Okay, DS has thrown us for a loop and said that Fordham (where he received significant merit aid), which was previously off the table may be back on again! We had concerns that the extensive core requirements (which are quite Humanities heavy, as it should be) would difficult and less preferable to him than a more research heavy school (UCI and UofWA).
However, I have heard that admin is very supportive of students at Fordham and while a student may not be able to access all math classes right away due to the core completion, the math professors are good. Maybe being a math major at a more LA/Business college may be an advantage?
DS enjoyed the tour and the energy of Fordham LC is hard to dismiss. He’s a big city kid, so LC is a very cool environment for him.
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Our heads our spinning a little!
Yes, there is an extensive core, which is something that my kid (accepted to Fordham LC, but more of an arts focus) is not crazy about. But I have also heard that IB credits (and maybe some APs) can get you out of some of the core, so there is that.
Yes, this is a thought. The tippy-top math geniuses of course need to be at a place like MIT to get their needs met, but just plain strong math kids wanting to major in math and math-related fields may do well at an LAC. The kid of a friend of mine was one of these strong but not genius kids. Got into Rice but cost too high. Ended up going to a LAC, where they got a LOT of personal attention in the math dept. Now with prestigious internship, and applying to top applied math grad school programs.
Just being a “math kid” doesn’t necessarily make the core classes difficult. UChicago has one of the top undergraduate math programs and it has an extensive (and difficult) core. If your DS doesn’t like reading and writing, the core will likely not be fun. I am in the camp that a strong core develops more interesting adults. But I also understand that it isn’t for everyone. If he isn’t trying to protect a GPA for med or law school, I wouldn’t have an issue.
Note that MIT has extensive general education requirements (including substantial humanities, arts, and social sciences). LACs vary all over the map in terms of general education requirements, from almost none (e.g. Amherst) to extensive (e.g. Harvey Mudd).
Looks like there are 22 courses in the core curriculum (out of 36 needed to graduate). 1 is math, and it looks like up to 4 courses (composition 1 and foreign language) may be skipped if the student places high enough on Fordham’s placement tests, leaving a minimum of 17. Only some AP scores of 4 or 5 may be used on core curriculum requirements: https://beta.fordham.edu/undergraduate-admission/apply/transfer-credits-apib/advanced-placement-ap-credit/
Thanks for posting this. I have the same concern for my son about the core. He really likes the city vibe of Fordham LC and was accepted to Gabelli, which may only have slightly different core requirements. I guess he has some investigating to do!
Thank you for the response, but I meant the other way :he’s math-inclined and concerned about the extensive reading /writing. He’s in IB English, so he can write - whether or not he wants to is something else!
Yes, the personalized attention was what interested us the most. And anecdotally, we know of a student who really was well taken care of during some challenging times; both mentally and academically.
Yes, and the foreign language requirement is not required for BS candidates. I, too, feel a well-rounded education is so important for undergrad. And some students have said that, while a bit challenging to balance, STEM students finish their major in time (within 4 years). There may not be room for a minor, but there is no issue with a STEM major.
In math, he will have to read and write math proofs, but that is a different style of reading and writing from literature, history, religion, etc… However, philosophy may allow for some crossover application of logical thinking.
If he intends to go on to PhD study in math, gaining a reading knowledge of French, German, and/or Russian may eventually be helpful, due to math research papers being written in these languages.
For full disclosure my son was a business major at Fordham - Rose Hill (had a great experience). I do agree that the core is something that should be considered when deciding to attend Fordham (or really any school with a similar core). IMO the core can range from great or fine for some students but may not work well for others.
My S did moan about the core at times…but as an alumni he readily admits that he came out of Fordham with an extremely well rounded liberal arts education along with a degree in business. I have no doubt that his improved skills/exposure in many different areas have served him well as a person and as a professional.
On the other hand my D went to college having an interest in pursuing a couple of subjects in depth that she did not necessarily want to major in. For her the core would have held her back from focusing on these already defined areas of interest so she wanted schools with more flexibility in course selection.
So bottom line…like many things there is no one right answer for everyone. You son should look through Fordham’s core online and decide if it is something he is willing to do.
Thank you so much! This information is really helpful. DS has an interest in Psychology as well, so the core curriculum seems like it could still work well for him. But yes, we need to go over specific classes. We appreciate that Fordham spells it out quite specifically in their guide.
:he’s math-inclined and concerned about the extensive reading /writing. He’s in IB English, so he can write - whether or not he wants to is something else! 