Back to the Swing of Things

Being home for three weeks for winter break was very nice and relaxing! However, I did miss my friends a lot and it was great to reconnect with everyone when we came back. Living on campus is great because there are so many activities and events that are offered for students. The first week back from break, my dorm building offered ice-skating in the school parking lot. They set out cookies and had skates for everyone to use. It was fun to take a break from schoolwork and catch up with everyone. My friends and I had so much fun skating and talking to people who we haven’t seen in a while.

Ice Skating right on campus!

Along with fun events and activities, my dorm also offers helpful classes like how to write a resume. This was really helpful because it showed us what to include, what to not, and also key components that should stand out more than others. I was especially interested in this because being a second semester sophomore, it is important to begin the internship process for either the summer or the next academic year.

Blog by: Claire McGonigle

Back With a Bang: How Fordham Starts Off the New Semester Right

The first week of Spring Semester classes is officially over here at Fordham, and I’m so glad to be back in New York City with my friends and classmates. Beginning a new semester can be stressful at times, and at first I felt nervous about taking my Spring Semester courses at the Gabelli School of Business. However, as soon as I got to campus, I felt a lot better about beginning my new classes because of all of the fun, stress relieving activities that Fordham offered this past week.

Just as students jump back into their classes at the start of a new semester, they also have the opportunity to jump back into fun activities going on at the university. Starting during the very first week of this semester, students had the opportunity to attend promo dinners for fundraisers, club fairs, and Bingo! My personal favorite activity this week was the O’Hare Residence Hall Winter Carnival. Resident Assistants and Directors in O’Hare Hall organized a fun night of winter festivities, complete with hot chocolate, cookies, and even an ice skating rink! My friends and I had a great time at this event, and it was a fantastic way to welcome everyone back to Fordham.

The ice skating rink was right on the Rose Hill Campus for O'Hare's Winter Carnival! 

Here at Fordham, there is always something interesting going on. Even at the start of the new semester, Fordham Rams know how to hit the ground running and come back with a bang! Coming back to campus to start a new semester really feels like coming home for me. Every semester, I realize more and more that there truly is no place like Fordham. I am so happy to be back on campus again, and I am really looking forward to Spring Semester’s future Fordham activities!

My roommate and I strapped on some skates and hit the ice after we went to the gym! 

Ready, Set, GO!

Global Outreach, or GO!, is a program at Fordham that gives students an opportunity to participate in service and immersion trips around the country and around the world.  GO! projects are based upon four pillars: social justice, simple living, community, and spirituality. Unlike other volunteer opportunities here at school, GO! teams make long-term commitments to their projects, as they spend time together each week in the months leading up to departure learning more about themselves, each other, the community they will be visiting, and the work they will be doing.  Rather than focusing on providing charity, students approach these projects with an open mind and a positive, yet humble, attitude.  They are taught to understand that injustices are complex, and that practicing solidarity with a community different from their own is as much a goal of the program as the "help" that they may be able to provide to that community.

Puebla's location in Mexico.

At the beginning of this semester, I was accepted to participate in GO! Mexico.  Over winter break, I will travel to Cholula, a city in the state of Puebla, with ten other students.  For ten days, we will live in home stays with Mexican families while we work with a local non-profit organization and learn about sustainability projects in the area.  Although we have not yet made our journey, Global Outreach at Fordham has already been an enriching and rewarding experience.  I feel fortunate to have gotten to know my team members - a diverse group of people who I may not have met otherwise.  And I'm looking forward to our trip in just 23 days!

Fordham Takes a Break

The fall semester at Fordham has come to a close. Students have finished their rigorous final exams and have returned home, ready to sleep in, enjoy their mother's home cooking, and catch up with their high school friends. After a busy semester of thesis writing and interning at a publishing company in the city, I am thankful to be sitting here on the couch next to my snoozing beagle with nothing to do.

For the holidays, you can't beat home sweet home!

My roommates and I at a football game!

As grateful as I am to have some time to relax with my family, I can't believe how fast the semester went by. There were so many exciting things happening at Fordham this fall. Fordham's record-setting football team ended its season at 11-1. Student applications to Fordham's Lincoln Center campus were up 85% from last year, perhaps in anticipation of the new dorms being built there, or because of the new Gabelli School of Business program that will debut in 2014. Of course, we can't forget about the delicious new options available at Rose Hill this year, like Cosi and Panda Express!

The E-Board at our RHS Holiday party!

Now I'm officially a second-semester senior, and I can't wait to see what my last spring at Fordham has in store for me and for the rest of my RHS bloggers. We will return to campus, and to blogging, on January 13th. On behalf of the Executive Board, I wish you all the best of luck with your regular decision applications (due January 1) and hope that you and your families are happy and healthy this holiday season!