<p>on the supplement there is a question "Will you consider an offer of admission without on campus housing?" if you select this will it lower your chances of admission? and if you don't select it will it lower your chances of receiving housing ?</p>
<p>The question is posed because Fordham has kids who live within commuting distance who still prefer to live on campus and they want to know who that is. A lot of commuters prefer to commute because of cost savings (12k a year) and also because some dont want to deal with dorm life and food. Some kids want a quieter experience. </p>
<p>if you live within commuting distance, then you need to make that choice. Many tri-state kids live on campus…in fact, a huge majority do so. </p>
<p>I don’t think its an issue of admissions eligibility. Though if you are on the bubble, perhaps that could be so, and some kids are offered admission without housing. But the vast majority of kids who apply within commuting distance and select on campus housing, will receive it. And I mean likely 90% or better (I dont have official stats on that however.) </p>
<p>In short, do not opt out of housing unless you are certain you dont want housing. Once you have opted out, its really hard to opt back in. Once offered housing, its guaranteed for four years, a somewhat unique characteristic for Fordham undergraduates, as I know a lot of schools that bounce people out after freshman year…some big name top schools who do that. </p>
<p>If you want to live on campus, say so.</p>
<p>I think you have to make a decision on whether you would consider attending Fordham as a commuter before answering the question. For some people the answer will be no, the only way I would consider attending Fordham is as a resident. For others the answer might be yes and I don’t think this is the same thing as opting out of housing because the common app asks if you intend to live on campus and a yes to that would make it clear that you ARE requesting housing.</p>
<p>We were faced with this issue last year because my S could commute but wanted to live on campus at LC. He decided to say yes, he would accept an offer of admission without housing because he felt he’d rather commute then possibly be rejected for a lack of space. He WAS offered housing with admission and is a very happy freshman! </p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>I’m not within commuting distance currently but If I could find a decent lease nearby during the school year I wouldn’t be against doing that.</p>
<p>LC or RH? I dont recommend you do it either way. Its way expensive and most kids have no clue about paying bills, making own meals etc.</p>
<p>Spend a year in the dorms. If you want out then, I am sure Fordham will accomodate you. But if you give up your space on campus, its lost forever. You can’t opt back in very easily.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t give up an offer of housing I just wouldn’t necessarily turn down an offer of admission without housing… money isn’t my biggest concern.</p>
<p>If you are not within commuting distance, the no housing offer isnt going to happen. That only happens to kids who live within a commuting distance and often to people on the bubble of admissions (but not all). </p>
<p>Select housing and be done with it. If you are concerned, there are apartments available on the Rose Hill campus for upperclassmen. You can also select single dorms. There are many choices for rooming. And Fordham owns apartments just outside the gates at Rose Hill which some students select, who prefer a more eclectic lifestyle in the Belmont District-Arthur Ave. </p>
<p>If you are looking at LC, then be careful because apartments in the city are hard to come by and very,very expensive. </p>
<p>The on campus dorming experience is a right of passage. Give it a good college try (pardon the pun) and see who you meet. Some kids do self select to go off campus later. Just be aware of the consequences of your decision.</p>
<p>I don’t know if things changed in the last two years, but my S who is now a junior said he knows one person who was not in commuting distance (at least in the student’s opinion) who was not offered housing and another person who checked the box that he would only go if he got housing who was accepted without housing (he went elsewhere). SO, the bottom line is just pick the answer you are comfortable with and move on. I expect (but I do not know for sure) that you might have a better chance for on-campus housing if you check the box that you will only come with the housing.<br>
I do agree with ghostbuster that on-campus housing is highly preferable, especially for your freshman year while you adjust to college and learn the area. My S is still on campus as a junior living in a suite with a kitchen and two bathrooms. But he does know people who were denied housing and lived off-campus since freshmen year and are fine.
Good luck whatever you do.</p>
<p>Happy1:</p>
<p>Commuting distance is not defined the same by everyone. I dont know all the facts of what happened to your son’s friends, what their incoming stats were, where they are from etc. Some people voluntarily commute by train 90 minutes a day. That is possible because you typically only have two classes a day or at most three. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Admissions could have made a mistake too. And also when the students applied, were they late in the RD cycle? Off the waitlist? </p>
<p>Its unusual for someone who lives even within commuting distance to not be offered housing, that much I know. Its best to select housing and see what they do.</p>
<p>Ghostbuster-While I do not pretend to know all of the specifics nor do I pretend to know how admissions/res life works, based on information from my S there are kids who get in without housing who live too far to commute. Perhaps they are few and far between and perhaps there is an underlying reason it happened, I don’t know. For example, the one friend of his that I mentioned in a prior post lives 2 hours + away (one way) by mass transit. However, I do agree that it is best to apply with housing. I believe there is great value to having a dorm on campus. However, it appears that OP may be more concerned about getting into Fordham than getting housing. Everyone has to choose their own path.</p>
<p>Not doubting your story, happy1. Anomalies can happen. Its just really weird someone 2 hours away was not offered housing. There is something going on there we perhaps don’t know about. Fordham guarantees housing for all four years, for those who are offered housing. Some schools only guarantee housing for one year and then they put you in a lottery and its good odds you might be looking for a place to live off campus. </p>
<p>Like you, I strongly recommend selecting on campus housing at Fordham.</p>
<p>Just to be clear to anyone else pondering this question. Selecting on campus housing (on the application) and saying you’d accept an offer of admission without housing (on the supplement) are two different things. And your answer to this question should be based first, on your own personal circumstances, and second, which campus you are applying to. It is a fact that LC has fewer residents and that is something to consider when making your decision. </p>
<p>As for the OP, it seems to me he may not get an offer with housing anyway regardless of where he lives because he’s a transfer. But again, this is based off of last year’s admissions cycle for Fall 2010. I imagine there are slight differences year to year depending on the number of accepted applicants who want housing. I also imagine that transfer applicants for Spring admission need to consider their answer differently as a majority of Fall residents will stay through the Spring. </p>
<p>It also seems to me that OP made up his mind in post #6. </p>
<p>Good luck, Sean!</p>
<p>Just something for the OP to keep in the back of his mind…if you are initially denied housing bout would prefer to live on campus, residential life keeps a wait list that you can put your name on and there is a chance you will can get on campus housing at a later time. However you decide to proceed, good luck.</p>