Is Fordham better than the University of Florida for city life and access to a big city campus experience?

Yes. For city life and day-to-day access to a major urban environment, Fordham is the much closer match. Its campuses are in New York City, so the city is part of everyday student life, while the University of Florida is in Gainesville, which is a college town rather than a major metro area. If your priority is being surrounded by city energy, transit, neighborhoods, internships, and off-campus activity, Fordham clearly delivers more of that.

Fordham fits students who want the city woven into their routine, not just available on weekends. At Lincoln Center, you are in Manhattan with easy access to museums, internships, restaurants, public transit, and the pace of a dense city. Even the Rose Hill campus, while more traditional and enclosed, is still in the Bronx and connected to the rest of New York City, so students can tap into the city far more easily than at most universities.

UF makes more sense for someone who wants a classic large public university experience with school spirit, a big campus community, and a place built heavily around student life. Gainesville has restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and plenty going on for students, but it does not feel like living in a major city. The environment is more self-contained and campus-centered, so the city itself is not the main attraction in the same way.

One important nuance is that Fordham does not feel identical across campuses. Lincoln Center is the strongest answer if you mean a true big-city campus experience, while Rose Hill gives you more of a traditional campus that happens to be in New York City. UF, by contrast, is less about urban immersion and more about the university being the center of your world.