I know whatever feels right but I’m asking for some pros and cons please.
Obviously, one big difference is location. Fordham is in NYC, so that means lots of opportunities, but also lots of expensive opportunities with a very high cost of living. Lafeyette is in a small city, and has a more traditional college campus, but it is not too far from NYC if you want to take a trip there. Do you like big cities? That would play a big part in your decision because these schools are going to offer two very different environments.
You don’t say what your program/major is. Have you looked into the classes offered, faculty, internship/research opportunities, etc. at each school?
Fordham has a religious affiliation, although it is Jesuit (I believe) so it is not as big a factor as at an evangelical school, for example.
Lafayette has a more east coast preppy vibe to it, but I don’t think there is a dramatic difference in campus culture.
It depends what you are looking for on the school. Like location should be something you need to keep on mind, visiting both campus will be a great idea so you can see if you want to spend your 4 years on college in one of them. Some people go for the ranking too when it is time to choose but I am not sure what you are looking for. Also can you afford them?
Re post #1. That depends on what you mean by opportunities. There will be more opportunities to explore outdoor activities like skiing and hiking at Lafayette.
I think the Jesuit affiliation can be a big factor or not depending on whether you are Catholic. If you are, it is probably a non issue.
Fordham is in the Bronx. On one side of it is the beautiful botanical gardens, on the other side some rough-looking city streets (featuring great Italian food). If you are comfortable with the inner-city aspects, you might really like it there. The campus itself is beautiful and like an oasis in that area. And of course its proximity to Manhattan couldn’t be much better!
As @blprof points out it depends a lot on your major. Lafayette is known for engineering. If you’re interested in business Fordham’s Gabelli school offers lots of internships, guest speakers and alumni connections. You are 20 mins from grand central on metro north. Both are great schools. A bit more info will help folks weigh in.
My S graduated from Fordham and my D is a senior at Lafayette. Two amazing schools. Both kids absolutely loved their college experience. Congratulations. Ironically neither kid had a lot of interest in attending the siblings school.
–Fordham obviously has an urban location. My S went to Gabelli at Rose Hill. Loved having a traditional campus with easy access to Manhattan. For him it was the best of both worlds. My D preferred a less urban location.
–My D really wanted a LAC and my S felt they were too small. Fordham is still reasonably sized with small classes. But my D thrives on the intimacy that a LAC provides.
–My D is a science person and has spent the last two summers doing research with a professor on campus. This was great experience and really helped her in terms of grad school application I think. As a business student my S did an internship in NYC one summer and stayed at the LC campus which also was great.
-Fordham has a much more extensive liberal arts core as compared to Lafayette. That was fine for my S who seemed happy getting a well rounded liberal arts background, but my D has very particular interests and would have been frustrated taking ton of introductory level classes in topics she cared nothing about when she would prefer to take upper level classes in a specific area of interest not related to her major. Because of the core at Fordham, it is easier to double major (or major and minor) at Lafayette.
-Typically Fordham students take 5 classes/semester while Fordham students take 4.
So if there are some specific questions you have, feel free to PM me.
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