Please post your decisions here: Fordham yes or no

sovereigndebt
Sat, 04 May 2013 10:30:24 +0000

The problem I have is that this thread has been sadly hijacked by a person who has contributed nothing towards the conversation of college admissions and turned it into a conversation about me. That is the last thing I want. Its not about me. Its about three things: First, the student applicant, Second, the parents and check writers, and Third, Fordham Family.

Over the years I have endeavored to foster a kinder gentler (to borrow a phrase) experience on CC for Fordham interested people.

I dont ever want this to be about me. I have used my daughters experience, notably because we are not New Yorkers…and the quintessential non New Yorkers…as a guide to those who are from other regions, those even from Long Island concerned about the Bronx and the mostly to show people that kids can come from the four corners of our great nation and survive and thrive at Fordham. I am not looking for accolades or accolytes. I am looking to attract people who would be a good fit at Fordham. In that sense its all about Fordham.

I regret this has turned into a conversation about me, and impliedly my agenda. My agenda is as stated.

Why I am on CC…and remain so, is because when we were going through this awful process (and its awful) of applying to colleges and dealing with disappointment, frustration and angst, where others are deciding your fate on something fairly important to your future (though there is not one path to success, but many), we were directed to CC by a friend (a fellow WashU St Louis wait list victim), we were looking for information about getting off wait lists, and reasonable Plan B schools for us. Fordham at the top of the list, and we found (at that time) a lot of people on CC bashing Fordham which appalled me as unprofessional, inaccurate and rude. Fordham rescued my daughter from the pain of disappointment (W & L and WashU), and then we had to sort through the myriad of offers from other schools, comparing financial assistance, scholarships, social strata, distance, weather, logistics, programs, professors, extra curricular activities, whether my daughter wanted a serious music program as a double major or not (not Fordham!), high school friends, ex boyfriends, culture, religion-theology, Jesuit ethos, legacy, on and on. Just like everyone and we felt the same pain and pressures. Upto and including decision day, April 30. We went through all the dorm drama (our first and oldest kid going off to college), homesickness, small town values in a very big and sometimes cold and cruel city, the shock of college workload even though she was extremely well prepared, wondering during Freshmen year if it was the right decision and ALMOST pulling the plug. Through all of that, it came to my attention as I posted on CC that while running off the Fordham bashers, I was fulfilling a role of expressing what others were feeling and thinking and getting positive feedback. Nothing more and nothing less. It came to my attention that particularly for people not from New York who were interested in Fordham but unsure about safety, curriculum and culture, if it was the right choice, that I could be of help to them. And because that is what Fordham family is all about. Nothing more and nothing less.

I hope that helps people understand my position. And I really dont feel a need or obligation to post my credentials or professional position or more. Its not about me. I am a Fordham parent, with empathy for other potential Fordham parents and their children. I want to encourage applications from the best and brightest, because I am also sick and tired of hearing the usual “Notre Dame, Georgetown or BC” (and sometimes Villanova, lol) as the Catholic schools everyone aspires to, while Fordham was being treated like a red haired step child. Fordham has a lot to offer, its as good or better than some of the other Catholic schools in some departments (that from a Fordham faculty member who has taught at other schools as well), and based on our experience, and what Fr. McShane said at Mass on the Lawn on Drop Off weekend (Sept 07), “we will take your children and change them…change them for the better and hopefully when they graduate in four years, make them concerned about injustice in society”, he was spot on the mark and delivered his promise in spades. Mission Accomplished.

I dont owe anyone an apology to my knowledge. But if I offended anyone, then please do accept my humble and sincere apology. Our ties to Fordham are very deep. (not a name dropper either, fwiw.) I want my daughter’s experience to be an example for others, in the sense that you will experience tribulations and trials, but at the end of the journey is a very proud and emotional day at Commencement, and hearing those words on Eddies Parade, from the microphone, from Fr. McShane, [insert name], Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa and KNOWING WHAT IT TOOK TO GET THERE…the tears pouring down our faces with pride…a little sheltered girl from a small town far away from New York City and the Bronx…that you too can reach for the stars and achieve, without fear.

I have been on CC a long time. Guilty as charged. I came not for self glory, a small amount of promotion and pride for my daughter, and really a LOT of promotion for Fordham. Since 2007, applications have soared…to over 35,000, with avg SAT scores now approaching the very high 1200’s and almost 1300. I think that is amazing. Fordham has a story to tell and we here, as Fordham family on CC can tell it.

To some its too much cheerleading. I think not. I have been critical of Fordham when I feel they deserve it. In areas where they deserved it. And they have improved along the way. I tell anyone and everyone that its as good as any other Catholic school in the nation in many departments. Its reputation is stellar not just for academic rigor but for the kind of kid who graduates and what employers seek and find.

I wish everyone the very best in their college pursuits and those who picked Fordham as their final choice, final answer and will be joining us in September, a hearty WELCOME to Fordham.

And no, I am not on the payroll of Fordham University, to the cynics.

p.s. some of my daughter’s friends who went to some pretty heady name schools didnt quite have the richness of experience we had at Fordham. I can tell you that my daughter is gainfully employed, has a wonderful job with a wonderful boss (not in New York, btw) and that her Fordham pedigree caught their attention when interviewed.

God bless to all…until next time when we meet again on CC or elsewhere.