Is Fordham anyone else's first choice?

nocousin
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:26:04 +0000

That is an important question. EA is a non binding early admission application, meaning submitted by Nov 1 and decisions by Christmas. The regular decision deadline is in January and decisions are made by April 1 (usually the last week of March…often with a “likely” letter that goes out previously or an email message from Admissions saying you are in.) Both Early Admission and Regular Decision have deadlines to NOTIFY Fordham if you are coming or not, so pay attention and DONT miss the deadline! You can be quickly deleted and put in the “refusal” category, especially with over-enrollment problems this past year (shortage of dorm space).

Some colleges are Early Decision (ED) and that is binding, meaning that you can only apply to that one college and if they accept you, you are BOUND to attend. Fordham does not have ED. Harvard dropped it last year, fwiw.

EA is the best of both worlds. Its non binding so you are still free to turn it down. But it lets you know EARLY and if you need to apply somewhere else…as well as it signals Fordham of your high interest. The early bird gets the worm. GENERALLY (but not always and not necessarily) the EA admission rates a smidge better…but not much. I would take advantage of it.

For every Fordham application, they are all considered for scholarships, though the standards are extremely high. Thus applying EA gets you an early looksee and perhaps some more money. By waiting for RD you risk getting waitlisted or denied as the class fills up. This is true at ANY university. And let me tell you something else: as kids get their denial letters from the likes of Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Dartmouth etc…many flock to their second choice schools…and that makes RD very competitive indeed.

If you are on the bubble or the muddled middle, it would behoove you to apply EA and see what happens so you know early. If you get in, great! If you don’t, then you have time to scramble and look elsewhere.

Fordham expects to continue to be a hot school, especially for Catholic Students seeking a Catholic education, particularly as the admission standards at Georgetown, Notre Dame and BC also continue to rise to the stratosphere. Fordham offers the classic college campus experience but is still very much a “New York” school. Its not a country club or “bubble school.” You will be challenged academically and socially, particularly if you come from outside the immediate New York area and are unfamiliar with life in New York City and its boroughs. That is all good, but its challenging.

I believe it will continue to rise in the USNWR rankings for several years…eventually breaking into the top 50 tier. Its admission standards are also going to continue to rise. I am fairly certain that Admissions next year will be tighter than a drum, given what happened this year when 200 more students accepted offers of admission than they anticipated. (That is a good thing and highly complimentary of Fordham…but it created a dorm space problem.)