<p>I would like to know more about fordham. For tl;dr people, skip down to the numbered points.</p>
<p>Hi, I'm currently a Physiology and Neuroscience/Literature double major at UCSD (University of California, San Diego.) I'm a first year and am considering transferring out.</p>
<p>If you must know my reason, it's because La Jolla is the most suburban and mind-numbingly dull place I have ever lived in.</p>
<p>I'm a city girl through and through, and I've narrowed my transfer options down to Fordham, NYU, Vanderbilt (just because), and Emory. Fordham is the only school I know I would definitely get in, because they accepted me into the honor program last year. Emory is 70%, since I was offered Sophomore transfer.</p>
<p>The point is, I would like to know more about Fordham:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How does it compare to UCSD in prestige? And I'm not talking about rankings. I'm talking about how future employers will view the diploma.</p></li>
<li><p>Food? Dorms? Cost of living? UCSD food is definitely not gourmet, but at least everything is cruelty-free and locally grown and organic.</p></li>
<li><p>How generous is Fordham with financial aid? Since I was already set on UCSD, I didn't file financial aid for Fordham when I got in. I currently have tuition and housing covered, but most of those are California or school-based grants. Is Fordham generous with need-based financial aid? How about for transfers? Does the school fudge the numbers like NYU?</p></li>
<li><p>How is its treatment of transfers?</p></li>
<li><p>How are the following programs:
Biology
English (Namely writing)
Theatre
Engineering</p></li>
<li><p>What is the general vibe of the campus and student body?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a park near by? And I'm talking about trees, rivers, birds, squirrels.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also: I don't care it's in the Bronx. Anything is better than suburbia.</p>
<p>Here is some info on Fordham’s Theatre program:
First, you need to apply to the Lincoln Center campus bc that is where the Theatre department is located. It is in the middle of Manhattan but very close to Central Park so plenty of nature there. It is a small vertical campus with the vibe being primarily artsy and creative types. The only dorm, McMahon, consists of apartments that include bedrooms, full bathrooms, kitchen and LR/DR area. You will be expected to prepare the majority of your meals and supplement them at the Lowenstein Cafe which doesn’t have a reputation for having good hours or good food. There is a nice smoothie bar though.</p>
<p>The Theatre major has four tracks: Performance, Playwriting, Directing and Design/Production. You must audition or interview to be accepted into the major and it is VERY competitive. But you can minor in Theatre without auditioning or interviewing and that will make you eligible to participate in Mainstage productions. </p>
<p>My S is a double major within the Theatre program in Performance and Playwriting and he is very happy with the program. His first play that he wrote at Fordham is being staged later this month! He also seriously considered English as a major and has enjoyed all his English classes at LC so far as well. As for the science courses, they are not something he’s particularly looking forward to taking (but required for the core) so I don’t have any info for you on that.</p>
<p>Rose Hill is the Bronx campus and it is my understanding that there are several Theatre groups on that campus that are not open to Theatre majors. So if you are not interested in Theatre as a major then Rose Hill’s traditional college campus and experience might be right for you. You should definitely visit both campuses if you can to see where you fit!</p>
<p>As for how Fordham treats transfers:<br>
I have no personal knowledge of this but from reading various posts on this forum, I would say that there have been general complaints about a lack of financial aid, housing and acceptance of transfer credits which might be a problem due to the large core curriculum requirements. Still, many people have transferred to Fordham and most have been very glad that they did! Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Like sandkmom, I have no direct knowledge of transfers, but I do know that one of my S’s friends who transferred to Fordham ended up having to spend an extra semester there in order to finish the core so I would suggest that you look at the requirements in the core and for your major and be sure you can graduate on time (or are willing to take whatever extra classes you need). Second, I believe that biology is only offered at RH and theater is only offered at LC so you what you want to major in will determine which campus you should attend.
Since you mentioned the Bronx,the RH campus (where my S is) is beautiful with a lot of green space. The Botanical Gardens are across the street and the Bronx Zoo is down the block. The on campus food seems to be not so great, but good food is only blocks away (Arthur Avenue is famous for Italian food). Good luck.</p>
<p>Fordham’s repuatation is very comparable that of the UC’s, except it is a private school and is in NYC, which automatically places you in the financial/media capital of the world and therefore, definitely helps your chances of landing high-quality internships and full-time offers. Within NYC, Fordham is very highly regarded for its quality of education (the curriculum is very hard/extensive and it may take an extra semester or two for transfers to graduate on time). Since you were accepted into Fordham’s Honors Program (only 30 make it each year and I am assuming you scored 1500+ on the SAT), you should be able to handle the challenges. I am surprised you turned down the honors program for USCD (it’s full scholarship and very highly regarded/selective…I know many students from this program that have gone onto to do really great things) The curriculum for honors students is custom-tailored and they are pretty much treated like royalty (you need like a 1450-1500 SAT score just to be considered.) Are you sure you weren’t accepted into a different program? Anyways, to answer some of your questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>Prestige very comparable </li>
<li>Food isn’t the greatest, but then again you’re in NY and surrounded by restaurants. Cost of living will obviously be a lot higher. For the Lincoln Center (LC) campus, you’d probably be paying 12-15 K a year for the dorms (but LC is in the most amazing location of NY…on the West Side right next to the Central park and the Hudson river and the rooms are like hotels). <a href=“Maps and Directions | Fordham”>Maps and Directions | Fordham. Rose Hill (RH) is a traditional campus and in the Bronx…it’s probably the most green campus in NYC. The Bronx Zoo and Botanical Gardens are its neighbors… [Fordham</a> University Rose Hill Campus](<a href=“Maps and Directions | Fordham”>Maps and Directions | Fordham).</li>
<li>Not sure about the aid…my brother or I did not receive a penny. Doesn’t hurt to apply and find out…they might be a little tougher on the transfers, as any other school would be</li>
<li>My brother was a transfer…they were pretty accommodating and help him finish him in time to get accepted into Columbia’s cooperative engineering program (which you could also look into). Basically, if you maintain a certain GPA as a Fordham student as a math or science, you are guaranteed acceptance into Columbia.</li>
<li>Fordham doesn’t have an engineering school; therefore, they are partnered with Columbia (as stated above). Biology any the pre-med track is close very hard at Fordham and would probably be close to impossible for a transfer student to finish in time considering the extensive core curriculum (liberal arts courses). NYU’s core is a lot easier and a lot less extensive, so it may be better for you to transfer there. Theatre at Fordham is very highly regarded and a very selective program. In fact, Denzel Washington, an alum of Fordham, just last week donated $2.25 million to Fordham to endow the theater program chair, and Phylicia Rashad has been the first professor hired under this chair. Not very sure about English, but all of the liberal arts majors at Fordham are very highly regarded and competitive…they are, after all, a Jesuit school.</li>
<li>General vibe is good, at least according to me. The students are pretty intelligent, laid-back, and friendly. </li>
<li>The LC campus is right next to Central Park and the Hudson River and is arguably, in the one of the best locations in Manhattan, if not the best. The RH campus is VERY green (has trees, birds, and squirrels) and is adjacent to the Botanical Gardens. This will probably get as green as you can get in NYC. Of course, NYC is no San Diego, but I am sure that you understand that.</li>
</ol>