What are my chances

Colleges & Universities A-Z Fordham University
41

<p>Rain:</p>

<p>It makes a lot of sense to recruit nationwide. That is how BC got its name out there following the Hail Mary Pass in football that caught everyone’s attention. There will be fierce competition for the nation’s top students going forward, regardless of how the baby boom works out. Ivy League schools are already maneuvering big time with financial aid to do that. Davidson College in NC has done the same thing to attract top students. Its how they can get the best football and basketball players and make headlines, which attracts students. Its good for diversity. And those kids will tell all their family and friends where they are going and by word of mouth it gets out there. I cant tell you how many people where I live asked me the question last year, “Where is Fordham and why are you sending your daughter up there?” Its easy to answer. And once you explain, they nod their heads in agreement. Lots of kids want to attend college in New York but are put off by Columbia and NYU for one reason or another. Or they are a reach. Once you tell them there is a great school in the Bronx and/or Lincoln Center they go…“oh…I didnt know that…maybe I will look into it.”</p>

<p>While a lot of kids stay in state for financial reasons…there will always be a strong contingent of kids who go out of state. I say Fordham can compete for those kids with all the other Northeast schools, regardless of rank. </p>

<p>Fr. McShane needs to hire an army of admissions counselors to visit high schools and do some heavy recruiting. </p>

<p>THOUSANDS of kids from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut leave that region to attend college all over the country. There is no reason kids from around the country can’t “invade” Fordham in return.</p>

42

<p>I hope that word of mouth does lift Fordham into greater hights in the future. On the other hand though, I admit that I’m worried about Fordham’s future. When I was a freshman here, there wasn’t nearly as much talk and obsession over average sat scores and acceptance rates. Fordham was a relatively hidden but still strong school. Over the past few years, talk about Fordham being an “elite” school and talk about average scores has risen greatly. It’s kind of scary. I miss the days when the Fordham board was dead, and I miss the days when Fordham was still relatively unkown. It felt so unpretentious and different from the “more elite” schools. It felt comfortable. </p>

<p>I just hope that if Fordham becomes “elite”, the severe and disgusting elitism that most “high-ranked” schools have won’t enter the Fordham campus. If that kind of elitism does come to Fordham, then it’ll be going against everything Fordham stands for, in my opinion.</p>