<p>Hey Guys,</p>
<p>I got accepted to Fordham Lincoln Center two days ago and I have some questions for those of you currently at Lincoln Center or know about it.</p>
<p>1) How does dorming work and how are the dorms themselves?</p>
<p>2) How are the dining options and the dining halls?</p>
<p>3) Is lincoln center really a commuter school?</p>
<p>4) How distracting is it that the city is right at your doorstep?</p>
<p>Any help appreciated!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>1) All dorms are apartment style. They’re a good size and a great location. Lots of elevators too. Beware of faulty appliances though, especially the ovens. Last years ours broke- it wouldn’t turn off! Maintenance came the next day but it was kinda scary. Reslife is VERY strict about move out policies though, so be wary of that before buying plane tickets if you need to.</p>
<p>2) Dining hall is a major problem. Extremely limited options (2 soups, half salad bar, sandwiches, that’s about it) and really terrible hours. They’re only open from (if I remember right from last year) 11-2 most weekends which makes eating quite difficult. Rose Hill dining has much better selection.</p>
<p>3) Yes it really is a commuter school, the last stat I saw said it was 56% commuter. For some people it’s not a problem, however it does get frustrating when half your class goes away at night and you’re left with about 200 kids in your year.</p>
<p>4) It’s not too bad, you stop hearing most of the noise after a few days. However, certain rooms (those above where the smokers hang out for example) are extremely loud and annoying because people stand outside the window talking and screaming till late in the morning. Other than that the city is fine though! :P</p>
<p>So by the sounds of it LC is more of an “independent” school for people like that right? How friendly are the LC people?</p>
<p>You definitely would have to seek out your own social life (unless you’re a theater or dance major). There are a few active clubs and CAB tries to hold events but there really isn’t much of a student life. (Some may defend Fordham on this but it’s true, there isn’t much for non arts majors in terms of things to do on campus).
It’s really a mix of people. My experience has shown that a lot of the (non arts) kids are either somewhat loners with 2 or 3 friends, know it alls, apathetic towards college/ schoolwork, or somewhat self centered. It’s not that the people aren’t friendly, there are a few really nice people, and I don’t know if it’s the city but a lot of people really just… look out for themselves and their roommates and don’t make much of an effort to go beyond that. Again people would probably like to disagree with me and defend Fordham, but it’s really the truth. If you find your niche of friends you’re set, but if you struggle to do that it can be hard, especially because the school is so small.</p>
<p>Can one still be apart of the various clubs offered at Rose Hill even if you apart of LC?</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure you can. You’ll likely have to pay for the RamVan’s over ($6 each time and roughly 30-50 minutes each way) but you should be able to. There is a bit of a rivalry between the two but it’s not a big deal. Most clubs meet once every one to three weeks.</p>
<p>I am assuming you were apart of LC… how was your overall experience there… what were the goods and bads about it in your opinion?</p>
<p>fordham says it has a thing called the “cohabitation policy” It says you can’t sign people in before 3am but… when are you supposed to sign them out? It says you pay a 15 dollar fee for not signing someone out but, what can you do so you don’t pay 15$. Just basically when are people supposed to be signed out of your room?</p>
<p>lol I can’t ask this question when I’m with my mom visiting</p>
<p>I believe the policy goes that you can’t have a visitor between 3 AM and 6 AM so you sign them out before 3.
I was an LC student Freshman year, transferred to RH sophomore year and will be at a new school in January.
I loved NYC but I had a lot of problems with the administration. I found that the language programs are not only required and extensive but generally not well staffed. The student life at RH is good but LC is very difficult. There is an assumption that because of the school’s location it doesn’t have to provide as much which really isn’t fair considering the price of everything in midtown. ResLife often seems to work against students (I had a friend who was actually made homeless because her finals ended 3 days before her plane ticket… even though I was still living in the room I wasn’t allowed to sign her in, she stayed with a friend in NJ luckily). My heating broke once (in the winter) and it took maintenance 3 weeks to fix it (I actually spent a night at home because it was too cold in my room to live). At the same time they don’t take any stand against drugs/ drinking. People smoking both cigarettes and weed stand just outside the door of the LC dorms and even though security can see it they don’t (or can’t) do anything. One time a friend of one of my roommates smoked pot in our bathroom and when another roommate called to complain the RA on duty said they couldn’t do anything because we had opened the windows to get the smell out. I had a few amazing teachers, especially in the history department, but others who were just dreadful (although that’s to be expected at any school). The student to faculty ration is wildly skewed, the majority of my courses (as in 75%) have had 35-40 kids. The bell curve GPA is not always followed but when it is the policy creates unfair grading (every course is supposed to have a C average) and causes a number of freshman to lose their scholarships. As mentioned before, LC food is a real issue and the gym there… well I think every LC student will agree desperately needs to be fixed up. </p>
<p>I’m sure plenty of people could list off the great experiences they’ve had. My experiences have been pretty bad for most of my time there which is why I chose to transfer. I worked hard, earned an A- GPA, but the administrative offices often made my life at both campuses difficult. Students who love Fordham can probably look past the examples I just listed (and there are plenty more), but I think if the school worked to improve the lives of their current students as hard as they work to look good to prospective students it would be a much better place.</p>
<p>so would you advise to stay away from LC necessarily?</p>
<p>To be perfectly honest… it’s a great fit for lots of people, and I do think being in the city has helped me grow more independent. At the same time I don’t think I’d ever recommend the school, LC especially, to others. I still go on these boards because I do know a lot about the place, but I’m happy to be moving on.</p>
<p>But from a Rose Hill perspective, I can never imagine myself anywhere else. Fordham was not my first choice, but I have grown to realize why I am so fortunate to be here and why I would never trade it for any other college experience. </p>
<p>The combination of the traditional campus with the resources of NYC (especially the Bronx) is unparalleled . The Jesuit heritage is transformational. The diverse student body (in terms of personality types --and increasingly in terms of ethnicity/religion/finances) is refreshing. Fordham is a unique community that I am so honored to be a part of. </p>
<p>I could go on and on about why I love Fordham. Let me know if you have any specific questions.</p>
<p>@yenrod: My main issue when picking between RH and LC was the fact that RH was in Bronx. I know every college has their fair share of safety issues but I mean come on, they talk about the Bronx in hardcore hip-hop songs. How is safety and security at Rose Hill?</p>
<p>NYC2013… just being curious, but to what college are you transferring to?</p>
<p>spd.leonidas–I’m sure yenrod can give you a better perspective since he is a student, but as a parent I’ll give my quick opinon of Rose Hill and the Bronx. We went to the campus no knowing what to expect, but we were very pleasantly surprised. Rose Hill is a beautiful, traditional looking campus. The campus itself is gated and has 24 hour security so it feels (and is) very safe. When students are smart (ex. don’t walk around at 3AM alone and drunk) the Bronx offers a great deal. There is Arthur Ave. for excellent and reasonably priced Italian food, student bars if you want them, plenty of shopping, great opportunities for community service work and much more. Students go into Manhattan by subway, Metro-North or Ram Van but it is probobly a 40 minute or so trip. For someone looking for a more traditional campus, it is worth checking out Rose Hill. After visiting the campus, I felt very comfortable sending my child there. I absolutely do not think one campus is “better” or “worse”-- they just provide somewhat different expereinces. A big plus about Fordham is that every person has the chance to figure out what works best for them. Congrats on your acceptance and good luck!</p>
<p>I will be attending a top 30 LAC.
RH is safe as long as you live on campus. The off campus housing was broken into multiple times this year. RH also has a noise problem with students going to and returning from bars late in the night. This is from underclassmen living in martyrs and the Walsh gate exit used by students going to the “tri-bar” area.</p>
<p>nyc and happy I appreciate your insight and advice… </p>
<p>nyc: Can one switch campuses before orientation or does one have to complete one full semester before doing so? Also how easy is it to do an internal transfer?</p>
<p>It is much easier to transfer from LC to RH than the other way around. You can talk to admissions to find out if you can switch before orientation, I’ve heard other people on this board asking if it is possible. The biggest concern is housing. Academically it is very easy. RH has much more housing available so it was easy for me to get a room there. I got a great one too! I liked RH better because the facilities are bigger and I thought better (probably just because the student body is so much larger). I took classes at both campuses this semester though so I still got to be a part of the city.</p>
<p>If you have any doubts, I would visit both campuses and get a feel for which is the better fit for you. From what I hear, it is possible to transfer campuses before you start school, but if you have housing at LC and want to be sure to keep it at RH, I would try to sort it all all out sooner rather than later (certainly before the RD decisions come out).</p>
<p>Okay so I am planning a campus visit to LC around February… is there any way I can still visit RH that same day even though that tour is specifically for LC?</p>