Once people know you’re in college, the questions come flooding in. How’s college life? What’s your major? Where is your school? I tell whomever is asking, “I go to school in the Bronx.” If you happen to go to school in the Bronx like I do, your conversation most likely always play out like this…
“I thought you go to school in New York City.”
Yes ma’am, I do. If you look at a map you would see that the Bronx is one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. Oh, and before you ask, Long Island is not one of them.
“Oh! So you must go to Fordham.”
How did you know? Go Rams! No. That was completely sarcasm. In the Bronx (which we just learned is a borough in New York City; great work), there are more colleges than Fordham. Mount Saint Vincent, Lehman, Monroe and Maritime are just a few of them. I happen to be a freshman at Manhattan College.
“Wait. Why is it called Manhattan College if it’s in the Bronx.”
They did that to purposely completely confuse everyone. Again, sarcasm. When the school opened in 1853, it was located in Manhattan. That was until 1923 where the school moved to its current location in Riverdale.
"…Riverdale?”
It’s in the Bronx. I promise.
“Do you feel safe? I hear the Bronx is dangerous.”
I have never had an issue that has made me feel at risk of any danger. Just remember that bad things can happen anywhere.
“Since you go to school in a big city, I’m assuming you don’t have a campus.”
As shocking as it may be, my college is a campus. That means that I live in a dorm, eat at the dining hall and walk through campus to get to class everyday. We even have a few trees on campus. I know what your thinking, “How can there be trees in New York City?” It’s magic.
“How do you like going to school in the Bronx?”
I love it. Simple as that. After a successful first semester in the greatest city in the world, I can confidently state that there is no place else I’d rather be.
