Fordham 2015 EA Admissions Thread

<p>my first choice is University of Michigan! got deferred EA though, not sure if i have a chance RD</p>

<p>do you guys know what your freshman year is like at fordham-academic wise, is just all core classes? do you not declare your major until junior year?!</p>

<p>lizzie:</p>

<p>The first semester of freshman year the university sort of preselects the courses you take, based on several factors: your high school transcript, your AP classes completed, your AP scores, the Fordham college to which you are admitted (I have heard that FCLC kids have more freedom to choose for first semester) , your intended major (if any) and your preferences which will be solicited from you around June or so. Its to get you started. Also, you will meet with your freshman advisor immediately after moving in to make sure everything is okay (you pick up your course schedule at orientation in September). Second semester of freshman year you have many more choices. But overall, freshman year is all about the core requirements (which are daunting…its part of of the Fordham experience). There are choices within the core, which you can make…such as picking a theology or history course or physical science course. You will be given a language online test immediately before registration and they may place you in an upper division course if you test out. </p>

<p>Most kids, but not all, begin delving into their major Junior year, and make a Major designation in Spring of Sophomore year. There are exceptions, depending on your AP courses and grades, or if your Major has a high number of science courses required etc. My D1 made the primary designation fall of sophomore year, had a bunch of AP courses kick in that year and was able to start dabbling in the Major. Her Major got tweaked a bit later because of an Honors Program invitation and some other factors, but generally remained consistent. Several of the core selections worked towards the Major, btw. </p>

<p>Its not difficult to graduate in 4 years at Fordham. Some can even finish early if they load up on credits, go to summer school and/or have lots of AP credits with 5’s. Study abroad can affect things, so be careful with that and get lots of academic counseling on that before you make that decision. Make sure credits are transferable so as not to impede graduation track. </p>

<p>Most freshmen come in chomping at the bit to “get into their major.” Fordham’s view is that the core is designed to accomplish several things: help you adjust to college life, help you experience new concepts and ideas before making a final selection on majors, and give you the foundation for a solid major. In other words, don’t be dismayed by the core, embrace it! Don’t be too quick to get into your preliminary notions of a major, because your ideas may change! (My D1 definitely changed…many factors, including looking at faculty in a department: good, bad, ugly etc, and having an experience that was transformational along the way…precisely what Fordham wants you to have.) </p>

<p>Some colleges don’t have a core requirement. WashU St Louis is like that and kids jump right in…and then run around with double and triple majors…it was very frenetic when we were there…and sometimes bizarre. I use them as an example only…</p>

<p>Just relax…its all good.</p>

<p>ghostbuster- wow best response i have ever gotten on CC, thank you! </p>

<p>That cleared up a lot. Now, i’ll tell you why i was really asking… </p>

<p>I got admitted to FCLC about two weeks ago (I am super excited!), but there is a small problem. When I applied to Fordham I wasn’t really sure what I wanted my major to be, I knew that I wanted to do international “stuff” plus me being immature I decided there was no way I would go to the Bronx, RH; I wanted to be in the city, that was the main reason why I was applying to Fordham and Barnard.
So I chose international studies at LC; after reading more about fordham and the differences between the two campuses, RH wasn’t looking so bad. I also discovered that I pretty much need to major in business (IB/marketing) for the type of career I want, THEN i found out undergraduate business majors go to RH, like the Gabelli school is there right? </p>

<p>I also got pretty intimidated with the experiences people had at lc, i don’t know why but it seemed like if you weren’t a theater major you pretty much wouldn’t fit in…and a lot of other bad experiences :? </p>

<p>But here is my idea, so someone please tell if it’s possible. (I have already emailed my assigned counselor, but she won’t be back in the office until the 3rd) After a lot of thinking (haha); I thought as scared as I have become from reading a lot of the experiences people had at LC I do still want to have the experience of living right in the middle of the city, the RH campus is gorgeous so I really wouldn’t have a problem with going there if I had to; but I do want to experience lincoln center, rh is more ‘secluded’ (not sure if that’s the right word.)
So my idea was to just go to FCLC my freshman year, since I do take all my core classes and transfer to rh later on(sophomore/junior year.) I am not sure if it’s possible to do that because we are talking about the Gabelli school, I mean because there was a specific option where you APPLIED to it so now I am wondering if I would even be able to do business at Fordham, yea I’m kind of freaking out. ha
Sorry I wrote a poem… but thank you in advance to any responses!</p>

<p>lizzie: I’m in almost the EXACT same situation as you are. I applied undecided but now realized that I really want to study business. I also e-mailed admissions, but I have to e-mail them again when they get back from vacation. Someone on the forum told me I should be able to switch into Gabelli before freshman year, so you probably can too, but I guess admissions will give us the final decision lol.</p>

<p>ilny15: ah i’m glad someone else is on the same boat as me! I don’t think it would really be a problem, but we’ll see! everyone have a good new year’s eve :))</p>

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<p>lizzie, don’t let OTHER people’s experiences…good OR bad…make up your mind for you. You do NOT have to be a Theatre major to be happy at LC. While my S is a Theatre major and is very happy at LC, few of his closest friends are Theatre majors and still, they are happy. My advice is to visit both schools and see where you fit best. </p>

<p>If you absolutely want Gabelli, then that really makes your choice for you. But be sure you want Gabelli before you go through the internal transfer process. As for your idea about doing a year at LC then switching to Gabelli…there are differences in the scheduling and core requirements and starting as a Soph might put you behind the class. I’m sure there are people who have successfully transferred into Gabelli after Freshman year but still, it is something to consider. And honestly, the very fact that you are not so set on switching NOW makes me question whether you are, in fact, even sure that you want to switch. </p>

<p>It sounds to me like you haven’t visited Fordham yet and you have done all your research online. This is a good start but you just can’t know how you feel about a school from their website or from CC. If you are seriously considering attending Fordham, then I urge you to check it out THOROUGHLY in advance to see what your life might be like. And if you aren’t sure which campus better suits you, visit them both. The money that you spend on a visit will be money well spent whether it helps you decide FOR or AGAINST a school. It is MUCH better to know what you are getting into, then to get there and discover that you didn’t make the right choice. </p>

<p>My S applied to 7 schools last year and was accepted to to all of them. He visited all 7 before he applied and at each school he could picture himself there and felt he would do well and would be very happy. But he kept coming back to Fordham. And in the end, he said that when he was at Fordham, he could not only picture himself THERE, but he COULDN’T picture himself anywhere else! And that is something that you just can’t get from the web. </p>

<p>I wish you all in the Class of 2015 the best of luck with your decision! :)</p>

<p>My daughter was accepted to Fordham Early Action and received a call yesterday from the service company that Fordham hired to help students fill out the FAFSA forms. I was concerned that the person was pressuring her to get her SS# and other information and made her feel that if she didn’t provide the information over the phone NOW, she would lose out on financial aid. I called Fordham’s Financial Aid office to verify that my daughter will NOT lose any eligibility. In this day and age of identity theft, I was appalled at how this program is being administered.</p>

<p>Am wondering if others have had similar experiences.</p>

<p>I did not get a phone call from Fordham. But if I did, I definitely would not have given out my SS number!</p>

<p>You can fill out the FAFSA online for free. Any service company does so likely for a fee. DONT FEEL PRESSURED. It may be a scam…I dont really know. But I NEVER give out SS#s over the phone. </p>

<p>If you gave it out, then you may wish to call the authorities, and sign up for an identity theft service to protect you.</p>

<p>I did not give out any information. And I did verify with Fordham that it is indeed a legitimate service being paid for by Fordham (the information was included in the acceptance materials). It’s a pilot program they are trying but I don’t think the university has thought it out carefully. I would never give out such information over the phone. It does bother me that they have given my daughter’s information to an outside service without our consent. They already had her birthdate, email address and mailing address. They just didn’t have her SS#. According to Fordham, using this service is the only way my daughter can get an early notification of her financial aid award. I verified with my daughter’s college counselor that she doesn’t need the early notification anyway.</p>

<p>Wow…I was unaware of that…now before you get your nose in a wrinkle, make sure you know what they did or didnt give out. Likely just a name and address and phone number, which happens at most schools for a variety of marketing tools. Student loans do the same thing. Your credit report, her credit report etc. I doubt Fordham gave out anything remotely confidential about her.</p>

<p>But just in case, you should email Mr. Farrell at Fordham Admissions and if his response isnt satisfactory then go directly to Fr. McShane, the President of the University and discuss it.</p>

<p>In defense of Fordham’s comment about early notification, a lot of people who apply EA (or ED at other schools) need more detailed information before making a decision on the offer of acceptance. Its a common complaint. Fordham normally sends out an estimate in very general terms if you filed the CSS in November. Also Fordham is trying to improve its retention rate of acceptance offers and giving people more detailed financial aid information is apparently helpful in that regard.</p>

<p>If you dont need that information at present then don’t worry about it. File the FAFSA by the end of January and you will get an offer of aid in the ordinary course of business, then compare offers with all the schools you receive acceptance and go from there. </p>

<p>For the record I am not a fan of ED…I am vehemently opposed to it. I am not a very big fan of EA either, for that matter, but at least its non binding. I would revamp the entire admissions process with some national commission and get schools to agree to some uniformity of dates, to stop this ridiculous frenzy and all the confusion and quirkiness of the present system. But alas, I dont run the world. LOL.</p>

<p>The point is, if you file you FAFSA in a timely fashion, either online, or using a local high school accepted service to assist you, then you will get your aid offer. Fordham normally tells people their aid before the April 1 admissions notice deadline, so they have the full month to compare and make a decision. Furthermore, at the Accepted Student Spring Orientation (which I strongly recommend), they will have financial aid counselors available to discuss issues and problems. </p>

<p>For some people, cost is a huge factor in their decision to attend or decline the offer. Sadly, for some, the financial aid offer won’t cut the mustard and they have to go elsewhere. Its one of my biggest peeves with Fordham…they do a LOUSY job of meeting demonstrated need. Consistently ranked near the bottom of the pile of meeting students financial needs. Meanwhile tuition has risen to one of the highest in the country. Its ridiculous. But it is what it is. Good luck.</p>

<p>Why hand out this information to places you might not even attend? You are waiting for Apr 1 to see where else you were accepted; you will get aid letters from everyone at that time, then you will have several weeks to assess it all and decide which place works best for you, & your family’s situation. </p>

<p>It might be nice to hear earlier what an aid package from Fordham would be, but they have a financial aid office who is supposed to be doing that. And you still want to see the aid picture from the other schools. An outside company does not have to help you to fill out the FAFSA. It’s all online for your convenience.</p>

<p>You will only attend one of these schools so nobody else, nor any outfit they have hired, needs to know things like your SS#.</p>

<p>I got a full tuition scholarship to both Fordham & Providence. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do? Thanks!</p>

<p>Btw, I’m from NY… about an hr. & a half from Fordham.</p>

<p>annieths111- Congratulations! My S is very happy at Fordham, but I would suggest that you visit both schools on accepted student days and figure out which is the best fit for you. Talk to students, look at the campuses, see what is offered inside and outside of the classroom, and see where you feel most at home. You have two excellent choices so you can’t go wrong.</p>

<p>I already got accepted to Fordham, but I am wondering what to do for FASFA. I know I’m supposed to fill out the FASFA 2011-2012 since I will attend next year, but when do I submit the FASFA app? I already filled it out. I just don’t know when I should submit it.</p>

<p>d3xterity, I believe Fordham specified that they wanted the completed FAFSA and CSS profiles by February 1st.</p>

<p>annieths11–</p>

<p>Besides visiting on accepted student days, the other things you should do are go to the websites of both schools and find their course catalogs. Look at the descriptions of courses offered in various depts and see how strong the depts you are most interested in, appear. Imagine yourself actually taking these courses. Also you may well change your mind about majors, most students do—so take a good hard look at other depts’ offerings, too. </p>

<p>Fordham has an accepted student day on Apr 17, a Sat. There are also days in Mar which are Weds. We are going to go to one of those, because the school is in session then & we hope D will be able to speak with some current students, and maybe sit in on a real class or two. Also, she applied RD to some other schools, and we assume we will be squeezing visits to them into April, no need to do the Fordham ones then. </p>

<p>When you visit the schools, go to the bookstores and check out the required readings for the core curric. and also for the types of courses you are likely to take for your major. If you start getting excited about reading those books, it is a good sign!</p>

<p>I lived in Providence for 6 yrs; it is a city but nothing like NYC. RI is a really nice place, though — very friendly people, and beautiful beaches, lots of history, Narragansett Bay which is terrific if you like sailing or kayaking. You’ll have to do some research of your own into whether NY or RI are for you. Congratulations!</p>

<p>@AlohaTM</p>

<p>The service is offered for free to help families get their FAFSA filled out early. I did it because, by doing so, Fordham waived the requirement to submit a CSS profile. This was beneficial to our situation and the reason I agreed to do it. Furthermore, I was told by a financial aid consultant that it is best to turn in financial aid forms as early as possible because it will increase your chances of receiving more merit or non-need based aid.</p>

<p>My student applied EA to Lincoln Center and received his acceptance on Dec. 18th. He visited the school Nov. 2009 for the President’s Junior Fall Preview, then applied and attended the Sports Communication Institute over the summer at Rose Hill (although some classes were held at LC) and received an A grade and 4 credits. He submitted the application and CSS profile by Nov 1st for both Fordham and Santa Clara, and has since applied to 10 other schools as well.</p>

<p>He has a decent GPA, nothing spectacular, but scored a cumulative 31 on the ACT which has worked in his favor. Financially, he will need a ton of help to make any college happen for him and Fordham is at the top of the list. (He is extremely fortunate to be able to attend his Jesuit high school free of tuition.)</p>

<p>Of the six schools that have responded since the Fordham acceptance - all acceptances - USF, Saint Marys, Gonzaga and U of Portland all attached a preliminary award based on GPA/test scores that appears to be standard for all of his friends who have been accepted. He has not received any inclination of an award from Fordham, but everything I read from the school says that those notices go out in February. The FAFSA was submitted last week, as well.</p>

<p>Here is the dliemma. Two days after the acceptance from Fordham came he also received the acceptance from Santa Clara - the school that received the identical EA & Profile packages. The following day he received an offer of full-tuition from Santa Clara as well. Obviously, it is going to be very hard to match that from any school and it is just nerve-racking that we have had that carrot dangling in front of our face for over a month. </p>

<p>Should we be doing something? Contacting the school, the communications/sports faculty he worked with during the summer session? I have been told to not bid one school against another, but it really is difficult to just sit and wait.</p>

<p>I would really just like to know that I’ve done all I can on this end to help make this happen for him.</p>