<p>How is this campus and the area? I know it is considered Very Comp according to Barrons and it is D1 but I heard in the past the area isn't the greatest. Any info?</p>
<p>I grew up within a few blocks of Iona in New Rochelle. It is set in a residential neighborhood. The area along Beechmont drive, just north of the campus, has some gorgeous very expensive homes. The area to the south is not as nice. It also borders on North Ave., the main commercial street. I would not consider the areas around the college to be unsafe.</p>
<p>I'm very familiar with New Rochelle. While North Avenue south of Iona College has been rather unattractive for years, a plan for beautifying it is in the works. The area south is working class, while all the other directions are more white collar. With current housing prices, you have to be pretty well to do to buy in. None of it is dangerous IMO. (I lived two blocks south of Iona for ten years BTW.) </p>
<p>New Rochelle is an old suburb/small city with a downtown that seems to be poised for revival (several apartment towers recently built or under construction designed to attract upscale commuters), lots of new downtown restaurants. There are several parks on the waterfront and it's a very easy commute to NYC. It's a very diverse community both economically and ethnically.</p>
<p>That said, the bars around Iona have been a problem for years attracting both college students and high schoolers. There has been a huge effort to crack down on underage drinking which I think has been at least somewhat successful. (Some bars were shuttered permanently.) Iona itself seems to be making an effort to improve their offerings. They've expanded programs and are also attracting more residential students through dorm building.</p>
<p>We had considered this school for my d, until we looked on college board (I think) and found that only 30% live on campus. I'm wondering if they have a lot of off-campus housing or is this a commuter school? We have a friend whose son goes there and LOVES it, but he's an athlete, so that might have something to do with it.</p>
<p>Some of the nicest schools we looked at for our son a few years ago were in cities, so that would not put us off. But a campus that clears out on weekends definitely would.</p>
<p>"We had considered this school for my d, until we looked on college board (I think) and found that only 30% live on campus. I'm wondering if they have a lot of off-campus housing or is this a commuter school?"</p>
<p>It was mostly a commuter school and they are in the process of transforming themselves. I think several more dorms are in the works.</p>
<p>Coincidentally, h graduated from Iona back in the 70s. He visited the campus just this weekend while he was on a business trip to Westchester County, the first time he'd been back to Iona in about five years. </p>
<p>He told me he hardly recognized the place! Lots of new buildings and continued construction. Yes, they are trying to transform from a commuter school, but I believe the school still believes that its mission is to offer a solid Catholic college education to those who might not otherwise be able to afford one -- and that philosophy will always include a commuter population.</p>
<p>New Rochelle is undergoing a bit of a renaissance (Donald Trump just broke ground on a new condominium tower), and the area surrounding the ROC (a mall) is vibrant and quite nice. The area surrounding the campus is quite safe, as previous posters have mentioned.</p>
<p>It's also quite easy to get into NYC from Iona because there's a MetroNorth commuter rail station in downtown New Rochelle.</p>
<p>Overall, I think Iona has a good regional reputation, and they truly nurture their students. They also love their Div. 1 basketball team (the Gaels)!</p>
<p>PMcMScot, It's nice to hear about Iona from an alum's perspective. My d still wants to look at this school, so we'll go. Thanks for posting.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all the great info</p>
<p>Iona has tons of Irish cultural activities. Lots of kids play Irish traditional music, step-dance, even get $$$ for being members of the piping band.</p>
<p>It's really hard to know how many kids are really commuters, as there is quite a bit of housing available right outside the campus. Those kids aren't really commuters, but would show up as such in the stats.</p>
<p>We just registered d for open house on Aug. 18th--I will post our impressions upon return for those that are interested!</p>
<p>It seems some schools do that with the commuter stats--Sometimes kids who are living right off campus are considered commuters as they are not living in campus housing. So the # of kids who live near campus may be greater than what the stats show. Not to hijack thread- but that is what we were told when we looked at George Mason. The best way to check that out is probably to visit the campus on the week-end or see if there are planned activities on Friday/Saturday night.</p>
<p>I can see NEw rochelle from a park down the street from my house...its ok there doing a lot of building things to it there making it look nicer i know a kid whos going there next yr</p>