Founded in 1841, Fordham University is the oldest Catholic Jesuit university in the Northeastern United States, and is known as the Jesuit University of New York. Fordham attracts students from all over the country, and boasts its Jesuit values, small class sizes, and “cura personalis” curriculum. However, something that is not widely known is how great Fordham University is for a student’s dating life! If you or someone you know has been single for a while, I highly recommend applying to Fordham!
Relationships run rampant on the Rose Hill campus! It honestly feels like I can’t walk to class without seeing two love birds holding hands or witnessing a grotesque display of PDA. Once you leave campus, not much changes. You’ll find people on romantic picnics in the Botanical Gardens, having intimate candlelit dinners on Arthur Ave, or just walking around chatting. My point is: you cannot escape relationships at Fordham. So, why is this? Does Fordham University just attract like minded students who are extremely compatible with one another? You might think so, but this is not actually the case.
Three in four doctors say that the leading cause of relationships at Fordham is a mild to severe case of desperation. Okay, doctors don’t actually say this, but it’s still true! To fully grasp this idea it is crucial to understand the age we are living in and how social media creates a culture that is based on FOMO and bragging rights.
FOMO is an acronym that stands for “Fear of Missing Out”. This is an epidemic that is close to my heart, as I have a relentless case of it. Living in the year 2023 where Instagram and Snapchat exist, FOMO is bound to affect everyone at some point. The idea that you can see exactly what someone is doing, where they are doing it, and who they are with, can create extreme levels of jealousy and obsession. This jealousy oftentimes will make someone post their social life too, as a way to combat this jealousy, or pass it on to someone else. The key takeaway here is that FOMO is real, and social media makes it worse.
Speaking as a student at Fordham, a lot of the FOMO that I struggle with comes from seeing social media posts of people in Manhattan or Brooklyn with their friends or significant others. New York City as a whole is a breeding ground for all things “aesthetically pleasing”, whether that be a seemingly perfect relationship, friend group, or life. Due to this digital age and the act of withholding any imperfections, the city can be the perfect backdrop for one’s online presence.
Some people dream about visiting New York City, some of us are lucky enough to live here: what makes both of these statements accurate is that New York is a magical and iconic city. New York is so special on its own, that you can have a great time here, no matter who you are with, and there are not many people that want to be single.
Building on this point, I want to ask you a question: have you ever seen a couple together, and just think: WTF? It seems like they have nothing in common! I know I have, and I’m here to tell you the one thing almost all of those pairs share, the Fear of Being Single, or as I have dubbed it: FOBS. There are some people who struggle with FOBS and are so desperate to be in a relationship, that they will find one similarity with another person and decide that they are compatible. Sometimes, this similarity isn’t even real, it is something that Person A likes that Person B has decided they like in attempts to bond with and court Person A. As long as two people can tolerate each other, a relationship tends to make sense, especially when romantic dates and gestures can be plastered on one’s social media as a way to show off their level of “happiness”.
In conclusion, Fordham University has many flourishing relationships on its campus. New York City complemented with the idea of FOMO in this digital age allows many people to thrive in relationships, even if they are not incredibly compatible with each other. Just fake it until you make it! FOBS is real, being single is scary! Apply!
The Lobster (2015) is a satirical film that examines the dating culture in society and takes a closer look at the desperation
that people feel when it comes to dating. I am examining how FOMO can often lead to this sense of desperation. People
are often willing to settle for someone either because they don’t want to be alone, or because they are afraid this is the best
person they will get. The film shows a dramatization of the concept that people are not only willing to date someone over
the smallest similarity, but also that they are willing to change themselves to match a partner. The film compares not finding
a partner with being turned into an animal, the equivalence of death.
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