the Mentors and other participants on the quad for fun and games until the official opening of the program when you gather for dinner at 5:00 pm with your small group. Your Mentors will give you directions for the rest of the evening which will include keynote sessions in DeBartolo Hall, small group conversations on the quads, and Night Prayer before leading you back to the dorms for the nightly check-in.

After a good night's sleep, the general schedule for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday is listed below (click on the image to open it full-screen). On Friday we will gather for Morning Prayer, a final Small Group Session, and then end our week with the Closing Mass.

Notre Dame Vision 2025: Information You Need to Know

For any additional questions, please contact the Vision Office at 574-631-7425 or ndvi@nd.edu