New Parent with Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Fordham University
21

<p>Swimmer:</p>

<p>I do know that the rowing team rises early and works out…and its time consuming, though time well spent. Exercise in fact is an exceptional way to reduce stress, improve physical stamina (avoiding sickness) and making for better mental health overall. Stress is a huge factor in college. The workload and the level of instruction ramps up significantly from high school and for some its shocking. How much time that leaves for other activities depends on your coursework, major and how much energy you have. </p>

<p>Taben: There is a student union and other smaller venues on campus at Rose Hill. And many also hang out in the cafeteria…as I have done many times with daughter and friends…eating a fabulous Sunday brunch. There is a gym for workouts. There are intramural sports teams. There are student government positions. There are political clubs though Fordham is not a hotbead for heated politics. The Student Newspaper is a really good way to make friends and use your writing skills. Fordham has a phenomenal chorus that travels. They have a pep band, and an orchestra. There is an A Capella singing group as well. There are theatre tryouts at Rose Hill for those not drama majors at Lincoln Center. </p>

<p>We have a new Athletic Director whom I have met and really like. He has made significant changes in how the Athletics Department is being run including making Fordham gear easier to obtain on campus. </p>

<p>Finally, my daughter used Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and LaGuardia Airport. Seldom was there a time when she didnt see other Fordham kids coming and going, particularly at holiday travel times. </p>

<p>My daughter used to gather friends and make a trek to Rockefeller Center for the Christmas Tree lighting every year…then dining cheap nearby. They made treks to Greenwich Village and that scene for cool clubs, they made treks to the Upper West Side and Upper East Side for museums and cafes and art galleries. </p>

<p>They made treks to Coney Island and Brooklyn. They made treks to Queens-Astoria. </p>

<p>They even went mall shopping in Westchester looking for computer paraphernalia and christmas shopping. </p>

<p>My daughter and her boyfriend were very well known on campus by students, fabulty, administrators, deans. They had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. But their core group of friends, mostly 4-5 girls and their significant others-boyfriends, who lived together in apartments in Walsh and Campbell Halls and lived on the same floor in OHare and Queens Court, were their social friends for going out, hanging out and doing “Study Parties”…where they would munch popcorn or candy while chatting and studying…they were ALL at the top of the class at Fordham…ALL of them. They are friends today…still very very close…and starting to attend weddings. </p>

<p>I hope that helps.</p>

<p>p.s. Swimming: I think the pools at Fordham are open for leisure swims/laps, but I dont have the times. Its in the Lombardi Center behind RHG.</p>

22

<p>Fordham also has The Rose Hill Society which is by invitation. Its an Honors Club on campus and they are the student ambassadors. Then there is the semi secret Fordham Club which is for upper classmen and is uber exclusive…</p>

<p>its not a big deal if you dont do either club. Some in fact dont want to. But for those who want to give back to Fordham in such manner, its a good way to do it, and interact with faculty and administrators. </p>

<p>Fordham has MANY traditions. EnCaenia at Graduation is one such tradition. Lord and Lady of the Manor. </p>

<p>Also Fordham belongs to national honor societies in Philosophy, History, Psychology, Theology and others. For those whose grades and scholarship efforts warrant they are excellent ways to communicate with people of similar passions.</p>

23

<p>Wanted to note that Villanova is definitely NOT in a rural location. It is located minutes outside of Philadelphia - probably 15 minutes from Center City, in a suburban/urban community. Unless you know where the city border is, you would think it is within the Philadelphia city boundary.</p>

<p>and for what it is worth, there are also students who spend their weekends in local bars, much to the dismay of the surrounding residents. But there is much, muich more to do there, if students want to find other things to do. Especially if you are apt to use public transit.</p>

24

<p>Snoopy:</p>

<p>Yep. I have neighbors with kids at Villanova. And another close friend through daughter’s boyfriend. Great school. Beautiful campus. </p>

<p>But I am not a huge fan of Philadelphia. I would go to Villanova for engineering. But for Liberal Arts and Business, I would pick New York and pick Fordham.</p>

<p>Nova folks like to think they have higher SAT’s…and its skewed somewhat by their engineering class which has very high math scores. </p>

<p>Of course, its personal and everyone has a different set of vibes. So that is the bottom line.</p>

25

<p>After reading this thread and many others on this forum, I asked my child why her counselor had Fordham as a safety for top students. Her recollection was because the SAT for enrolled students (50% range, which I see is 1790-2010 as reported on Fordham’s site) was not very high and because it is ranked near Pitt, Clemson, Tulane, etc. and those too tend to be safety schools at her school for top students based on trends on Naviance. We also are from an area of the country from which few enrolled Fordham students are from, so it could be that the geographic diversity hook is a very strong one?
However, in reading the stats of EA admitted students I think Fordham is being underestimated where we are. The yield is not too high in general and I think from our area it is very, very low. I am thinking perhaps because the strongest students maybe also are crossing with BC, ND, Georgetown??? I don’t know. But we are coming to find that getting in EA and getting the merit scholarship is no small accomplishment and that Fordham is worthy of great consideration. We are planning to head back to look again with more questions as it is now a real possibility.</p>

26

<p>OP: Congratulations on the scholarship. We, too, didn’t have Fordham at the top of the list when my d first started applying. We started to look at it more closely because of the scholarship that was offered, liked it more and more the more we looked, and now are so glad that she is a Fordham student. The academics are superb, everyone is so welcoming and nice - she is having a great experience.</p>

<p>I suggest that you take a look at the page for the Queens court freshman dorm. That dorm has many dorm traditions and there are frequent planned events. There are about 150 students in that dorm and my D felt that she knew everyone in the dorm by the end of the year. My d met a bunch of lovely people in the dorm right away which really helped to make for an easy transition to college.</p>

<p>My d has a friend who was in the Manresa program. I don’t know a lot about it, but do think that the students in the program take some classes together and that there are other planned activities for the students in the program. Another of her friends was in SILC, a science integrated living learning community his freshman year. </p>

<p>We live in nyc so my d could come home on weekends if she wanted to, but she is so busy with her friends that she has no desire to leave campus. Occasionally, when she wants something from home, we bring it to her (and when we have been on campus on the weekend there are students all around - it doesn’t look as if a significant number of students go home). The few times she did come home on a weekend, she came with a big group of friends (they had come from some activity that brought them near our house) we made dinner for them, and then they all left and returned to campus after dinner. I can’t think of a single evening, except for school breaks, that she has slept at home. She is too busy and is having too much fun on campus! Some of her friends live in the nyc metro area and they stay on campus too - my d and a big group of her friends volunteer at a community organization near campus every Sunday.</p>

27

<p>Officiating:</p>

<p>Delighted you are taking a serious look at Fordham. The entire process of selecting a college is stressful for every student/family because of admissions issues, financing and then deciding among competing offers. Add into that the stress of seeing long friends from high school go elsewhere and moving to a new city and its very overwhelming.</p>

<p>Been there, done that.</p>

<p>No school is perfect. And no school is perfect for every student. Its very personal and subjective. However, Fordham’s strong academics, unique setting(s), and Jesuit heritage make it very special. </p>

<p>So called safety schools are a misnomer. There are strong schools all up and down the UNSWR rankings. The differences are mostly in the perceptions based on avg. SAT scores of entering students. Fordham’s scores have been rising for more than 15 years. And you will find that even with its avg around 1280, there are many with uber stats in attendance, many of whom declined offers from very high ranking schools. </p>

<p>Your kid will be challenged at Fordham. And the best students typically get identified by faculty quickly who then pour on more work! To prepare them for graduate school. Some of Fordham’s best professors are the hardest professors. </p>

<p>New York is a highly competitive city…with so many people with such amazing credentials competing for jobs in Manhattan. Fordham does very well with job placement in Manhattan, but its the top students who get those jobs. </p>

<p>It doesnt mean that your kid wont have fun at Fordham. But they must manage their workload and time very efficiently, and find time to destress and relax to stay healthy. </p>

<p>Its a great place to attend college, with amazing internships. Best of luck.</p>

28

<p>Honestly, I hate that term, “Safety School,” but aside from my personal feelings, that counselor really needs to rethink their career, if advising that Fordham and Tulane are somebody’s “Safeties.” I’ve been following the Tulane thread, as well – deferrals include those in their upper 25%, including one who posted with a 35 ACT, excellent grades, etc. Not rejected, yet, but still, the deferral is quite a shock to many students, especially if their counselor, too, has been assuring them that they will absolutely be accepted.</p>

<p>I have the impression that Fordham is not as subjective as Tulane in its early round; wish we had more posters, to get a better sample size. In any event, Officiating and others, since my family has visited about 20 campuses, with tours and info sessions at almost all, I feel confident saying that each school has a personality, even when on paper they seem very similar. You’ve received excellent info and advice; in the end, chemistry plays a big role and most of us make a subjective decision. Hope your family is able to visit all campuses in which your student has an interest. Best wishes!</p>

29

<p>I would agree that Fordham should not be considered a safety. The term safety is not even used at one of our kid’s schools…they use the term likely. Either way, there is no certainty.
Now I will say that with Naviance I think you can have a better read on where you might fall based on your school’s history with a certain college. If Officiating’s school sees that any student with (for instance) an ACT of over 30 and a GPA over 3.75 who applied to Fordham EA has gotten in, then that might be the reason for the categorization but it still would not be a guarantee. For us, it was (and is) not only about getting in but also getting scholarships. Naviance does not at all help in determining that very important factor.
Fordham is only getting stronger. I suspect the average SAT of entering students will not begin at 1790 any longer or ever again. That number deceives people into thinking that it might be easier to get in than it actually is.</p>

<p>Note: We have seen at our school and on this board a lot of overlap of students with EA for Fordham, Northeastern, Tulane, Villanova and Pitt (rolling).</p>

30

<p>I think that one of the reasons the application numbers are rising is that students are realizing that it is a great school AND has one of the easier applications. For the Common Application, unlike Boston College and Villanova, there is no supplemental essay AND no required teacher recommendation (the counselor rec. with the transcript is enough). Unlike the heavy hitters of Georgetown and Notre Dame, there is no need for SAT subject test.
Basically, if you have already done the common application you need do nothing more than pay to have your SAT or ACT score sent in, as often the application fee is waived.<br>
I think Fordham will find that it needs to add a supplemental essay if only to weed out those that apply in haste because of the ease. </p>

<p>I am wondering if the scholarships, however, are given to those that go the extra mile and do send in teacher recommendations, for instance?</p>

31

<p>You can check the requirements on the Fordham website regarding scholarships, but my guess would be no. If the school your D is in is using Naviance, then all of the schools she applies to get the letters of recommendation and often the letters are required for most schools. Although nice, the letters, like the essay, are more of a tie-breaker than anything else. At least, that’s what I was told in all of college open houses I went to.</p>

32

<p>Our D already applied and did send recommendations even though the counselor’s recommendation automatically goes out with the transcript.
However, our nephew was here on New Year’s and as we talked about Fordham and other Catholic colleges, his parents told him he should have applied to one or two (we are Catholic). He got on Common App on D’s laptop and checked out a few and decided to apply to Fordham because ‘they don’t need anything but my common app and transcript!’. He was thrilled and pressed submit, then went to the SAT site and had is scores sent and to his school site and requested a transcript for Fordham. Done.
He has great scores (Nation Merit Semifinalist and 2300 SAT) but not so great grades…it will be interesting to see if he gets in and if he gets the Semifinalist scholarship (I would think not because of grades). D told him to ask his teachers to submit their recs and he declined, based on the theory that if it is not asked for he is not sending it and because he has the reputation of being bright but not a particularly hard worker (but smart enough to get by with some effort). Most appealing to him were all the reviews about access bars and parties on some site he went on. Needless to say, he and D, though close, have never hung out socially and certainly will not in college if by some chance they end up at the same place!
Frankly, and by his own admission, he would not have applied for Fordham had they asked for an additional essay. That is why he skipped Villanova and BC. So it would be to Fordham’s benefit to put a little more meat into the application requirements based on what I saw January 1 with my fun loving nephew! If he does get in, let’s hope he is ready to work.</p>

33

<p>I’m sure he will do fine, he might just need a little push. Also, bars and parties aren’t all that exist in Fordham in terms of social life, as you read before.</p>

<p>When I applied to Fordham, my mom and I were both surprised that there was not an extra essay. I also applied to BC and NYU, both who wanted extra essays. Actually, NYU wanted two. However, I was relieved, since I still had a lot of school work left to do. also, I was pretty much crossing my fingers to get into Fordham. But yes, it would be good idea to add a small essay to weed out some students. </p>

<p>Now, I am attending Fordham, and I love it. There are a lot of events going on. I go to the ones I can, since I commute. Also, I should probably mention I go to the Lincoln Center campus. However, I do go up to Rose Hill from time to time. I’m sure both your daughter and nephew will do fine at Fordham.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>