Welcome to Manhattan College! The campus is pretty small, there is a lot of stairs, but it has pretty much everything you need. I mean, it’s pretty great when you wake up five minutes before class and know for a fact you can still get to class on time. Unless you’re in Leo or RLC, then that sounds like a personal problem. Maybe if you run fast, or hop on a basketball players hoverboard, you can probably get to class a minute or two late and come up with some lame excuse on how you got rammed into by a skateboarder. Besides the thousands of stairs, the broken elevators, Lockes on a bad day, and the fact that no other students on campus have hoverboards besides the basketball players, it’s a great place to be! Let’s start the tour!
First thing’s first, let’s get one thing straight…
1.) O’Malley Library
The library is pretty much a big get together all the time. You need to swipe your ID to get in, unless you can sneakily slide in through the ride side (which most lazy people do). It’s referred to as “Club Lib” or “Club O’Malley” by the cool kids, otherwise known as the guys Cross Country team. There may be five floors and it may be open 24 hours, but for some reason, everyone and their mother is always there. There’s never any silent rooms, unless you get there before dinner time and stay until about 1 a.m. and hog it for no reason (you know who you are). The lower you go, the louder it gets. So don’t expect to get any work done if you’re sitting on the couches on the second floor next to the window. Before you know it, a group of your friends will probably be banging on the windows, and you’ll be tempted to leave to grab a bite at the deli. If you have a class on the first floor, don’t take the elevator because you will end up being late. We’re actually not positive if we have any librarians here, but it’s still a great atmosphere to socialize and attempt to get work done.
2.) Locke’s Loft
Oh Locke’s! On a good day, I’d give it a solid 7. On a bad day, mediocre at best. In the morning, the eggs seem to get wetter and soggier the later you go, and they seem to only switch the french toast out for waffles. Pancakes usually come once a month, unless you want to attempt to make them in the home kitchen. If you’re not a fan of mashed potatoes, meatballs, fish, or salad, you probably will have to eat eggs or corn everyday. Although, the mashed potatoes NEVER disappoint. Lunch is usually packed around 12, but if you get there any time between 2-4, there’s no food. Expect to eat a sandwich, salad, or again, eggs. Dinner is usually served during lunch. If you’re looking for a go-to option, Tex Mex will always have your back, except on weekends. Dinner at Lockes disappears around 7, but cookies and ice cream are always an option, unless the soft serve machine is broken. If all else fails, there’s always chicken tenders, french fries, and onion rings. Or, you can get creative… ;-) (click http://www.hercampus.com/school/manhattan/how-make-lockes-bearable to read my article on how to make Lockes bearable) ;-)
3.) Draddy
Daddy is Manhattan’s gymnasium. Keep your eyes open, you will have to yield for at least three hover boards while walking into Draddy, being in Draddy, and leaving Draddy. If you’re not a fan of loud rap music, don’t expect to get a good workout in inside of Draddy during the time of the basketball players practice. Be prepared, as well, to be spiked in the head, but most likely the ankles by the volley ball players. Beware of the half naked runners whose legs look like hot dogs. The trainers are great if you have any sort of problem, they’re always there to help. Shout out to Sam! Just remember before entering the gym, if you’re trying to lift, NARPS (Non-athetlic regular people) are not allowed.
4.) Jasper
Welcome to Jasper Hall! The elevator has been broken since just about the day after move in day. Our first floor lounge is straight out of the 80’s. Oh, and the first floor always smells like garbage and other odd substances… The walls are pretty thin so if you’re into talking shit all night about your neighbors, you better blast the music loud. And even though some of the RA’s aren’t strict, be prepared for stuck up neighbors who will come knocking on your door, looking all distraught, saying that they are trying to sleep. The kitchen on the first floor is nice, but it would be nicer if there were pots and pans. The second floor lounge is cool too, but it would be pretty sweet if we had some pool cues or maybe even some air hockey pucks. As non desirable as communal living might sound, it’s pretty fun. So if you’re looking to make some good friends, but also get pissed off at your neighbors playing basketball upstairs, this is the building for you.
5.) Horan
Welcome to Horan Hall, where hover boards are recently banned. This building is eleven floors, suite style. Beware of the one elevator that meows as it goes up and down floors. Don’t get put on the second floor if you’re looking to make friends, because half of the floor is offices. If you have friends in other buildings, don’t expect to be able to walk over the bridge after midnight to get back to your room. You’ll find yourself walking through the entire campus and around the Bronx at 1 a.m. just to get to your building. If you like air, your windows only open about an inch and a half, barely. Horan is mainly athletes, so if you’re a NARP, be prepared to be called out on it. Also, there are only two washers and two dryers per floor. So if you’re into washing your clothes all the time, Horan isn’t the place for you, you might lose a pair of underwear.
6.) Lee Hall
Welcome to Lee Hall! If you’re not one of the thousands of participants in the Arches program, you probably won’t choose this building. According to the athletes, Lee Hall is NARP and Arches central. Lee Hall is also the newest building on campus, otherwise known as “East Hill”. So, if you’re trying to make upper class man friends, don’t try to start a conversation by calling it Lee Hall because they might just punch you in the face. Just kidding. But in all seriousness, Lee Hall is supposedly the quieter building, a.k.a., the stricter building. So, I guess if you’re into being quiet, this is the place for you.
7.) Kelly Commons
Commuter Central! The Kelly Commons was open in 2014. It is five floors of fun! Inside is the NARP gym, and conveniently a Starbucks placed on the bottom floor. The commons building also holds the school book store, where you might spend $10 on a lanyard you will probably lose tomorrow. Don’t walk in there with empty pockets, because you will be spending a pretty penny on a nice baseball cap (you know you want it). Clubs and activity offices and meeting rooms are also in the commons. The bottom floor has to be the most “lit”. The game room has a juke box with a bass like no other, and when you blast some J. Cole, the game room goes from zero to one hundred REAL quick. The Commons also has many food options for anyone to enjoy. You can use ACD’s or Jasper Dollars on the food, and I do suggest you try it out because it is good! Just make sure you don’t waste them all on Starbucks.
8.) Leo
Leo is home to the Engineering and Communications departments. It is also inconveniently placed way off campus. Now, I’m actually not sure why everyone complains so much, because lord knows if we all went to Rutgers or any other large school, we’d be expected to walk miles to an 8 a.m., and do you know what time I’d have to wake up to get there early? Fun fact, Leo used to be a candy factor. People say you can sort of tell. From the outside, yes. From the inside, I don’t really think about it too much. Minus the fact that Leo is out of the way and walking there during a hurricane is awful, it’s a fun place to be.
9.) The Quad
Oh the Quad! The Quad is the grass placed in the middle of our campus. On almost any day, rain or shine (literally), you can find someone on the Quad. Not only people, but also a very small puppy that I’ve heard rumors about but have never seen first hand, only on Snapchat. Be careful on certain days not to get run over by the lawn mowers, or, on any day, the skateboarders (and how could I forget the hover boarders). There is a lot of time spent touching it up although the only difference I have seen is a few more trees (correct me if I’m wrong). The Quad is a great place to play Kan Jam, frisbee, chat with friends, enjoy some Lockes ice cream, or even read a book. I’ve also seen people tanning there. So if you have a bathing suit and a towel, get the sunscreen out and get ready to tan (unless it’s winter, of course… unless that’s your thing).
10.) Off Campus
Manhattan College is not a party school parents, no worries! We do, once in a while, have frat parties, but there are only two frats on campus so it is rare. However, you will have to order your daughter and/or son a fake ID if he’s looking to have a good time. Yes, I just answered the question in your head, we are a bar school. From what I’ve heard, Fens and Riv are the local, go-to bars. Fens gets shut down sometimes, but I’ve heard when it’s open it’s always a hoot. Riv is good when they take fakes (usually before 11), and 99.9% of the time, rumour has it, it’s two for one, so your son or daughter wont have to waste a lot of money. A lot of students travel 40 minutes on the subway to bars, but why go far when you can have fun in your own backyard! Just as long as either bar doesn’t get raided. If you’re going downtown, I recommend China Wine. If you’re a consistent bar-goer, you’ll start to make friends quicker than you think. If you don’t go out, it’s fine. You can make friends on campus, college isn’t all about going out. I guarantee you’ll end up attempting to go out once. You have four years, take your time, you will blossom like a flower.
Well, that’s Manhattan College. I hope you enjoyed the tour. If you have any questions, please refrain from asking any. Tips are accepted.