<p>We have not been able to visit the Fordham campus yet because it is 8 hours drive, but they had representatives in town tonight for a reception for alumni, current students/parents, and local early applicants and parents. We had a conflict so only were able to stop in for about 30 minutes in the middle. The first thought that entered my head when we entered the room of maybe 60-80 people was "these people have money - lots of money". The students looked like they had lots of money too. </p>
<p>Is this representative of the Fordham student body? I felt distinctly out of my element, although the couple we had a conversation with while DS had a snack was very nice and all.</p>
<p>My S is a junior at Fordham (RH) so what I can relay to you is what I see and hear from him. Like almost every private school, Fordham has a number of students from famiies with money. That is just a fact of life. But from what I hear, the school seems to be pretty diverse economically. There are a number of kids at Fordham who can only attend because they got scholarships. At least among my S and his friends, Fordham seesm to be pretty low key. My S is careful about expenses there because he has to earn his spending money, but it seems like none of his friends want to go too crazy. Sometimes they do go out to dinner/movies or something in NYC and other nights they may watch a movie in someone’s room and make popcorn. Before his freshman year, I splurged and got him a few “designer type” shirts to start college with thinking it would help him fit in socially, but he never wears them and is more comfortable in his $5 Old Navy tees. LC may have a different vibe, I don’t know. Hopefully before your child has to make a final choice, you will be able to get to campus, walk around and see for yourselves. Good luck.</p>
<p>Correct. Fordham proudly boasts a very high level of PellGrant recipients among its admittees, as they strive to do the right thing by those less fortunate. That doesnt always equate into very generous financial aid, however. Depends on your scores. Fordham is more and more diverse geographically as well. </p>
<p>You will find wealthy kids, but for the most part, they are low key. Its not like Georgetown and Duke, for example. But there are a lot of kids on financial aid (a substantial majority receive some form of aid) and many middle income kids as well. </p>
<p>One of Fordham’s best attributes, in my humble opinion, is that kids are all pretty much good kids who get along really well (despite the usual dorm dramas), from all sorts of backgrounds and circumstances. Its not a campus “with attitude” if you will. It is a very competitive academic school. But you will be welcomed by everyone, embraced by friends and faculty and administrators. Its a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. </p>
<p>Sylvan, ping me on pm where you live. I can help with some of your concerns.</p>
<p>Many students are on scholarship as well as need based financial aid</p>
<p>Fordham (unlike BC) welcomes commuter students from NYC who would not be able to afford the school if they needed to pay room and board.</p>
<p>Yes, there are many wealthy kids, but it’s not part of Fordham’s culture to flaunt this wealth - at least relatively speaking compared to other similar schools</p>
<p>Depends on your definition of rich. Some students come from wealthier families, but I don’t know anyone who owns a private jet or anything of that nature. Fordham kids who are well-off don’t flaunt their wealth at all. I’m a current Fordham student, so PM me if you have any other questions.</p>
<p>Is the Euro going to survive as a currency? </p>
<p>LOL. (I’m staunchly pro American, pro American manufactured and produced products, pro-US dollar, pro American values and middle class, and I thought The Donald’s comments on Friday were spot on the mark.)</p>
<p>Back to topic… Many schools we looked at with my S had student parking lots full of BMWs, Audis etc. – the cars were an indiciation of which students had money and who didn’t have as much. At Fordham (I’m speaking to RH campus), there is one indoor parking lot by the entrance to campus which is basically used by commuters and faculty. The cars never really come onto the campus. And because of the location and access to mass transit, virtually no students living on the Rose Hill campus keep cars. This wasn’t a factor in my S’s decision to go to Fordham, but now that I look, I think it helps to put everyone on an equal footing.</p>
<p>True that happy1…but just the same, Fordham does have its fair share of suburban tri state kids with designer clothes and purses/makeup/perfume etc. Its not Vanderbilt, however where “girls with pearls” is the common mantra. </p>
<p>For the record, I see nothing wrong with older model BMW’s, Audis, Mercedes, Lexus…cars with 100k plus miles on them. Its when kids show up to college with new BMW’s etc, and who supposedly have financial aid that irks me. Or kids with beach houses on the North Shore or Jersey Shore, who have financial aid.</p>
<p>For the record it does not irk me if kids have new BMWs or any other type of car. Every parent has the right to get their kid whatever they can afford and think is appropriate. I would hope kids with expensive cars are not getting need based aid, but if they qualify for merit scholarships, good for them I guess. But back to the point – I only mentioned it because I do think that with no cars on campus, there is one less glaring measurement to differentiate kids with lots of money from those not as wealthy.</p>
<p>Fair enough…I dont know about Fordham, but at other prestigious schools, we saw what you saw, and then they say 85% get need based aid of some level or another? Do the math. Someone driving an expensive car is getting aid. Its not like the 70’s when kids had old volkswagen bugs or beat up Dodge Darts in college. </p>
<p>LOL.</p>
<p>Our days at Fordham are quickly coming to a close…very, very soon. And I will be bidding CC and Fordham goodbye. </p>
<p>I may stick around until the Spring to help those with “decisions” good, bad or indifferent. </p>
<p>I would not be surprised to see Fordham get more than 28,000 applications this year or more.</p>
<p>The truth is, for the most part, you just never REALLY know if someone has money or not. So many people live beyond their means and are in debt up to their eyeballs. And there are plenty of people who actually have money and live more modestly. I recommend that you not use such judgments when deciding if Fordham is the right school and also keep in mind that while you may have felt out of your element, you are making assumptions based on an out of town reception. Now if that turned out to be your S’s reaction and the feeling HE got when he was on an actual campus visit, then I would suggest that perhaps Fordham wasn’t the right fit. But that isn’t what happened here. </p>
<p>And as for your question, “Are most Fordham students from rich families?”…I agree with LIBOR11 that the answer will in some part depend on your definition of rich.</p>
<p>When we visited Loyola MD my dau was doing the UGGS count. She was hoping to see more chucks. </p>
<p>I’ve told here that at any of the schools she will fit into academically, many of the students will have come from upper middle class families who were able to send the kids to private schools or live in a town with a very good public school. That being the case, there will be girls who have expensive clothes—even if they do buy knockoffs and go to outlets. </p>
<p>Don’t be scared by the clothes etc at the info sessions. The parents aren’t the ones going to the school. And don’t forget, when alumni go to something where there are other alumni, they wear their best clothes. Have to show their classmates they made it. : – )</p>
<p>Yes, I would assume that most people have money there. They are very tight with giving money out. Our EFC was fairly low and my daughter got next to nothing from them which made the school unaffordable to us. I have to assume that most parents who can put out 40k per year out of pocket are financially quite comfortable.</p>
<p>but you must keep in mind merit scholarships as well as the fact that fordham (like most schools) gives better candidates priority when distributing need-based aid.</p>