I am interested in Fordham University, and visited the Rose Hill campus recently. I LOVED the campus, and of course NYC is amazing! I consider myself to be a devout Catholic and quite conservative (in both a moral and political sense). I am not at all “in your face” and am accepting towards everyone, even if I do not agree with them. However Fordham is know for being quite liberal, and I am okay with differing opinions, but I was wondering if I would have a difficult time fitting in because of being quite Catholic/conservative? If someone on here who goes there or has had a child or friend who attends, I would really appreciate if they could give their input. Also, I want to go for chemistry and possibly do pre-med. So any opinion on Fordham for those things would be great also. Thanks!!!
My S graduated from Fordham a few years ago and had a wonderful experience there. I will agree that, like many colleges, Fordham has a large liberal base – however, there are also conservatives on campus. If you choose to get involved in a group like the Fordham Campus Republicans you could find like minded people. But in general, the Jesuits promote respect for other ideas/beliefs and I don’t think you run into problems for being more conservative than the norm. In addition, religion is there for those who choose to get involved and you can find outlets such as Campus Ministry etc. to get involved with on campus if you so choose. And sorry but I can’t speak to pre-med as my S was in the business school.
My daughter is currently a senior and her friend Ryan Quinn wrote this excellent piece for The Ram. He is a wonderful young man and what he wrote pretty much sums up what it’s like being a Conservative on a very Liberal campus. Between an insightful article and the comment section, it gives you an idea of what the climate can be like.
I’ve met Ryan, he’s a great guy, you seem to share the same values as he does.
As for premed, I am going to be very very very honest. Go elsewhere. Fordham is not known for science. One thing my daughter has noticed is that they no longer list med school acceptance percentages on their banner hanging up by McGinley. My daughter LOVED her chemistry professor, he went all out to be there for test prep, study sessions and office hours. But when it comes to where you want to go to med school, it doesn’t matter where you did your undergrad, as long as you get A’s you’re good. Fordham really doesn’t fund the science department (if at all from the description she has given me to the condition of the labs), so you might want to rethink science at Fordham. Or visit again (if you are able) and ask to see the labs. I’m serious. https://fordhamram.com/2015/02/04/labs-could-use-a-facelift-argue-students/
Not sure if this helps, but my boyfriend is currently a freshman at Fordham RH!
Last semester he was in pre-med, and it was a big challenge. The classes seem to want to weed out students that aren’t meant for pre med. He had pretty awful professors and a ridiculous amount of work. He is a very smart person and his grades were less than stellar because of the rigor and unfairness of the program.
He is also a Catholic conservative. If you are looking to dorm on campus, I would suggest, as per his experience, to room in Queens Court. It is a “substance free living” dorm and from his experience many of the students there are conservative or well rounded people.