Fordham University Top Questions

Fordham is great because you get that traditional college campus feel while also being a twenty minute train ride from Manhattan. However, if you are looking for a school that is relaxed about its policies, Fordham is NOT for you. Fordham is a Jesuit school, which makes it really strict with certain policies (especially housing). I was a bit nervous when I first went to Fordham, because I am not a Catholic and I thought I was going to have a hard time fitting in and finding a non-conservative scene. I quickly realized however that Fordham has a scene for everyone from the devout Catholics, to those who have never even attended mass before.

The best thing about Fordham Rose Hill is its proximity to Manhattan. You can hop on the Ram Van (cheap campus shuttle to Lincoln Center), D train, or Metro North, and arrive in the city under an hour. At the same time, there is still a beautiful campus in the Bronx where you can enjoy football games and other traditional events like any other school. Thus, Fordham students experience the best of both worlds. The city provides unlimited possibilities in terms of entertainment and internship opportunities while the Bronx campus has an amazing landscape and is right next to Arthur Ave! Not to mention, Fordham is the perfect size; though many classes have under 20 students, it's large enough that you are always seeing new faces.

I am the last person to argue that there is nothing wrong with this school. This is not the school to go to if you just want to go to your classes (occasionally), party all the time, and run around the city without any responsibilities. The Jesuit tradition makes a lot of the guidelines (especially housing) fairly strict, and the classes tend to be really small, so you will be missed if you are not in class. This being said, Fordham has a lot to offer, especially in terms of students. I remember freshman year being astounded at the amount of people that I felt genuinely close to, especially since in high school, I was relatively withdrawn. There is something about the proximity of everyone on campus that made me become outgoing and involved.

I love Fordham. Its small enough that you know everyone, but large enough to avoid the people you don't like. The bar scene is great, you walk in and will definitely know everyone in the bar, which is pretty unique for a bar. When I tell people I go to Fordham they are generally impressed, especially if they are from the tristate area. I spend the majority of my time in the student center, as I'm very involved in student government. The school is in the Bronx, so it's not really a "college town" but Arthur Avenue is full of Fordham students and establishments. The administration is pretty standard. They include students at every level, if you want to know how things work, all you have to do is ask. The biggest recent controversy was the uproar over the school's dining facilities failing health inspections. That has now been totally resolved and they all have A's. The school certainly has a good amount of pride, but the fact that our football and basketball teams are pretty terrible means we don't have the typical "game day" pride. People are definitely proud of the school though. I'll always remember Spring Weekend, because of the various concerts and Under the Tent semi-formal dance. Most frequent student complaints would include complaints about the food and the guest pass policy.

Fordham University offers top notch education. Seriously, anyone who attends Fordham invest in total roughly about a quarter of a million dollars on tuition. Everytime I asked what school I go attend, I tell them "Fordham" and I almost always get the "whoa!" or the "wow"or "suprised" face followed by many compliments, which immediately changes their perception of me in a more positive way.

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Fordham University is a place to grow. It's one of the only schools in New York City where you experience the traditional college campus, but once you step outside the gates the sights and smells of the city bombard you -- in the best ways possible. We have a strong sense of community, and no matter where you are on campus, you will always see a familiar face. Who you are as a freshman should be a completely different person when you leave four years later and, if you're lucky, you'll find a way to stay longer.

Fordham University is a place to grow. It's one of the only schools in New York City where you experience the traditional college campus, but once you step outside the gates the sights and smells of the city bombard you -- in the best ways possible. We have a strong sense of community, and no matter where you are on campus, you will always see a familiar face. Who you are as a freshman should be a completely different person when you leave four years later and, if you're lucky, you'll find a way to stay longer.

THE BEST: 1. There is never nothing to do: There are over 90 clubs on campus. The largest shopping street in the Bronx is outside our gate. Midtown Manhattan is a 17 minute train ride away. Sports games on campus are free for students. The library offers free DVD rentals of the most recent films. Student rush tickets for Broadway shows ar $30. The real Little Italy is a five minute walk from campus. I have never once, in my three year and two month career at Fordham said, "There is nothing to do tonight." 2. Food is always a phone call away: It's 3 a.m. and you're at the library during midterms. You're starving. Your room seems so far away and all you have there are crackers and easy mac. You could really use some fuel to get you through the rest of your all nighter. You don't have to settle for that microwaveable, processed cheese-y, pasta. Delis, pizza shops, chinese, convenience stores, are all open late. And almost all of them deliver to campus (wherever you are) fo' free. THE WORST: 1. There is never nothing to do. It's a Wednesday night. You friend has tickets to Jersey Boys. The basketball team has a home game. Your friend needs an extra player for his intramural volleyball game. Fordham Flava is teaching the Thriller Dance. There's an eat up at Pugsleys Pizza. Homework tends to take a backseat when there is so much else to do. Budget your time accordingly. Get your work done during the day if you want to do things at night. Turn your phone off when you're studying so you're not tempted by your friends. Figure out your schedule and stick to it, because there will always be a better alternative to a 10-page paper. 2. Food is always a phone call away: It's 3 a.m. and you're at the library during midterms. You're starving. Free delivery and the availability of food 24/7 is great (and really does come in handy during midterms and finals) but salad bars and fruit stands aren't open all night. The Freshman 15 is as real as the man standing outside with your chicken roll and garlic knots. (Good news though; the gym is free for students!)

The campus is beautiful. Being twenty minutes form Manhattan is the best. There are so many things to do in our city. You also are going to have a lot easier time finding a job somewhere in the city if you are looking for work. The party scene is fun near the school but gets old very quickly. The few bars are small and get very crowded as do the house parties. Explore NYC, it has so much fun to offer.

I do love Fordham. It's because I love it that I find it so easy to see what's wrong. The administration don't really care about the students as much as they care about the reputation of the school -- what it is, what they want it to be, etc. The administration has a tight hold on what news gets out to the public about the goings on at Fordham. There was a very recent scandal involving the food offered on campus, and the school really did everything they could to keep it as small as possible. Students really had to work to get the word out to the general public. If the campus were in a city environment I would say that the student body is the perfect size, but as it is the campus is in the suburbs (or as suburban as one can get in NYC), so it feels rather claustrophobic because people rarely leave the area. I'm from the west coast so nobody from home has really heard of Fordham yet. The administration are recruiting heavily in the west coast, though. The main reason I go here is because my application year (2007) the school waived application fees for west coast students.The faculty for the most part are incredible. Condoms are not freely available on campus (Catholic thing) but the good news is that it's easy to get free condoms from the city.

Fordham offers the best of both worlds for a New York school: it has a beautiful, 80-acre, gothic campus, but is also only 20 minutes away from Grand Central in midtown New York City. It's a great mix of the idealized private, northeastern campus, with all the benefits of NYC a quick train ride away. It's medium size is just right; big enough to offer a wide variety of programs and enough students to not feel like a rehash of high school, but small enough that you aren't a number like at a public university. The school has a long and distinguished history, although until recently it tended to be well known only in the northeast. The sports program is experiencing a resurgence, and the students are generally very bright, although they certainly know how to have a good time in Manhattan on the weekends. As a senior graduating in just a couple months, I can honestly say that I've had the time of my life here and would strongly recommend (especially to Texans like myself).

A student interested in attending the LC campus needs to be comfortable in a very small school. There are literally two buildings, and if you dorm you will only be with 1/2 of your actual graduating class because half of the students at LC commute from around the city. While some might not like this aspect, it really creates a lot of diversity on the campus. You get to know in's and out's of the city from commuter friends, and they are welcome to sleep over pretty much whenever. Also, the classes are really small..even for a first year. My biggest class this year was 30 and it was a lecture. You also have to be comfortable living with a lot of people. You also have to know how to make your own fun. There isnt a huge sense of community on campus unless you get super involved. In terms of night life, you really have to go out there and make it fun for yourself...there arent LC parties in the dorms/apartments...and everyone pretty much splits up and goes out around the city.

Other than the people at Fordham Lincoln Center, who are absolutely the worst people on the planet (besides child molesters and terrorists), the school is an absolute joke. You'll pay $50,000 a year (unless you get money, so like $30,000 if you're lucky) for the most miserable four years of your life. However, let's just take a step back a moment and talk about the good things. If you're actually looking at this to see if you want to go to this school, you deserve the whole truth. You can decide for yourself. You're a college-aged adult now. The good: You're in the city. You can do anything you want in the city. Like waste your money on delicious street food and gain 15 pounds in two weeks. But you have a free gym (if you live here) to burn it off. And you also have free laundry. The free laundry is the only thing I'll miss about Fordham when I transfer. And that's it. Those are the only good things about Fordham Lincoln Center. Now... back to why you should never, ever apply to Fordham, let alone attend. Everything else.

Best thing about Fordham - the Core. I know people complain about it like crazy, but it really does constitute what makes a Fordham education a Fordham educaiton - it forces you to go outside your comfort zone and learn things you wouldn't go out and seek yourself. There is so much bitching about how the core professors suck but "my" professors in my major are great - isn't is apparent that people are just more comfortable with their own interests? The joke is that those same core professors are somebody else's professor in their major whom they love! People's reaction when I tell them I went to Fordham usually centers around the misconception that the Rose Hill campus *is* Fordham. The Lincoln Center campus has not gained popular recognition yet, but the university as a whole has a good regional reputation, and a great reputation nationally among the early baby-boomer set and earlier. It seems to be getting better, too. The cafeteria is awful downtown - but why even try and compete with the culinary captial of the nation? You can get anything you want to eat right outside the doors of the school - and if you live on campus at Lincoln Center you should take every opportunity to go outside and get away from the connected dorm/academic buildings. People go days or longer without going outside if they are not careful.

Too segmented. No one cares about each other

The best thing about Fordham is the feeling of family you get when you go there. Pretty much everyone is friendly and tries to include you in all sorts of campus activities. The people you meet in your freshman dorm will probably be some of your best friends all through out your college career. The size is just right. The campus is large but not overwhelming. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from one end of campus to the other. The student body is also just the right size, where there is diversity but you are not just a number. I spend most of my time hanging out in my dorm or out on Eddy's Parade, our quad. The only complaint I suppose I could make about Fordham, and one that surfaces often on campus, is the lack of quality in the food department. Yes, there is a pretty good variety but often its not exactly the best or even that good. Going to the cafeteria is kind of like gambling, you never know what you are going to get.

On the whole, I had an absolutely fantastic freshman year at Fordham. I lived in Hughes Hall which is looked down upon in some respects because the facilities are not as good as the other freshman dorms of North and South, but the people I met there the first day became a great group of friends I carried with me throughout the entire year. Part of this I think was also achieved by the Orientation Fordham provided. Coming from the Northeast myself, it was not much of an adjustment overall since most are from the Northeast/Midatlantic but I met a wide variety of people who really showed me alot about life outside my own little bubble. It gave me some interesting perspective for sure.

The best thing about Fordham is the location. Being close to New York City has more benefits than you could possibly imagine. If i could change one thing about Fordham it would be the way you pick classes. If you do not have AP credits coming in, you can get stuck with the worst teachers and times for the first 1 1/2 years. Fordham is the perfect size. You can see everyone you want easily while still being able to hide from those you dont. I spend most of my time on campus outside on our beautiful lawns when its nice out, in the dorms with friends when its cold, and in our gorgeous library when its time to study. Many people hear that Fordham is located in the Bronx and get scared. Really the Bronx is a fun place and many students try to help out and become a part of the Bronx community. Also New York City is just a van ride away so you have everything you could possibly want at your fingertips. There is a good amount of school pride. Go RAMS!