<p>Is Fordham on the verge of becoming the new hot NYC school? This does seem to be the case in our area. Maybe it was too many consecutive years of bad financial aid offers at NYU, but it seems that the kids in our area who want a NYC college experience are discovering Fordham in ever greater numbers. Right now about eight of my daughter's friends are planning to apply. Do application trends in the past few years suggest that Fordham is indeed approaching "hot" status?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go as far as saying “hot,” but it is improving. According to US Newsweek, Fordham was ranked a few years ago in the 70s, now it is tied for 56th with Boston University. They are looking to expand the LC campus over the next few decades.</p>
<p>Personally, it is a rising school, but I think they need to drop the Jesuit crap. I have yet to meet a single person at LC who said they selected Fordham because of its religious affiliation. Of course, Fordham offers far more money to students than NYU, but if you were accepted to both – NYU. Money shouldn’t be a deciding factor in attending a specific college.</p>
<p>^^^Clearly you have not yet met my S who resides on the 3rd floor. Religious affiliation was in fact one of the primary reasons he chose Fordham over NYU. </p>
<p>You also don’t need to be so snarky about it being a Jesuit school. I assume you could have gone elsewhere and I don’t see them dropping their Jesuit IDENTITY any time soon just to suit you.</p>
<p>Fordham has indeed increased in it’s popularity. My s will be applying from a NE prep school along with many others. I think the “bubble” schools, that is those that were bordering on substantial credibility have crossed over into near elite or at the very least very competitive schools.</p>
<p>"Money shouldn’t be a deciding factor in attending a specific college. "</p>
<p>Sorry - most people don’t live in a world where $ doesn’t play a role in decisions such as this.</p>
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<p>Suiting me? It has nothing to do with “suiting” me. I am simply objectively speaking: if Fordham wants to increase its desirability and the amount of applications (and subsequently stronger applicants), then it should consider a non-Jesuit path. They do not force it down anyone’s throat and all of two students live by it (your son being one) - why bother wasting time and money? </p>
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<p>No, I have not met your son.</p>
<p>You see, the problem when parents talk on college forums is that the only information they have about the college is what they hear through their dear son or dear daughter (which can and cannot be filtered), and the stupid literature the school sends home. If you actually want a real opinion, you should speak to a real student.</p>
<p>There are non religious people at Fordham. Fine. Fordham is the first Catholic university in the Northeast and one of the earliest Jesuit colleges, which have a 450 year history. Tens of thousands of alumni would be very angry if they dropped its Jesuit heritage and ethos in education because some non religious students objected. LC is a different group of kids than Rose Hill. That is fine too. But lots of LC kids are religious and/or respect the Jesuit heritage. Asking Fordham to close the book on its heritage would be like asking Harvard to drop the Ivy League.</p>
<p>There are many faculty, at LC included, who embrace the Jesuit ethos in education, and some of them are not even Catholic. My D1 has had professors who are Jewish, Protestant and Catholic. </p>
<p>We can all tell jokes about “the men in black” but when the rubber meets the road, people flock to Fordham as the Jesuit University of New York. Just as Georgetown is for DC and BC is for Boston and so for the other 28 Jesuit Colleges in the United States.</p>
<p>The Jesuit “crap” by the way includes a commitment to Social Justice. I hope you embrace that too. Its better to give than to receive.</p>
<p>I don’t know how one speaks “personally” and, at the same time, claims objectivity. The Jesuit tradition is an admirable quality at Fordham. Both of my daughters attended and graduated from Jesuit institutions (one of them Fordham)and found the distinctive Jesuit culture pervasive but not overbearing. I believe they are who they are today is attributable, in part, to the wonderful, rich Jesuit tradition they experienced. It is my “personal” belief (not an objective one), that many students’ lives are greatly enriched by similar experiences.</p>
<p>I understand that Georgetown, ND, and Boston College are also going to drop the silliness as well so that they can become academically competitive. Well played, sir.</p>
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That doesn’t seem all that objective to me. Obviously Georgetown (acceptance 20% SAT 50% 1300-1500), and Boston College (30%, SAT 1250-1450) are managing to attract top students in spite of their Jesuit status, and Notre Dame (30%, SAT 1300-1500) isn’t suffering despite it’s association with the Holy Cross orders.</p>
<p>Crossing paths with Stats21, :).</p>
<p>“Suiting me? It has nothing to do with “suiting” me. I am simply objectively speaking: if Fordham wants to increase its desirability and the amount of applications (and subsequently stronger applicants), then it should consider a non-Jesuit path”</p>
<p>Maybe Fordham wants to continue being a Jesuit school and people who don’t want to go to a Jesuit school can apply elsewhere. The point of offering the Jesuit education is not to try to “steal” more applicants from Yale.</p>
<p>JRZmom:</p>
<p>Point taken. Fordham wants people who want Fordham…and want Fordham as Fordham is, with its best qualities and its faults (all schools have them.) Sometimes students this age are rebelling…don’t know if that is what monoclide is doing or not…not my business. So I just take it in stride and attempt to redirect it in a positive light. The good fathers at Notre Dame are indeed fabulous instructors. But we don’t mind pinching a few of their applicants along the way…all in good healthy humor and the competitive spirit. </p>
<p>Fordham sends a lot of its students to the Ivy League for graduate programs, law school, medical school. And some to Notre Dame. </p>
<p>Non religious people…even atheists don’t offend me. Religious belief should be entirely voluntary, free will and honest. If it can’t be that, I have no interest. Which is why the Jesuits are so wonderful…they are non judgmental and only seek to make you think…the how, versus the what. You will be challenged and encouraged to express an opinion. Whether you are a muslim (a Fordham student at LC won a prestigious Cambridge math scholarship and he was muslim, I believe), a Jew, a Lutheran, a Catholic, or Greek Orthodox…or atheist, there is a place for you at Fordham. Its all about coming to school with an open mind and mutual respect for other’s beliefs. Even if you still leave a non believer you will garner the huge advantage of having been Jesuit educated, whether by a priest, a nun, or lay faculty. </p>
<p>The notion that Fordham can attain “stronger applicants” by dropping its religious heritage is nonsense. My D1 has friends at Fordham who are brilliant…1500 SATs and higher, and they are practicing Catholics, one a Jewish kid. And I know several Catholic kids in my hometown who scored above 1500 and went to Princeton and Yale. So being a believer or a Catholic has nothing to do with the quality of the applicant whatsoever. </p>
<p>I also believe that Faith is a gift from Almighty God, freely given. Faith doesnt dumb you down, nor is it the opiate of the masses as some have alleged. </p>
<p>And while I am a firm believer in the power of the Sacraments, I also believe that Faith is best expressed in deeds outside of Church, by how we treat one another, particularly those less fortunate. (And I am a conservative!) </p>
<p>I would recommend that Monoclide go on one of those wonderful excursions sponsored by Campus Ministry…for a spiritual exploration. Nobody will attempt to convert anyone. They will encourage you and direct you to do some self reflection and reach deep inside your soul.</p>
<p>Maybe we should get back to the OP’s question?</p>
<p>I think that it’s clear for those who care about rankings that Fordham’s star is on the rise. Applications have increased and so have academic stats each year. It is certainly more competitive to gain acceptance.</p>
<p>And why shouldn’t Fordham be hot? It’s got the best of both worlds…a true urban campus and a traditional one. There’s something for everyone. Some people may be turned off by the religious affiliation but others may not and may actually want that. One thing is certain that EVERYONE will be welcome and can hopefully come to appreciate the value of the Jesuit education that Fordham offers.</p>
<p>Good point. Fordham has had 19 consecutive years of increasing applications, so its been going on for years…but the sharpest increases have been the last 5 years or so. Part of that is demographics as the baby boom is now at its zenith. There is expected to be a decrease in the number of graduating high school seniors as we go forward. Don’t know how that affects Fordham. We shall see. But I do expect this year to be another record year.</p>