Northeastern vs. Fordham?? (transfer)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a rising sophomore at Fordham University and I absolutely hate it. I applied for transfer in a desperate attempt to escape it and the only school worth considering that accepted me was Northeastern. </p>

<p>Should I go to Northeastern or stay at Fordham for another year and apply to schools that I would love to go to?</p>

<p>Since I hold a 3.85 GPA at Fordham, I assume I'd get into at least one of the schools I desire to apply to, right? My ideal college would be a middle of nowhere liberal arts college like Oberlin, Kenyon, Carleton, but I'd also really like to transfer to home-based California schools like the UC Berklely, UCLA, USB, Pomona, USC, you name it.</p>

<p>Should I suffer another year at Fordham to reach these ideal colleges or settle for Northeastern?</p>

<p>I've only heard good things about Northeastern from friends, so I'm confident I'll be happy there as far as social aspects go; however, I'm concerned I'm not going to benefit academically. I plan to go to grad school so I doubt the raved-about co-op program would benefit me in any way.</p>

2

<p>Don’t “settle” for a school, you might be kicking yourself about it later. In your situation I’d suggest going back to Fordham and applying in the fall for transfer as a junior. What concerns me, however, is that the schools you’re interested in are kind of all over the place: there’s a BIG difference between UCLA and Kenyon!</p>

3

<p>Thanks, katliamom!</p>

<p>I forgot to mention that the UC’s and California schools I mentioned are the falling net in case the liberal arts colleges don’t work out. </p>

<p>I’ve talked it over with a few of my peers and mentors and they agree: “Settling” is no answer to anything. Hence, my prerogative is to apply again. Question now is: which semester should i apply for transfer-spring or fall? I want to get out of Fordham as quick as possible and apply for transfer for spring, but would I stand a chance since small liberal arts colleges will have, well, small and limited amount of spaces as is, let alone spring transfer spaces. I figure less people apply for spring anyway for spring spots so it’ll balance out the large influx of people applying for fall.</p>

<p>If anything, I’m applying to Middlebury (1st choice!), Oberlin, Kenyon, Carleton, Whitman, Pitzer, Colby.
I hold a 3.9 GPA at Fordham, but a 3.2 UW (Weighted with 4 AP’s) gpa at an extremely competitive high school.
SAT: 1870
EC’S: KQED Radio internship, New America Media internship, San Francisco magazine internship, college school newspaper writer, volunteer as writing tutor at 826 valencia, volunteer as academic tutor in an org. in NYC, copy editing staff member of college’s newspaper and research journal. In high school, I was editor of the opinion section of my school paper, a Pacemaker winner.</p>

<p>When I return to Fordham, I plan to initiate a petition to get recycling bins for paper in the residential hall. (Would you believe our res hall doesn’t recycle PAPER?!?!) I also plan to join the Jew club, enviornmental club, middle eastern club, and mock trial.</p>

<p>Hook: I’m Chinese American + first generation. I speak Cantonese, Chewtao (a conservative dialect of Chinese), and of course English. I plan to major in English and minor in Spanish. (which may be appealing to Middlebury).</p>

<p>Any advice about the transfer process would be much appreciated!! Truthfully, I felt like nothing if not a complete failure due to the batch of rejections I got from my first transfer process but I’m happy to be persevering for something I truly want. I suppose if it was worth doing the first time, it’s worth the second shot.</p>

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<p>Hey @nyccali, I was wondering why you hate Fordham so much. I’m a rising high school senior and I’m considering applying to Fordham. However, it’s not one of my top choices. One of my reservations was the fact that it’s a Jesuit university & I’m not that religious and I consider myself to be liberal. I’m also not sure if I’ll like the core. How was your experience at the school with these 2 things? Thanks!</p>

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<p>Hey @nyccali! I’m a rising high school senior and I’m considering applying to Fordham. It’s not one of my top choices, but I’m thinking about it. I was wondering why you disliked your experience so much. One of my reservations about Fordham is that it’s a Jesuit university & I’m not very religious. I’ve also heard that the students are fairly conservative and I’m not sure if I would fit in. How was you experience considering these 2 things? Thanks!</p>

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<p>Lol sorry for the double post! I didn’t think it posted the first time.</p>

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<p>@berries123</p>

<p>For sure! I’d be more than happy to give you some insight, though my insight will be limited to the lincoln center campus. I can also tell you as much as I know about the Rose hill campus too if you forward your eyes to the last paragraph of this message.</p>

<p>Like yourself, I am not religious and liberal, if not very liberal. The students lean socially liberal, but a strong case can be made that the majority of students are economically liberal. I have attributed this to the fact that Fordham is one of the most expensive colleges in the country. I’ve encountered a select few students who are particularly religious (attending church every sunday, etc.), but I would say a little more than half of the students identify as light-practicing Catholics. </p>

<p>More than anything, it is the bureaucracy and the administration that I have a problem with. For someone who has grown up in a completely secular and liberal environment, it seems to me that Fordham administration rules with an iron fist, feeling at times the school to be undemocratic and unjustified. In the midst of the birth control debate (church vs. obama administration), Fordham still refuses to offer birth control and contraceptives to their students. In response, nurses at the health clinic are furious and covertly refer to students the nearest Planned Parenthood. Fordham is also the only NYC school that every year, refuses to support the Vagina Monologues in part of the V-Day movement. I have chosen to leave this institution because I can’t rally for what the school stands for.</p>

<p>The students at my school also play a huge part of why I want to transfer. I have met some people with a true yen for learning, but I would say the majority (90%) I have encountered are generally dispassionate about learning, overprivileged, and clueless about the real world around them. These are vaguely kids from who wanted to live the glamorous, superficial life of NYC. Quite frankly, I am sick of being surrounded by people who are inactive and unproductive with their lives and unconscious of the world around them. In fact, last year, a Fordham professor at RH resigned from her job and wrote publicly on her facebook that she believed the Fordham administration and students are unempathetic to social issues. Read more: [Professor</a> Publicizes Resignation Letter After Slurs](<a href=“http://www.fordhamobserver.com/professor-publicizes-resignation-letter-after-slurs/]Professor”>Professor Publicizes Resignation Letter After Slurs - The Observer)
I agree with her that there is something very jarring about the discrepancy between what the institution says it stand for and its actions. Also, I kid you not that ALL the friends I have made last year, have transferred schools.</p>

<p>LC’s campus feels like a jail to me: learn in one building, live in the next. You would never have to go outside if you wanted to because these buildings connect with a hallway undergrounds. Facilities suck. Your library’s in the basement and your gym is the size of one room with home-gym equipments. A strong incentive to stay at Fordham LC, however, is the small class sizes. For a professor to read an essay and match your face to it is invaluable to me. It’s truly a privilege to hear feedback from your professor, commenting on your growth as a student and individual in a class. Though, I would say I have only encountered 1 professor that I think the world of. Also, keep in mind small class sizes means class time may be riddled with students asking non-conducive questions/comments.</p>

<p>I have visited the Rose Hill campus about 4 times now and I find that the kinds of students in LC and RH are more or less the same. However, the culture and the lifestyle is pretty different. RH is all about the bars, clubs in the Bronx—getting hammered all day, everyday. There are also make-shift frat houses that throw parties with an entrance fee, i.e. yellow house. RH has a huge and beautiful campus; LC is a two-building “campus” with fend-for-yourself cafeteria hours (i.e. get your own dinner on weekends). </p>

<p>Keep in mind all this one person’s opinion. A strong case can be made that this school is awesome.</p>

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<p>In regards to the core curriculum, the core is HUGE. The core occupies most students’ first two years. </p>

<p>I personally, really like the interdisciplinary aspect of this curriculum, considering I’m applying strictly to liberal art colleges. Fordham’s core, however, is tailored to the interests of the Jesuit/Catholic community. Yes, you’ve got the math, history, english, language, social sciences, etc. but you’re also required to take theology class and a sacred text class. I rather enjoyed this though since I am fascinated with seeing the world through the perspective of the other person; observing and understanding first hand texts is a vital component to this. But these opportunities are available in spades at other institutions as well.</p>

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<p>You didn’t know that Fordham was a Catholic, Jesuit school before you enrolled?</p>

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<p>@nyccali Thanks so much! My top choice dream school is Barnard College and I’ve been trying to find other schools similar to it to apply to that I feel like would fit me. I’m not sure that Fordham would be the best choice for me (based on current students’ opinions and my visit to the Rose Hill campus). Thanks again!</p>

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<p>@berries123</p>

<p>best of luck in your search for where you fit!</p>

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<p>Note that UCs are set up mainly to take transfer students starting in fall of their junior years (although some may have school’s choice spring admission). It would not be surprising if many other colleges have more space for entering students starting in the fall than the spring, based on more students graduating at the end of spring than fall.</p>

<p>As a junior transfer, you should be ready to declare your major.</p>