Today was my daughter’s last ever college class, a few finals and a paper or two to get done, then GRADUATION!
What a wonderful four years it has been! Not every moment, there were Lots of phone calls where I had to calm her down about whatever was stressing her out, but all in all, Fordham has been a wonderful experience, I don’t think she could have found a better school for what she wanted to do.
Amazing how time flies!
And by the way, graduating with a full time job lined up!
Congratulations all around! You must be proud!
May I ask what area she got a job? That’s always good to hear.
Wow! Congratulations to you and your daughter! We’ve all been through the stressful times and good times of college life. Just a piece of advice, for graduation, make sure you get there early because from what I understand, parking can fill up FAST at RH.
My daughter is now finishing up her second year. It was not a great year as the first. It started with the housing fiasco and she got stuck in Martyr’s for a second year (in a single). It pretty much isolated her from friends across campus in O’Hare and she was alone A LOT. Thank goodness she’s got an apartment in Walsh for next year!
I always looked at your threads regarding LC when my daughter did a session there last summer (yeah, that construction was horrible, but a friend of mine was a foreman on it, which helped looking for a parking spot!) for insights on that campus.
I think you mentioned you still have the water bottle. Time to water a plant with it and maybe get a new one if they give them out at commencement!
Congratulations again and I wish your daughter much success. Theater, right???
She is working for the company that is putting on the first ever Broadway convention next January, called BroadwayCon. The company is also behind the Harry Potter conventions (LeakyCon) and more recently, GeekyCon. She is the assistant to the person running the entire thing. She already started working a couple of days a week and can’t wait to go full time after graduation.
She majored in communications and minored in theater. She wants to go into Theater Management. This job is an amazing experience for her. As have all her jobs and internships that she has had.
At Fordham, they say, Fordham is my school, New York is my campus. She really got out there and met people and networked and volunteered and introduced herself to people. The location of LC was perfect for her.
She was given the freedom to produce a concert in an off-Broadway theater for her senior thesis rather than writing a paper. (A thesis is a requirement in the honors program.) Her adviser came to the concert and also picked up the ticket cost for some other honors kids who wanted to go.
We’ll be moving her into an apartment that she found the weekend of graduation and lugging home stuff she doesn’t need anymore.
She’s so excited to be done with school and starting the rest of her life.
Congrats Lefty. As you likely dont know RH, it is very true to get there early. The students are there very early. It can be hot and muggy. I chose to sit under trees in the rear rather than chairs in the sun. Its a lot of fun. Bring snacks and water. There is no food for sale on campus that day. There are restaurants on Fordham Road and also Arthur Ave …but those are for dinner after its over. Make reservations. They fill up.
Its been four years since graduation for us and we still have fond memories. Now my daughter is married to another RH student and will be returning to NYC. LOL.
Mom: There are ups and downs all through the four years. Been there and done that. Hang in there. Tell her to focus and get the highest grades possible. Walsh is a lot of fun. My kid was there too. ResLife has had issues this year and been written up in The Ram. Hopefully they make appropriate changes.
But the overall experience at Fordham, over four years, is about growth and independence and individual development. We had as many tears at graduation as we did dropping her off freshmen year. Trust me. Lots of tears.
And guess what? Her roomies all came to the wedding…and their Fordham fiances/boyfriends! A great reunion! So much fun.
We are going to stay at a hotel in Jersey that has a shuttle to the train, then subway to LC and hopefully maybe a ride on the Ram Van. Or maybe just meet DD at the train and get on the subway to the Bronx, save a lot of time. Not planning to drive. We totally don’t know our way around. Although if we drove, I’d want to go see my grandmother’s old apartment on Reservoir Ave…
Water, snacks, sunscreen, hats. Check!
We’ll probably eat back in the city. If we don’t get all the moving done on Friday, we’ll have more to do on Saturday after the ceremony.
I think this year, finally, my daughter had roommates that she will keep in touch with.
Yes, still have the water bottle from move in day four years ago, on the windowsill in my kitchen. You have a great memory! 
We are not New Yorkers. And we almost always stayed in Jersey when we did the movein/moveout routine and visiting. We also did so for graduation. From Morristwon/Parsippany, over the GW Bridge, up Henry Hudson Pkway to Moshulu into Fordham was about 45 minutes if the bridge is clear, and early on Saturday mornings its clear. Parking for graduation is ample, if you get there early enough. I really recommend doing that. Just dont take the Cross Bronx Xpwy. Take Henry Hudson immediately as you exit the bridge, north towards Yonkers. Lovely and pretty drive. Effortless.
If you choose to take public transport, fine. But it takes LONGER. Bigger hassle. However the best mode is from Grand Central Station and taking the Metro North DIRECT to Fordham. Fast, efficient, clean and safe. Drops you right at Fordham’s gates. The subway is a LONG walk down Fordham Road. You arrive sweaty and tired. NOT recommended. But I would definitely NOT go to LC and take the RamVan. It is only on the hour and crowded and if you dont get on, you are stuck. Bad idea. Trust me. Too many parents do this and then have to get a taxi from LC to the Bronx and pay high fares and arrived angry. DONT. Go to Grand Central and take the Metro North.
But really, I would drive. We did and did just fine. Arrived on campus by 830am and had no problems. Just bring snacks. Rose Hill is gorgeous. The neighborhood, even if you park on Southern Blvd outside the main gate is fine. Its across from the Botanical Gardens. Gorgeous.
Congrats and we wish you the very best.
Drive? Really? You make it sound easy. Have to think about that. I guess we could meet DD there… thanks!
I wouldnt recommend it if we didnt do it ourselves. For four years. The only time we used public transport was if we flew into LaGuardia and stayed at the Grand Hyatt above Grand Central.
If you drive in, its effortless Saturday morning. 45 min. Easy. If you take public transport its at least 90 minutes, a big hassle and such. The bridge is 8.00 but its paid going in, not coming out. And take Hiway 9, Henry Hudson as you exit bridge, north. Drive up the gorgeous parkway past Cloisters. Pay a small fee at Bridge over the East River as it enters the Bronx…4.00. And then up the Parkway past Manhattan College and get off at Moshulu Parkway, drive straight to Van Cortlandt Park and Southern Blvd, where the Botanical Gardens are. Turn right, Fordham is on the right. Very very simple. Arrive by 830 am and parking is ample. Then enjoy the campus until its time to sit down.
Trust me, done this many many times.
Dont take the Cross Bronx. Take Henry Hudson. 45 min from Marriott in Parsippany. A breeze.
If you do drive, listen to Sovereign. DO NOT TAKE THE CROSS BX. There’s always a ton of traffic, an accident or construction. You’ll sit in traffic FOREVER. The directions are spot on, that’s how I went one time meeting my best friend who works in Riverdale and we drove to Fordham to meet my daughter for dinner on Arthur Avenue. If you don’t have an EZPass, just make sure you have plenty of cash for the tolls, the Henry Hudson Bridge goes over the Harlem River into Riverdale (that’s the Bronx, but don’t tell the people who live there that-I know, I used to live not too far from there, lol!). Goggle map it just in case also, and make adjustment to avoid the X-BX. Even that early in the AM, you never know.
Or take the train into Manhattan and get to Grand Centralget your tickets at the ticket window or use the machines, hop the Harlem Line (look for the color BLUE on the departure boards, it’s usually the train to North White Plains) and get off at Fordham. Ask the conductor when boarding “Does this stop at Fordham?” and he’ll tell you if you’re on the right train.
Good luck and hoping for great weather!
@LeftyLou - I don’t really post here since my S graduated years ago…but I wanted to pass along my congrats to you and your D…and I thought I’d mention that you might consider staying in Westchester at a hotel that is near to or where you can easily take a cab or shuttle to the Harlem Line on MetroNorth (ex. White Plains) – then you can get on MetroNorth in Westchester and go right to Fordham Rose Hill in less than a half hour. Otherwise (unless things changed since 2012) if you drive and get to Rose Hill by 8:30 as noted above, you will be fine for parking. Enjoy.
Lefty Lou,
The Marriott just opened up a Residence Inn in a very nice (Morris Park) section of the Bronx. Just a quick 10 minute drive down Pelham Parkway which turns into Fordham Road and you are at the university. The hotel just opened and serves the many hospitals in the area. It is located right off the Hutchinson River Parkway at the new Metro Center. 1776 Eastchester Road. There is a LA Fitness and Applebees there as well. I would suggest getting a reservation there rather than NJ or Westchester. It is brand new, very safe and in a quiet area.
Lefty:
How did graduation go? Did you drive or take the train? Congrats. sov.
@sovereigndebt - I was thinking the same thing! I was watching the commencement on my laptop (it was delayed until 10:30 because of the weather), just for my own curiosity as to what to expect in a couple of years. It was a nice ceremony (took an hour for all the graduates to be seated!), I missed the Ghanian First Lady’s speech, (Chuck Schumer’s “You’re a loser!” was a good one) and on Instagram there was drone footage. I hope @LefyLou had a great time and got there ok, also.
Hi. We drove up on Friday in my old van because we had to move all of her stuff from the dorm into her new apt. But my car wasn’t happy with the heat and stop and go (mostly stop) traffic. So we were concerned about driving and having a problem. We ended up taking the hotel shuttle to Secaucus train station, it was pouring at this time.
Then took the train to Penn Station.
Then took a cab to Grand Central Station.
Then took the Metro North to the Bronx, with all the other dressed up parents.
It stopped raining when we got to the Bronx, which was good.
We got seats about 20 rows from the back. When the graduates walked in, lots of people stood on their chairs, blocking the view for the rest of us. We never saw my daughter walk in. We were still looking for her when she texted that she was in her seat. The walk in took forever.
We couldn’t see much, I couldn’t even figure out where the podium was. When the sun came out, umbrellas went up, so forget about seeing anything at all. People around us were talking through the speeches so it was hard to hear. Could not understand a word the First Lady of Ghana said. (DD said the speech was about her, not advice for the graduates.)The drone was noisy. Even with sunscreen, my arms got burnt.
My husband left in the middle to get us better seats at the diploma ceremony. I stayed to the end. When the graduates walked out, I got a great spot right next to the path, so I could see DD, but never saw her. She finally texted me that they had the LC kids go out a different way. So we never saw her.
I bumped into her walking to the diploma ceremony. My husband got us aisle seats, 6th row. But the grads didn’t walk in down the aisle. They just came in and sat in their assigned seats. Someone made an announcement asking everyone to stay in their seats so everyone could see, but of course, people ignored that and congregated in the front of the aisle where I was sitting, so I couldn’t see. So even though we had great seats, when it was my daughter’s turn, I also had to get up and push my way to the front of the crowd so I could videotape her for all of what, maybe 6 seconds… It started to rain, so umbrellas went up. The rain felt good on my sunburn.
I don’t understand the need to have LC students graduate at RH. So much travel and hassle and time spent sitting for 6 seconds.
Why they don’t find a space in the city for the graduation, I don’t understand.
We took a Ram Van back to LC and took photos out front. That’s where she wanted her picture taken, not in front of any RH symbols.
It was appropriate that this class of 2015 had bad weather at graduation. They started move in day late because of Hurricane Irene. The next year was superstorm Sandy. This year was the polar vortex, they missed a ton of days because of snow. So rain seemed fitting.
I’m happy she went to Fordham. I am happy with the education and experiences she had. But not really that happy with graduation.
I was also a guest at graduation and the umbrellas were very annoying. They went up when the sun was out and they went up when it drizzled. They were not even ordinary umbrellas but very large golf umbrellas. Very inconsiderate of those sitting in front to block the view of those behind them. Luckily during the Gabelli diploma ceremony a very large cloud appeared and the umbrellas disappeared so we had a very good view of the event. It was actually very nice and not too hot.
The graduation actually started late due to the traffic chaos outside of campus which delayed parents and graduates from parking. The traffic agents did not help things but added to the chaos.
Goodness. Well, umbrellas always a problem and people can be rude and making too much noise. Been there and done that. However, the Rose Hill campus is beautiful, and its the main campus and home to the Administration. Keating Hall is the hallmark building representing Fordham in media and movies.
Some LC folks resent it which is sort of sad in my opinion. The university tries to keep everyone together, one ceremony and being inclusive. None of this Us vs. Them stuff.
I sat under the trees in very rear for cooler air and a better overall view. As for the Commencement Speaker it was a bit strange. But we had Brian Williams, now completely discredited. So whatever. Its not about them but the families and graduates.
Its a very long day to be certain. We were moving out the then boyfriend/now husband from his dorm…lol. And then over to parents home for relaxing dinner and drinks.
The weather can be a pain, but at least they got the ceremony off without too much trouble.
I am glad you went and were there for her. We didnt see my kid either, really until the diploma ceremony was over. Then pics with deans and friends.
Congratulations to all. Hopefully you will always be among the Fordham family.
I don’t resent it, I just feel it’s unnecessary. My daughter has only been to Rose Hill a handful of times, only for choir practice or once when the bookstore there had what she needed. Keating Hall means nothing to her. She found the RH campus too big and annoying to walk and was so happy she went to LC. I just think that they could shorten the ceremony by a lot, if they had two separate ones. My niece will be going to Pace, theirs is held at Radio City Music Hall although her year will be at Madison Square Garden because Radio City was booked. Why couldn’t Fordham rent a space in the city? A lot less hassle for a lot of people. I guess they don’t want to spend the money, since setting up chairs on the lawn is free, and I understand that. We didn’t have any place to go and relax afterwards. We went back to her dorm room and cleaned, then to the diner for dinner. Very long day. Then the subway back to Jersey. Missed the hotel shuttle by 5 minutes and had to wait 55 minutes for the next one. I made a mistake thinking staying in Jersey was a good idea.
If I were asked for suggestions, I would say they need a big screen so people in the back can see what is happening.