<p>Dear CC community,.. Yesterday I finally decided that I will go to Fordham, but. I'm having a second thought today, I'm very confused, desperate and crying (though I've never been a weakling). Not only it's that everyone seems to be surprised I chose Fordham over BU (considering I receive no aid from both), but it's also..Am I doing the right thing turning down BU with its international recognition and a more diverse student body (which is extremely important since I am a liberal agnostic/atheist international from Kazakhstan) and choosing Fordham mainly because of its location in NYC? It is so egoistical of me to choose a university just because I feel better there. My parents will be paying a huge amount of money they've been saving for years.. I want them to be able to brag to others about their daughter's university, but in Kazakhstan no one knows Fordham, while BU is more or less internationally prestigeous. Please help. damn.. :'<</p>
<p>They are both peer schools. If you think you will be happier in NYC, trust your gut - you will do best in the place you are happiest.</p>
<p>But Fordham is so much less popular than BU… And I’ve just found out that Fordham has a large and challenging core curriculum, which might be a big problem since I wanted to double major (Business and Politics/IR) and yet graduate in 4 years.</p>
<p>First congratulations! Second, you will be fine. Fordham has a beautiful campus, gated (Rose Hill main campus in the Bronx) and an AWESOME faculty.</p>
<p>Fordham is an outstanding school. Yes, their core is tough, but well balanced and many of your core classes go towards your major. You can double major, but many major and minor. IR at Fordham is very strong…so is business…and a new building in Business is going to be incredible…with an NYSE trading floor in the lobby.</p>
<p>Fordham has students from all over and many faith backgrounds, and yes, agnostics. Theology is strong at Fordham but its only required to take 2 courses and you have many choices…including comparative religion. Fordham also teaches Arabic. You can take courses at Lincoln Center as well. </p>
<p>Your classes will be small and intimate. You will make many friends. Relax. Breathe. Buy some gear and embrace Fordham.</p>
<p>Its a very, very good school…and very well known. They film movies there all the time!</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>thank you very much! I would appreciate some more advice from parents and students.</p>
<p>Bump. Still confused where to go…</p>
<p>Sometimes when people make a difficult decision there is a period of concern. Did I do the right thing? What if I had chosen the other one? Did I mess up? Some years ago I turned down a job at a prestigious employer because I could not see my family moving to that part of the country. I felt terrible about it because I would have loved to work there, but I also did the right thing and had good reasons. </p>
<p>The most important thing to consider at this point – what were the reasons you made your decision? were they good reasons? would you still make the same decision? One concern that comes up in your post is that you care about the reputation of the university, and if that is very important are you willing to compromise comfort for prestige? If you have changed your mind, then perhaps other can advise you on how to proceed.</p>
<p>Speaking generally BU does have a bigger reputation than Fordham, but what you do at the university is probably more important to the college experience.</p>
<p>Your first choice is the right choice. Follow your heart and enjoy college.</p>
<p>What if I go to Fordham and won’t fit there?. I am an introvertish international… from not China or Korea or Canada but Kazakhstan…( oh my gods… I am not white, not Catholic, not even a Latino or a Chinese… I feel like I will be left out, since freshman students usually group with people similar to them.</p>
<p>You are human. That is enough. Calm down and look forward to your fall semester.</p>
<p>Check to see if there are special orientation events for international students. At my son’s school, the international freshmen arrived several days before everyone else so they could adapt to the U.S., and get to know each other.
Ask the admissions staff if they accepted any other students from your country. Perhaps they can connect you with a current student from Kazakhstan who can answer some of your concerns?</p>
<p>A good school will have a good freshmen orientation where you get to know the kids in your dorm so you have people to eat with and hang around with at the start. Then you will find yourself making friends in your classes, especially when you start taking classes in your major. My son is a freshman and he still eats meals with the freshmen from his dorm, but he studies and hangs out with a wider circle of kids he now knows. Just be friendly, and you will find that people will think you are cool because you come from Kazakhstan 
Also, does Fordham have a Facebook page for accepted students? You can use that NOW to start meeting people before you go. Often there is a way for you to ask questions of current students. </p>
<p>As for B.U. versus Fordham - Go through the exercise of identifying all the factors you consider important and put them in a ranked ordered list, then rate each school on these factors. See how the math works out, maybe that will help.</p>
<p>I know you said you loved being in NYC, but did you visit Boston? B.U. is right in the heart of the city, and Boston has a lot to offer, especially for college students. It is different than NYC though, since it is not as congested, has lower population density, fewer skyscrapers etc. Both NYC and Boston always make it into lists of the “top 10 college towns”.
Or are you trying to make this decision entirely from Kazakhstan without having visited either one?</p>