Hi everyone, I was recently accepted as a transfer student to Gabelli School of Business at RH and will almost definitely be attending in the fall. I have not found out yet about housing, but I was told I will probably receive off-campus housing. I love the idea of living in an apartment off campus, but the caveat to that is that I am not a partier, and I am afraid the off-campus apartments will be party central. I know Fordham is not a party school by any means, but I know that the party scene that does exist occurs in the bars and off campus apartments. I am not a puritan, and I definitely would go to the bars for a few beers or a couple of glasses of wine, but I do not like being wasted by any means. And once I return to my apartment, I would like to be in a quiet environment and not have to listen to drunks in the hallway. I was visiting my friend who is a student there once, and we witnessed a guy drunkenly yelling from his balcony in one of the apartments, so that scares me a bit. Anyways, am I best to avoid off campus housing if I do not want to be surrounded by parties? I really like the idea of living off campus, but I don’t want to be surrounded by parties either. Also, are there any specific off campus buildings or floors that are likely to be quieter than others? And also, how about parking off campus? I really want to bring my car if my parents will let me, but don’t want to have to pay a huge fee to park in the Fordham parking lot or on the streets.
Bumping the thread so I can get answers, sorry. I know it’s annoying.
Honestly, the Bronx is pretty shady, so I wouldn’t bring a car. You won’t need it unless you’re regularly leaving the city.
Do not bring your car. Waste of time and money. There is public transportation galore so there is no need for it. Plus you will be wasting more time and gas driving in circles looking for a parking spot. And you better make sure you don’t leave anything in your car, you keep it locked and you have an alarm. I am from the Bronx. Grew up there, native NY’er. First time I ever had to drive to Fordham was move-in day and I had no clue how to get there by car, only knew the bus. The area is full of shopping and places to eat. If you get off campus housing, you just walk up Arthur Avenue to do your grocery shopping. Need some clothes? Walk down Fordham Road to Fordham Plaza and there’s a TJ Maxx and a Burlington on the corner of Fordham and Webster.
As for which building are quieter than others, I really can’t answer those. Because even where kids live in non-university housing they can get pretty rowdy. Not everyone likes to party and there are those that want the same enviornment as you, so make that perfectly clear in your housing application so this way you can get a like minded person as a room mate. Every dorm (either on or off) has a bunch of jerks living there and you will hear screaming in the hallway and just plain stupid behavior every now and then.
I had an argument with my parents yesterday because I wanted my car there strictly to use for when I visit home, but then I realized they were right, and it is silly to bring a car since there is such good public transportation and that whole road has everything I need. I only plan on going home about once a month, so I can easily take the train (it sadly takes longer, but oh well). If I was going home every weekend, it would obviously be different.
Can students pay to park in the parking garage on campus?
I forget how much it costs if you want to use the garage, it might be either $600 a semester or a year, not too sure.
Not gonna bring a car, but I feel terrible incurring all this debt on my father. Gabelli is a very good school, and I am excited about the opportunity, but my dad is going to be $60k in debt in total for 3 years. He says he wants to do it, but he is worried sick for my safety as well and wants me to try to graduate in winter of senior year to save money.
@beachguy20 - Another thing you can do to speed things up a bit is take summer classes after your first year. Get some of the core out of the way. You can either commute or live on campus (Martyr’s Court, about $900 a session) so that’s an option to hurry things along. https://www.fordham.edu/info/20193/courses_by_subject
My daughter did classes every summer and it helped tremendously. She got essential core classes and some classes for her major taken care of (that’s when she was considering Neuroscience, but that’s another thread) and she lived on campus.
Look over the link because most of the time the same classes are offered every year. Double check with what your requirements are for Gabelli and this way you can also free up time by not only graduating early, but freeing up your schedule for the internships. One way to see what you need is by going into DegreeWorks on my.fordham. Once you are all set up with classes in the fall, refer to DegreeWorks and it will tell you what is “in progress” “completed” and “still needed”.
Good luck and your dad really shouldn’t worry too much. If you get off-campus housing, you’ll be fine. Just mind your business, look straight ahead and walk with confidence. Don’t whip out the iPhone or wallet at 2AM. Basic common sense of stuff you wouldn’t do in any city.
Thank you @MomTheChauffer. You definitely know your stuff.