Hello, I am going into my Senior year of high school and have narrowed my college selection down to my top 3 schools: Fordham University (in NYC), Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY), and American University (DC).
A little bit about myself: I would like to enroll at one of these schools as a communications major with a focus on writing. I’ve been active in various journalism positions within my school and hometown, but I am open to other opportunities that could be opened up by this broad major.
I would consider myself a very liberal person in nature and somewhat of a music/film geek. I would love to attend a school with kids who shared my passion for alternative culture and underground arts.
I am also looking for a school that offers great opportunities via internships and related programs. All of the schools that I am interested in seem to have strong connections in these areas.
I am a well rounded student with a 3.9 GPA and an 1890 SAT score.
Ithaca: Quite liberal from what I hear and the Park school is one of the best in the country. However, I am worried that it’s location will cut me off from opportunities in major cities (NY, Boston, Philly)
Fordham: A school with a good reputation and a unique campus. Rose Hill offers escape from the inner city, however I am a little worried that it may be too “preppy” for me. I am not Catholic and do not want to be in a school with a very “conservative” atmosphere (although I relaize Jesuits are more liberal)
American U: Great school for journalism being in the city where so much news happens. I would assume it would also have a liberal Atmosphere being in DC. Although I have heard that Frats are pretty prevalent, something I do not wish to be involved in.
If anyone has some insight that could help me make my decision I would be very grateful. College is an important time in everyone’s life and I want to make the right choice
If I were you, I would go for American University. It is in an excellent location, especially for your intended major. Based on your summaries of each, it seems clear that you favor AU over the other two schools.
As for your frat concerns, check out niche.com. See how students rated the “party scene” and social life, and look at what percentage of the student body goes Greek. It is never as prevalent or as influential as it may seem.
Good luck in your selection! No matter where you go, you will truly cherish these upcoming years.
Hope this helped!!
I thought you needed help on deciding among LACs? Those are all national or regional universities.
I was mainly focusing on the fact that these 3
Schools offer predominantly liberal arts core curriculum.
Also, I would like to mention tha Ithaca is much cheaper price-wise than Fordham and American. However I am wondering if anyone has any insight into how this school compares to fordham and American. Doesnot being in the city hold it back in terms of opportunities?
Include these 3 schools on your list and see where you are accepted. Do you have other schools that are of interest to you? You will need more than 3 schools to apply to.
I was thinking Wesleyan in reading your intersts
@brightfuture9 Since you are ok with schools in the state of NY, I would add Syracuse Newhouse and St. Bonaventure Jandoli for Journalism and Mass Communications. Little St. Bonnies has graduated 6 Pulitzer Prize Winners, dozens of Pulitzer Finalists, Murrow and Peabody Winners and is one of the 25 Journalism schools on the Jim Murray Foundation Board, with the most Murray scholars of the 25 schools.
I have a colleague who’s daughter is attending St. Bonaventure and interned with Dan Barry of the NY Times, who is also St. Bonaventure grad and a Pulitzer winner and multi Pulitzer finalist.
I would have added Eugene Lang/New School in NYC, Goucher in Baltimore, and possibly Quinnipiac as a safety.
Frats aren’t prevalent at AU in any meaningful sense IMO. I’ve read it here before, but can’t imagine where the idea comes from. I mean, they exist; but so do campus Republicans, and no one would describe AU as conservative. The figure (from the university’s own stats) is 26 percent Greek, but some of that seems to include coed pre-professional organizations that aren’t what most people mean by “Greek.” I’ve also seen a figure of 15 percent, which makes more sense to me. Anyhow my guess is that a fair number of AU’s Greeks join because it’s another networking opportunity, and networking is a big hobby in DC 
I’d describe AU students in general as liberal and activist, but less visibly granola and more inclined to change the world by working within the system, whether it’s in the media or a nonprofit or a political party. On the whole they tend to be unusually well-informed about politics and global affairs and spend a lot of time running around to internships. They’re more likely to own a suit (and wear it sometimes) than to dye their hair purple, although more than a few might have been in the purple hair brigade in high school.
Greek life may come to the fore a bit because in a sense there’s not a lot “to do” on campus … but IMO that’s more because students get off campus and go down to Adams Morgan and so on. It’s an urban school and so it’s not a place where students are inclined to wait for a formal student org to bring in a band or host an official party. The Greeks sponsor events and make their presence known and try to be “school-spirited” because that’s their thing, and I’m sure the members plan to put “organizer, Pi Kappa Whatever Habitat for Humanity build” etc on their resumes, but I definitely don’t get the sense that it’s Animal House: DC Edition.