I would like to respond to numerous comments posted under several topic headings, addressed to the question of whether Fordham’s price justifies your child’s attendance.
As a Fordham Alumnus, I assure all prospects that the education, proximity to Manhattan, opportunities for internships and post-graduation jobs is excellent. The Rose Hill campus is stunning and is an oasis surrounded by Little Italy, the Bronx Zoo and the Botanical Gardens. In our son’s college search this year, we have traveled across the country; have visited Ivy League schools, top LAC’s and other Jesuit institutions. Fordham’s campus ranks near the top in terms of beauty.
As a parent of a child who should graduate No. 1 in his class of 210, with SAT’s north of 1500, all I can tell you is that Fordham’s Fall open house was an extremely compelling presentation on why Fordham. So much so, that Fordham became one of my child’s top prospects.
Upon EA admission, and upon receiving his merit award this past week, my S was somewhat disappointed that he didn’t receive more money. While the award was substantial, it was still less than half the full freight.
If you look at price, and only price, you will never know whether the schools you are considering offer the “value” you seek. Look beyond the numbers. Consider the learning environment. Consider the resources immediately available (i.e. NYC). Consider whether a close-knit community is important. Consider prospects of entry into that school’s graduate programs (i.e. Fordham’s law and business grad programs are very highly ranked).
I cannot tell you whether S will choose Fordham. I can tell you that if he does, I will proudly pay my expected contribution (which will hurt), knowing that the sum of Fordham is more than it’s ticket price.
Fordham is my Ds #1 and we have visited 3 times already, plan to go back for admitted students day and have friends at the college. Agree with all the positives you list above - Fordham provides a great college experience and platform for the future. That said COA is part of the value equation that needs to be weighed in the final decision and right now definitely struggling with that given ~$20K difference between after awards costs between Fordham and other really good schools on my Ds list. No final decision yet until we revisit the short list (including Fordham) and see what else happens with RD round.
A friend had his stock broker neighbor sit down with his D and build spreadsheets comparing her Flagship State w/o loans to Georgetown (the dream) w/loans. They ran numbers comparing disposable income etc. D picked State, had a great 4 years, got the job she hoped for and has zero debt. Says without the numbers in black and white she would have chosen GT.
@byadg123 - Anecdotal evidence, by its very definition, is specific to each individual. What might be right for one person may not be right for another. 28 years removed from undergraduate education, and 25 years removed from professional school, I am still asked what higher ed schools I attended, as if that is more important than my career’s work. Thus, the debate we have been engaged in for the past year: Attend the best school you can, without regard to price (expecting that the return on investment will pay off in the long run), or focus on graduating with no loans.
To your point, the “zero debt” analysis may overlook the benefits a degree from a top tier school provides. Particularly in the context of entry into top tier professional schools and, subsequently, job prospects at top tier employers.
Fordham has become very popular at my son’s Deep South Jesuit high school, especially with those who qualify for the NMF full tuition awards. My D15 almost went there, and I am hoping it fits my youngest son in a few years. Great school.
My S went to Fordham and had a great experience and a great outcome. Absolutely love the school. That said, the question of affordability is unique to each family situation. As a parent, I felt there is a balancing act that must take place between getting your child a quality education without saddling him/her with a ton of debt after graduation. The answer will not be the same for every family, every situation. We were fortunate in that our S’s merit aid award combined with our college savings made Fordham affordable for us.
In the case I mentioned, the girl was choosing between G’town (what the f***'s a Hoya?) and Chapel Hill so two quality schools with solid reputations. It’s obviously different if it’s a choice between Stanford and the University of Left Elbow. I doubt that there is any such think as a “best” school for anyone with the exception of the military academies. There are any number of great schools for any individual and every one has drawbacks. Too big, too far, too urban, too limited foreign language options, too little “spirit”, too much emphasis on Greek life, too easy to get into, too much focus on graduate students, etc. Or too expensive and requires debt.
The proverbial best school does not guarantee a great job or entrance to a great grad school, but significant debt does guarantee loan payments that limit life options if things don’t work out as planned. Plenty of kids from great schools live in their parents’ basements.
As I see it there are at least two versions of the dream:
I dream of Fordham because Prof Shlabotnik is the world’s foremost authority on the Infield Fly rule which is my passion and I would do anything to work with him.
I dream of Fordham because Rich Uncle Tony went there, I heard the guys are cute, and I look great in maroon.
I will add that Fordham is expensive because of its NYC location, networking, resources and reputation on law and business schools etc. The cost is associated with the location. NYC is by far the most expensive city in the US (if not the most expensive city in the world!). Operating large campuses in prime real estate where a square footage is nearly $2000, is very expensive. Added to that is the beauty everyone says about the campus. It is costly to maintain, given the prices in NYC. And most of the faculty/staff lives in NYC too. I have visited Yale, Harvard, Northeastern and a few other universities and Fordham stunned me when I first visited. It tops this list on beauty.
The biggest drawback of Fordham is the cost (even with merit) and the core. I have heard from several students who don’t like the rigidity of the core. There are just too many courses required and they are not good with accepting AP courses to meet the core. At a cost of over $70k a year, most English majors don’t want to take Calculus (again) or most math majors don’t want to take Bio (again). Distribution requirements are fine, but they should be less numerous and more flexible/pertinent to student majors. Especially top students from rigorous high schools who have a strong general education. The theology and philosophy courses are good, but too numerous.
Also, so many students HATE that they can’t choose their first semester courses. Again, at this cost, students don’t want to sit through courses they hate at times they don’t like (some kids are morning people and some are not). Most colleges (even Jesuit ones) are not this rigid.
If they at least loosened up the core, they would be more appealing, even at the high cost.