Fordham University

2nd Year Female -- Class 2014

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Social Life: C+

I've had a pretty good year here. As far as observable facts go, theres a good percentage of white catholic suburb kids with a white picket fence. This is hardly surprising, given that it's private and tuition is 34,000 per year. Then on the opposite side you have more ethnic types, usually commuting, and mostly on scholarship. My experience is that Fordham is pretty generous with scholarships, Depending On The Year. If they have a surplus one year, they give out 6k to everyone. If they dont, you're likely to get less. There are a few mid-range kids too, though most types gravitate towards either catholic WASP or hispanic/black. There are asians, but the school does not pretend to be in China (like, say, MIT) Other types of diversity, besides socioeconomic and race, are pretty much the same accross the board. There are as many nerds as jocks as artsy and political types, though most artsy types are at Lincoln Center.

If you're looking to get in, the best advice for any college is that they're not looking for well rounded students, rather a well rounded class. The ideal student would be...cone shaped? Pretty good in general, with one outstanding point. My grades were all over the place; I had everything from an F and D's to straight A's depending on year. My test scores were good but not exceptional (1340 SAT, 30 ACT), and I was in about 3 serious extra curricular activities. 0 sports. My saving grace was the essay, as I'm a very good writer. (ironic, as I hate writing, and only do so when forced) I'm pretty much evidence of the fact that when Fordham says it looks at the whole person, it *means* it. Social life, academics, sports, clubs, and such are all available in their information, (www.fordham.edu) so I won't repeat all that here. The only thing I might question would be safety, as it's in the Bronx NYC. No matter what they say, the neighborhood is not this little cheerful group that chills with the students between classes. So leave the diamond encrusted cell phone at home. Academics and Professors are generally stellar in terms of quality, and I've heard very few complaints. The food is also on the up and up, though I haven't seen a huge change.

1st Year Female -- Class 2013

Education Quality: A+, Perceived Campus Safety: C+

AWESOME school. A beautiful campus (Gothic architecture, trees and flowers everywhere, green grass everywhere) just 20 minutes away from Manhattan with fun people, brilliant professors & interesting courses. I would like to note that politically, people are a good, even mix of conservative and liberal, perhaps leaning a bit toward the left. That might seem like useless piece of information to you, but trust me, it's nice having all different types of people on campus. Kids are mostly upper-middle class from the east coast, but there are a significant amount of people from California, as well as almost every other state and several foreign countries. I am continuously astounded by how friendly everyone is on campus. Night life is pretty good; most kids just go to the local bars or off-campus apartment parties because the drinking policy is very strict on campus. You probably will get "written up" your freshman year for alcohol consumption/possession, but hopefully you'll be smart about it and not get caught. If drinking isn't your thing, there is a freshman dorm called Queens Court specifically geared toward kids who don't want that sort of distraction in their residence hall. Some people might be thrown off by the fact that it's a Catholic school, but believe me, they don't try to shove religion down your throat in any way. Of course there are tons of opportunities for people who are religious, but they're easy enough to ignore if you don't care. I won't lie; our sports teams are not very good but football games are still a lot of fun to go to. I've just completed my first year here without the slightest regret for my decision. Good luck to everyone who is considering applying to Fordham!

1st Year Female -- Class 2012

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Collaboration/Competitive: C+