<p>I'm going to NY next week to see schools, but I'd like to know more about the area. :) Thanks!</p>
<p>You are going to be told that you have to have city-smarts there as in any other city. That the Bronx as a whole has some very nice sections your parents would love to live in, and some areas that they certainly would not, and quite a lot of in-between. </p>
<p>You mean the neighborhood right around Fordham. We drove around there the last time we visited, and I was not charmed by some of the streets. I would not suggest to my D she walk around there alone at night. But I am not suggesting she walk around alone at night at any of the univversities to which she applied. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the Metro stop is across the street from the Univ & there is plenty of great stuff for college kids in that borough just to the south of the Bronx.</p>
<p>There are a lot of good things in the Bronx. My S goes to Arthur Avenue (great Italian food), does shopping, and does community service work off campus. There are student bars off campus that are popular. He has also gone with friends to the Zoo and Botanical Garden more than once. That being said, you do have to be smart. Problems happen when students walk off campus alone and drunk and 2AM.</p>
<p>The Bronx is a city with over 1.3 Million people. Like any large city, there is crime. Yet, on per capita basis, there is less crime in the Bronx than in a city like San Francisco (or Boston or Minneapolis). The police precinct that borders our campus contributes less than 10% of all the crime that transpired in the Bronx last year. Do we sometimes have students impacted by this, yes. But the overall numbers of students who encounter these issues is small.</p>
<p>The area around Fordham’s campus in the Bronx is, without a doubt, poor. It has been and continues to be a place where immigrants get their toehold on the American dream. But, don’t confuse poor or diverse with dangerous.</p>
<p>Not every student will feel comfortable confronted with such a dynamic and diverse community which is fine. You should visit to determine if, in fact, this community is one were you would feel comfortable. The students who are going to have the most successful experience here are those who at ease with the idea that the neighborhood that surrounds campus will enhance their college years. If you start out thinking the Bronx is something you need to tolerate in order to go to Fordham, you’re starting off on the wrong foot.</p>
<p>Best of luck on selecting the place that will be the best home for you.</p>
<p>Peter Farrel
Dean of Admission</p>
<p>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. </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 without any problems. Whether or not you are comfortable walking alone during the day is a matter of personal preference – I’ve never had problems when I’m by myself. At night, just make sure to be in a group and you’ll be fine. The majority of problems off-campus occur when students walk around at night, by themselves, while drunk. If you ever do feel unsafe, you can call Fordham security (24 hrs/day); someone will immediately come to pick you up. There’s usually security vans (and NYPD cars) circling the neighborhood at night.</p>
<p>When I first visited Fordham, it was a bit of a culture shock. But I quickly adjusted and I LOVE the area around my school. Ive learned so much from it, through service opportunities and even just living in a community so different from my own. I’ve gotten to see for myself why the stereotypes surrounding poverty are largely false. I’ve gotten to witness the beauty of a community not defined by excessive materialism. Just because the neighborhood is poor doesnt mean that its some sort of war-zone, or slum, or place devoid of culture and living vibrancy. In fact, the Bronx is one of the most culturally vibrant places I have ever experienced; there is so much religious, ethnic, and economic diversity and so many recent immigrants to the U.S. with such interesting stories to tell. And there’s so many things to do right around campus, from Little Italy, to the zoo/botanical gardens, and the Fordham Rd. shopping district. I encourage you to come take a look for yourself.</p>
<p>They got the snake…</p>
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<p>To my Californian eye, the Bronx neighborhoods between Manhattan and the Fordham campus seem kind of monolithic and indistinguishable, which makes it hard for me to know what I’m looking for when assessing Fordham’s community. What are some of the cultural resources that you enjoy that people like me might not know to look for? As my daughter and I visit Fordham, which directions should we go to branch out and get a sense of the communities where she might be spending her time shopping, eating, hanging out, etc? Arthur Avenue, the Botanical Gardens, and the zoo get mentioned a lot in a lot of places. Where are the places that locals might take for granted, but that newcomers to the area should know about? And, at the same time, New York neighborhoods can change pretty quickly. Where around campus, if anywhere, would students need to know that they should be extra vigilant?</p>
<p>If you leave the gate near the Walsh Library and turn right, you will be entering the Fordham Rd. shopping district. Right outside the gate is the Metro North Stop, across the street is an open air market, and up the road are tons of cheap shops, a NY pulbic library branch, and two subway stations (the d and the 4). </p>
<p>You can walk all the way up Fordham Rd until you see the above ground subway station on Jerome Avenue (this is the 4 train). If you’re really ready for a walk, turn right and follow the train platform until you come to Kingsbridge Rd. Turn left and you will see a huge historic Armory. </p>
<p>If you are walking away from the McGinley Student Center, continue down the road (Keating Hall and Edwards parade will be on your left) until you come to a gate (Finlay Hall will be on the left). Walk straight till you hit Fordham Rd. Turn left and walk a few blocks till you see a sign for Arthur Ave. Turn Right and walk down to at least 187th st. to get a feel for Little Italy.</p>
<p>If you drive onto campus, you will enter the gate that faces the botanical gardens. just down the street is the zoo. </p>
<p>You can use the website “hopstop.com” to get directions to some of the cultural attractions beyond Fordham’s neighborhood. Check out the historic Woodlawn Cemetery, Edgar Allen Poe’s cottage, the seaport village of City Island, or Pelham Bay Park, the biggest park in NYC.</p>
<p>Again, if you travel in a group, you will bring safety to whatever neighborhood you go. Additionally, the most of the areas I described are very safe and Fordham security vans frequently travel around them, especially at night.</p>
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Right, I read about that. They got it? Good.</p>
<p>My son has been accepted to FCRH and we are visiting on 4/17 to check it out. We are concerned about commuting on weekends in and out of NJ. What is the best mode of transportation? Does the bus go through some rough neighborhoods? If we took the Metro line where would it go from and to?</p>
<p>I dont think there have been any problems once you are on bus or train. Waiting at off hours, as long as you use the buddy system you’ll be fine. </p>
<p>And on game days, really easy to take the train to Yankee Stadium. When we’re talking about the Bronx, don’t leave that out. </p>
<p>To get to NJ, I would take Metro North (station right next to campus), to Grand Central, and then walk or subway to Penn Station or Port Authority to NJ. Alternative is take Metro North from Fordham NORTH to Stamford then take Amtrak to NJ. </p>
<p>All alternatives are safe. And I cant run as fast as your student.</p>
<p>Buses are safe. You are with many other people when you are on a bus. There are a lot of bus stops right off campus on Fordham Rd. and these are all safe because Fordham Rd. is a major street with tons of pedestrian traffic. Even well into the early morning hours there’s still a good amount of people walking up and down Fordham Rd. The Metro North stop and two subway stops are also on Fordham Rd.</p>