June 10th is approaching and that is when housing apps open up and I feel like beyond what I have read on the website, I am very in the dark about the personalities of each dorm. If anyone could offer up advise or the down right stereotypes of different dorms (if there are any), it would be very helpful.
They have made some significant changes since my kid was there and therefore I cant offer the most up to date flavor of the week. However, if you go on the fordham website and click on Rose Hill and then the map and get a visual tour of the campus and then you can see for yourself what they look like and where they are located.
They do tend to have a bit of personal charm and individuality. And Fordham tries hard to match up students as roomies (working from the application and the requests for dorms/rooms) with similar interests. Its an impossible task but they do try.
One of the biggest changes is the conversion of the former Jesuit residence, Loyola Hall, into a Freshman dorm, mostl for Honors Students. Its gorgeous. Prestigious. And lovely. But…its also a bit “off on its own” and one has to consider that factor.
You need to focus on your basic needs and interests. Each dorm has its pluses and minuses, but remember that people make friends initially in their dorm rooms, their dorm hallways…and eventually, by January they are sick of them and reaching out to people in other dorms they met in class, including some upperclassmen! LOL. Its normal and happens every year without exception. Dorm drama is worse freshmen year. It improves/tapers off sophomore year and hopefully you are dorming with people you like…
My kid was in Queens Freshmen year. Loved it. ALL OF IT. But there was drama. The friends she made there are friends today. She also made friends with upperclassmen. And a few from North/Loschert who are still friends…some of the close friends.
The good news is, unlike some schools I know, you arent stuck in the same dorm the entire four years. So you know that “this too shall pass.” People grow up and learn to be more tolerant and accepting. That first semester can be rough…so many sheltered kids living away from home for the first time and so forth. Just come with an open mind, tolerance and perhaps a really good sense of humor/tough skin.
Good luck.
Yes, each dorm has its own personalities, so to speak. My daughter lived in Martyr’s for two years. Yup TWO. One as a freshman and the second as a sophomore because of “post housing”. So here is what we have learned about the freshman dorms----
Loschert and South. Nice big rooms. No AC. There are triples but they are still nice sized rooms. If you are on the first floor of South and face the railroad tracks, it will be noisy when trains go by. But after a while you won’t hear them anymore. South has the reputation of being called the “Dirty South”. At least it got that name when my daughter was a freshman. And apparently that name stuck with this last freshman class, they were crazier than the previous year’s freshman. But the shenanigans that go on there pretty much go on in all dorms throughout the country. Loud. Singing outside at night. I remember when we toured the campus my daughter really REALLY wanted to be in South. These dorms have elevators. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz2W1rebzhA
Queens Court----this is really nice. The dorm to be in. Until Loyola, but I’ll get to that in a bit. No AC (I think you can request them) or elevators. The bulk of my daughter’s friends were here so she spent many hours there visiting. Has Auntie Anne’s and SubConnection in the basement (these are good). Forced triples, but it’s ok. Some kids, not all, tend to be on the “nerdy” side, but they were pretty nice. This past year, they seemed to be a pretty good bunch, not many problems like in South. They have really good programs for the residents like “Night Court” I think it was called. Fun times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTGna17ZrYg I’m partial to the 2014 one since it’s mostly friends of my daughter and she’s in it a couple of times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAWTAOu5a9U
Loyola-----which seemed to knock Queens Court off the “dorm to be placed in” pedestal. Huge rooms. My daughter visited a friend over there last year and he was in a single that was bigger than her double in Martyr’s. The joke the past year was that these kids living in Loyola are going to get a massive wake-up call when they have to live in a normal sized dorm room when they’re sophomores. The home to the Manresa Program. This dorm is really nice.
Martyr’s–the dorm they don’t show on tours (at least when we toured). The dorm our tour guide told us “you don’t want to be placed there”. Small rooms, no elevators. But you get AC!! Yes there is an upside to living in Martyr’s. Rooms on average are 11x17. There are forced triples, which is cramped. There was a forced triple across from my daughter’s room freshman year so all of us parents just went over to see each other’s rooms. LaLande and Goupil are together but Jogues has a separate entrance and you can’t access that wing from the other two. Jogues used to be the home to Manresa. First two floors are male, top two female. My daughter liked being in Martyr’s because it was convenient to the Fordham Rd gate to take Metro North or bus. Just a short walk to Queens and SubConnection. Plus Rod’s the coffee house. This past year’s batch of freshman were horrible. Noisy. Messy. Complete opposite of the previous year when my daughter was a freshman. Upside: Martyr’s Lawn is the place to be for Spring Weekend. Downside: Sound check that morning of Spring Weekend.
So when it comes time to choose, look at the Manresa program and see if that fits you and hopefully you’ll get placed in Loyola.
BUT keep this in mind also----from what I understand this is another big class. Be prepared to be put in a triple. So I would choose either Loyola or Queens. Loshchert and South have big double rooms and triple rooms but there will be forced triples and they won’t be as crammed as a forced triple in Martyr’s. And Fordham is pretty good at matching room mates. You’ll get the housing assignment with your roomie info and you can email and coordinate things to get.
You will find that your roommate in freshman year might not be your roommate for the next three years. You will makes lots of friends after a while and then when room selection comes in February you will have an idea who your future room mates will be and start dreaming about living in O’Hare.
There will be dorm drama. There always is.
You will probably get your housing assignment sometime in early to mid-august, move in is Sunday August 30th.
I lived in Queens Court as a freshman and loved it.
I agree that the nicest freshman dorm is now Loyola followed by Queens Court. But if you want these dorms, I’d be sure to read up on the programs associated with each dorm. If the Manresa program excites you then by all means try for Loyola, if you love the idea of a wellness community at Queens then go for it – but if the underlying programs that tie the dorm together are of no interest then you would just be burdening yourself with commitments you don’t want. It is not worth joining a program you have no interest in (and taking a spot away from another who might be truly excited about the program) just for a somewhat nicer dorm room.
If the Loyola and Queens Court are not for you, then I’d suggest Loshchert and South as the next options (rooms are a bit cookie-cutter but just fine) and everyone’s last choice is Martyr’s (rooms are small).
I suggest sending back your housing form ASAP once you get it. And be prepared – Fordham always seems to be one of the last schools to send out room assignments.