Taking Class Outside the Classroom

As a student at Fordham, you will commonly here the phrase – “Fordham is my school, New York is my campus.” What does this actually mean? To start, Fordham is located in the Bronx borough of New York City. The school’s close proximity to Manhattan makes travel super easy and accessible! On average, it takes about 35-45 minutes to get into Manhattan by Ram Van, which is my favorite way to travel into the City. The Ram Van is always reliable because it leaves on time and is an inexpensive, safe way to travel.

But what does “New York is my campus," really, mean?”  Yes, Fordham’s location facilitates City travel, but this phrase means so much more.  It is guaranteed that at least one professor per semester will encourage or require students to venture into the city.  This not only makes lessons more dynamic and interesting, but makes the lesson plan more applicable.  For example, last year, for my Fine Arts requirement, I took a class on Opera.  My Opera professor encouraged our class to go to the Metropolitan Opera after he received reduced price tickets for students.  This was a truly great experience as the class culminated in an actual visual of what we studied all semester.  Students met and traveled together for the Opera showing at Lincoln Center for a night of music and culture.

With my classmate and good friend, Nick Hardiman, at Lincoln Center for the Opera.   

This year, I ventured to the Museum of Natural History for Lab credit for my Astronomy class.  Again, this took a topic that seemed so obscure and made it accessible and interesting for students.  Receiving this lab credit was definitely my favorite part of the class as information presented at the museum reiterated and reinforced class lectures.

Ram Van and Museum Ticket

At Fordham, professors realize how busy students are, but they also recognize the importance of our access to the City.  It may seem burdensome to take out extra time to work on class projects or receive credit by travelling.  However, these out of the classroom lessons are what really makes the information come into fruition, which I have found is a common thread amongst all professors at Fordham.  This is what I have come to realize what it means for New York to be my campus.