Things I Wish My Tour Guide Told Me About Marist

Marist tours give you the first glance of all that our campus has to offer. It’s probably your first time seeing the view of the Hudson from the front of the library and checking out the buildings that would feel like home for the next four years. Our tours show a lot of our awesome campus, and give you a ton of information about our  school. If you are reading this article, the tour was likely one of the main reasons you ended up choosing Marist. However, tour guides cannot be completely honest with their groups, for a few reasons. They do not want to portray the school negatively at all, because they are hired and paid by Marist Admissions to help convince students that  Marist could be the right fit for them. Also, they are selling the school to your parents, so they won’t say anything they do not want to hear when they are sending you off on your own. As a junior, I have been at Marist for enough time to realize what my tour guide did not tell me which I probably would have benefitted from hearing. Here’s what I want to offer you:

1. Marist is a bar school

You may already know this, but there is no getting around this one. The nightlife at Marist is completely centered around bars. There are four main bars that Marist students patronize: River Station, Darby O’ Gills, Union Tavern, and Mahoney’s with each one having its own day of the weekend. River is Thursday, Darby’s is Friday, and Union/Mahoney’s is Saturday. This rotation can get repetitive, but it is much more reliable and safe than a lot of other schools. The bars always have security that won’t let anything get out of hand and there are cabs everywhere that will get you back to your room for only $3, although you might have to share it with a few too many people. 

2. The Marist bubble is real

The “Marist bubble” is a term used by the Marist community that describes the fact that many students do not leave the Marist campus and go out into the surrounding areas. There are a few reasons why the Marist bubble exists. One of these reasons is the fact that you must have 50 credits to bring a car on campus, so many freshmen and sophomores are unable to go beyond walking distance of the school without spending money on a cab or an Uber to get there. The best way to pop the Marist bubble is by visiting New York City. You can get there within an hour and a half by hopping on the Metro-North Railroad and once you get there, there are endless things to do in the city. Take advantage of the Broadway and sporting event discounts that Marist offers.

3. Course selection is a nightmare

One of the most frustrating and stressful times of the year at Marist is undeniably course selection season. I have seen near emotional breakdowns in the past on course selection day. You essentially have 2 minutes to frantically type in course numbers hoping they still have spots left. The best way to prepare for course selection is to jot down as many courses you might be interested in and have them on hand when course selection opens. Your time is always between 7 and 8 in the morning so make sure you set multiple alarms because if you oversleep for any reason you will be doomed. You will often have to settle for your second or third choices, especially as freshmen. As long as you stay calm during the process and come prepared, you will survive. Plus, even if your schedule is a disaster after course selection, you still have add/drop week to rebuild that nightmare.