NYC Colleges: Fordham, St. John's, Pace, NYIT, Manhattan College

threepointnineseven · 12-27-2004, 11:09 AM

Hi....I'm from the south but considering schools in NY. Could anyone tell me anything about the social environment, diversity, reputation, and safety at these schools? Do they have nice dorms? Are they in bad neighborhoods?

Thanks

marny1 · 12-27-2004, 12:09 PM

I'm a NY parent and a bit familiar with the schools listed. As my kids were interested in going away to college, we never really looked seriously at the schools you listed. But as far as neighborhoods-diversity etc..Here goes. Fordham-St. John's and Manhattan College are Catholic universities. I'll assume a good # of students are Catholic but I know Jewish kids go to these schools too. Fordham is in the Bronx (also Manhattan branch but I think it's their Law Schhol and other graduate programs) as is Manhattan College (Riverdale section) St. John's is in a residential area of Queens. Hey I grew up in Brooklyn-work in Queens and live on L.I. I think of those areas as fairly safe. I'm sure campus security is good. I have not read about any large amount of crime on these campuses-so I'll assume it's as safe as most urban environments go. Both NYIT and Pace have multiple campuses. Both have Manhattan locations -Pace is in lower Manhattan (near Wall St) and NYIT in midtown. Pace also has a Westchester county branch and NYIT on Long Island. I'll assume both are fairly commutable to NYC by Long Island Railroad or Metro-North. I believe all the schools are geared to B students-SAT's 1000-1200. I don't think any of the schools are too selective and are geared more for the "average" student which is probably 70% of all hs students.
Why don't you give us some more info into what you want to study. If you are willing to go to Westchester or LI, there are many SUNY schools that may meet your needs or private schools like Hofstra. If your aim is to be near NYC, Montclair State in NJ is also easily commutable to NYC. Good luck and maybe if you share your educational goals with us-we can help you out more.

threepointnineseven · 12-27-2004, 12:20 PM

Thanks Marny1...

I'm interested in studying International Business and/or Finance. I really want to attend a school in or around NYC that has a good study abroad program and that is safe. I have good grades but would prefer to go to an ugrad school where I can get a high GPA and get into a pretty good grad school. Thanks so much for the help.

3.97

threepointnineseven · 12-27-2004, 04:31 PM

Anyone Else??

carolyn · 12-27-2004, 08:29 PM

Marny gave a good summary of the schools on your list. Of the three, Fordham is the most competitive in terms of admission and probably has the best "name recognition" in the NYC area after NYU and Columbia. You might also want to look at Wagner College (on Staten Island), Drew University (in NJ but 35 miles or so from Manhattan), and possibly Manhattanville College in NY. As Marny suggested, other options include Adelphi and Hofstra on Long Island. For your interests, I'd also take a look at Marist in NY, Fairfield in CT, Quinnipiac in Ct. and Sacred Heart in Ct. Although these are outside the city proper, they are still within easy distance for visiting the city and are great schools.

carolyn · 12-27-2004, 08:32 PM

By the way, Pace has two campuses - one in downtown NYC and one in westchester county, outside of the city. For the best "college atmosphere" I'd go with the westchester campus. The courses/majors offered at the westchester campus are also a bit more extensive than the manhattan campus. Fordham also has two campuses, but the one you want for business is the one in the Bronx.

threepointnineseven · 12-27-2004, 09:44 PM

thank you both..your imput is very much appreciated...

hopkinslax · 12-27-2004, 10:06 PM

If you have decent GPA and SAT, why not consider NYU?

jamimom · 12-27-2004, 11:41 PM

Also check out Eugene Lang in the Village. I believe that the nicest dorms are Fordhams in Lincoln Center-you do have to be majoring in certain subjects in order to be at that campus, I believe. Am not sure if St John's or Pace guarantees 4 years' of housing. You might want to check up on that. Know very little about NYIT.

threepointnineseven · 12-28-2004, 01:01 PM

I have completed my NYU application but Im waiting on my Dec ACT scores to come before I submit....hope I get them before Jan 15 (NYU's deadline).......I just want to have other options in NYC in case Im rejected at NYU.....

Jamimom...
Thanks...I will be studying Finance/International Studies so I think I will be in Rose Hill...do you know anything about that campus? How far is it from Manhattan?

Thanks

marny1 · 12-28-2004, 02:34 PM

It's a subway ride away- "D" train near campus to mid-town Manhattan would take approx. 35-45 minutes. The subways are safer than you think but it will be a new experience for you. I took a quick look at the Fordham website - they may also have a van service from Rose Hill to Lincoln Center campus. So that might be helpful too. Fordham is a good choice. It does have a fine reputation in the NY area. Also word of advice. If you do go to school in NY, you will be relying more on public transportation. Taking a car into Manhattan is not a fun experience. Parking-traffic etc. can be a real pain. Good luck

weenie · 12-28-2004, 04:13 PM

We visited Forham (Bronx campus) and liked it a lot. It's very secure, and walled all around. The campus is pretty. The NY Botanical Garden and the Bronx zoo are right near by. It's very urban, and my son liked the looks of all the various foods being offered on the adjacent streets (he's an adventuresome eater). They have a shuttle between their Lincoln Center (Manhattan) campus and the Bronx campus. Probably the way most students get around.

jamimom · 12-28-2004, 09:33 PM

The Fordham Rose Hill campus is about as traditional as they come. Just what you expect a college campus to be with lots of trees and bricks. It is in the Bronx near the Botanical gardens and zoo. Not the best neighborhood, but not the worst either. There is a shuttle that runs regularly to the Lincoln Center campus--do check and see if your major is available at Lincoln Center, I know some econ and psych majors who are there; you need to check the Lincoln Center web site for specifics.

Manhattan College is in Riverdale which is about 15 minutes from Manhattan. It is another good choice.

loniland · 12-30-2004, 03:35 PM

Good choices for your purpose (decent undergrad schools to attain good academic records to use for grad schools). Overall average schools but strengths is some particula areas. Fordham: liberal arts, Manhattan: engineering, NYIT: architecture, computer sci/eng, Pace: business, St. Johns: don't know (maybe athletics). As mentioned other alternatives of similar caliber in the region are CCNY, Queens, Hofstra, Adelphi, NJIT, Iona, SUNY New Paltz, Montclair State, Rutgers-Newark. Good luck.

scotchlite5 · 02-21-2008, 03:02 PM

Most consider st. john's a safety, but it is still a good school.
the best one out of your list is fordham. best campus , best acedemics, i grew up in the neighborhood and its not that bad but the security in fordham is really good. also like said above the bronx zoo and botanical garden are right across the street, and its a 15-20 train ride to manhattan. if you have the grades i would def apply to fordham, the only bad part is the athletics.