Dear Fordham Freshman,
College is time for change. With these changes come life lessons, successes, and maybe even one or two mistakes. After completing my freshman year, I've created a list to help you capitalize on your new life as a Fordham Ram. Here is a list of the do’s and don’ts to help guide you along to the best year of your life.
1. Do: take advantage of the first week of college: its syllabus week, and it is probably going to be the easiest college ever gets, so use the free time you have to go out, have fun, and meet people!
2. Don’t: walk around the Bronx alone; it’s not the safest neighborhood and at night it can get scary, so if you’re coming home late ALWAYS walk with a group of friends.
3. Do: leave your door open! All freshmen are in the same boat, they want to make friends, so leave your door open and say hi to people in your classes and who live in your building.
4. Don’t: brag about having air-conditioning if you’re in one of the freshman dorms that does (Martyrs…). The only thing this will get you is people that just want to hangout with you because they can be in the cool air. Then when winter comes, who will you be friends with?!
5. Do: BRING A FAN. If you don’t bring a fan and live in the dorms without air-conditioning (South & Loschert) you will likely not survive the first week.
6. Don’t: try to sleep in the common lounges. I know it seems appealing, especially in the 100 degree heat and lack of AC (seeing as the common rooms are air-conditioned) but the RAs do not approve of it. All it will cause is a passive aggressive e-mail going around saying that common lounges cannot be used as sleeping spaces.
7. Do: learn where everything is. Fordham is a big campus and it can be difficult to navigate, especially if you came from a small high school. If you are extremely directionally challenged (like me) there is an app that you can use called mFordham that has a map of campus on it. Fortunately for those lacking in a sense of direction, it will look like you are just using your phone, and no one will know that you’re actually lost! No worries though, you’ll learn where everything is by the second week.
8. Don’t: buy all of your books before classes start. Once you get to class, the professors will tell you which books you actually need and it can save you a ton of money if you wait, instead of buying whatever it says you need on the Fordham portal.
9. Do: get the cannoli’s on Arthur Ave; they are delicious and one of the best possible ways to gain the Freshman 15.
10. Don’t: be afraid to go to the gym. Even if you have no idea where the gym is at first, you’ll find it and everyone there is trying to work out, just like you.
11. Do: Have Fun!!! Freshman year at Fordham will be the most exciting and amazing year of your life. You’ll make great friends and have an incredible time on campus, exploring the Bronx and in the city. Also remember that it’s the only year you can get away with things by just saying; “I’m sorry I didn’t know, I’m a freshmen”, so live it up.