<p>I applied to Fordham University as an English major and was waitlisted. I have a 3.6 GPA (low, I know, 9th grade I was a total dunce about grades) and got a 2010 on my SAT (also low, I know, my math score was 500 and writing was 700s). I've done a lot of extracurriculars and solid community service, so I'm assuming it was probably my GPA that got me waitlisted. I'm going to write a letter essentially telling the admissions office that I feel that Fordham is, I feel, the best school for me. However, I don't know how to else to try and get in off the waistlist. I've heard that it's really uncommon. Does anyone know what my chances are? </p>
<p>People do get in off the waitlist but often they are commuters and dont need housing. But you need to let them know that Fordham is your top choice and you will accept an offer if they take you. Good luck</p>
<p>thank you! i’m going to write a letter and try to emphasize how important this is to me!</p>
<p>My daughter just declined due to poor financial aid.
Business - Lincoln</p>
<p>Hope someone else can make use of spot!</p>
<p>This is baffling tbh, I got in with lower scores after being deferred. Very surprised you got waitlisted. Maybe your EC’s weren’t good enough.</p>
<p>Fordham received a record number of almost 41,000 applications this year. The admit rate was 47% from a HIGHLY qualified applicant pool where the avg SAT scores jumped yet again another 7 points. Fordham admitted 19,000 but will only enroll (yield) 2,100 as usual. I have no clue how this will affect the wait list. </p>
<p>@rgosula I’m sorry about the financial aid situation! I’m in a similar place now, which is why the wait list unnerves me (financial aid being unavailable sometimes, and all!) — I hope that your daughter finds a college that’s right for her! :)</p>
<p>@NigerianPrince I’ve done a lot of extracurricular stuff (orchestra, choir, I’m a sports team captain, I’ve done community service, theatre, Mock Trial and the like) — maybe it was that, or community service? I’m not sure! I guess it’s always kind of a crapshoot! </p>
<p>@ sovereigndebt Yikes, that doesn’t seem to bode particularly well. But I’ve been in contact with them, so we’ll see what happens, I guess!</p>
<p>@queenofthenorth, daughter got full tuition merit scholarship at Northeastern and accepted, so we are all good!</p>
<p>That’s fantastic and so great for her! Best wishes for her there!</p>
<p>I don’t understand why the yield is so low at Fordham. It is a beautiful school in an important city for jobs, great academics and good reputation. Also, from what I have seen on cc, seem to be giving a lot of merit money to their top applicants. Hopefully, they figure out how to get the yield up. Then they can get more selective on admissions, 47% does not reflect the quality education Fordham provides. Good luck to all on the waitlist and congrats to all who survived this process. Glad it is OVER. </p>
<p>That’s all good to hear! I’m hoping to either get off the waitlist or possibly transfer (to either Fordham or another NYC school for professional/career reasons!). I hear that it’s a really great school; hopefully I’ll get to be part of that community one day!</p>
<p>To know the yield at Fordham is to know the school, so to speak. </p>
<p>I gather that MexUSA is not from the tristate area. The TriState area of NY, Connecticut and NJ all have very old and very good private and catholic high schools. For many decades, they migrated to Fordham as the premier Catholic school in the region. As Fordham and other Jesuit and Catholic colleges became regional, they got applicants from outstanding Catholic high schools in Maryland and Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and Ohio. Then these colleges became national in scope, the common application appeared on the scene and suddenly Fordham jumped from 11,000 applicants to 25,000 and this year over 40,000. OMG! </p>
<p>Fordham built new dorms as students increasingly became resident on campus…but Rose Hill is still around 5,000 undergrads on 85 green and leafy acres, and Lincoln Center was just under 2,000 students…now with the new Lincoln Center campus it will expand several hundred and Fordham has about 8,000 total (both campuses) undergraduates, including commuter students. Fordham now draws from all over the nation and is ranked nationally in the 50’s, among very prestigious schools. </p>
<p>Fordham knows that among those 40,000 applicants, students are often applying to over 10 schools each. And that they will be accepted at at least half and then have to decide where to attend. They know some are applying to Fordham as a so called “safety” (I hate that term), and will get into top 20 schools and go there. They know that some apply to Fordham as a dream school and reach, and as scores rise are unlikely to be admitted to Fordham.
Fordham cant give everyone the same scholarships. Sadly financial aid is an issue for many. Fordham admitted about 19,000 students but knowing that more than 85% will go elsewhere, for the above reasons. And thus we get the 12% yield of enrolled students making up the 8,000 students at Lincoln Center and Rose Hill. </p>
<p>I know Fordham wants to improve their yield. But its a difficult matrix to construct and improve with so many applicants. And Fordham knows that kids can be fickle. Fordham wants kids who want Fordham. Increasingly those are kids from distant states. Kids from local TriState catholic schools who could count on getting into Fordham ten years ago are finding out that is not the case anymore. </p>
<p>Fordham expects to break into the top 50 schools in the uber competitive and prestigious National Universities category of USNWR in the very near future. If you are admitted to Fordham congratulations as you are among the brightest ever admitted to Fordham by your test scores. And if you attend Fordham, you will be among some very intelligent and very ambitious students. </p>
<p>My kid had several students in her dorm freshman year with perfect 1600 SAT scores. </p>
<p>For kids deciding to go elsewhere, we (the Fordham family of students, parents, alumni, administrators and faculty) are sorry to lose you and wish you the very best. For those selecting Fordham we welcome you and advise you to come prepared to work hard!</p>
<p>Very well written, sovereigndebt. The commom app has changed everything. My daughter applied to 16 schools, without much effort, and for only $425 (some fees were waived). I suspect the yield rate has dropped at many schools. Skidmore was recently written about as they eliminated their writing requirement on their app. The number of apps to Skidmore has skyrocketed. This makes the school appear more attractive, but does drop the yield.</p>
<p>You’re right—Fordham doesn’t have a writing supplement, which is probably why so many applied! I never thought about that aspect of it (probably because I love writing and kind of enjoyed doing supplements). Well, we’ll see what happens!</p>
<p>I dont know yet what the avg SAT is for this years class…or the pool of admitted students. Just know that the 19000 admitted students ALL had stellar records. The sheer folly of sorting through 40,000 applications and selecting “winners” is almost absurd. That means that some highly capable and worthy students…even some with scores above the avg of admitted students…and even some with extraordinary scores may be waitlisted and rejected. Highly selective colleges could fill their entire class with people with scores above 1500 on a 1600 scale. But other factors come into play, diversity, athletics, geography, intended majors, commuters, financial aid, and many more. I don’t envy the task of the committee. </p>
<p>Every year at every school there are vexing results. Kids feel like its a personal rejection and that being accepted or rejected is a mark for or against them, like a tattoo…when its really not. (I understand that emotion completely.) They have to learn to embrace the school they ultimately attend, buy the gear and turn the page on the past. </p>
<p>I wish the common app wasnt the factor it is. I wish there was a way to make people only apply to schools they are seriously interested in attending, not just collecting acceptance letters. But in the final analysis we have to hug these kids, thank them for trying, tell them everything will be okay and they will do just fine at their college if its Fordham or another school. That self worth is NOT tied to whether you got into a dream school (or even a match school you love deeply). Self worth comes from within you, and how you respond to life’s challenges and how you help others. </p>
<p>If I had a magic wand I would send the ones who arent really invested in Fordham packing…and embrace the kids who really want Fordham and we know will do well and become a strong force of goodness/sharing/caring and giving back on campus…and ultimately an alumn who gives back as best they can. </p>
<p>But just as they will find in the real working world, there are all kinds of people out there and college is a good place to learn how to deal with adversity. </p>
<p>There is no telling. It really just depends on the number of accepted students who choose to attend Fordham.</p>
<p>Thanks for commenting, everyone! I’m still hopeful about the wait list (although who knows if they’ll accept kids off the wait list this year) and if not I’m considering transferring from another school. </p>
<p>Average SAT for Gabelli is 1980.(highest ever). The mean GPA for all schools was 3.8, but that is their calculated GPA, which comes out to be MUCH lower than what your high school sends over. For example, my daughter has all kinds of Honors and AP classes, with a weighted GPA of 4.04. Her HS does not even send an unweighted one as it does not reflect the work and achievement involved. However, I know that Fordham has her “on record” GPA as 3.6!!! I was shocked to see that. Keep that in mind.
I agree with sovereigndebt in that the Common App is making this college selection process crazy. They should put a limit on how many schools you can apply to, such as, 10 being the top number. My daughter only applied to 4, and she is happy how it worked out. There are kids out there who applied to over 15 schools and are having a tough time deciding, and May 1st is right around the corner. </p>