Happy Friday!
I am new to college confidential, pardon me if there are mistakes.
My daughter is Asian female from California and got accepted into Fordham Gabelli for Fall of 2022 with a good scholarship (~50 k per year) and UT Austin McCombs with no merit aid. Fordham Pros
COA - ~30k
Location - New York, closer to wall street
Job opportunities - good with decent starting salaries
Competition/Course Rigor - Easy to shine with hard work Cons
Location - Too far away from CA
Diversity - Not very diverse so my daughter may be odd person out
Safety - No idea
Reputation - Good school but not T10 as McCombs
UT Austin McCombs Pros
Reputation - T10 school for business
Location - Austin, closer to CA
Diversity - very diverse
job opportunities - very good with high starting salaries
Cons
Cost of Attendance - ~70k, exploring in state tuition from 2nd year onwards
Competition/Course Rigor - Very competitive
Am I missing any?
I know no one whose kid goes to Fordham from Bay Area but plenty of kids go to UT Austin. so there is that familiar vs unfamiliar territory
My daughter is at 49/51 for Fordham vs McCombs but diversity is a big factor in decision making.
Thank you for all your help in advance.
Note: If this thread is in wrong place and needs to be moved to someplace please let me know.
If NYC is the goal then Fordham. Easy. Just realize a NYC salary is higher bcuz it’s NYC and if I banking is the goal, you work work work and it’s not for everyone.
Texas or Ny…both are far from CA so it’s an equal con. A 3 hour or 5 hr plane ride is the same thing.
Are you moving to Tx? Not sure in state is possible unless you buy a place and establish domicile for 12 months. Colleges block this…well states do. You are higher revenue to them - they’re not looking to do you favors unless you invest your life there.
I would not make a decision assuming that you will get in state tuition. What does the 40k difference mean to your family? Can you do it without loans?
I would not describe Fordham as “not very diverse”. College Factual ranks them 128th in ethnic diversity out of almost 4000 colleges in the country. With more than a thousand Asian Americans on campus, I would not see her as being “odd man out.” Although Fordham draws heavily from the NY tri-state area, the state with the 4th most students at Fordham is California.
If diversity is the deciding factor, then she should go to Texas because it is exceptionally diverse, one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in the country.
Fordham’s population is: 4% Black, 12% Asian, 16% Hispanic, 4% Multiracial, 55% White, 7% International, and 1% or less for others. 60% are from out-of-state.
UT’s population is: 4% Black, 23% Asian, 26% Hispanic, 4% Multiracial, 37% White, 4% International, and 1% or less for others. 7% are from out-of-state.
There may be more racial diversity at UT than at Fordham, but that does not mean that Fordham is not diverse. Also, there’s a lot more geographic diversity at Fordham than there is at UT. All stats are from the College Board.
Also, what kind of housing guarantees are there at each? What’s housing like if/when your D has to move off-campus? UT has 32% of first-years in on-campus housing while Fordham has 56%. How that interprets to the remaining years and what kind of guarantees there are is definitely something I would look into.
50K scholarship is very good. Gabelli has a good reputation in NY. The immediate campus area is not crime-free, but Fordham and the university neighbors and police seem to work together to maintain safety. 4-year housing is guaranteed. I knew there are a lot of students from California. Fordham requires business and liberal arts core curriculum to be completed first or sophomore year. There is so much to do in New York City.
I believe if you are accepted with housing at Fordham that it is guaranteed for all four years (at least that was the case when my son attended). OP can confirm that is still the case.
I had some of the same concerns while investigating UT and Fordham. Racial diversity was definitely important to me, and while UT is more diverse, Fordham is not a bad option. It is important to note that, from what I know, LC is more diverse than RH. I don’t think your daughter would feel out of place, but it is a more nuanced subject.
Safety- I, along with many others, have never felt unsafe (not to say things can’t happen). The LC campus itself is extremely strict when it comes to security. It is important to stay aware of your surroundings while in the city, but this applies to all places.
I am also from the Bay Area and Texas, and there are many students from California at LC.
If you or your daughter have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities. Good luck!
Most of the kids from UT getting Wall Street jobs are in the honors program. Is your kiddo in honors? I wouldn’t pay the differential for UT. But then I wouldn’t pay $70k for any huge state school. UT does not feel diverse at all.
Are you willing to do what it takes to get in-state. It’s definitely possible but will cost money. And the housing market in Austin is insane right now.
Thank You all for thoughtful responses, much appreciated.
40k is a difference we will be able to absorb without loans but it is not a non-issue. She is not in MCCombs honors ( forgot to apply )
Exploring real estate for instate tuition and Austin realtors say it is feasible to get instate tuition after 1 year of domicile.
Along with above two, DD also got into UT Dallas Jindal School of Management honors with full ride (cost of attendance is zero) and extra stipend and as well as into Cornell ILR as transfer student in Sophomore year.
My head is spinning with so many plan A, plan B’s, I know I know, I am thankful she has these options, don’t get me wrong.
She is really interested in Cornell ILR too and we are also exploring going to Fordham or UT Dallas for freshman year and then transferring to Cornell. Which one would you folks recommend and why?
Cornell ILR is a given if she meets the requirements set for transfer but is non-binding, meaning she can chose to not go to Cornell in 2nd year and can continue where she did her first year.
Austin realtors want to sell you a home. I wouldn’t so much as listen to them - rather I’d learn and understand the law. And Austin real estate is expensive.
Now you introduced new things.
If she wants ILR, she doesn’t want Wall Street. I would not take the Cornell deal for this reason - because you don’t want to start school with one foot out the door. You want to go where you go and love it.
Oh, and now you introduced UT Dallas - and ILR which tells me Wall Street isn’t the goal.
So full COA at UT Dallas is a no brainer here.
UT and Fordham are fine schools but too many parents assume a guarantee of some great level of employment and it’s not the case.
So introducing this wrinkle today - full ride is unreal!!!
Hi! Can you share where your daughter decided to attend? My HS senior son got full tuition at Fordham (Gabelli) and has been admitted to UT but we’re waiting to see if he got into business. We live in Texas and he is an auto admit.