Franklin & Marshall College

Yum!

I love going out to eat in Lancaster. Unlike most of my fellow students, I try to stay away from WOW (a wingery) and Iron Hill. THey are nice once in a while, to grab a milkshake or dessert or fried food, but there are so many places nearby! Rosa-Rosas is a 5 minute walk from the dorms, and has been a staple of F&M student's dining since their opening, with their delicious pizza and famous spaghetti pizza. Addisu Ethiopian just opened up in the strip mall next to Waffle House in the past year, and is absolutely delicious. They give discounts to F&M students, and if you go at lunch, they make sure you get extra food! Sakura, Blue Pacific, and Ginmiya are all good places to get sushi from, believe it or not. Blue Pacific and Ginmiya deliver, and all three are close by. In close driving distance is the mall, with the typical chains (Olive Garden!) and a Wawa. Downtown Lancaster has local chains such as Issac's, and independent cafes, Sakura, local ice cream places, Korean food, Vietimease food, and fabulous restaurants in general. Whatever you are craving, you can find pretty easily here.

It's the North, there are seasons

OK, I don't get why gscout7 or whatever is complaining so much about. Their reviews are fairly negative, and completely off the mark. That being said, they did just finish freshman year, so, maybe that's why.

OK, so, the weather isn't the best in Lancaster. We didn't choose to come to F&M because of the gorgeous weather, however. You want nice weather and academics, go to Stanford, UCLA, or University of Hawaii. Pretty much, if you go to school in the North, you are going to get warm summers and freezing winters, and random weather during the spring and fall. You really should have an umbrella and rainboots, because it does rain a fair bit. We're also in the North, so snow is a concern. The weather doesn't get as hot as Texas (thank God), but it does get above 90 in the summer when there's a heatwave. I chose this school because it did have seasons, and I knew what I was getting into coming up here. Yes, we get miserable weather some times, but it's Pennsylvania. Sometimes when the wind goes the wrong way, we get manure days (days that smell like manure. Hey, we're surrounded by farms. It happens.), and sometimes it's 40 degrees and raining and the LAST thing you want to do is go to class. Blizzards do occur (I had classes cancelled for 2 days last year), but we also get beautiful days when most of the campus is outside. If you grew up in the North, you'll be fine here. If you grew up in the South or Hawaii...you need to hit the outlets ASAP to get a winter coat.

Needs Help

After three years at F&M, that one thing I know for certain about campus dining is that it never stays the same from year to year. THe systems for food (Ben's Bucks, DipDeals, cost of food) change. Pandini's added smoothies (real fruit FTW) and paninis, but removed options from the pasta/salad bar. Pandini's and Jazzman's also are great when it's slow, but at night or during rush periods, forget about it. THe spaces are not designed for large amounts of people and the workers are slow. They also keep changing Pandini's pasta sauces. THe Dining Hall (DHall) is even worse. I've definitely gotten sick from their food. THey run out, and it just isn't good. Sudexho is NOT a good food company. HOWEVER, if you keep kosher or halal, then you do have options here. We have an entire section that is kept to kosher standards, and is run by a rabbi. During the Holy Days, non-kosher food isn't allowed in the section at all. Separate kitchens for dairy and meat, and separate seating, and the food there is generally better.