<p>International student</p>
<p>ACT: 34
GPA unweigthed 4.00 class rank 1/103 (my school doesn't offer AP)
Ec's, essay and recommendation letter are good.
Major: Finance at Rose Hill</p>
<p>Can I get the full ride (without room and board) or aren't my stats good enough?
How can I let Fordham know that I will just be able to attend if I get the full ride?</p>
<p>Nobody here works for financial aid. There are anecdotal reports from a few people telling their scholarships and scores (which I never advise doing, btw…it causes issues.) There are many factors that go into awarding scholarships. And Fordham is notorious for giving better merit aid to local catholic kids from local catholic schools, or from out of state catholic schools they know well. It aint fair, but it is what it is. I have no clue how they evaluate international students. Or what scholarships are designated (if any) for international students. Seriously.</p>
<p>Just apply and see what happens. Congrats on your grades and scores. </p>
<p>Always apply to 3 reach schools, 4-5 match schools and 3 safety schools. Compare offers. Good luck.</p>
<p>Sovereindebt you said that people shouldn’t report their actual experience with merit scholarships and yet you’re saying Fordham is notorious for giving better scholarships to students from catholic schools. Where do you get your information, and why would that statement be more helpful than someone giving their actual grades, scores and award? There are no guarantees and every year is different obviously, but actual experience from someone can give students an idea of what to expect. Unless you work for Fordham and have inside information, or know of merit scholarships where the requirement is a degree from a catholic HS. I don’t see your response as being helpful in any way. You sort of sound like you think your child should have gotten a scholarship or a better scholarship and heard of some kid with lesser scores that got more merit money who happened to go to a catholic HS. They probably look at more than just GPA’s and scores.</p>
<p>i actually would like to hear some actual grades/test scores from students who got a scholarship!</p>
<p>Alex, you have it the other way around: you are applying to get INTO Fordham. They have plenty of students Also trying to get in so, if you try to tell Fordham that you will only attend if they pay you to go, they’ll move on to the next student application. You can’t be arrogant or elitist; they have thousands of applicants from which to select.
Check their web site:
They have a few merit scholarships for international students which are very competitive. They don’t have need-based aid. Go on their website [International</a> Student FAQ’s](<a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/undergraduate_admiss/international_studen/international_studen_31211.asp]International”>http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/undergraduate_admiss/international_studen/international_studen_31211.asp)</p>
<p>Molly:</p>
<p>Let me count the ways. My kid graduated Fordham recently. The stories are out there in droves. Fordham DOES play favorites. They dont give the same aid to students with the same scores. And dont try and say its extracurriculars, because its not. Almost all students at Fordham come in with lots of talent, lots of extracurriculars and lots of amazing qualities. I am not saying its an easy task. </p>
<p>But I know for a fact, supported here on this board by the myriad of people self reporting (and taken at face value) that some with scores of 2200 get less scholarship than someone with 2130 and so forth. And without naming names, I know of several people who went to Catholic schools in the tristate area, well known to Fordham, who got scholarships with scores LOWER than my kid (who went to a public school). It is what it is. </p>
<p>Fordham is a private school. They can do what they want with their money. Its not an exact science. They have a preference for Catholics and for Catholic kids from Catholic schools, especially those schools where they have a long history. Fine. </p>
<p>Its a little hard to take however, for the middle class, as tuition continues to go a lot higher and the burden of financing a Fordham education becomes difficult. </p>
<p>Finally, not working for Fordham and not being privy to all the files and facts, I cant give you scientific proof of this. But its well known among Fordham students that financial aid and scholarships are not evenly distributed. </p>
<p>I am on record as being strongly against using standardized scores for scholarships and would prefer the Ivy League methodology where only NEED is considered. I have nothing against the wealthy, but I have a problem with tagging a kid from the middle class with student loans and some rich kid with an SAT score 50 pts higher (whats that? Two or three questions?) a handsome scholarship that isnt really needed. </p>
<p>Some schools spend a lot of time teaching to the SAT, while others…especially public schools in many states, don’t do that. Some kids are superb standardized test takers. They arent any smarter, in fact, sometimes they are one dimensional. Many schools have seen that SAT scores are helpful in determining the likelihood of success in college but its a very inexact science and thus they have gone SAT optional. </p>
<p>No, I dont have a perfect solution. I am just saying what needs to be said. And saying that publishing your scores and scholarships here is not a good idea as it upsets people, particularly those with HIGHER scores who got less. </p>
<p>The tristate area is blessed with wonderful INEXPENSIVE catholic high schools. I understand that. And they have sent kids to Fordham for decades. Fine. But if we are being truly fair, a lot of other states dont have that option, tradition or advantageous expense. </p>
<p>Either that or make the awards equal across the board for a given threshold SAT. Instead of favoring one group over another and having uneven results. </p>
<p>My advice to students is thus: apply to 10-12 schools and go to the one that gives you the better aid package. DONT TAKE ON HUGE DEBT for undergraduate studies. EVER. (We didnt, my kid loved Fordham, did extremely well, and we are fine…its just frustrating knowing that people with lower scores/grades got better scholarships/aid over something we had zero control over.)</p>
<p>Hopefully attending a jesuit school will help me</p>
<p>I’ll attest to the fact that Fordham does have a leaning towards people from Jesuit and Catholic schools; acceptance to Fordham and Georgetown isn’t over-the-top hard, in my school, a Jesuit school in Asia. </p>
<p>I even see the same with the other Jesuit unis I’ve seen here in my country too, so I’m not sure if it’s a Fordham specific case. It might be true for Georgetown, Marquette, etc. too.</p>