<p>Yeah you can. Midday it takes about 30 minutes to drive from one campus to the other, it’s pretty simple. You can do one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I’d leave more time for the RH tour. LC only has 2 buildings so even though they stretch the tour out there’s just more to see at RH. I think RH has self guided tours you could do too, otherwise you can probably just go to the campus and walk around on your own.</p>
<p>I just wanted to add a plug for LC. My S is coming home tomorrow having just finished his 1st semester and he couldn’t be happier. LC is definitely more artsy/independent, not so big on sports or school spirit…if those are your people you will love it! Manhattan is expensive but you’ll never be bored. My S has seen lots of theater, film, opera, went bicycling on governer’s island, ice skating in Bryant Park, goes out running in Central Park and goes all over the city for whatever interests him. He was also very happy with his classes and his professors this semester and with three grades in so far, is doing quite well. His complaints included the cafeteria and not enough dryers available because so many were out of order.</p>
<p>I agree with happy1 that you should visit both campuses and see where you fit better if you haven’t already. If you are looking for a traditional college experience you should seriously consider Rose Hill over LC.</p>
<p>It is definitely possible to tour both campuses in one day. When the time gets closer, I’d look on Fordham’s website and see what time there are tours given on each campus.</p>
<p>To be fair, sandkmom, your son is a theater major. From the theater majors I’ve know they seem to have a lot more social opportunities on campus, such as Friday night “No Shame” and other sponsored activities. The courses and requirements for theater majors are also a bit different from that of humanities majors (I believe that my theater major roommate last year only took 2 non-theater courses at a time). I’m not saying it’s any easier for them, I know they work very hard and are all very talented, but it is a different experience than what non arts majors go through. It is true though, outside of Fordham there is a lot to do in the city if you’re willing to shell out the money for the activity and the transportation to the activity. Some clubs do have outings to museums and restaurants though which is a good option when available.</p>
<p>^^^The courses are no different for Theatre majors other than the scheduling. The ONLY core requirement that is waived is the Fine Arts course. Yes, my S’s first semester was 2 Theatre courses and 3 core (and his EP was a Fine Arts course anyway in Art History, lol) but he will have to complete the same core that everyone else completes…he just won’t be finished as quickly. He also was unable to audition for any of the shows this semester due to the death of his grandfather so he didn’t have that either but he still loved Fordham academically and socially. </p>
<p>I don’t disagree with you NYC2013. You weren’t an arts major and didn’t feel it was a fit. I’m just saying that if you ARE into the arts, like my S, you could love it. And I forgot about all the museums he went to…discounted for students. I don’t think he even mentioned any school sponsored events but that wasn’t important to him. No doubt about it though, living in Manhattan is $$$.</p>
<p>I wish you luck in your new school and hope you find what you are looking for. :)</p>
<p>You absolutely cannot base your perception of the bronx off of hip hop songs (although the hip hop genre did originate in the Bronx!). A lot of the misconceptions about the Bronx are based off of safety problems in the 1970s and 80s. The Bronx is a very different place now.</p>
<p>If you surveyed the Fordham student body, I bet a good number of students would say that the Bronx is one of the best aspects of Fordham. Why? </p>
<ol>
<li>The New York Botanical Gardens is right across the street. Awesome events there, free on Wednesday, free to those who just want to run through for exercise</li>
<li>The Bronx Zoo is just down the road. Again, great events, free wednesday</li>
<li>The Little Italy of the Bronx is our neighborhood. It’s where students go to the bars, frequently eat off campus, and live in off-campus housing. This is such an interesting neighborhood with TONS of great Italian/other ethnic restaurants and bakeries. It’s all locally-owned establishments here - no chains. Everyone is so friendly and the food is so good. There’s also a church with Masses in Italian, Latin, and Spanish, but no English!</li>
<li>Fordham Rd, THE shopping district of the Bronx, is just outside Fordham’s gates. There are tons of shops, both national brands and local treasures, all within walking distance from Fordham. This is not your typical New York shopping experience: Hip Hop music pours out of storefronts, street vendors are selling empanadas, churros, cut mango, and tons of other treats, the sidewalks are constantly bustling, and the prices are CHEAP.</li>
<li>The largest park in New York City is just a 15 minute bus ride away from Fordham. Pelham Bay Park is BEAUTIFUL and a great place to hike and get your fill of nature in the middle of the city. There’s also a great beach on the bay which is open when it’s warm.</li>
<li>Other interesting destinations in the Bronx include the historic Van Cortland Mansion, Edgar Alan Poe’s Cottage, the Art Deco strip of Grand Concourse, and beautiful Woodlawn Cemetery, among many others.</li>
<li>The service opportunities are fantastic. There are many great organizations throughout the Bronx that Fordham is partners with. Community service is a big part of the Fordham experience - many students have multiple commitments to different service organizations and projects.</li>
<li>The Bronx is full of racial, religious, and economic diversity. It’s such an interesting, vibrant place with so many fascinating people with incredible stories, many of whom are recent immigrants. </li>
<li>Access to Manhattan is readily available. Literally right outside Fordham’s gates is a Metro-North stop which will bring you to Grand Central Station in 17 minutes. Then you’re right in mid-town, near Times Square and Broadway.
Up the road is a D-train stop which will take you along the West side of Manhattan. A little farther up is the 4 train which will take you along the East side. Depending on where you want to go in Manhattan, these subways rides will take anywhere from 20min to an hour.
We also have an intercampus transportation system, the Ram Van, which takes you to the LC campus. Depending on traffic, this takes anywhere between 25 minutes to an hour.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>AS FOR SAFETY, we get security alerts about any problems so I’m basing my knowledge of safety off of actual, official data. </p>
<p>Campus is absolutely safe. Security is great 24 hours a day and I’ve never heard of any major problems on campus (besides an occasional theft - which probably was just due to other students). </p>
<p>Off-campus is also safe, but you just have to be smart – as you do in any urban area. During the day, you should be fine to walk around by yourself without any problems. At night, just make sure to be in a group and you’ll be fine. The majority of problems off-campus are from students walking around at night, by themselves, while drunk. And, the burglaries Nyc2013 was talking about happened because students left doors/windows unlocked. </p>
<p>When I first visited Fordham, it was a bit of a culture shock, but I quickly adjusted and, as you can tell, I LOVE the area around my school. I encourage you to come visit and take a look for yourself.</p>
<p>Thank you Sandkmom! =]
I’m a history major so the museums were one of my favorite part of the city, especially the Met (even if it is on the east side). </p>
<p>Yenrod, yes there are a number of wonderful places in the Bronx, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s really not safe to go to any of them alone (except the Botanical Gardens). You said people should be fine to walk around in the day alone, however I know of a number of people with stories of being followed even in the daytime until they got on campus, even from just going across the street to Best Buy. The burglaries still happened in FORDHAM housing which is supposed to have security guards. Even if the students didn’t lock their window it doesn’t change the fact that people still climbed up to the fifth floor to try to break in.</p>
<p>OMG it sucks do not go there!</p>
<p>Can you be more specific about what you don’t like about it?</p>
<p>I agree 100% with everything yenrod has said about the Bronx. Unfortunately, the Bronx has an undeserved reputation as a haven of crime. While the Bronx suffered during the tumult of the 70s and drug wars of the 80s, its current state has greatly improved. This urban myth of the Bronx is perpetuated and exaggerated by some Fordham students, too–which is where I suspect the stories nyc2013 has heard come from. </p>
<p>The Bronx is one of the best advantages of Fordham University. It allows students to challenge their own assumptions in the same way that our classes do. Living in the Bronx allows you to redevelop your own relationship with the community you live in, and reassess your previous views on the way society works. It is a place to explore–not a place to cower from, in fear that someone may come up behind your back and steal your purse. This fear is irrational and wildly exaggerated. The fact that the occasional mugging and theft incident occurs does not mean that the majority of students will ever get mugged in their four years at Fordham. Yes, you will probably know someone or have a friend-of-a-friend who has, but that should be expected at almost any area in a big city, including Manhattan. Security seems to become an increasingly serious issue specifically at Rose Hill simply because it is in the Bronx, not because of the serious nature of the crime at the school. </p>
<p>If you do decide to go to Fordham, I hope you take the chance to go through the Urban Plunge orientation program. It’s the best introduction to the Bronx and the service programs at Fordham for the typical suburban teenager to go through. Most students at Fordham use the Bronx for their advantage, and its an important aspect of the educational quality of our college to do so. Without it, you’re missing out on what has been, for me, one of the best parts of undergrad. </p>
<p>And c’mon–where would you rather go to eat Ghanian food?: The authentic restaurant run by immigrants up on Jerome Ave, or the cushy, overpriced Manhattan version run by some aging hippies?</p>
<p>It feels like a high school. Most of the kids are commuters and, because of this, everyone is so disconnected. It seems like no one has friends in the school. The campus is hardly a campus. There are lockers in the building. Everything about the school is just wrong. It’s all the NYU rejects who go there and, besides, no one likes it. Half the freshman class (self included) are transferring. It’s lame. They draw you in with a big scholarship, but I’ve heard numerous stories about how they’ll just randomly cut it. It’s not worth it.</p>
<p>All the PhD programs got ranked DEAD LAST as well.</p>
<p>^^^Clearly, not everyone is going to like it if they don’t feel it’s a fit. </p>
<p>My S, just got home on the 22nd and he loves it. He said he probably loves it even more than Father Grimes! It doesn’t feel remotely like HS to him…he was miserable his Senior year because he was just so ready to move on…and he feels he has lots of friends at Fordham and no HS like drama. </p>
<p>Not everyone is an NYU reject either…he picked LC over BC and NYU as did others he knows. And with 4 of his 5 grades in, his scholarship is not even remotely in danger of being revoked and he took 17 credits this semester. He took classes that he enjoyed, worked hard in them and is doing fantastically well. He wanted a Jesuit education, he wanted a strong Theatre department and he wanted to live in NYC. He definitely picked the right school for him. </p>
<p>I will say that LC is a vastly different experience then a traditional college. And you really have to be ready for it. You’ll be doing your own cooking instead of eating in a dining hall. And you’ll have to go grocery shopping to get the food. You have to clean up after yourself including your bathroom. You have to remember to take out the kitchen garbage so your apartment doesn’t start to smell. You have to be proactive about your social life whether you live there or not and you have to be proactive in your classes because if you get to know your professors and the Jesuit administration, they will go out of their way to help you and nurture your talents. They WANT you to succeed and they want you to be happy. But to succeed you have to always remember what you are there for and study. You can have fun and blow off steam but if you blow off classes you probably aren’t going to get the grades. Finally, you can’t be timid about exploring the city (including the boroughs) when you feel you need a change of scenery because it’s as important to your education as the classroom. The unmistakable energy and diverse tapestry that is NYC is part of what makes Fordham, Fordham…the Jesuit university of New York. And with that you need to budget because life in NYC can be very expensive. This is a very adult lifestyle and it doesn’t surprise me at all to learn that not everyone is happy with it.</p>
<p>My S read your post, nenuphar, and disagreed with all of it except agreed that there are lockers in the school to give some storage to the roughly 50% commuter population which is not quite “most of the kids.” He is a freshman resident and doesn’t feel remotely disconnected. You didn’t say if you were a commuter or not. But you exaggerate when you say that half the freshman class is transferring. The retention rate is much higher than that. It seems that you and some people that you know are unhappy and will be transferring. Perhaps you all chose the wrong environment and you need a different type of college experience for success and happiness. I do hope that you all find it.</p>
<p>For the newly accepted Class of 2015, just know that my S AND all of his friends are very happy at LC and you can be too if you have the right personality for it. Good luck with your decision! :)</p>
<p>Just to clarify, Nenuphar is describing Fordham LC, not RH. But there are still SO many things wrong with what he/she said:</p>
<ol>
<li>“The campus is hardly a campus:” What did you expect? Take a look at any college in Manhattan, many colleges in major cities in general, and you’ll see that the campuses are less than impressive. Even Columbia’s campus isn’t that great. That’s the sacrifice made by going to college in a great city (and that’s part of what’s so great about Rose Hill - you don’t have to make that sacrifice:)).</li>
</ol>
<p>2.“It’s all the NYU rejects there:” That’s actually pretty false. If you look at Fordham’s official class profile (although I don’t know if this is publicly available), you’ll see that TONS of Fordham students were accepted into NYU but chose not to attend because it is so expensive (or because they liked Fordham better). </p>
<ol>
<li><p>“Half the freshmen class is transferring:” Again, this is just false. Statistically, Fordham has a 90% freshmen retention rate. Meaning 10% of the class will either fail out or transfer. 10% is a lot less than 50%.</p></li>
<li><p>“They’ll just randomly cut [your scholarship]:” Again, obviously untrue. If you are on a merit-based scholarship and your GPA slips below a 3.0 (or B-) average, you will lose your scholarship. Based on your other posts on CC, sounds like that might have happened to you…</p></li>
<li><p>“All the PhD programs got ranked DEAD LAST:” I’m unsure as to what this even means. First, if you are referring to the pre-med program (as no PhD program exists on the undergrad level) than, yes, it is to be expected that the course-work would be more difficult for students preparing to apply to med school. That being said, Fordham does not rank its students after freshman year, so I don’t know where you got the idea that pre-med students are ranked “dead last.” Perhaps they seemed to have lower GPAs than others, but I know four or five pre-med students who made Dean’s list (GPA off 3.6+). One of my friends even got a 3.93 while in pre-med.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Fordham’s graduate programs are not only highly respected, they are highly ranked. Fordham’s faculty have amazing credentials which are posted in the bulletin and also in the department websites. Many, many faculty at Fordham have Phd’s from NYU and Columbia and other Ivy League schools. If Fordham was so awful, what does that say about the faculty and their credentials? Its nonsense to suggest otherwise.</p>
<p>Fordham can reduce financial aid if your financial circumstances change. But they wont touch merit aid unless you get poor grades. Some kids are not ready for college and not ready for Fordham, and despite having stellar stats coming in, they dont do well when they arrive. This is also true at other schools.</p>
<p>LC is a special place and has brilliant students. But it is different. Its campus is actually quite lovely in a small space and its going to be SPECTACULAR within 5 years with the new construction that has started, finally. </p>
<p>Fordham’s Law School is a top 25 school and amazingly hard to get into. In fact, I have heard that Fordham undergrads are routinely rejected and deferred. </p>
<p>Bashing Lincoln Center is poor form and wrong headed. Bashing any school is poor form. </p>
<p>Many students at Fordham routinely take courses at both campuses, for the experience and to try new professors and seek out special courses (like Arabic, for example). </p>
<p>Pre professional programs are often very rigorous and demanding. Many programs at Fordham are incredibly demanding and often stressful as Fordham is a highly academic school. </p>
<p>I know people who not only turned down NYU but some who didnt even apply because that kind of experience was not for them. No harm, no foul. </p>
<p>Whether you are at Colby, Grinnell, Kenyon, Duke, Fordham, NYU, Columbia, Dartmouth, Bucknell, Villanova, Swarthmore, Holy Cross, BC, Colgate, Rochester, UVa, Bates, Emory, Tulane, Texas or Oklahoma is often a matter of personal preference and lifestyle and program offerings. There is not one right answer but many and we should applaud all those who attend college, survive and thrive. </p>
<p>Neither do I countenance pitting one major against another. I can assure you that the Theology and History majors at Fordham are struggling mightily to earn even an A- in many courses. I know people who write on average 3 papers a week…for four years. Its exhausting. I know people who cry in the library in the wee hours because their social life is heavily curtailed and they miss important sporting events, birthday parties, dinners with faculty on and on…because of workload. </p>
<p>Anyone with a Fordham degree stands proud and is welcomed by the business community, government, ngo’s and non-profit communities.</p>
<p>My scholarship didn’t get cut, but a lot of upper classmen have told me that theirs have been. There was an article out in our own newspaper saying how our PhD programs got ranked dead last. Kids complain about the school every time. Personally, I think it’s a **** school.</p>
<p>Everyone confuses Fordham Law with Fordham Undergrad. No, it’s not bad, but it’s not on the same level as the law school.</p>
<p>The post creator asked for our opinions and I gave him mine. Voila. What he/she decides to do is up to her, not me. I don’t like the school because it’s not right for me. If it’s right for your son, kudos to him and I hope he enjoys it. It’s great that he ended up at a school that’s right for him. Realistically, Fordham LC is not for everyone. No school is for everyone. That’s just the way it goes.</p>
<p>Like NYC said a few posts back, Fordham will obviously be a fit for people, but I would never recommend it. I’m anxious to move on. I’m just offering my opinion and what I know.</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification on the PhD program comment, Nenuphar. Yes, several of Fordham’s PhD programs struggled this ranking cycle; but this is largely unrelated to the undergrad education Fordham provides. Although, one could say that this is just further evidence that at Fordham, the emphasis is truly on the undergrads (similar to liberal arts colleges). At least that is my perspective based on my Rose Hill experience. </p>
<p>As an undergraduate institution, Fordham has consistently risen in the ranks over the past ten years. It is a more academically talented and financially stable school than it has been for years.</p>
<p>Hi, my daughter applied for RegD to Lincoln Center. She wants to major in Communications, which is taught at both locations. She chose LC, because she would like to apply for work-study and thought it would be easier at LC.
Now questions…
- Does anyone have any work-study experience at Fordham? Can you even do it as a freshmen, and is LC a better choice for work-study?
- Is RH easier to get in then LC? The website says: “… admission criteria are the same, … altough housing at LC is limited”. The “altough” worries me. Would she have more chance switching to RH, if still possible (she is not even admitted yet).</p>
<p>We live in Florida and did not have a chance to visit Fordham yet. We defeniatelly will, but probably not sooner then during the spring break. Thx !!!</p>
<p>1- Work study is available as a freshman. One of my freshman roommates had it. She said that the administrative department that handled it was extremely difficult to work with. We were at LC and they insisted to see her multiple times in person at RH, but she was a dancer and had scheduling trouble. She found a job she really liked and did 17 hours a week. Scheduling was very flexible, at times she could even decide the day of if she wanted to work or not.
2- Housing is more limited at LC which can make someone who requires housing have a slightly more difficult time with admittance. If she checked the box that she would only accept an offer of admission with housing it might be a factor in the decision. </p>
<p>I don’t think work study is any easier/ harder to get at either campus. If you qualify for it financially there are many options available. If you don’t get it through FA though it’s very hard to get an on-campus job because most are work study only or work study preferred.</p>
<p>My daugther was accepted to Lincoln Center and the letter says the offer includes “an offer at University housing.” Does this mean housing will be at/near Lincoln Center? Or does that just mean it could be any where in Fordham’s “residential community”?</p>
<p>She applied there because that’s where the international relations courses are. Does anyone have any opinions about that program?</p>
<p>If she was accepted at LC with housing, then she will be in the dorm on that campus. My S is at RH so I can’t help you with any specifics on the international relations program.</p>