<p>Hi!
My name is Megan and I am currently a freshman living on campus at FCRH. I know exactly what all applicants are going through right now so if you have ANY questions at all, please feel free to ask! (dorming, application process, core curriculum, etc.)</p>
<p>Really, ask me ANYTHING, don't be shy! I'm more than willing to answer your questions. This is a big decision after all.</p>
<p>What other schools did you look at in your college search? Is the campus truly enclosed? How safe is the immediate area? How are the dorms? Do you know anything about Tierney? Do you ever take classes at LC? Is it really impossible to double major in Gabelli? </p>
<p>What is your favorite and least favorite thing about the school?</p>
<p>Well, I’m originally from Texas, so I applied to UT-Austin and Texas Tech University. However, I did want to get out of state so I also applied to Fordham and St. John’s University. I got accepted to all of them, but Fordham gave me the best scholarship.</p>
<p>The Rose Hill campus IS an enclosed campus right in the midst of the Bronx. Right as you walk out of the gate, there is an immediate change in your surroundings. However, every gate you go in/out of, there is a security guard stationed there. </p>
<p>The freshman dorms are typical unless you are in Tierney or Queens. I live in Alumni Court South in a triple and its really not that bad. Considering that my room is made to hold two people, we actually do have enough room- but ONLY enough room. Its not overly cramped though. However, we are in a triple only because there was not much room (we get a reduced housing rate) and we were able to sign up to de-triple if there was room (which quite a few people on my floor have done). </p>
<p>Rumors have been going around that Tierney is going to be a sophomore dorm next year and that the Manresa program will be moved to Martyrs Court. It is a different freshman dorm, though. It is on the opposite side of campus, away from all other freshman dorms. It is nice though because the rooms are air conditioned and that is really helpful during the summery months. </p>
<p>Freshmen don’t typically take classes at LC- or at least, not that I’ve heard of. Your first semester, your schedule will be made for you and will follow your major in line with core curriculum. The next semester it is possible to enroll in courses at LC, but it could possibly be difficult to maneuver with the other classes that you have to take. But if you are adamant about taking classes at LC it is always wise to speak to your academic advisor for help.</p>
<p>I actually wouldn’t know anything about double majoring in the Gabelli School of Business since I am enrolled at Fordham College at Rose Hill. They are two separate colleges but are both at the Rose Hill campus. But I would say that it wouldn’t be “impossible” but would require a lot of work.</p>
<p>My favorite thing about this school is the proximity to the city and the diversity on campus. I love that I can go into the city for some fun and adventure. However, to me, the city can be overwhelming and I want to get away. So its nice to be able to come back to a typical college campus with beautiful building, green grass, and the like. But also, there is a lot of student diversity on campus and I enjoy this because it gives me a chance to meet new people and learn about new cultures. For example, one of my roommates is Indian and as I’ve lived with her, I’ve learned so much about her culture and Hindi culture.</p>
<p>My least favorite thing would probably have to be the cafeteria. But this isn’t really a problem since we have other options like the deli (“SubConnection”), the Grille, and Dagger John’s. But we also have amazing places on Arthur Ave that provide AMAZING italian food and we also have plenty of places to order Take-Out that can be delivered to your dorm building.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your insight…I was considering trying to do Manresa which is why I was curious about Tierney…My biggest concern was the enclosed campus thing…I enjoy everything ctities have to offer but I want a stereotypical campus feel</p>
<p>How much harder is the workload compared to high school?
What’s the social life like? Do a lot of students go home on the weekend? How easy it to get into the city?</p>
<p>Are most of the kids upper-middle class white kids? That’s what it seemed from the tours, not that’s an issue for me. </p>
<p>And lastly, if you could change one thing about Fordham what would it be? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>How is Fordham’s financial aid?
What were your SAT Scores/GPA?</p>
<p>Nhojcast,</p>
<p>Don’t worry. The Rose Hill campus is pretty much a stereotypical college campus. Is your concern that the enclosure makes it not feel like a typical college campus?</p>
<p>The Manresa program will not be in Tierney hall next year (from what I know). Reslife is currently trying to figure out exactly what they want to do with the building.</p>
<p>crazy4clarinet,</p>
<p>**Workload:
**
The workload is substantially harder. Students that breezed by high-school with minimal effort will find themselves challenged. Honestly it depends on your major. I have pre-med friends that find themselves constantly working and loaded. On the hand, as an economics/poly sci major my workload is substantially different.</p>
<p>I think the difference isn’t the quantity of work but the quality. My personal experience has been that work is more… intellectual? Lame answer I know but true.</p>
<p>Social Life:</p>
<p>Most students do not go home on weekends. Some that live locally/bronx/westchester/etc. do go home occasionally. All of my friends stay.</p>
<p>The social scene is pretty active and by no means dependent on drinking (although that is definitely a component for many). The weekend party scene for drinkers is mostly based around local bars. The city also offers a lot. Campus Activities Board offers cheap and subsidized Broadway. It’s pretty much all about hanging out with friends. Find a good group of guys (or girls) and make the most of it. The social scene will come naturally. </p>
<p>Transportation:</p>
<p>Fordham offers cheap transportation to Lincoln Center via the Ram Van. $5 round trip. The metro north station is right outside the gate and will take you to grand central in 20 minutes or so. The subway is pretty close to Fordham’s campus as well. Both the D and 4 trains have stops right up Fordham Rd. VERY easy to get to the city.</p>
<p>White Kids:</p>
<p>Yes there are a lot of upper middle class white kids. It’s going to be a standard at any high end university. Personally I have black/jewish/hispanic/gay/etc. friends so it’s not really a problem. You’ll come to see Fordham is pretty diverse even though it seems like rich-white-utopia.</p>
<p>mvmditanna - thank you so much for that response! from what i’ve heard this definitely seems like the school for me!</p>
<p>Megan09,
I was accepted EA to Rose Hill, and am seriously considering Fordham. I just have a few questions about student life:</p>
<p>Do most people make friends at Freshman Orientation? Is it easy to make friends as the years go on? Are there cliques?</p>
<p>I am considering Queen’s Court as a residence hall next year. Do most kids that apply to get in actually get in? Are you looked down upon for being substance free? And are they really substance free? Do you really become close with and hang out with everyone in your building if you are in Queen’s court since there are a lot of activities planned for friendship building?</p>
<p>Do a lot of kids go into the city often? How about Arthur Avenue and the Zoo/Gardens? Are Fordham students fun-loving adventurous kids that like to do things instead of always going to a bar, or always studying? (Since I don’t plan on drinking)</p>
<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>benvenuta- I must say up front that I am not a student – I am the parent of a junior at RH. Hopefully a student will chime in for you, but this is what I know… </p>
<p>My S went to Fordham not knowing anybody and now has more friends there than he ever had in HS. He did live in Queen’s during his freshman year and it was great. He did not drink/smoke etc. so it was a really good environment for him. I would guess that maybe 2/3 of the kids in QC were really substance free and the rest just wanted to live there - but that is a much higher ratio than you would normally find at a college. Many of the friends he has today are from Queen’s (5 out of the 6 people in his suite are from QC). It is a small dorm and typically many more people put it as their first choice than there are spots available, so if it is what you want, when your housing selection information comes out, I suggest you mail your form back quickly with Queens as the first choice (he sent his housing form back within a day or two I think). He lived on a wellness floor during sophomore year and made a number of new friends there as well. Now that he is a junior, it seems that most of his new friends come from people in his major - I think it is a combination of taking more and more classes in the major so he sees the same people a lot and that the suite type of living arrangement is not quite as amenable to meeting new people on the floor. He also has and continues to meet new people though his activities. </p>
<p>My general impression is that you can probably find all kinds of kids at Fordham from those who study all the time to those who party all the time. My S seems to have struck a balance between working hard and having fun and I think many students do the same.</p>
<p>From what I hear he goes into Manhattan at least a couple of times a month for various things (movies, shows, and things like the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, Daily Show taping…). He goes to Arthur Ave. with friends a good bit as well. </p>
<p>Hope this helps and again, hopefully a current student will give you more information. Good luck.</p>
<p>While people do make cracks at Queen’s Court it’s for the most part in jest… I really think the whole Queen’s Court thing is overdone. Come sophomore year no one really cares where you dormed as a Freshmen. You’ll be judged as a person not by where you lived. </p>
<p>I applied to Queen’s Court a few days after the deadline and was accepted. So I don’t think it’s a rigorous application… the application is for the most part a dedication check.</p>
<p>It’s impossible to become close friends with everyone in the building. You’ll have a core group of friends but certainly know everyone in the building. If you’re on friendly terms or not… well that’s up to you lol. It’s great for orientation because you’ll always have a group of people to eat with… and it really makes finding friends easy.</p>
<p>From my experience… 9/10 kids in Queen’s Court live their primarily for the residential college/community aspect. It also has some of the nicest freshmen dorms on campus in Bishop’s Hall.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses. I think I will go to Fordham…just waiting on one more school. I did get a bigger merit scholarship from Loyola and was hoping Fordham might match it. What does anyone think? I have visited Fordham 4 times ( we live on LI) and feel like it is right for me. My parents are thinking about the cost, which I don’t blame them for.
Thanks again for all your advice.</p>
<p>^^^You have until 5/1 to decide and I recommend that you attend an accepted student’s day to try to meet with a FA counselor personally. I can’t say whether Fordham will match your Loyola offer but it certainly can’t hurt meeting with someone. And don’t forget that if you applied EA, your package might increase after the RD packages go out. </p>
<p>Your parents are right to be concerned about cost. Fordham is expensive. However, as a LI parent myself, I can tell you that the NYC location is very convenient and your parents might want to take that into consideration as well…it’s better than sitting in the car for hours to drop you off and pick you up! Plus, you just can’t put a price on choosing the “right” school! Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Hey, Megan –</p>
<p>What parts of the Bronx besides Arthur Avenue, the Botanical Gardens and the zoo do Fordham students tend to hang out in? Where do you do stuff like shopping? Are some of the neighborhoods adjacent to campus better than others? Are there any nearby no-go zones?</p>
<p>sorry if some of these questions have been posed already, i should have looked through other replies!</p>
<p>is the abscence of greek life noticable? how is the social life at the rose hill campus?</p>
<p>which are the best freshman dorms?</p>
<p>not sure if you know anything about being a communications major, but if you do, whould you say the program is well regarded/recommendable?</p>
<p>how are the internship oppoortunities?</p>
<p>is the core a real nuisance or tolerable? how long do you typically have to wait before you begin taking major-specific courses?</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>Fordham (scholarship) is Yale’s only remaining competition for me. Is it worth it? Can I take classes not in the core nor in my major? Can I double major? Does the core get tedious? What’s school life like (community spirit, general ethos)? Are research opportunities improving? What’s the geographical distribution of students (mostly new yorkers?)? How many hours do the best students have to spend on work for their classes?</p>
<p>hey! thanks for doing this. i have a reallly random question.
can freshman have cars on campus?</p>
<p>Undergraduate students at Fordham cannot have cars on campus regardless of what year they are in (fresh, soph, etc.) unless they are commuters.</p>
<p>Resident students can have cars on campus. The fee is $1160 per year. Details are on the Fordham website under safety and security.</p>