Rose Hill Freshman: Ask questions about life at Fordham and/or Pre-Med!

<p>How many other indians are there? Are there a lot?</p>

<p>So, I grew up in an environment where there was a MASSIVE Indian population and I went to school with mostly Asians and Indians throughout my life. However, here at Fordham, though there is a decent amount of Indians (more Asians for that matter), the school is dominated by Caucasians. I honestly though feel barely any difference and actually consider it a new experience for me! I do have Indian friends here, so it’s not like there aren’t Indian people here, but there’s definitely not as much as home. We have FUSE though, the Indian culture association, and we do Bhangra (google BX Bhangra and watch videos). We also have a dance team called Rangeela, which does Bollywood dancing, but I haven’t seen many performances. But, yes, it is still possible to stay in touch with your inner Indian side! :)</p>

<p>International Political Economy is an amazing major here! Its an interdisciplinary major between the economics and political science departments, both great strengths of Fordham overall. The professors are really good, and yes, I believe they do have programs where you can apply for internships with the UN, but only upperclassmen may apply and the program is competitive. Numerous other internships in Wall Street and other NGOs are also available as well, since Fordham has a good reputation for sending students off into internships and jobs in organizations/environments such as those. I’d recommend you do it, because it’s a fantastic program and Fordham is a great place to pursue IPE. We also have a graduate program in IPE as well, so you could perhaps work with grad students on research or apply for some programs usually intended towards them.</p>

<p>Hello gswami. I really appreciate you taking time to answer questions about Fordham. I guess I wasn’t specific enough earlier. My son really likes Fordham a lot. In fact, I graduated from there many years ago. My son would like to be pre-med, but with a major in Math. Is Fordham a good option? He is not looking towards a career in Math, he just enjoys the subject. His real desire is to go to med school. Thanks!</p>

<p>Oh! I’m really sorry! I didn’t know that! For pre-med, it’s a fantastic institution! I have had great experiences throughout my first year in both the biology and chemistry majors! The laboratories prepare you extremely well for the advanced science coursework and any research internships/opportunities your son may like to pursue. There are numerous pre-meds here at Fordham, but during freshman year, they try extremely hard to weed out students. Students in the pre-health/pre-med program generally take introductory biology and general chemistry for the first year, both with labs, and there will be exams and finals in lectures and labs of both classes. So, from the beginning onwards, it is best to stay on top of things, get a chemistry and/or biology tutor (both departments offer tutoring free of charge), and make sure you excel. It will take a LOT of hard work and going to several office hours. However, the rigor of the first year definitely prepares you for any advanced science coursework you might want to take. Instructors are phenomenal and truly care that you do well in their classes. Acceptance rates to medical school are between 82-89% on average each year, which is definitely high and Fordham is well-recognized among medical schools. It is not a research school necessarily, but it is definitely possible to contact professors whose research interests match your passions and arrange a research position. However, I would definitely not recommend that for freshman year, since that’s the year to get adjusted academically and socially to the college atmosphere. </p>

<p>And Fordham in general is a great place to go to school AND do pre-med! There is a fantastic balance between liberal arts and science/math majors, so it’s pretty rare to get an opportunity to interact with people of different academic interests and get different perspectives. Most schools are either stronger on the liberal arts side or the math/science/engineering side. But Fordham has great departments on both disciplines, and the core gives you an extremely balanced and well-rounded education, so your son would not only focus on math and pre-med classes, but he would also have to take some liberal arts courses as well (I’m sure you know this since you went here yourself). Some may not be very fun depending on your son’s interests, but each course forces you to think and write differently, skills that are important for a doctor and in life in general. </p>

<p>And about the math department, I think I may have made it sound like the department is not strong at all, but I would not consider it completely weak. They do have pretty good professors at the advanced level, but the lower division/calculus courses tend to have some mediocre professors (and that’s common in any department in any school). But Fordham is a fantastic institution overall and the pre-med program is excellent (from the advising to the professors), so I would highly recommend Fordham to your son! :)</p>

<p>Thank you for the detailed and informative post, gswami. I am glad that you are so enthusiastic about Fordham. I really enjoyed my four years there back in the dark ages, lol! My son really likes Fordham and I am hoping that it will be one of his top choices. Good luck to you in your studies!</p>

<p>sorry if some of these questions have been posed already, i should have looked through other replies!</p>

<p>is the abscence of greek life noticable? how is the social life at the rose hill campus?</p>

<p>which are the best freshman dorms?</p>

<p>not sure if you know anything about being a communications major, but if you do, whould you say the program is well regarded/recommendable?</p>

<p>how are the internship oppoortunities?</p>

<p>is the core a real nuisance or tolerable? how long do you typically have to wait before you begin taking major-specific courses?</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>GSwami, you must be from central NJ right? Or Flushing NY? </p>

<p>Is it true that students pursuing B.S degrees are exempt from the foreign language requirement?</p>

<p>as a pre-health major, are the core requirements freshman year difficult to manage along with bio and chem? do you have any idea how pre med or bio majors typically do in courses such as composition 2?</p>

<p>I’ve really loved the core - it provides a rigorous liberal arts education. It takes about 2 years to complete, but during that time you may also take a few classes in your major. </p>

<p>B.S. students are exempt from the language requirement. Business students have a modified core.</p>

<p>So here’s a (slightly ridiculous?) res life question that has yet to be asked (and I’m sure its secretly on everyone’s minds): How are the bathroom facilities like at Fordham? I hear there are communal showers and such. Is there any truth to this? If so, is there any way to avoid it? haha.</p>

<p>There’s community bathrooms in all freshmen residence halls but they’re pretty nice. The showers are private in the sense that each showerhead is enclosed in an individual stall. They’re not in one big room like gym showers or something. Community bathrooms are pretty common at colleges in freshmen dorms because they help you get to meet more people on your floor, helping to build community. It may sound silly, but I think it actually works haha</p>

<p>That being said, there is one wing in Queen’s Court that has private bathrooms. But I wouldn’t count on getting one of these rooms because there are just so few available.</p>

<p>Hi! I was admitted to Fordham in December with a full tuition merit scholarship. I have visited twice (the first time for a campus tour in December and the last time was for the Spring Preview this past weekend). I really liked the campus and I like the idea of the liberal arts core. I want to go pre-med and I read the previous posts so I think I have a better insight into the program offered. </p>

<p>Here is my dilemma, however:</p>

<p>It would seem like it’s a no-brainer to go there; however, I received a full tuiton+room&board+auto honors college admission and research/study abroad stipend+technology allowance (money for a laptop) scholarship to another school in the south (Auburn University) and I also liked it there. I was set on going to Auburn until I visited Fordham for the spring preview and now I am not so sure. I am not quite sold on Fordham, yet; however, the presentations on campus as well as getting a feel for the classrooms are making me reconsider my decision. So I am hoping that you can help me with my problem. I have a few questions</p>

<p>I am already aware that pre-med will take great amount of time and hard work. I am wondering; however, what is the possibility of me minoring in another field? I am very interested in psychology.</p>

<p>Do you know of anyone who is already involved in undergraduate research and I am wondering what type of research they are involved in? I already know of the opportunities available, given the location of the school, but I am curious about the specific types of things that students are doing. </p>

<p>What are some of your favorite clubs/ student activities on campus?</p>

<p>How do you find the workload and how do you find yourself managing your schdule? I come from a public high school; however, I am used to a lot of work because I have block scheduling (alternating days with four different classes each day). I have all 4 of my AP classes (french, calc bc, biology, psychology) on the same day.</p>

<p>Are there any classes that you would recommend I take? and if so, why? Or, are there any classes (in or out of the core requirements) that you’ve taken that you absolutely love?</p>

<p>Lastly, do you know anyone from Fordham who went on to medical school and if so, did they feel that Fordham prepared them adequately for it?</p>

<p>Oh! and before I forget, I am from central New Jersey (and I lived in Brooklyn for 10 years); I only live about an hour and fifteen minutes from the school. Auburn University is a state school located in central Alabama, about an hour and a half southwest of Atlanta, Georgia.</p>

<p>I would really appreciate any help and insight. Any additional advice would be also greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Iam currently attending NJ community college, and Iam interested in the pre-med program at Fordham University. I did horrible my Highschool years.
GPA: 3.6
Credits transferring: about 32
Community service:
-Dental Assisting Clinical
-Smile Train Fund Raiser
-Dental Health Month @ Elementary Schools(taught)
-Autism Fund Raiser
-Breast Cancer Fund Raiser
-Cardiovascular Fund Raiser (HS teacher’s son)</p>

<p>I received a certificate for Dental Assisting and Dean’s List</p>

<p>Job:
Had a stable job for a year.</p>

<p>Should I take my SATs over?</p>

<p>Hi everyone! I just had a quick question. I’m interested econ and international political economy at RH but I also wanted to study finance which is offered at the Gabelli business school. Can students take classes in multiple “schools” ?</p>

<p>I want to ask … </p>

<p>What SAT score they require to get into Fordham university … I have not done high school from USA but A levels from Pakistan … with good grades … but i dont have much time to prepare for the SAT and my academic record is overall up to date with A grades… Do many people with average SAT scores get in ?
I don’t seem to meet all of the requirements such as not having been taking more than one year of mathematics since thats how it was in my O levels there … its according to the british system … do i have any chance of getting in ? </p>

<p>Last thing, how much can i be helped financially and how much do i have to pay per subject annually as an estimate … plz respond thank you </p>

Hows Fordham for undecided students? I’m kinda undecided in what I wanna do like I just know i wanna do something science and tech related but not exactly sure what I wanna do. What type of opportunities are there for undecided students?

It’s fine if you are undecided. You really don’t declare a major until halfway through Sophomore year. When my daughter was doing the college application process, she was all about Media and Communications. Then when the acceptances started coming in she was changing her mind and leaning towards Psychology. Which put her out of the running for a very nice scholarship at Elon, which was just for Communications majors. Then after she accepted Fordham’s offer she was now leaning toward the sciences and PreHealth (which is a PROGRAM not a major) so she was able to keep the Psych Major. But keep this in mind: for Freshman year you do not choose your classes. You will be sent a questionnaire which helps admissions choose classes for you. First year is basically Core classes and if you indicate you want Biology or Chemistry there are basic Core classes that touch on them.

When you say “tech related” did you mean Computer Science? Their CompSci program is good.

My daughter has a friend at NYU who changed from majoring in Psychology to Computer Science and is still in the PreHealth program. Tough, but doable. My daughter loves NYU’s programs.

The distinction that needs to be made early is Gabelli v. Arts and Sciences. While not impossible, it is very, very difficult to switch into Gabelli after the first year. There are differences in the core, with Gabelli requiring “Ground Floor.” Beyond that big distinction, as MomTC says, above, there is time before one need declare.

Is the Information Systems major at Fordham Gabelli at Rose Hill good?
How is the faculty and program itself?
What are post-grad opportunities like? (job placement rate)

Also, is it possible to major in information systems at Gabelli and also do a computer science minor through just Fordham?