Fordham University

Date: May 23 2012
Major: Business - Management and Administration (This Major's Salary over time)
What I like about Fordham is that you are given the reins and permitted to do with your college career as you see fit. This being said, it is up to you to challenge yourself with upper level courses and so on.. I have seen some comments that claim that their education was not challenging to the extent that they felt it should be etc. and to those comments I say that there is no limit to what you can put yourself through. I was able to attend any campus I wanted to of the three, and (..upon course evaluation from my dean..) was allowed to substitute higher level courses for those I did not feel would be challenging. I do consider myself a well rounded individual and with that being said, Fordham offered me much in the way of a challenge since I chose the courses that were challenging. I graduated from Fordham last weekend 05/19/2012, Magna Cum Laude with honors. I have taken summer courses, non-matriculated, at Yale which is about an hour north of the Westchester campus, and I did not feel that Yale offered me anything different in the way of quality. I was taught in the same ways, via the same text and by the same caliber of professor that I found throughout my career at Fordham. My career at Fordham was both challenging and exciting. New York City is close by and offers much in the way of a platform for launching your career, no matter what your major. Many of the professors are Doctors in their fields, hold Law Degrees, some are from Ivy League Universities, and Fordhams alumni base is far reaching to include some very notable individuals. The school has recently put several millions of dollars into a completely new Business building and dorm halls on the Bronx campus, and a new state of the art Business and Law facility in Midtown. The schools only issues regarding rankings (..and this is from Businessweek.com ratings from 2010..) was the lack of state of the art facilities and amenities; I can tell you first hand that I have watched this issue resolve itself over the last 2 years with the implementation of these new schools and projects, and there is much more still in the works. The school is aiming for Top10 status, so the president and board is pouring money into it. After receiving good scores on both the GRE and GMAT, I was accepted, no questions asked to a Top Tier Masters Program (Computer Science Major) in CT, which I start in the Fall. During the interview, the dean complimented the reputation of my Undergrad institution and was very pleased with my choice.

As to not seem out of touch with some of the realities of the institution, I will say that there are some down sides to Fordham, esp. the Bronx campus, which stem from its surroundings. I served in the US Army, deployed and lead a team in Iraq, this being said, I would never live in the Bronx. The entirety of the area is sub-poverty and high crime (..which for some reason seems to be a source of pride for the locals..). If you combine this with the usual attendee at Fordham, i.e. upper middle class individuals, you will find that there is a high likelihood for robberies and the likes. That being said, be smart, think about your actions and act accordingly, and you will be ok. Another point, If you feel college is more about partying than education, although NYC is less than 20mins south, you will be sad you hear that the "nightlife" just outside of the campus is not thrilling. That being said however, if this is a disqualifying factor for you regarding your undergrad institution choice, please do the nation a favor and just work at McDonalds. We have enough under educated moralistically challenged individuals in high places now a day, and do not need any more. Also, there is a big drive for minority acceptance, so I have seen some rather questionable individuals finding their way into some of the classes I have taken, but these individuals are usually weeded out by the curriculum. Unfortunately this is the case with many institutions throughout the US and must be taken in stride, the system does even itself out.

I loved Fordham, I have nothing but great things to say about my time as a Ram (..and I will always be one!) and I would do it all over if I had to. The reputation is already well known throughout the Tri-State area, gaining momentum nationally; the school will be a Top10 for sure, within the next decade. In closing, good luck to you in your search, wherever you end up, but be assured, Fordham is a great choice!