<p>I'm a junior at a highly rated highschool in PA
UWGPA: 3.48
WGPA: 3.78
SAT: 1920
R: 650 M: 610 W: 660
EC's:
Model UN
Boy Scouts of America
(Got my Eagle Scout in freshman year)
Latin club
Track and field varsity
Recreational basketball
Environmental club
Future business leaders of America
National honor society
All of these were every year of highschool and some longer.
AP's: World history, environmental sciences, Statistics, economics, government
Community service: for NHS I had do get all of my hours and so far I have around 1000 hours
Anybody have any ideas?</p>
<p>Hi MattC412. Congrats on working hard and setting Fordham as a goal. IMHO, you would get in, but not get a lot of merit money. Need to get WGPA higher (3.9 or so?) and SAT at least a 100 points higher to possibly get some merit money. Something to think about: your GPA is “recalculated” and might go down a lot after electives, gym, etc. are removed. My DD went from a 4.1 to below a 3.7 after the recalculation.
Another recommendation, try taking the ACT. Many students did better on the ACT than the SAT. Fordham accepts both and counts the better one. Good luck with the whole process and start working on your Common App essay now. </p>
<p>Try the ACT - my daughter only had a 1790 on the SAT but managed to squeeze out a 29 on the ACT. She only got the Jogues ($7K) and needs to maintain a 2.75 in order to keep it. And let me tell you, she worked her butt off and managed to keep that scholarship. It can be stressful knowing you need to maintain a certain GPA to keep even the smallest amount of money and her friend has a significant scholarship from NYU and needs to maintain a 3.5 to keep his. </p>
<p>Fordham looks at the cumulative GPA—my daughter did very well in the Fall semester but had a horrible foreign language professor in the Spring that tanked her GPA so luckily she had a nice cushion that enabled her to keep that scholarship. </p>
<p>Start working on those essays now and prep for the ACT/SAT. My daughter found that to be better, kinder test than the SAT. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Fordham is extremely quirky on admissions and scholarship awards. Fordham plays favorites on both. These are facts, not opinions.</p>
<p>My kid had an SAT score substantially higher than what Chauffeur’s daughter had, but got absolutely ZERO scholarship money because we are from the south, and my kid went to a public school…though a highly ranked (nationally) public school, with 9 AP’s (including one from the national US History Examiner, who helped write the exam and grades them-exempts himself from this region however, for obvious reasons. He was a BEAR of a teacher…wicked hard, wicked demanding and often unreasonable…but it paid off in spades.) Fordham was NOT my kid’s first choice school. It was in the 3-5 range. She was waitlisted at 1 and 2, and broken hearted. Devastated. But Fordham admitted her. However, she (we) got a fairly decent University Grant, that was roughly equivalent to what others got in scholarship funds, so at the end of the day, it was all good. Fordham just has schools that they have worked with in the past and if you apply from “an unknown”, they arent likely to throw money at you, unless there is an admissions quota to get that region/city applications to increase. Further, if you didnt go to a catholic high school, you are not likely to do as well with scholarships. I do note, that recently some of that has changed due in no small part to a lot of complaining parents. But old habits die hard. It was tough freshmen year to see kids in the dorms with BIG scholarships and very mediocre scores. That is not snobbery or snarky, and certainly not a swipe at those lucky enough to get a scholarship, because its not aimed at them. Its aimed at Fordham Admissions. We dont begrudge those who got the money, only the circumstance and objectively “uneven results.” (OTOH, my kid turned down HUGE scholarships at other schools…maybe its karma.)</p>
<p>Finally, and anecdotally, males have a bit of leeway on admissions because females outnumber males at Fordham and admissions wants to find a balance in the admitted class. Thus, you may get a few extra points so to speak on the admissions file, even if your scores and grades are a tad lower. That is not a promise, its just an observation. </p>
<p>I think the poster here likely gets in. Whether he gets any merit money depends on whether he went to a favored school that Fordham likes, whether its catholic etc. Fordham tuition has also risen sharply in the last ten years and thus they are trying to offset some of that with more generous scholarship awards and the old rule of requiring a core SAT of 1400 isn’t true anymore. </p>
<p>How one does at Fordham overall (college gpa) depends on several factors, including discipline, work ethic, writing ability, shrewd exam taking, efficiency in studying (its not just hours, its focus and discerning the core information). My kid finished Phi Beta Kappa. In general, those with high SAT’s do well at Fordham. But there are always people who party too much, who have difficulty making the substantial change from high school to college and then there are people who are not necessarily good objective test (SAT) takers but excel in the classroom and writing papers…e.g. creative thinkers. Fordham is an academic school. It will challenge you to the utmost. Coming in with uber scores and grades doesnt mean you will skate and have an easy time. You won’t. Trust me. Nor does coming in with modest scores mean you will struggle or bomb. Its all in how one adjusts, performs, studies, etc. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Sovereigndebt, all schools that have holistic practices, will have things in there that can make no sense and are not fair. Having said that, Fordham strives for geographic diversity among other things, (as does BC and many other colleges) so that not coming from an area where most applicants do is a bit of a tip. Where Fordham does offer a bit of preferential treatment is to commuters. There is a commuters award, the only that I have ever seen and those who are willing to commute to the school do get preference, and for good reason. The school is limited in dorm resources and can stretch those accommodations that way. One cannot as easily expect someone coming from out of town to accept the admissions offer when no room is being offered. </p>
<p>Fordham does not guarantee to meet full need, nor do they. When there is need, and funds can be used from their fin aid money, they are unlikely to go into the merit money for such students, as it then gets integrated. Since one cannot use fin aid funds to those who have no need, they do use those first for those students that so qualify. They DO NOT look at those from the south and public schools as second tier. As with many schools, there are often legacy and other factors that come into play for admissions, but I 've yet to see any such favoritism for award for those who are local. Quite the opposite.</p>
<p>One can play with the NPC of Fordham’s and get an idea of what to expect in awards. There is a need/merit component to the awards, and you can change the test scores, grades, need and get a good idea how it works. Seems to me SAT and need are the determinants, but need and merit are integrated. </p>
<p>Cpt:</p>
<p>Yep. I get all of that. We understand the matrix. But…and this is not just a personal comment, its also from anecdotal comments expressed to my kid in Queens, OHare, Walsh and Campbell Halls, that there is a lot of strange goings on in the financial aid/scholarship office. I wont point fingers or name names, but its a fact that people with lower scores and stats got fairly sizable scholarships and almost without exception they were kids from catholic schools, jesuit prep schools and in one instance a well known and highly respected NYState public school. Again, I dont begrudge the winners there. Not their fault, as the money was offered and they took it. Good for them. As for need/merit issues, well…we clearly had need as we filed for financial aid and got it…in the form of a grant. The bottom line was about the same, so I am just saying its a matter of prestige and recruiting. </p>
<p>I also acknowledge and stated that a lot has changed in 7-8 years, including a large increase in Fordham tuition and thus the financial aid office has changed their matrix and offers. </p>
<p>We got the last laugh, however. While my kid didnt have a 1400 SAT (it was VERY close), she performed extraordinarily well and overcame a lot of adversity at Fordham (homesickness, physical illness, dorm drama, boyfriend drama, a rather ugly experience with one professor (that was handled nicely by the Dean of Fordham College, now President of Manhattan College), and on graduation day we were very very proud. Its just my bank account was depleted. 
</p>
<p>My m.o. as you have seen over the years on CC is to promote objectivity and fairness. I just wish Fordham was more fair in how it handles scholarships. Yes, its their money and they are private and can do as they please. And I acknowledge that while they are trying to become geographically diverse, they are also quirky in that process as well…offering kids from some locals scholarships with lower scores than kids (like mine) from areas where there isnt a large historic contingent of Fordham grads/applicants. </p>
<p>I know other stories as well…and I always scratched my head…people with considerable wealth, assets, vacation homes, boats etc with so called “need” who got big scholarships…also catholic school kids. Fordham wants to encourage catholic kids, yep. But some regions have either no catholic high school or a very poor one, and the public school was the best option. </p>
<p>I dont know where the tuition rocket stops. Its really getting absurd. We are long gone from Fordham, but I fear for the new applicants being admitted and not being able to afford it. </p>
<p>Sovereigndebt, you’re like a broken record. Do you just cut and paste your responses over and over again. You can’t prove anything that you are saying and you feel the need to repeat it on every thread that gives you an opportunity. Let it go, it’s been years. There are other qualifications that colleges look at too besides grades and test scores when handing out scholarships for one thing, and since you didn’t see all the transcripts and test scores (some people do lie, and if your daughter is whining about it they may just want to join in and compete with her in a strange way) you can’t prove that your daughter and lots of other non-catholic school kids did better than those that received scholarships.</p>
<p>Molly I am not interested in ad hominem attacks. I am well aware that some kids lie about scholarships and test scores and all sorts of stuff. But I am very certain Fordham has given large scholarships to favorite catholic schools for years. I have more information but I am not going to get into that here. You dont like my posts? Dont read them. I am aware that colleges look at many qualifications, but for academic scholarships its all about SAT scores and GPA and recruiting certain kids from certain schools. </p>
<p>Someone asked a question and I answered it. I wont respond to your snarky comment.</p>
<p>Fordham is a great school and I do my best to encourage people to consider it. I also think they have a lot of work to do in financial aid/scholarships. </p>
<p>I didnt say that non catholic school kids did better than kids with scholarships. I said my kid didnt get one despite being very close to a 1400 SAT and SHE did extremely well finishing at the very top of her class. Her friends at Fordham also did very well. They were best friends (about 10 of them) all four years. Some had scholarships, some went to catholic schools and some went to public schools.</p>
<p>Some schools have dropped the SAT because they are finding out its not always the best indicator of success in college…a blunt measuring instrument. </p>
<p>I love Fordham and will continue to post here. Have a nice day.</p>
<p>Sovereigndebt you didn’t just answer a question about their chances, you went on your usual personal rant about your daughter being short changed on a scholarship in spite of her being Phi Beta Kappa. Which is a great accomplishment that you and she should be very proud of. </p>
<p>One point is that your daughter applied almost 10 years ago so your experience may no longer be relevant. The kids accepted in the last couple of years would be a better indication , but even then at Fordham as at every large university acceptances and scholarships are very hard to predict. Catholic schools may favor Catholic students as state schools favor in state students. In both cases they are serving their own first. </p>
<p>My son also had some better scholarship opportunities at better ranked schools especially for his major but I don’t think it had anything to do with us not being catholic or from a school that they recruit from. I think it’s just the tens of thousands of applications that have to be looked at and the small number of scholarships available. You claim to have inside information that you can’t share, but I don’t the admissions committee shares information with you unless you work for them now. </p>
<p>I’m just saying that I don’t think you should give the impression that students from a school not well known to Fordham won’t be given a fair shot. The schools provide information about themselves to colleges and students from tougher high schools may be given the nod when it comes to admission and scholarships which only makes sense. It can’t all just be based on GPA’s, so until they improve standardized tests they are the only other number that they have to look at.</p>
<p>Read carefully molly. I stated my kid applied, accepted several years ago, and things have changed with increased tuition. Our experience is based on anecdotal reports and many of those are from kids from local catholic schools and their parents who affirmed what I said. Routinely Fordham gave scholarships with kids with SATs 1250 or below, to these schools. Fact. We are not from a Fordham favorite area and while my daughter’s public high school is nationally ranked she was the first to go to Fordham from there (most kids who went out of state went to liberal arts colleges in the NE and DC area, including the Ivy League.) </p>
<p>Fordham does NOT distribute scholarship funds equally. It IS based on SAT scores and GPA’s, but also what school. Their money, their choice. My kid’s SAT was above 1300 and below 1400. We accepted that fate, but when we got to Fordham and found people with scholarships, some of them 15k a year, with SAT’s below 1250 we were shocked. Again, its NOT begrudging those kids. They were offered and they took the money, good for them. Its about fairness. </p>
<p>Fordham HAS reached out across the country, but they are focused on Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Cincinnati. These are FACTS. And once again the Fordham Admissions Counselors focus on Catholic schools in those communities. With the same results as above. </p>
<p>If a family qualifies for financial aid, they may well get a generous university grant. We did. </p>
<p>We are catholic btw. </p>
<p>If I were running the program, arguendo, I would be very objective. An explicit SAT cut off for merit scholarships (not including athletic scholarships for softball, basketball, soccer, football etc.). I would be as fair and impartial as I could be. I understand affirmative action plays a role. I am not referring to affirmative action above, btw. These were all white kids from suburban homes, many with very high incomes, vacation homes. So seeing a kid with a1175 SAT get a 15k scholarship burns my chaps. Sorry. </p>
<p>Nor do I countenance the increases in tuition. But that is another story for another day and thread. </p>
<p>During our four years at Fordham I dont think I heard too many positive comments or stories about financial aid office. We did hear horror stories. </p>
<p>I am on record over the years also saying I support an Ivy system of making ALL forms of financial aid need based. Rich people squawk about that and “punishing the rich.” No. Its about fairness. Helping people afford Fordham who deserve it and with the scores to get in. There is NO REASON someone with an SAT of 1250 (or 1175!) should get a scholarship while kids with a 1350 or even higher get zip…and have to go through the financial aid process which is also very cumbersome. </p>
<p>I also admitted that we were offered scholarships at other schools, including some jesuit schools, we turned down.<br>
Again, I am not complaining about someone with an SAT of 1370 who got money. I am talking very mediocre scores like 1250 or below (Fordham standards), and simply because they went to favorite catholic schools in New Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut, they got scholarships, and often from families who didnt need the money. Grrrrrrrr.</p>
<p>Have a nice day.</p>
<p>My DD got a sizable merit based tuition reduction and Loyola Scholarship. She had high GPA(over 4.0), high SAT, high ACT(31),half a dozen APs that transferred and a few other transfer credits from an Ivy. She is an immigrant, a URM, and she consistently has gone above and beyond in her ECs, her summer activities, her volunteering, and her dedication to academic challenges, including taking extra classes at a local college for no credit. Her friends from the same public, non-Catholic HS who were accepted to Fordham with similar scores, GPAs, and interesting ECs also received some merit money. Those accepted from the same HS without the same resume did NOT receive sizable money and most ended up going to another school where they did get money. So, it does seem to be merit based, not “favored” school or Catholic school based. Good luck and remember that a school that really thinks you will contribute to THEIR goals will be more willing to entice you with merit money. </p>
<p>I do agree with molly12 that, although Sovereigndebt has given us valuable information this year, the application/acceptance and FA process has changed a lot in 10 years. I imagine it will change even more in the next four years, when I will again be going through this process! </p>
<p>I know of one kid who will be starting in the Fall from where I live who was accepted with a nice sized scholarship and attended our public HS. I know he did very well on the SAT and his family is very happy he will be attending Fordham. </p>
<p>My D attended a highly regarded public school and is not Catholic. She had very high stats and was a NMSF and received the very generous NMSF scholarship (and is having a great experience at Fordham).</p>