I had heard that Fordham wasn’t particularly known for STEM but there seem to be a couple dozen students who opt for this every year. This (in my mind) puts it in line with a number of liberal arts schools (Kenyon, Oberlin, St. Olaf) that don’t offer undergraduate engineering but have engineering-adjacent majors (e.g. physics) that would enable a student to pursue engineering in graduate school. And in fact they explicitly offer engineering coursework, which is cool.
Asking because for S25, Fordham might check some other interesting boxes (on-campus housing, traditional campus feel, close to a cool city, not quite as selective as a bunch of other schools that we’ve had on our radar, and could come with merit $$.) It also would offer him the chance to explore this major without needing to commit out of the gate (or be admitted as an engineering major, which is what he’d need to do for most of the larger state schools on his list).
Don’t know about the program… but take 10 minutes to look at Google Earth first. Neither of Fordham’s campuses are “close to a cool city”. Both are smack dab IN a city; one is a little more bucolic than the other but there is nothing suburban about the Bronx, and the Lincoln Center campus is in the heart of the VERY busy/loud heavily trafficked Upper West Side. If your kid wants urban- Fordham is a fantastic option. But it is urban. And getting anywhere means public transportation-- 24/7.
I’m a huge fan, but the setting is just too intense for some kids.
My S graduated from Fordham and was at the Rose Hill Campus. There is easy public transportation access to Manhattan via subway, Metro-North, and the school sponsored Ram Van (to the Lincoln Center campus). He and his friends definitely took advantage of the proximity to Manhattan while enjoying a traditional campus. Also Arthur Avenue with restaurants, bars, etc. is adjacent to campus. For him it was the best of both worlds.
Sorry, I read too quickly. I do think many non New Yorkers think of only Manhattan as “the city” LOL. I will say that the Rose Hill campus itself is gated and does feel for the most part like a traditional, peaceful place despite its location in the middle of an urban area.
S25 loves New York so not particularly worried about the in vs. near distinction. But good to know for people who are more sensitive to noise/bustle/etc.
I don’t know anyone currently doing this major, but I do know a rising high school senior who is considering Fordham for this major. His perspective is that he really likes the school in other ways, and is not convinced he wants engineering anyway vs. just physics.
For those who know they want engineering, I don’t think Fordham makes sense. But obviously some students choose it and make it work.
But if you are open to engineering-adjacent majors (vs. currently ABET accredited programs) then that opens up schools like Brandeis (which is in the process of starting an engineering program.)
Brandeis has been on the list to consider, although I want to poke around a little into how well they are doing financially, and what that could potentially mean for something like an engineering program that they are hoping to get off the ground in a year or two. (Brandeis’ financial state remains uncertain, amid budget cuts | The Justice)
Schools like Lafayette, Trinity (both actually), Rochester, and Union are in this sweet spot of being somewhere between matches and slight reaches for my son, offering engineering as an option, but not requiring him to know that’s what he wants when he applies. He is also considering public schools and places like WPI and RPI – but those feel way more engineering-centric and I think he’d like ideally to use freshman year to test the waters and try a range of courses. Depending on whether it’s a cultural match, Fordham looks like a decent option to add to the mix (and probably a slightly easier admit than the aforementioned match schools.)
(He seems to be more excited about schools on the eastern seaboard and in/near midwestern cities than, say, Cornell College or Rose Hulman, which offer a smaller size + engineering. And some of the liberal arts colleges that he found appealing don’t offer engineering at all outside of 3+2 programs, which…no.)
