MoreauIntegration2




First Semester and Beyond

In my time here at Notre Dame so far, I’ve encountered a community that has welcomed

and embraced me in a new environment. I’ve encountered genuine people that have wanted to

get to know me. I have adapted very quickly to this new environment, but I know that if I have a

question or concern, there is always someone that would be happy to answer or help out. I’m

loving the dorm culture on campus, as it’s been a great avenue to meet people that I know will

have my back for the next 3.5 years. Joining the Notre Dame community has had a great positive

impact on my personal growth and development.

As the Class of 2025 transitions into Notre Dame, there have obviously been some large

changes to our environment and lifestyle. Personally, I have found these changes to be beneficial

and liberating in a sense. I’ve been able to adjust my sleep schedule, which is pretty important

for my mental health, and that has been a great change. Since I tend to be a night owl and do my

work later at night, I like that I can get more sleep (compared to high school) while maintaining

that schedule. Another large change that has stood out to me is the difference in my social life.

Back in high school, I would stick with my close friends and not branch out socially much. Here,

the dorm community brings people from all places and backgrounds together, and as a result I’ve

been putting more effort into getting to know other guys from Stanford. It’s interesting to meet

all these people that have so much variation in their life experiences, or in the words of Fr.

Jenkins, “There is no law of motion in the physical universe that guaranteed that you would end

up where you are today” (“Wesley Theological Seminary Commencement” by Fr. Jenkins -

Moreau FYE Week Ten). The wide range of personalities and backgrounds randomly thrown

together in a building somehow creates a community that is collaborative, communicative, and

https://president.nd.edu/homilies-writings-addresses/wesley-theological-seminary-commencement/


spirited, and I find that to be an awesome part of Notre Dame. The community includes

everyone, including “strangers I will never meet… people with whom I share local resources and

must learn to get along (e.g., immediate neighbors)... to people I am related to for the purpose of

getting a job done (e.g., coworkers and colleagues)” (“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community”

by Parker Palmer - Moreau Week Eleven). Throughout this semester, I’ve tried to put an

emphasis on participating in this community, and I have been welcomed heartily.

I’ve also encountered an academic environment that supports personal intellectual

growth. I’ve found that many of my classes are structured so that students do not need to solely

focus on their grades, but instead focus on truly understanding the material, which will inherently

result in better grades. For example, my calc class uses a testing system where you have to get 3

out of 5 attempts correct for a concept, which allows you to still earn full credit if you did not

initially understand the concept. In that class, the exams and quizzes are less stressful, and I think

the system has helped me learn from my mistakes faster as a result. With this general academic

attitude, I’ve set fewer unreachable personal goals in terms of academic success. Throughout

high school, I set lots of unrealistic and unreachable expectations for myself, and the issue with

these expectations is that “Not only are these expectations arbitrary, but they will almost always

backfire on you.” (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan -

Moreau FYE Week Nine). From experience, I know that these unrealistic expectations truly can

backfire, either in terms of workload and/or stress, and they almost never are beneficial. With

less unrealistic goals, I’ve found it a bit easier to focus directly on the work itself instead of

thinking more about the goal.

At my time here so far, I have not encountered much in terms of personal adversity, but

“One does not have to be a Christian to believe that adversity does, or at least can, make people

http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/
https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau


stronger and prepare them for harder challenges in the future” (“Holy Cross and Christian

Education” by Campus Ministry - Moreau Week Twelve). Academically, my classes are easier

and less work than my junior and senior years of high school, which has surprised me greatly,

but I know that right now is as easy as it will ever be. I’m genuinely interested in many of the

classes that I will take within the next 4 years, and I’m excited to reach classes actually regarding

my major. As I’ve said, the Notre Dame community has been incredibly welcoming and

supportive, and I’ve only had good experiences with other students and faculty.

For the most part, everything has been smooth sailing so far, although I know there will

be challenges ahead. Despite these challenges to come, I think that my personal growth will only

be accelerated here with the support that is readily available. I’ve always had a focus on personal

growth and improvement, particularly with things like habits and time management, and my

habits here are pretty reasonable and healthy. In the first few weeks here, I put extra effort into

creating and upholding good habits, particularly in terms of time management, and while that

effort has faded somewhat by now, I still am aware of and adjusting my habits. For example, I’ve

been using certain blocks of time between classes as consistent times to study.

Just in my singular semester here already, I feel like I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and

experience that will prove invaluable in time. I’ve begun calling this place home, which hurt my

parents just a little, but it really does feel like home to me. I’ve loved my experience at Notre

Dame so far, and I think this place will have a great positive impact on my personal growth

during my 4 years, but more importantly I hope it will help me continue that growth for years to

come.

https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/24970/files/188305?module_item_id=105110
https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/24970/files/188305?module_item_id=105110