<p>Can anyone tell me what the campus food is like there? As a typical, overprotective mom, i worry about such things. We toured there last summer, and it didn't seem like there were a lot of options on campus, and the places we did see seemed to close very early. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>It's ok.
Food</a> Service</p>
<p>I can help with that one mom! All college food has its ups and downs. Some schools that tout SUPER food, and we happened to tour their campuses, didnt impress me that much. Princeton Review trashes Fordham's food service. Its undeserved. I have PERSONALLY eaten at the cafeteria for all three meals, several times in my visits to see my D. There are lots of options from made to order food for each meal. They are open a lot and there are little deli like places around campus too. You will get a complete explanation of all that if your kid is accepted. Payment plans and meal plans that are very flexible. Of course, some selections are, shall we say, 'more popular' than others. But for a mass food service, on thin margin business, they do fine. Several items I found rather tasty. The kids do get tired of it, but that is also kids. Also, there is take out order chinese in the bronx they use all the time, and pizza delivery etc. And of course Little Italy on Arthur Ave is full of dozens of really good restaurants. I have eaten at 4 and all were wonderful and not all that pricey. Several stay open late for kids too and offer discounts late at night. And there are some pubs and pizza/burger joints also nearby that cater to Fordham kids. And many go into the city as well.....</p>
<p>The food is healthy and balanced. So dont worry. The reason kids get sick on campus (like any campus) is staying up too late, too often, partying, and just the usual dorm "factors" of being in close company. Its a right of passage at every college. As parents, its a little nerve racking and we cant 'hover' like we want to...they do have to learn to grow up and become responsible independent young adults. </p>
<p>Kids also keep small refrigerators in their rooms as well. Most of that is for storing soft drinks, water, juice, etc, but also for sundries. The cafeteria has ample fresh fruit available too. So dont believe the horror stories. Besides, kids make a habit of dumping on cafeteria food.....its a college life thing. But its 100% better than when I was in college, that is for certain. If your kid gets in and you do the accepted students orientation thing, I highly recommend eating in the cafeteria and see for yourself. My D just learned to avoid a few things "that didnt turn out like she had hoped". But otherwise she does fine. And eats lots of bananas.</p>
<p>Thanks, I clicked on the link provided and I did see many more eateries than I had noticed during our visit, and the hours seemed better than I remembered also. It's good to hear that the food is not as bad as Princeton Review makes it out to be. We live only 45 minutes away from Fordam, and are familiar with Arthur Avenue (we go there occassionally before/after Yankee games.) The food is quite good, and we talked about that being an option when he just can't take the school food anymore. (He could also come hom occassionally, but as of now, that is not an option in his mind.)</p>
<p>On another note, and maybe nocousin, you can help with this, the only thing keeping Fordham from the very top of his list is the major. He loves to write, does not like to read so much. He also likes to analyze and debate. He is leaning towards law school after undergrad. He is considering a Communications major, but in the sense of rhetoric/persuasion, not really as it pertains to the media. Do you know if Fordham has such a thing? (He was considering a creative writing major at one point but doesn't feel confident in his ability to support himself with that LOL) We will attend "accepted students day" if he gets in (which we think he will) and speak to them directly, but you seem so knowledgable about Fordham so I thought you may have some insight on this.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>Law school and the practice of law involves a LOT of reading. There is no avoiding reading in college. No short cuts. No matter where you go. Unless you are a math student. </p>
<p>Again, don't worry about majors now. You have two years at Fordham to decide that and a myriad of core requirements to plow through. One's interests at that age change a lot, and a particular course may spur a thought or two. In fact, I am of the opinion that undergraduate majors are all sort of silly, and its better to do a general studies kind of thing. Graduate school is where you can get granular. I digress.</p>
<p>There are so many choices for major at Fordham its amazing. And you can create all sorts of double majors, or majors and double minors. What all that means is areas of concentration. Go to the accepted students orientation, its fabulous. Fr. McShane the President will speak and he can close the sale. Believe me. He did with us. He spoke with us afterwards for 30 minutes and then remembered my daughter's name and where she was from when she moved in, in September! </p>
<p>Trust me, its a great school and a wonderful choice.</p>
<p>There are all sorts of opportunities and potential majors for kids who can write, do creative writing, etc. Finding oneself is what college is all about. Whether its an English degree, Literature degree, Philosophy degree, Foreign area studies, Economics, Political Science, American Studies, Religious Studies, Communications, History, Biology, Business, Finance, French you name it. Just relax about that and let him go (if he is accepted) and enjoy the ride. By the end of Freshman year he will have a better idea of his strengths and interests and by middle of sophomore year,he will likely be ready to take the plunge. </p>
<p>As a parent, you have to be there for them to guide them but also give them space to grow. I hope he gets in, because he will love it.</p>
<p>Yes, its hard work. Plenty of hard work...Fordham is not a party school, though there are always kids who party hardy. They pay a heavy price. But he will be challenged and stimulated plenty enough. Will he like every class and every professor? That is unusual for anyone. But my D has enjoyed almost every class and almost every professor. Some have been amazing, and very, very helpful in giving her guidance/mentoring. </p>
<p>It is important to consider how to support oneself as an adult, but life is full of serendipitous opportunities. We never know where we go or end up...and that is okay so long as we are responsible and do what is right along the way. </p>
<p>It will all work out.</p>
<p>Thanks noscousin, appreciate your input. It's not reading in general he doesn't like, it's some of the subject matter (Shakespeare?) an English major would need to concentrate on that doesn't appeal to him.</p>
<p>Our goal has always been to find a college that offers an array of majors. My daughter is attending college at a small school in PA with limited majors, which makes the typical "changing your mind" very challenging. We are very careful to avoid that this time around. It seems a lot of students think they know what they want to do, but inevitably change their mind once, twice, even three times before their four years are complete.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>My pleasure. There are plenty of choices at Fordham. My D was torn between many interests..not indecision in the strictest sense, but torn between several passions. She ultimately decided to stick with her first love (History) and then sort of piecemeal together some double minor stuff to accomodate her other interests. </p>
<p>Fordham has some really cool stuff to study. Even an Irish Studies Major. And their English department is extremely strong. Not all English majors are English Lit majors. Some are creative writing majors as well. So there are plenty of choices within that department. </p>
<p>My D had a professor in the English Dept. last year who was really helpful....like a personal mentor in helping her get through some personal challenges and adjustments. Sadly, that professor left to become an administrator at another school. But she was amazing! A highly creative mind who valued really creative writing skills. My D is an outstanding writer (780 Writing score) and she is very willing "to take chances" and not just regurgitate or parrot stuff back at a prof. So coming across a professor who was willing to "accept that challenge" was very encouraging. </p>
<p>We are a long ways off the topic of "Food at Fordham." LOL. But I do think its important to have dialogue about this stuff.</p>
<p>Hope it works out well for your S. Happy Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>You can go online and check out the course offerings in the English Department at Fordham, which I strongly encourage you to do. It requires some digging as the Fordham website is not the most user friendly, in my humble opinion. But if you dig, its out there. And look at the faculty as well, their credentials and areas of study. Fascinating!</p>
<p>According to the Princeton review, Fordham is 16 on the list of schools with worst food</p>
<p>teymur: I know that and its really wrong. I have eaten at many schools including one that is HIGHLY rated (WashU) and I was unimpressed. Princeton Review is just a bunch of opinions (that are really old...they have not updated Fordhams information in several years...because I checked that and the same stuff on there now was on there 4 years ago. Not kidding.) Cafeteria food at ALL schools is not home cooking. They serve thousands of kids three meals a day. And frankly they do a pretty good job at Fordham considering. If you want fine dining, its two blocks away. Or take the train into Manahattan. Or McDonalds is one block away. Or take out chinese or delivery pizza. You pick.</p>
<p>But the cafeteria, the deli's and the table cloth restaurant (Dagger John's) at Fordham are fine. I have not had a bad meal yet. Some kids today are just spoiled.</p>
<p>We're very happy with Fordham for a number of reasons, but food is not one of them. Quite honestly my S hates the food there, and I thought the food at the events we've attended was pretty bad, myself. But there are tons of other wonderful, inexpensive, "home cooking" options nearby (Little Italy), and his dorm has a kitchen, so he's certainly not starving. Most colleges do not have mom's cooking. </p>
<p>Fordham has many other advantages - food should be the least of someone's worries with respect to college choices. The kids will do just fine. I'd be more worried about whether the college is a good fit academically and socially. Like I said, my S is happy there and he's doing well in his classes. Just doesn't like campus food. But he eats it when he's hungry.</p>
<p>Oh indeed, Tubamom. I am quite certain all the students complain about the cafeteria food. For most, its the FIRST such experience. I dont mean to suggest its "fine dining". But on a comparison and relative to other college cafeterias, notably the ones we visited and toured including the ones that Princeton Review rates as "Best Food Service" (WashU, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest) etc., Fordham's was certainly no worse and in one case was better, in my opinion. Calling it pretty bad is certainly your own subjective point of view. I have eaten in the Cafeteria for several meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. I thought it was all fine and very edible. Some dishes were more appealing than others.</p>
<p>Its also a cost efficiency matter. If Fordham went up the food chain, pardon the pun, and requested the top level of food service from the provider, the cost to parents and students would be substantially more than it is now. For some families with unlimited resources that may seem like a reasonable trade off and they would welcome it. For others, it may well be the deciding factor in NOT attending Fordham as costs are already prohibitively high.</p>
<p>Kids love to complain about cafeteria food no matter where they go. We toured 10 schools in our school search process. We ate at EVERY cafeteria. Its certainly a lot better than it was 20 or 30 years ago, I can attest to that. But the Fordham cafeteria is not such an awful experience and I think they get a bad rap about that. </p>
<p>Our men and women in uniform eat far worse food, some of them in harm's way. We should also remember them and be grateful for what we have here at home. </p>
<p>Students dont go to college for the food, to be sure. I remember that the tour guide at WashU St Louis kept exclaiming, "We have Pizza! Made to Order!" It was like a broken record as if they were the only school in the nation that had made to order pizza on their menu every day. So we ordered it. We shrugged. And they are consistently ranked as one of the top food service schools in the nation. (Otherwise its a fabulous school, I might add.)</p>
<p>Adjusting to food in college is part of college life. And it certainly makes YOUR home cooked meals taste a lot better when he comes home. Glad he is enjoying Fordham and doing well. </p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<p>Does Fordham (Lincoln Center) have a salad bar?</p>
<p>Does anyone know how vegetarian-friendly fordham is? I’m kind of worried about typical dorm food & nearby restaurants just having a lot of animal products and I’m basically almost vegan. Think it’ll be okay?</p>
<p>Fordham Rose Hill has one station that is entirely vegan. There are 20 or so different vegetables (such as bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, tofu, asparagus, kidney beans, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, etc.) that you can pick and choose to be combined in a vegan stir fry with different seasonings. They also have different spreads that you can choose to combine with the vegetables to make vegan sandwiches and paninis. Additionally, there are six or seven different items you can pick and choose to be included in vegan sushi. There is also a different vegan soup and cereal every day. </p>
<p>In addition to this station, there are always vegetarian pizza options, a full salad bar, a sandwich station with vegetarian options, grilled cheese, and one or two vegetarian entrees. Sometimes there’s also a vegetarian soup, but you have be careful because the non-vegan soups often are made with chicken broth even if there’s no meat in them.</p>
<p>We visted the school in late Aug when only the athletes and some new RAs were there, and ate lunch. Not all the stations were open because of the lower population. The food is supplied by Sodexho and the students told us that due to student urging the previous year, they had been improving their fresh veggie, fruit and vegan offerings. </p>
<p>I thought they were just fine as far as college food goes. It is not Mom’s home cooking (and for some kids, that might be a blessing), but they will be able to choose nutritious meals. And, as pointed out above, there are plenty of options in the surrounding area. We have visited a lot of colleges the last 2 years, and Fordham’s was better than some, and not as good as others (UNH, URI).</p>