tommytomato

I was going to go to Fordham (Rose Hill), but I just got off the Loyola waitlist on Wednesday. I did not expect that at all, and now, after sending two deposits, I have to choose between Fordham and Loyola. I am an English/Philosophy major and I am hoping to go to a school that has good departments and popular interest in those fields. If anyone could offer me advice, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!

Also:

-Which school is considered better, academically?

-Which school is more preppy and would that be a problem for someone wholly indifferent about clothing/style? (I'm worried Loyola will be this way)

-Which school has better English/Philosophy departments?

-Which school would YOU choose?

I'm looking for a student body that is more than just Abercrombie-wearing lacrosse bros, trying to get drunk every weekend and dreaming of being a business giant when older. I like to have fun as much as anyone, but I also like books and interesting things. Which school would more likely grant me that?

karasthecrow

Well i've only personally visited Fordham, but i've been looking at Loyola myself and personally if i had to choose between the two i'd go to Fordham. It is within New York City so that kinda eliminates a majority of the preppy-ness, and i think it's more of an established school so it has a better reputation. I don't know much about the difference between their english/philosophy departments, but i'm pretty sure Fordham has good ones.
I'll look into it a little more and get back to you but that's just my two cents

funfatdaddy

S is a freshman attending Loyola and loves the school. I have friends whose children attended and loved Fordham. Being Jesuit, both schools are more similar than dissimilar. Academically, you cannot go wrong with either school. Being in NYC Fordham likely has more name recognition, but Loyola has a very good reputation. I believe you will find preppy students at both schools. Fordham will have more diversity, but Loyola is making a concerted effort to diversify more as evidenced by their last few classes. English and Philosophy are both strong at Loyola. Loyola also offers a Writing major. Some very famous authors like Tom Clancy and Mark Bowden are Loyola alumni. S chose Loyola for the smaller class sizes. As a freshman, half his classes had 17 or fewer students. His largest freshman lecture had 36 students. S would choose Loyola again over other more well known schools he turned down. I believe academic fit is very important and would suggest you choose the school where you feel you are most comfortable and will achieve the most. You also may want to check cost differences if finances are a driver in your decision. Loyola is a beautiful campus in a city and only 15 minutes from the Inner Harbor and downtown and about 10 minutes from Penn Station and a 1/2 hour train ride to DC. Baltimore is not NYC, but S finds there is a lot do off campus.

funfatdaddy

tommytomato...I forgot to add: Good Luck with your decision. You have two great choices and cannot go wrong either way.

tellch00

Are you saying you were accepted to Fordham but were originally wait listed at Loyola? I am interested in both schools and visited Loyola 2 weeks ago. Very pretty campus with great facilities. i'm a HS junior and will also major in english, so this is important to me as well.

would you mind posting some of your stats or PM'ng me?

I was under the impression fordham was the more competitive school, from an admissions perspective.

tommytomato

Thanks guys! I think I'll be going to Loyola because I want to go away (I live in NY) and because of the smaller class sizes.

And tellch00-- Yes, I was accepted to Fordham and was accepted off the wait-list from Loyola Maryland.

To be honest, I didn't think I would get into either school, but here were my stats:

GPA (weighted): 88.01
SATs:
Reading: 610
Math: 580
Writing: 750

Extracurriculars:
I was president of a club, and a member of a couple others, as well as a community service participant.

I'm not too sure what else to list...I took all IB courses in school, so that helped. Also, not to sound pompous, but I think I wrote a really good essay and that may have been what got me in and compensated for my low GPA. I'm an English major after all, so I know what is good and bad writing, lol.

But good luck with your applications! Make sure to apply to schools that may seem like reaches for you because I almost didn't apply to either Fordham or Loyola, thinking I would never get in.

car1954

Just picked up our student at Loyola University Maryland. Heard nothing but really positive things from the freshmen. They all seemed to have had a great year and were saying good-bye and hugging all of their friends. All were looking forward to returning next year, as is our student. We were very impressed with the academics as well as the social piece!
Not going to lie, lots of nice cars pulling up, but I really don't have a problem with successful people, as long as they are nice... It has been a great experience.
I don't think you can go wrong choosing Loyola.