5 Reasons Why I Love Going to School in New York

Here are just 5 reasons why I love going to school in New York- and trust me, there are definitely more than 5!

1. Manhattan is just a short ride away from the Bronx. Whether you take the Ram Van, the Metro North, the D-train, or maybe even the bus, there are so many ways to get in and out of Manhattan.  Not only does this allow you to participate in incredible internship and research opportunities, you get to explore the most incredible city in the world on the weekends for some pretty cheap prices!

2. Broadway and musical entertainment are all literally right there.  I'm a musical theatre freak, and I love going to see shows on Broadway.  As a student of a New York based university, I can show my Fordham ID and get student pricing on tickets to various shows, whether they're Broadway related or not.  Within the last year I've been lucky enough to see The Phantom of the Opera, Gigi, On the Town, and The Christmas Spectacular! Another huge perk of being a Fordham student is having access to the Lincoln Center campus, where there is always some type of performance going on that is Fordham related!  Plus, you only have to go to one place to see the ballet, the opera, or an art exhibit! I also recently went to see Jessie James Decker (wife of New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker and mom of two really cute kids) at The Cutting Room and even got to grab selfies with Jessie, Eric, and Nick Folk (New York Jets kicker)!

Selfies with On the Town star and famous ballerina Misty Copeland and So You Think You Can Dance winner Ricky Ubeda!

My friend and I with Jessie James Decker, Eric Decker, and Nick Folk!

3. The food.  I love New York because anywhere you go you'll find some incredible food, even in the most obscure places!  Whether you're looking for a fancy dinner or a quick fix, you'll find something incredible on any street in the city.  Going to school in the city has really opened me up to trying new things, and I love going on adventures to new places!  Just a few weeks ago I went to Butter for dinner (shout out to my Gossip Girl fans) and it was mind-blowing how delicious the food was.  And I can't get enough of the Wafels & Dinges at the food truck across the street from the Lincoln Center campus. (Disclaimer: When you see the picture below, your mouth will water)

I warned you that your mouth would water!

4. Education + the City = Perfection.  It's pretty common for a professor to assign a project involving venturing into the city.  I've spent countless hours in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with friends who need to go see pieces for art history classes, and it's opened me up to a whole new appreciation for art and the vast history behind the donated pieces.  Last spring I even had a professor send me to see a movie at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, known for playing indie and cultural films, as a part of my final exam for the class!  There are also so many incredible internship opportunities available to students who go to school in New York, especially when you have an alumni network as incredible and well-rounded as Fordham's!

5. Holiday Celebrations.  It's no secret that New York goes all out for holiday occasions, and the city never disappoints.  The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a staple to my family's holiday celebrations, and although we only watch it on TV I've seen the prep that goes into making those floats possible, and it's incredible!  Walking around 5th Ave during the Christmas season, which just so happens to be finals time, is also one of my favorite things to do on a study break, because even though I can't afford anything there, the window displays are always decorated to perfection!  There's ice skating at Rockefeller Center, the tree, the shops at Bryant Park, and so much more to go and see in the city during Christmastime, plus it gives you the opportunity to take a break from the books and enjoy the city that we are so lucky to call home.  In the Bronx, the Zoo and Botanical Gardens light up the night with beautiful displays for the holiday season! 

The Christmas tree at Tiffany & Co. on 5th Ave

My roommate and I at Rockefeller Center last Christmas season!

Arthur Avenue: Not Your Average Cappuccino

Cute little puppy coffee!

Blue Mediterranean has amazing seafood dishes.

Academics are incredibly important here at Fordham, but when we want to unwind from class and catch up with friends, Arthur Avenue is the place to go. 

I still remember my first time going to Bronx’s Little Italy after visiting Fordham during my junior year of high school. I had never been in such a neighborhood before, and it was fascinating seeing all of the quaint Italian restaurants and cafes.

Quick Tino's veggie
lasagna lunch
before class.

Umai Sushi's
specialty rolls.

I’ve made it my mission to visit every eatery on Arthur Avenue by the time I graduate. However, as I’m in the midst of my junior year, I’m slowly realizing that this might not be possible to accomplish in my remaining time at Fordham. 

There are so many options in Bronx’s Little Italy that are essential to try out; some have been around for years, and now ones open all the time. Inevitably, I’ve found my personal favorites, and I suggest them to every visiting family and prospective student I meet on campus.

A common misconception about Little Italy is that it’s only good for dinner, but Fordham students will tell you otherwise. There are plenty of dinner options for sure, but it’s just as easy to go out and grab a breakfast sandwich after a long night of studying, indulge in a quick cup of coffee and pastry between classes, meet friends for frozen yogurt when the weather’s nice, or grab a delicious slice of pizza – just because!

My favorite: taco salad from Estrellita's!

Coffee and
croissant
breakfast
from De Lillo's.

Not only that, but the area is also particularly affordable – especially since many of its patrons are very budget-concerned college students – and offers all different types of cuisines, not solely Italian (even though the Italian food here is second to none…). The area exudes a very family-friendly vibe, and the school spirit lives on in the neighborhood, even more so after homecoming and big football games when the streets fill with crowds of Fordham families and proud alumni.

Senior Spotlight: Emily Pandise

During my short time at Fordham, I've met plenty of hardworking, ambitious students, especially in Rose Hill's performing arts scene. One of the busiest and most accomplished is Emily Pandise, who I've gotten to know mostly during her time as president of the Mimes and Mummers, our main stage theatre group. Having been recently accepted to NBC's insanely competitive Page Program, her post-grad plans are also looking pretty sweet. This weekend I chatted with Emily about her college experience, crazy schedule, and future adventures.

Name: Emily Pandise

Year: FCRH '14

Major: Double major in American Studies and Communication & Media Studies 

Hometown: Mahwah, NJ 

Clubs: The Mimes and Mummers, Fordham Experimental Theatre, 90.7 FM WFUV, Fordham TV (Fordham Nightly News and Fordham Mornings)

Internships: Entertainment Events, Inc. (Summer '12), Weekend TODAY at NBC (Spring and Summer '13), MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell

Did you come to college with a clear idea of you wanted to do? 

I did, but I completely changed my mind. I really wanted to go into publishing; I wanted to be an editor for fiction publications and ultimately become a writer. I wanted to write first-person essays and short stories. When I got here and got involved in a few activities, I realized that I really like working with people more than I like reading about people. So through my involvement with the Mimes and Mummers and especially with Fordham TV, I realized that I really like to be hands on, not working in an office, and that television would be a better fit for me. 

How did you end up at Fordham? 

When I was looking at schools, Fordham was on my list because my guidance counselor had mentioned it, and I knew a lot of people who went here who were happy. I ended up getting in through early admissions, and they gave me a bit money. This was the last school I visited. I had been doing theater since high school, and I came to visit a friend of mine overnight and sat in on an FET rehearsal; they were doing Clue. I sat in on a class I really liked. I think it's nice that the people here are the kind of people who open doors for each other. Good vibes.

If you could do the college process over again, what would you do differently, if anything?

I applied to a lot of reach schools, so I would've probably applied to more safety schools for scholarship money. But I'm so happy I ended up here, especially as someone who didn't know she was interested in television until she came here. 

Could you describe your most favorite role as a leader and student on campus? 

That's such a toss-up. I have loved working with the Mimes and Mummers, and the club has afforded me so many opportunities that I wouldn't have been able to get elsewhere… but I have loved producing Fordham Mornings just as much. I really couldn't pick one.

What kind of opportunities has Fordham given you that you might not have found elsewhere?

I think it's really great (because this is not the case in other schools) that students have the chance to work in the TV studio and the radio studio no matter what their major is. Neither of my co-producers for Fordham Mornings are communications majors. My sister's at Syracuse, and I know they won't let her work in the television studio because she's not a communications major.  

What kind of duties do you have as a Fordham TV producer?

We have production meetings every week to decide what's gonna go into our next show. We write, shoot, and edit everything ourselves. Every week I do between one through three packages to air. And we have bunch of live segments, musical guests, and interviews every week. This semester we've added a cooking segment, which has been really fun. I do a lot of the "Do It Yourself" segment each week. I've done fitness segments. We have a new segment called Student Spotlight, and we focus on people and events on campus. During the shows, I floor manage.

What're your post-graduation plans? Do you have an ideal job in mind?

Since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a writer in some form…and then you know, theater is the art of live storytelling. News is the same thing, and I love that no matter what, you can talk to the most important person in the world or the least important person, and you can still tell someone about them. I'm really excited because I was accepted to the Page program in November, so I'll be starting work as a Page in August. 

My ideal job is to be a segment producer for news. I really love talking to people, and I love asking questions and hearing what people have to say, and telling the story for those who can't tell it themselves. You know, because there's so many people who don't have the means, or just can't really articulate what needs to be articulated. 

Can you talk more about what the Page Program entails?

It's a one year program, and it's super competitive. They choose about 80 people from about 12,000 that apply, so it's really, really exciting. And they choose people that want to spend their careers at NBC. You apply for three-month assignments, so you can really get a taste for what each department is like, and from there you can decide what you want to do. Hopefully I'll get to do work with MSNBC, and then morning shows, and then nightly shows. We also give tours and seat people for SNL and other shows.

I know you've had several internships at college. What has been your most favorite internship experience so far?

That's hard. Weekend Today was great, obviously. I spent 8 months there, and I really loved it. And I gotta tell you, I was working on the The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, and they had amazing people there, and I learned a lot from them. I learned a lot about politics. And at network news, they have so much money and so many resources, but they do so much with so little in a 24-hour turnover period at MSNBC. It's incredible what the producers and editors do over there. 

I remember seeing on Facebook that you actually got to go on air at one point.

Yeah, I was modeling Kate Middleton's maternity dress on Weekend Today. I was working late in the office one weekend, and they said, "Hey, what's your dress size?"

Finally, what have you loved most about Fordham?

I think the sense of community here is really strong. And you can really find people who are passionate about the things you're passionate about, and you form lifelong friendships over those things. I love how open people are, how much they're willing to share their time and share themselves with you.

Fordham A Cappella: The Hot Notes

Today I present an easy, almost fool-proof way to make new friends at college: join a club.

There are a few ways to approach your first semester at college. You can dabble in one or two clubs while focusing on your schoolwork. Others might avoid the club scene altogether until they've established good grades. I, for one, cannonballed straight into Fordham student life. During my first semester I performed in back-to-back productions with Rose Hill's main-stage theater group, The Mimes and Mummers, in addition to joining an a cappella group. 

Performance groups are highly time-consuming, and I may have slightly burnt out, but I don't regret my crazy schedule from that fall. Why? Because it led me to my first family at Fordham: The Hot Notes.

The Hot Notes, Spring 2013. That's me in the first row, second from the left.
We're pretty good-looking. Hence Hot Notes. Ha ha. Ha.

I've always identified more as an actor than a singer. I expected to devote most of my extracurricular life at Fordham to theater, just like I did in high school. Don't misunderstand me; I loved my experience with the Mimes, and I still regularly perform in productions with Fordham's various theater groups. But I certainly didn't expect to fall in love with a cappella in the way that I did.

A quick overview of Fordham a cappella: We have a five a cappella groups between the two campuses, four of which are at Rose Hill. The Ramblers (who I will never not call our resident boy band) are all men, the Satin Dolls are Fordham's all-female group, and the B-sides, like the Hot Notes, are co-ed. A third co-ed a cappella group, the F#s, are based at Lincoln Center.

The Hot Notes are the newest group at Rose Hill, founded in 2012. We're babies, really. But in the short time since we began, we've become known for our unmistakable blend, our complex arrangements, and our jazzy sound. 

Although we're a jazz-based group, we also play around with contemporary songs, whether that means singing them as is or giving them a retro spin. For example, we performed "Thrift Shop" this past spring, true to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's sound, but next month we'll be singing a vintage version of "Don't You Worry Child."

We push ourselves even farther each semester. This fall, we auditioned for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (the competition made famous by the movie Pitch Perfect) for the first time. A week ago today, we discovered we'd been accepted. On top of that, we're scheduled to attend and perform at the New York City Jazz Festival at Lincoln Center in April. 

What struck me about the Hot Notes was the balance between fun and commitment. I met the silliest, funniest kids in Hot Notes, but everyone was also dedicated to becoming a better a cappella group and, to my pleasant surprise, better individual musicians. They had fun, but they knew how to get work done. When Executive Board elections came around, I knew I wanted to help this group develop and sharpen its vision. The Hot Notes are ever growing as a club. I'm constantly proud of everything we do. It's exhilarating to be part of a group that has come so far, and yet continues to leap forward. 

Most importantly, though, the Hot Notes made me feel comfortable--a rare feeling during my first semester at college As an introvert, I'm thankful whenever I meet someone who instantly makes me feel welcome. It take me longer than most to feel comfortable enough to be myself around others. It's fitting that Thanksgiving is next week because the Hot Notes are one of the things I'm most thankful for at Fordham. They gave me, a shy and unsure freshman, somewhere to belong. 

For more information about us, check out our Facebook or official website. Performances from our most recent concert, #HotNotes, are also available on our Youtube channel. Here are just two of my favorite numbers. (Make sure to watch in HD!)

 We wanted to collaborate with our friends at the Fordham Jazz Collective,  and so 
this number was born.  The Jazz Collective are the fellows accompanying us in 
this video. I know, I know, it's not a cappella. But it was one of the most fun 
(and in some ways, funny--see 3:58) songs to perform at our show!

Labor Day so the Rams Will Play

I'm not entirely sure that I'll ever get used to spending Labor Day away from my home at the Jersey Shore, soaking up the sun and the sand, but I can guarantee that each year my holiday and day off will be filled with adventures. This Labor Day was no exception. 

Knowing that we had a long weekend, my friends and I all cleared our Monday schedules, finishing coursework on Sunday and preparing for in advanced for Tuesday's classes. We woke up bright and early (well noon... but not so bad for a day off!), dressed, and headed to the caf where we further plotted the day. The weather, perfect in its transition from summer heat to autumn cool, set the scene for a trip to Central Park. Since it is located just a block from Fordham's Lincoln Center campus, we all hopped on the Ram Van and headed downtown. We spent hours and hours exploring the park deeper, visiting Belvedere castle, the boathouse, the Great Lawn, and many more hidden treasures. 

Following the park, we jumped on the subway for a quick, safe ride to SoHo to check out some bands at one of many free concerts that can be easily found throughout the year. There we danced and mingled until our appetites got the best of us. I, immediately suggesting my favorite dumpling spot in Union Square, grabbed my friends' hands and brought them along for the ride. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore-- a little holiday treat for ourselves on a quickly ending night. 

With one more subway ride my friends and I arrived back at our Lincoln Center campus, got our tickets, and rode the Ram Van back to Rose Hill, where we were greeted by warm beds, sweet dreams, and the memories of Labor Day's adventures to get us through Tuesday's classes.

"Name Game" Senior Night

Not to try and rush your college experience, but for those of you who are already thinking about the long haul, "Senior Nights" are a tradition at Fordham that us seniors, who have worked diligently for four long years, receive as a reward for all our hard work.
To be more specific, "Senior Nights" are once-a-month, extremely popular and highly anticipated events that Fordham's Senior Week Committee does a wonderful job of planning and executing each month.
Part of the allure of these special nights are the secret themes, which are announced shortly before the events themselves.
Last night's theme was "The Name Game," which involve students dressing up as a person, place or thing that started with the first letter of their first or last name.
The event was widely attended, and students who were of age enjoyed $3 drink tickets, good for beer and wine, as well as Sodexo catering and tunes by Fordham DJ Pat McCarren.
Below are a few pictures from the event itself, as you can see, us seniors got creative!

Myself, as "a bunny," my roommate Anchal as an aerobics instructor and my other roommate Randi as "reverse".

My neighbors Rose and Zach as a rose and a zebra.

Moodswing360

Having already had the fortune of functioning in three very different internships, I was ecstatic to finally land a position in the field I am interested in pursuing - the music and entertainment industry.
Moodswing360, a music booking and strategic marketing agency, is the company I currently intern with, and I am thoroughly enjoying my experience with this relatively small agency, located in Chelsea.
LMFAO, Dev, Hyper Crush, Das Racist, and Travie McCoy are some of the artists they represent, just to name a few, and as an intern I am responsible for managing these artists calendars, as well as those of our other talent.
As an intern I am also responsible for conducting market research, and creating artist "one sheets" for high many of our profile clients, a unique skill I know will benefit me when applying to other job opportunities in this field.
This month has been particularly busy at Moodswing, as many of our artists are performing at March music festivals such as Winter Music Conference and Ultra in Miami, as well as South by Southwest in Austin.
The internship has also had its perks, as I have had the privilege to attend many of our artist's concerts and various events in the NYC area.
I would highly recommend this company to any Fordham student interested in a career in music or entertainment, and as Communications major and English minor, I think it has broadened my horizons and really helped me realize what it is I would like to do after graduation, which for me is merely months away!