<p>I'm considering applying to Fordham- it seems like a great school with a lot of opportunities, but I'm curious about the social life there.</p>
<p>Are there a lot of parties/drinking/drugs there? I'm not really into that sort of thing, so is it possible to have a social life outside of that "scene"? Obviously, some people are going to be involved in that, but are they a majority? In general, what's the student population like?</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’re applying to RH or LC, I go to RH so I’ll speak about that:</p>
<p>There is more drinking than I expected, a good amount of people tend to go to the bars and get annoyingly wasted. That being said, there is a lot to do for non-drinkers, being one myself I know that I am never bored. This week/weekend I went into the Manhattan Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and obviously I had a good time and did it without alcohol. Usually you can find people who don’t drink, unfortunately for me most of my friends do, but usually they go drinking after we go out into the city. It’s a college, so you have to be ready to deal with that, I wish Fordham told me that when I went to accepted students day instead of BSing me with the whole “If you get caught drinking you get thrown into AA” thing. It’s really easy to find things to do for the non-alcoholic though, so don’t let that deter you from coming here.</p>
<p>The student population is pretty good, more conservative than I am, but most people are. A good chunk of the population is from Long Island (I am), New Jersey, or Westchester and live up to the stereotypes that go along with those places. It’s really a good place though, and most people are really good people who go out of their way to help you.</p>
<p>I hope that helped.</p>
<p>My S at Fordham - Rose Hill and is a non-drinker. He has found a lot of friends and is very busy socially without drinking/partying. Fordham Rose Hill has wellness dorms which helped him find others who aren’t interested in the bar scene. The access to NYC is great because it provides lot of things to do. With that being said, it does sound like there is a good bit of of drinking at Fordham - but I think that is the case at almost any college. The school attracts a lot of people from the tri-state area, but I’ve been impressed by the students I’ve met.</p>
<p>Hi,
I can’t offer any help but your thread caught my attention. My D is wanting to visit Rose Hill next week, and is very interested in all that NYC has to offer. That said, she is not what I would call conservative at all. More the total opposite - vegan, bookworm but not nerdy, interested in international relations, justice, some forms of activism, etc. She is not a preppy type at all - in fact that is one of the things she is looking forward to getting AWAY from at her present high school. Oh, and I also noticed that every one of the videos posted about Fordham by current students mentioned the local bar scene and drinking. I don’t think my D is too enticed by that, but I wasn’t thrilled about it, either.<br>
Any thoughts, current students and alum? and anyone else that has insight?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I think that unfortunately there is drinking at virtually all colleges. As I said earlier, my son has found RH to be a place where a non-drinker can have a very good social life. I would think about looking at both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses of Fordham with your daughter. I have no first-hand knowledge of LC but it has a reputation for having a less conservative/less preppy student body as compared to RH.</p>
<p>@happy1
Is the whole wellness dorm thing effective? Like, are the bast majority of students in those dorms there legitimately non-drinkers?
I visited RH yesterday, and my guide was telling us about a specific dry dorm (the one next to the chapel). He said you have to write an essay on how you can be successful with alcohol/drug use.</p>
<p>Yes, my son was in that dorm (Queen’s Court). From what I heard, I’d guess that maybe 2/3 of the kids in the dorm were committed to not drinking. It’s not perfect, BUT that is a much higher percentage than you’d get almost anywhere else. He found lots of friends in that dorm who didn’t drink/party and the dorm sponsored a lot of activities (like cheap theatre tickets). The essay was not a big deal - just a couple of paragraphs. The fact that they had this wellness housing was a factor in his chosing Fordham and he has no regrets.</p>
<p>There will always be smark alek rule breakers. Kids that age are testing the rules and testing the waters. If you knew what goes on at even the Ivy’s and MIT you would be shocked. </p>
<p>There is a large percentage of kids…a substantial percentage of kids at Fordham who are responsible in all of their behavior. Most of the kids are more concerned with doing well and getting good grades (since its so expensive). If you want religious, its there. If you want to misbehave, there are certainly kids there who will join you. If you want secular and well behaved, there are plenty of those kids. Wellness dorms have rules and if you are caught breaking them you can be severely punished, starting with expulsion from that dorm, and if it happens too often, then expulsion from the school. Most often the kids who misbehave self destruct anyway with poor grades, or getting very sick. </p>
<p>Fordham is a fun school, but not a party school. There is plenty to do and lots of diversity in the student body. Its simply a great place to attend college. </p>
<p>Drinking even occurs at dry campuses around the country. We know because friends of ours tell the tales. Its entirely up to YOU how you choose to behave and whom you choose to hang out with. You will find that most of the really smart kids, with strong values and a lot of ambition seem to congregate together. They also go into the city together on the train, for fun and safety.</p>
<p>Compared to what I hear from my friends at other schools, Fordham is an extremely alcohol-free friendly school. From the wellness dorms, to the restaurants and shops right outside of campus (Little Italy and Fordham Road), to the endless cultural/political events, shows, festivals, museums, etc. in Manhattan and elsewhere, to the student-run campus activities, there is ALWAYS something to do at Fordham other than drink.</p>
<p>And, I have had no problem finding kids with whom to do these things. It’s not even that I just hang out with people who don’t drink and thus HAVE to search for other things to do. Most of my friends will drink, but with all of the other awesome things to do, they often pass up getting wasted for some other activity. </p>
<p>I was skeptical that I would really actually like Fordham before I got here. But in just the first week, I absolutely fell in love with the school. A large part of this was due to the ease of finding non-alcohol related activities, even on weekend nights.</p>
<p>Anyone have any comments on social life at the Lincoln Center campus?</p>
<p>Thanks for everybody’s insight- it really helps. Fordham seems like an awesome school, and I’m glad to hear that you can have the social life of your choosing there. </p>
<p>And yes, I’m applying to the Rose Hill campus.</p>
<p>The points about there being drinking at every college makes sense- I didn’t think about that. I was just watching the videos on this site and pretty much everyone mentioned the bars, so I guess that’s where my impression came from.</p>
<p>Fear not, Sarah. Its not a pervasive problem. And most kids who “witness” misbehaving kids are really turned off by it. (nothing worse than seeing a drunk stumble inside…and then getting sick in the bathroom.) My D has friends at several of the “top 25 colleges” and they all report bad behavior. While its disturbing, the silver lining on that cloud is that learning to deal with such people is part of growing up…and making wise decisions when others are not. </p>
<p>You will either see or hear stories of immoral behavior as well. That is also quite shocking. And of course the odd roommate who is an utter bohemian boor and brings in the boyfriend or girlfriend for sleepovers. Its STRICTLY against the rules. But do kids abuse the rules? Yes. Fortunately, you will have people on your floor of your dorm, a good RA or someone somewhere who will be empathetic and deal with the problem or give you comfort from the storm. Its a RUDE awakening. </p>
<p>But “animal house” behavior occurs everywhere. There is no escape. You can request single’s in dorms as a sophomore and as an upperclassman (its more expensive and some kids prefer to just do a better job of picking roommates, instead of being all alone.) </p>
<p>All that being said, most of the kids are law abiding, rule respecting and overall excellent friends and study mates. The bad kids often wash out…some before Thanksgiving! (Fordham will call their parents if they are failing and tell them to come and get them.) Its much too expensive and too competitive a school for too much shenanigans. </p>
<p>And on a note of empathy and forgiveness: some people make a mistake once or twice…and pay a heavy price (being sick and losing respect of their friends). So not all are frequent fliers so to speak. It happened once to a friend of my D…a close friend made a mistake. She helped her get on her feet and made sure she was safe and not in any danger and then it never happened again. </p>
<p>And lots of kids at Fordham come from all sorts of social and economic backgrounds. The people who are misbehaving are from all of these groups. But the workload ratchets up rather quickly…and by the time THanksgiving rolls around…the pressure of term papers (often 4 or 5 to do) and exams looming…most kids clean up their act for fear of failure. </p>
<p>There are, by the way, excellent retreats offered by Campus Ministry at Rose Hill. They go upstate a piece to some lovely property Fordham owns. Its a welcome respite from the stress and “people problems.” They are truly magical experiences and beloved by ALL who attend them. I strongly recommend you go on them when offered. Some are co-ed and some are single gender oriented. Either way, they are valuable and rewarding experiences, helping to cope with the “stuff that goes on.” </p>
<p>I remember Freshman year for my D. Right about the end of January…the dreaded gray skies slump set in. Just about that time, a Mass was offered in the Rose Hill Church on campus and the Mass was offered specifically for those “struggling with personal or academic issues.” Kids gathered together, in prayer, trying to cope and to help others cope. College is a HUGE adjustment no matter where you go to school. It can be very daunting. The honeymoon does wear off eventually and reality sets in. Pressure, stress, homesickness and sometimes personal problems. Just know that Fordham cares about you as a WHOLE person, the RA’s are well trained, the Campus Ministry is fabulous for support and your best friends ever are waiting for you in your dorm to love and support you. </p>
<p>Growing up is awkward and sometimes overwhelming. But you wont be alone. </p>
<p>Fr. McShane will say the Mass on move-in day. He will give a sermon on the “transformational experience” that you will have at Fordham. Parents will cry as they let you go…and you will embark on a fabulous personal journey of growth. But some of that growth comes at times you least expect it…sometimes when confronted with bad behavior of others. </p>
<p>Keep your eyes on the prize, as they say. And you will be fine. For all of Fordham’s warts, my D wouldnt go anywhere else. Too many good things have happened to change her mind.</p>
<p>Queen’s Court and Tierney Hall are both freshman wellness dorms on campus. While kids in both those dorms still drink, I’ve found that they rarely, if ever, do it excessively. In other words, there’s a lot less puke.</p>
<p>As a student who never drank in high school, but started in college, I’ve found that the Fordham party/bar scene is pretty nice. (Just FYI, the drinking age in the Bronx is 18. Bars will ID, but they’ll let you in if you’re 18. Even if you’re not, there are plenty of places to buy alcohol just off campus.) There are the standard bros who get wasted every weekend and some weekdays, but, from what the sophomores have told me, they tend to quiet down and mature after a while. (They’re actually quite funny to observe and interact with if you’re not too much of a prick…) Really, the best word to describe the scene is chill and open. Some people get dressed up when they go out, other just wear what they wore to class. The off-campus parties that take place at student’s apartments are decent. They’re are no frats, but you can still find people who act like they should be in one. And if you don’t drink, it’s no problem. You can go to bars and just have a soda, and no one will care. (I do know of a couple bros who try to get some Queen’s Court kids to drink, but there’s not peer pressure to do so. If you still choose not to, they’d still hang out with you. And girls are more accepting as well.) There are so many things to do in Manhattan on the weekends that you’d be an idiot just to sit around in your dorm all night. </p>
<p>If you want my advice, stick to drinking on weekends (no Thristy Thursdays, or Tuesdays), and make sure you get your work done. Work hard, play hard. How much you drink is up to you, but, chances are, you’ll learn your lesson if you puke up everything you just drank on the first day of college. (One of the toilets got clogged with puke first day of orientation in my dorm. But, since then, it’s been pretty clean. This is college; people learn.) Drink things that you can sip, and take 15-20 minutes drinking it. In other words, steer clear of downing straight shots. Really, it’s a simple concept, and everyone learns it eventually, at least at Fordham.</p>