<p>@hen4763 interesting, thanks. i don’t mind that there would be conservative people on campus, i just wanted to make sure it wasn’t dominant.</p>
<p>@Matachines I was thinking of applying to LC instead of RH because of that, but i also would enjoy to have a campus/sports teams on campus so i don’t know if i’d enjoy school at LC as much… I will definitely take some classes there, though.</p>
<p>ALSO---- I am not very religious. at all. does anyone know if that will be a problem at RH?</p>
<p>It is not an issue if you are not religious, The Jesuits offer religious outlets to those who are interested but they don’t push it on students (however, there are two theology classes required as part of the core). Many students at Fordham are not even Catholic (I have Jewish, Muslim, atheist friends who are all comfortable here). However, you should be respectful of religion and the Jesuits.</p>
<p>And I think I finally found the right words…I don’t think Fordham will be too conservative for you, but it may strike you as having a greater percentage of pre-professional type students than some of the other schools you are considering. Still, there are tons of liberal arts majors (English, Psychology, Theology, Philosophy etc.) on campus. Personally, I love that I have a mix of friends who are interested in so many different things and who will have such varied and interesting futures.</p>
<p>For me having a traditional campus with easy access to Manhattan is amazing, the small classes where you can get to know your professors are great, and I’ve made wonderful friends. Again, I think the best thing to do is come back to campus if you can and see what you think. </p>
<p>There are various ways to be “liberal” and “conservative” and people do mix and match. My Gabelli daughter says there is a prominant precence of busness majors who make no bones about caring about little but their own self-interests, as defined by financial success. Their politics, economic and social, are conservative, and “Jesuit values” of social justice, etc. do not interest them. Some of these, however, are quite “liberal” in their personal behavior relating to sex and alcohol. There are others, in contrast, who are conservatrive regarding economic matters, but are already actively working for social justice in various ways and who run the gamut regarding personal behavior.</p>
<p>My non-business-major daughter reports that most of the students she knows lean towards the socially/polically liberal, with a broad continuum of politcal awareness and personal behavior. Both agree that Fordham is a much less political campus than their high school.</p>
<p>Spending time at Fordham will give you a feel for the “vibe” and whether it is a strong fit for you. Having spent time on both campuses, I would categorize Skidmore’s student body as much more liberal and political than Fordham’s. But, that’s me. It might feel different to you. Give some thought to what you mean by “extremely liberal,” and what aspects of that are most important to you in a campus environment. Do you want to be in a place with a lot of activism? Do you care most about being able to party as you see fit? Do you want to make friends who will talk about political ideas? </p>
<p>If volunteer work and social justice are extremely important to you, there’s no place that beats Fordham, in terms of opportunities.</p>
<p>Best wishes! </p>
<p>In answer to the question about would a student who isn’t religious feel uncomfortable, while there appear to be many opportunities for a student who is religious to participate in activities, there are many students who aren’t religious and aren’t Catholic. My daughter isn’t Catholic and is comfortable at Fordham. She mentioned that one of the RAs in her dorm is an Israeli and has hung up a poster in the lobby of Hanukkah activies that are being held in the city. So it seems as if religious activies for Catholic students are there if you want them, but if you don’t care to participate, there will be many other students who also aren’t participating.</p>
<p>Also, lest it be misperceived that FCLC is a college in Manhattan for atheists, non believers and erstwhile angry liberals ;-), let me be clear that is not the case.</p>
<p>The Church of St. Paul the Apostle is directly across the street from Fordham Lincoln Center and is utilized by Fordham and its student body for worship and praise, and holiday concerts. Its a stunning church. And is available to Fordham students seeking refuge from the storms of life. There are conservatives at Lincoln Center as well. </p>
<p>And not all conservatives are “selfish people seeking personal wealth” (though I am sure kvothefan didnt mean it that way in a pejorative sense.) For the record, wallstreet is inhabited by many many uber wealthy people, the majority of whom are democrats and socially liberal. Wallstreet firms donate to both political parties to cover their positions and hedge the political landscape, just as they do the market itself. 
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<p>My very socially conscious and community oriented daughter is fiscally conservative. Its not counterintuitive or contradictory. And some liberals I know who are outwardly “liberal-holy” as in supportive of social justice, are also some of the most money hungry people I know. </p>
<p>People may be conservative or liberal on certain issues and then switch sides on other factors, or even vote for candidates from the other party in certain races. The vast majority of Americans are in the muddled middle.</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with passion for beliefs, so long as tolerance is practiced. Tolerance means acknowledgement and understanding and respect for views other than your own. And its a two way street. You cant expect others to be tolerant of your views or lifestyle and you not be tolerant of others. There is never a mandate to be tolerant of intolerance or groups who practice intolerance, particularly violence. </p>
<p>At Rose Hill, some of the preppies and business school kids are indeed liberal democrats. Many people majoring in communications and going into network broadcasting or cable channels are liberals. And its also true that some conservatives are liberal arts majors. Theology has doctrinal conservatives. On and on. </p>
<p>The essentials of Jesuit ethos and ethics require us all to consider the whole person…from all angles and perspectives. </p>
<p>Often times, we learn that liberals and conservatives desire the same result but from different perspectives and different means of achieving those goals. </p>
<p>Dont mean to be preachy, just trying to clarify. And finally, some folks embrace diversity and seek out others who are different than themselves and enjoy the discourse and debate. Nothing more boring than being in a club of one sided one dimensional views where everyone is a clone of the other. Just my perspective. </p>
<p>God bless. </p>
<p>thank you all. i definitely agree with the thing about how being around other viewpoints–even if i don’t agree with them–is good for discussion and a more diverse environment. </p>
<p>still, if anyone has anything else to say about the student body at fordham (RH), PLEASE do not hesitate to share. </p>
<p>I will close with these remarks: </p>
<p>There is no real way to analyze this process and come up with a perfect location and perfect setting with the perfect mix of academics and social interests and perfect campus and perfect dorms.</p>
<p>We empathize. Been there and done that. More college tours than a butterfly had flowers to land upon. </p>
<p>At the end of the day, no college is perfect. Not one. There are “issues” at every college. Bureaucracy, arrogant and insensitive people, faculty, administrators, and dorm issues, food issues, this issue and that issue. </p>
<p>You generally will walk upon a campus and get a feel…a gut feel that this “is me” (and that may be a contrarian me…someone who embraces something different.). We hope that everyone chooses a college and knows its the right choice and never looks back. Statistically there are a small percentage (less than 5%) who make mistakes and know it almost immediately…and often can cite a reason: making a decision for the wrong reason (whatever that may have been for THEM). No college is a perfect fit for everyone. </p>
<p>Growth will happen, and change is not always easy or simple or comfortable. Fordham IS transformational.<br>
People choose colleges for a lot of funny reasons…and some do it to be close to home, to be close to high school friends, to be clones of mom and dad, to be searching for an ideal of some sort they envision in the clouds, to be running away from home, from friends at high school and so forth. A myriad of reasons. </p>
<p>For us (and it frankly surprised me the day it happened), it was walking on campus in April 2007 and my kid saying, "“This is me”…as strange as that sounded to us…we are not New Yorkers. There was last minute challenges and pangs of do I really want to go up north? It came down to two schools and it was not an easy decision. Tears flowed. But…she stuck with her statement made in April…and off she went. </p>
<p>Freshmen year was full of all sorts of drama, homesickness, culture shock, fear, physical illness, stress, hard work, tears…and a 2-3 “prayer meetings” we had with her in the hotel…about whether to endure and stick it out…and two very valuable and rewarding weekend retreats with campus ministry…fabulous. </p>
<p>Today, she is a PROUD Fordham Ram. </p>
<p>You will know it when you step on campus. You will know whether you fit there and can do well there. You will know if the people you see and talk with are people who will challenge you socially, personally, emotionally, academically…and help you transition to adulthood. </p>
<p>My kid loved her high school buddies…but really wanted something new and challenging. Some of it was a bit of nose thumbing at a certain school that waitlisted her (haahaa!) AND also at a former boyfriend she wanted to just forget about…yada yada…and some of it was knowing deep down she needed to grow and not just go do a repeat of high school with friends (at prestigious local schools…very high national rankings). </p>
<p>Is that you? Or are you a homebody? A homing pigeon? Risk averse? Or risk taker? Embrace challenge or hide from it? Like diversity or want clones? Want to learn and share and accept the fact YOU will change and grow and maybe come out the other side a lot different than when you entered? </p>
<p>Why are southern kids heading north and northern kids heading south? (or east going west and west coming east?) See above. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>@sovereign Thank you! i can tell you put a lot of effort into that haha. i never have issues with homesickness or anything and i know that i’d be able to make things work wherever i go… it’s just that, the fact that i am able to CHOOSE really makes me want to make the best choice-- for me.</p>
<p>if ANYONE has anything else to say (good or bad) please share!</p>
<p>Yep. I get that. Its the first big adult decision of your life that truly impacts your life. Millions are doing the same thing and every college educated person in America did it before them. Not diminishing your decision at all. Just acknowledging that you are struggling with it. As I pointed out, my kid essentially made the decision (finally!) in April…only to have more anguish for two more weeks until the last hour of the last day before she hit “send” on the email. Some people focus on one school, get in and never look back. But many more look around and struggle between many wonderful choices. </p>
<p>Its okay. We (Fordham faithful) hope you choose Fordham. But if not, we understand and wish you well. </p>
<p>Hey, if its any consolation, im going through the same dilemma. Im so liberal it hurts and am not preppy, so youll have one person! haha</p>
<p>@sovereigndebt it will probably be fordham. The things I like (LOVE) about the school will probably outweigh the things I don’t. </p>
<p>@MaggieRod great to know there’s someone else with the same issue hahahah. If you find out anything more… Seriously PLEASE comment, it would be really helpful to me </p>
<p>My daughter finds RH to be liberal. </p>
<p>@MomTheChauffer thanks! can she possibly elaborate on that at all?</p>
<p>I’ll say this… they certainly won’t push any specific beliefs on you, but the beliefs WILL spill over in certain rules. For example, they do not provide any contraception at all to students and guest rules for the dorms are pretty strict (but people find their way around them anyway). So, those sort of things are what make Fordham seem very conservative but other than that nothing will be pushed onto you. </p>
<p>I am extremely liberal and a freshman at LC. I have found that the school itself (as in faculty, deans, etc…) are more liberal than I was expecting. There are a lot of Republicans, but even most of them are socially liberal though not to the extent I was used to. There are plenty of extremely liberal people proactive in the Fordham community, however. I may not be able to speak about Rose Hill, but I can say that there is a more liberal mindset to the people living at LC. Some people think it has to do with the more Cosmopolitan aspect of the campus, but I don’t know about that.</p>