Marymount Manhattan College

Date: Jun 09 2010
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
Wow. After reading all the negative comments from students currently attending Marymount, I am extremely disheartened to learn that my alma mater is so poorly rated and perceived. I wonder if today's students are aware of the fact that Marymount Manhattan's most famous alum in Geraldine Ferraro, the only woman ever to be the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States. (Please don't ever think of Ms. Ferraro and Sarah Palin in the same context: Ms. Ferraro was a highly accomplished and respected political force and a NYC native.)

I graduated in the seventies - before the internet and cellphones ruled the world of academia and work. I spent a great deal of time at the NY Public Library doing research work for my classes, and I spent a lot of time using the Shakespeare library at Columbia University (the best Shakespearian library in the US). My professors were fabulous, and they hailed from all over the world. I minored in Political Science, and my professor arranged for a semester for high-achieving students to work in Washington, DC for a semester in the Senate and the House of Congress. I was one of them… what an experience! I was a Comm. Arts major and I had immediate access to all the theatrical and dance opportunities in NYC. I got into Neighborhood Playhouse and took acting lessons there in addition to attending my MMC classes. I went on to perform at Circle in the Square and other notable NYC theatres - and I give lots of credit to MMC for my preparation. When I was at MMC, the school was predominantly women: but the very, very few men who were students were not flamingly gay. They were, however, extremely talented. And since the college was overwhelmingly female, we were glad to have them in our productions. I "aced" all my Comm. Arts, theatre and dance classes. And my English classes focused on all the greats: Shakespeare, Chaucer, Joyce, George Eliot, etc. and great American writers: Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Vonnegut, Salinger, etc. I worked hard in "Statistics & Probability" and in "Calculus" (math was NEVER my strong suit) but I did well in those classes as well because my professors were always willing to meet "off the course clock" with me. I took an evening course in "PR and Media Writing" that was taught by an SVP from VOGUE Magazine and I got an internship at VOGUE because of the final I submitted: a complete ad campaign for a product that would be advertised in VOGUE. The internship lasted a year, and I worked as an assistant to Grace Mirabella, who was the Anna Wintour of that time.

Marymount did not have its own housing at the time, so my three roommates and I shared an amazing apartment with an eat-in kitchen, walk-in closets, two bedrooms and two large bathrooms at the ONLY address in Manhattan: 12 East 86th Street, right off 5th Avenue. It was an old hotel - THE CROYDON - with oriental rugs on the floors, 24-hr. desk service, and huge elevators run by an elevator operator in uniform. The elevators were so large that they had a cushioned seat in them and beviled mirrors. My roommate, who is still my best friend to this day, and I used to order from Gristede's which was just downstairs on the corner and they delivered right to our apartment door - Apt. 9-E - which had a view of Madison Avenue out our bedroom window. We walked the the 15+ blocks to class most of the time and never minded it for a second. On bad weather days, we took the subway from 86th to 68th and walked the rest of the way. I worked two jobs - one at VOGUE and I also landed a gig working at an upper east side club as the coatcheck girl on weekends. I used to pull in about $500 a weekend… in the '70's that was a LOT of money!

The MMC cafeteria was on the 3rd floor at 221 E. 71st Street, and the food was great: sandwiches made to order in front of you or you could choose a hot dish which was served by the staff attired in white chefs hats and immaculate white aprons. The prices were somewhat high.. but you didn't have to eat there: right around the corner at 77th and 2nd Ave. was "The Mad Hatter" where you could get a great burger on a toasted English muffin with everything on it for $2.50, 0r you could hit PJ's Deli on 3rd & 68th and get the lunch special - a 1/2 sandwich and a cup of soup for $5.00. The school offered a Jr. Year Aboad Program that you had to qualify for. I was one of the fortunate participants and I spent the semester in London (studying at the Royal Shakespeare Academy) at the Sorbonne in Paris, and at Trinity in Dublin. LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Nothing like being a Comm. Arts major and learning an English accent from British actors!

Graduation ceremonies were held at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and the commencement address was delivered by the most famous theatre critic of that time.

There was no scheduled social life. NYC was our campus and the impetus for our social life. I went to lectures at The Actor's Studio, the New School, Mannis Music College, Fordham and Columbia. I didn't care at all that there was no school sports program: I met a guy whose brother (a soap opera star) had season tickets to the Knicks and the NY Yankees. My roommate and I frequented "Catch a Rising Star" on 79th Street, where we saw Larry David do stand-up before he was famous. We saw Neil Diamond at THE BITTER END in the Village. And since we were not there to get our MRS. degree, we simply met great guys throughout the city by hanging out.

I went on to graduate school and today I have 2 MS degrees: one in International Mgmt. and one in Communications. I have worked all over the world - the UK, Paris & Beijing and I have also worked in San Francisco and LA. And I give the lion's share of the credit for my career to the great "start" I got from Marymount Manhattan. College is what you make it: no matter where you choose to go to school. For people who think it's cool or glamorous to say you go to college in Manhattan, think again. It's not for everybody. It's wildly expensive, and NY can be a lonely place if you don't make your own life stories. In my estimation, NYC is just like the beginning of the David Letterman Show says - "From NY…the Greatest City in the World…"

NY is the best snd worst of everything life has to offer and your college days are what you make it. My days at MMC are some of the best days of my life and my fondest memories were born on its non-traditional campus. Sorry for all of you who won't have the same memories.