<p>are the biology courses strong at Fordham? If you wanted to go into the field related to biology for graduate school, do you think that Fordham prepares you well for it?</p>
<p>Yes. Joint programs with Albert Einstein School of Medicine and I also believe Montefiori Hospital in the Bronx. Joint programs with the New York Botanical Gardens and Bronx Zoo. Fordham also owns its own secluded Biological Station at Armonk New York which is used by students and faculty for research. </p>
<p>The Provost has a Phd in Environmental Science/Biology I believe. Fordham has an excellent track record for placement to medical schools including Ivy League Schools, as well as graduate programs.</p>
<p>Fordham, if anything, is a very academic school. You will be very challenged there.</p>
<p>I’m wondering the same thing… The only thing with Fordham academics is the TOUGH & sometimes annoying core curriculum. From what I heard, most students don’t concentrate on their actual major until their senior year…</p>
<p>Most students finish the core by the end of soph. year (faster if you have AP credits). Overall, my S didn’t mind the core and he definitely took a number of classes that he wouldn’t have chosen on his own (and he enjoyed most of them).</p>
<p>Agreed. The Core is a blessing in disguise. Employers love Fordham graduates because they are well prepared, have an excellent work ethic, good values and a broad base of knowledge. They can think, write, walk and chew gum at the same time. </p>
<p>The Core is designed with the Jesuit tradition in mind. A solid liberal arts base. It introduces you to programs and topics you might not have considered and many students switch majors because of the Core…they find something very enlightening and exciting and a program they like. If you do well, you may even get invited to a prestigious Honors Program. </p>
<p>Its false that kids do their major Senior year. Some of the Core will fit nicely in your major and get you started. Kids with AP credits may finish before the end of Sophomore year, but even those who don’t because their school doesnt offer AP’s, arent disadvantaged. Some kids even graduate early if they work extra hard and take on extra credits (to save money etc.). So there is a lot of flexibility at Fordham but the Core is what gives you that “Fordham education”. You may be very surprised. </p>
<p>But you must come ready to work. You will be challenged and the work load is heavy.</p>
<p>The core is one of my favourite aspects of Fordham. I have always been a Math & Computers guy, but I dislike the technical/polytechnic colleges that seem to only care about engineering courses. For me, it feels like a vocational school. While I want to work with computer when I grow up, I also want to be able to write well, think critically, learn about cultures, theology, and philosophy for both my own enrichment and to my possible advantage. Combining Fordham’s liberal arts core with their engineering program with Columbia will, I hope, both give me the humanities background I want and prepare me for my career.</p>
<p>thank you everyone for your help 
it sounds as though the work load is pretty heavy but how heavy is it? like do you spend your whole day at a library?? what would you say is the typical number of hours students spend studying at Fordham ?</p>
<p>I don’t know how many hours my son works and I’m sure it varies by semester/ by major etc. – he and his friends are serious students but they also seem to have plenty of time to relax, have fun, and get involved in on and off campus activities.</p>
<p>Its heavy, but there is also plenty of time for socializing, doing laundry, attending sports events and just blobbing. The key is to stay on top of your work and NOT PROCRASTINATE. I mean that in the most serious tone I can muster. Kids who party (there are always some irresponsible kids at every school), get behind, get sick lose sleep and eventually bomb. Once you learn the ropes, get the hang of it (doing the reading is critical), you learn to manage your time. Its all about balance and maturity. Its not insurmountable and its not nervous breakdown level. But its heavy and it starts relatively slowly but picks up speed as the semester drones on and catches many by surprise. There is LOTs of time for clubs, activities and having a great time. Smart kids tend to stick together, form study groups etc. My kid made friends freshman year and stuck with them for four years. They ALL graduated Phi Beta Kappa. ALL OF THEM. And all got into very prestigious graduate/law/medicine programs. </p>
<p>I dont want to scare anyone off. I just want to sober them up and tell them “this is not high school.” My kid had more AP credits than you can imagine and was very well prepared, but still found the workload daunting. On the otherhand, she has always been a workaholic and has exceptionally high standards for herself and nothing less than perfection passes muster. She had a professor Freshman year who said, “I don’t give A’s and don’t plan on starting now, so if that concerns you, there is the door.” She stuck around, while 10 kids dropped. She dared him. She beat him at his own game and got that A…well, it was an A- LOL. But a triumph. He became a great friend of hers, but sadly died her junior year from illness. Of course not all professors are that rigid and tough. But its not candyland, boys and girls! It is very inspiring for those who engage the subject matter and the professors. Some incredible courses along the way, in a variety of disciplines too! </p>
<p>You will be challenged…and that is a good thing. But its also true that many, if not most, of the kids who finished in the top 10% or even 5% of their class (Fordham ranks students), also tend to be the leaders on campus in various clubs, activities and service organizations. Busy and never bored. </p>
<p>Further, the internships available are simply wonderful and those typically go to the hardest working students as well. Hard work pays dividends big time. </p>
<p>Some kids study in the library all time. The Walsh Library is awesome and enormous. But some kids prefer to study in some other nook. Or even outside on nice days. Or very late at night in the beautiful lounge at Queens Court (freshman dorm). </p>
<p>If you do the work, the grades will follow. Its all good. :-)</p>