Fordham - Fall 2016

[OLDERMSW!]

I just can't wait to hear!  There was so much good information at the Online Information  Session, and I was left with such a positive impression of the school.  Fingers crossed.

 

[elissad0122]

Playing the waiting game...So anxious! Lol

[Opt4theBest]

I managed to talk myself out of the Fordham's conditional offer today. When visiting the School, I found out that the reason why I was offered a part time 3 year study plan last Thirsday was that I have a low CUM GPA from my undergrad (in 2009). I met with Stephen 11:20am, an admissions associate who was very helpful and trying to build a case for me to remove my conditional offer. It was like an interview asking questions back and forth giving me a chance to explain why my GPA is low. After spending half an hour with Stephen and giving him good reasons and assuring him of the benefits of having me as a full time student, he told me he would approach the Interim Director to appeal the decision at noon. I then said thank and left his office. While I was walking to the subway, I received an email from Fordham with a new acceptance letter and this time they offered me a Full Time 3 Year Study Plan without any conditions. It was literally 12:05pm. I checked my application status and the new decision was updated accordingly as well. I don't know how to explain how much happy I am. I'm so pleased with the admissions team at Fordham. They listened to my problems and I believe they treat each student's case individually with care. Thus, I would suggest whoever have any problems or any doubts, please reach out to the admissions, especially Stephen. I would also recommend to visit the School and sit down and talk with the admissions team and you will be so surprised how helpful they are.

[FT-Grad2016]

1 hour ago, Opt4theBest said:

I managed to talk myself out of the Fordham's conditional offer today. When visiting the School, I found out that the reason why I was offered a part time 3 year study plan last Thirsday was that I have a low CUM GPA from my undergrad (in 2009). I met with Stephen 11:20am, an admissions associate who was very helpful and trying to build a case for me to remove my conditional offer. It was like an interview asking questions back and forth giving me a chance to explain why my GPA is low. After spending half an hour with Stephen and giving him good reasons and assuring him of the benefits of having me as a full time student, he told me he would approach the Interim Director to appeal the decision at noon. I then said thank and left his office. While I was walking to the subway, I received an email from Fordham with a new acceptance letter and this time they offered me a Full Time 3 Year Study Plan without any conditions. It was literally 12:05pm. I checked my application status and the new decision was updated accordingly as well. I don't know how to explain how much happy I am. I'm so pleased with the admissions team at Fordham. They listened to my problems and I believe they treat each student's case individually with care. Thus, I would suggest whoever have any problems or any doubts, please reach out to the admissions, especially Stephen. I would also recommend to visit the School and sit down and talk with the admissions team and you will be so surprised how helpful they are.

@Opt4theBest Congratulations! I was rooting for you.

When I first read that you talked your way out of the conditional offer on my iPhone ...I thought they rescinded the offer. Fortunately, I read the full post ?

Edited February 17, 2016 by FT-Grad2016

[MSW768]

6 hours ago, Opt4theBest said:

I managed to talk myself out of the Fordham's conditional offer today. When visiting the School, I found out that the reason why I was offered a part time 3 year study plan last Thirsday was that I have a low CUM GPA from my undergrad (in 2009). I met with Stephen 11:20am, an admissions associate who was very helpful and trying to build a case for me to remove my conditional offer. It was like an interview asking questions back and forth giving me a chance to explain why my GPA is low. After spending half an hour with Stephen and giving him good reasons and assuring him of the benefits of having me as a full time student, he told me he would approach the Interim Director to appeal the decision at noon. I then said thank and left his office. While I was walking to the subway, I received an email from Fordham with a new acceptance letter and this time they offered me a Full Time 3 Year Study Plan without any conditions. It was literally 12:05pm. I checked my application status and the new decision was updated accordingly as well. I don't know how to explain how much happy I am. I'm so pleased with the admissions team at Fordham. They listened to my problems and I believe they treat each student's case individually with care. Thus, I would suggest whoever have any problems or any doubts, please reach out to the admissions, especially Stephen. I would also recommend to visit the School and sit down and talk with the admissions team and you will be so surprised how helpful they are.

Congrats!!! 

[Opt4theBest]

Thank you so much FT-Grad2016 and MSW768!

[Opt4theBest]

Is anyone considering an on campus housing at Fordham's Lincoln Center? It's in the heart of the city and seems pricey. 

[tudor3x8]

Congrats Opt! Fordham's staff has been absolutely amazing.

Some of the housing options (Wilshire & McKeon) don't seem too awful with pricing. They seem to be on-par with NYU's graduate school housing? Midtown Manhattan is pretty expensive in general- I have had friends who currently live or have lived in Midtown Manhattan and it's almost always expensive. The location is absolutely amazing though, and many of them prefer having shorter travel than living somewhere further than, say, Brooklyn or Queens.

[Opt4theBest]

38 minutes ago, tudor3x8 said:

Congrats Opt! Fordham's staff has been absolutely amazing.

Some of the housing options (Wilshire & McKeon) don't seem too awful with pricing. They seem to be on-par with NYU's graduate school housing? Midtown Manhattan is pretty expensive in general- I have had friends who currently live or have lived in Midtown Manhattan and it's almost always expensive. The location is absolutely amazing though, and many of them prefer having shorter travel than living somewhere further than, say, Brooklyn or Queens.

Thank you tudor! I thought they only offered only one option at Wilshire and that was why my jaws dropped. Now see more options you are referring to at http://www.fordham.edu/info/20421/living_on_campus/5667/housing_rates_2015-2016 and they seem to be at reasonable rates. 

Man, I am so impressed with Fordham's admissions staff. I guess this is definitely their strong selling point. 

[tudor3x8]

48 minutes ago, Opt4theBest said:

Thank you tudor! I thought they only offered only one option at Wilshire and that was why my jaws dropped. Now see more options you are referring to at http://www.fordham.edu/info/20421/living_on_campus/5667/housing_rates_2015-2016 and they seem to be at reasonable rates. 

Man, I am so impressed with Fordham's admissions staff. I guess this is definitely their strong selling point. 

Yeah, I'd assume we could live at any graduate school housing, even if it is off campus. They're not cheap by any means, but at the university I currently work at (my undergrad institution), housing is about the same as Fordham, if not more (?!?).

I'm not going to lie- Fordham's staff has gone beyond expectations, and is the main reason why I like them more than some other "better known" or "better ranked" schools like Columbia and Hunter (although they are amazing!)

[caitmcguire]

Congrats, @Opt4theBest! I just got off the phone with Fordham and unfortunately, it doesn't look like I will be attending due to financial reasons. I really love the program but the cost of attendance and relocating from out of state is just more than I'm willing to take on in loans straight out of undergrad. Luckily I have another great (and affordable!) option with UNC! Right now it looks like that's where I'll be attending, but I am waiting to hear back from Columbia and Boston College to decide for sure.

Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear from Fordham and congrats to everyone who's gotten in!  

[Opt4theBest]

2 minutes ago, caitmcguire said:

Congrats, @Opt4theBest! I just got off the phone with Fordham and unfortunately, it doesn't look like I will be attending due to financial reasons. I really love the program but the cost of attendance and relocating from out of state is just more than I'm willing to take on in loans straight out of undergrad. Luckily I have another great (and affordable!) option with UNC! Right now it looks like that's where I'll be attending, but I am waiting to hear back from Columbia and Boston College to decide for sure.

Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear from Fordham and congrats to everyone who's gotten in!  

Thanks Cait and sorry to hear that you wont be attending Fordham. However, who knows you might be attending another program in NYC and we might run into one another at some points within the next two years. Anyway, please keep us posted of your decision!

[caitmcguire]

4 minutes ago, Opt4theBest said:

Thanks Cait and sorry to hear that you wont be attending Fordham. However, who knows you might be attending another program in NYC and we might run into one another at some points within the next two years. Anyway, please keep us posted of your decision!

Thank you! My longterm goal is to end up in NYC so hopefully that happens eventually! 

[morningjunky]

Hey everyone,

Make sure to also look at Graduate Assistantships for funding as well:

http://www.fordham.edu/info/21087/gse_financial_aid/2993/graduate_assistantships

Fordham's Graduate School of Education offers tuition remission for one class per semester. I would reach out to the Admissions Office and see if MSW students can also partake in this opportunity as well. This could a possible $4-5K a year in extra assistance! If this is your top choice, make sure the Office knows your intention to enroll at Fordham. I'm sure they will assist you in any way possible to help your dreams of attending Fordham a reality.

Lastly, ask for more assistance! I emailed a few schools if they could re-consider my scholarship/funding package in order to make it financially viable for me to attend their program. While two schools did not, one school did re-evaluate their initial package and offered me a little more ($3K). Attending graduate school is expensive. Attending an MSW program is often even more expensive (if you attend out-of-state or a private university) and often the return on investment isn't that great. So advocate for yourselves! The worst thing that can happen is they say no. Good luck!

Graduate Assistantships

Assistantship awards provide tuition remission for one course per semester.

Graduate Assistantships are made in recognition of academic achievement, special competencies, and/or academic potential. They provide opportunities for academic and professional development. There are two types of assistantships:

• Research Graduate Assistantships support research, service, or professional efforts. It may involve flexible hours and off-site or service activities.
• Administrative Graduate Assistantships support programs administratively. Students must be available during regular business hours.

 

PS: Internal/External funding opportunities for your second year at Fordham:

http://www.fordham.edu/downloads/file/3581/2015_-_2016_scholarships_and_fellowships

Edited February 18, 2016 by morningjunky

[yogaandpearls06]

has anyone not heard from Fordham yet? I'm still waiting...

[Opt4theBest]

On February 14, 2016 at 3:17 PM, caitmcguire said:

This is the scholarship I received from them too--it's much too low for me to even consider attending, unfortunately. I asked for a reconsideration of my financial package but haven't heard back. I'm going to call them tomorrow to see if I can find out anything or at least get an extension on putting down the deposit. I really love Fordham but I have a much more affordable option that will be really difficult to pass up if Fordham doesn't offer me any more money. 

Hi Cait, I forgot to ask if you managed to get additional funding from Fordham. I remember you mentioned you emailed them them to ask for more funding. What was their response? Was it a straight "no"? Thanks!

[MSW768]

15 hours ago, yogaandpearls06 said:

has anyone not heard from Fordham yet? I'm still waiting...

I have not heard! When did you apply?

[Dannie820]

3 hours ago, MSW768 said:

I have not heard! When did you apply?

I still haven't heard either, I applied at the end of January though

[caitmcguire]

On 2/19/2016 at 8:42 AM, Opt4theBest said:

Hi Cait, I forgot to ask if you managed to get additional funding from Fordham. I remember you mentioned you emailed them them to ask for more funding. What was their response? Was it a straight "no"? Thanks!

Hi Opt, long story short, I was not able to secure additional funding, which was the driving factor in my decision to turn down Fordham.

I ended up having to call the financial aid office after not hearing anything and they said they never got my email, so I basically re-stated everything I had said in my email over the phone. They were very nice but I got the feeling that they really don't have a ton of funding to give out. The woman I spoke to kept directing me to apply for outside scholarships, which I have considered...but even if I won every scholarship I applied to I would still have to take out more loans than I'm comfortable with. It was basically a straight "no" but they seem very dedicated to helping students find additional funding from outside sources, which I thought was nice. 

[MSW768]

Got my decision letter today- I was accepted! So relieved to finally hear back from one of the programs. 

Edited February 22, 2016 by MSW768

[Opt4theBest]

On 2/20/2016 at 11:38 AM, caitmcguire said:

Hi Opt, long story short, I was not able to secure additional funding, which was the driving factor in my decision to turn down Fordham.

I ended up having to call the financial aid office after not hearing anything and they said they never got my email, so I basically re-stated everything I had said in my email over the phone. They were very nice but I got the feeling that they really don't have a ton of funding to give out. The woman I spoke to kept directing me to apply for outside scholarships, which I have considered...but even if I won every scholarship I applied to I would still have to take out more loans than I'm comfortable with. It was basically a straight "no" but they seem very dedicated to helping students find additional funding from outside sources, which I thought was nice. 

Thanks Cait!

[Opt4theBest]

1 minute ago, MSW768 said:

Got my decision letter today- I was accepted! So relieved to finally hear back from one of the programs. 

Yay! Congratulations

[Opt4theBest]

Hi All,

I come close to my deadline to accept my offer from Fordham. They gave me 30 days to decide but given that other schools are delay in informing me the decisions, I have not heard back to my 2 other schools (one of them is my top choice). I wonder if anyone have had an experience requesting for a deadline extension after the 30 day period is up? Thank you all!

congrats to all who have been accepted and I wish those who are still waiting will hear back from Fordham very soon. Best of luck!

[tudor3x8]

Congrats Opt! I did ask for an extension from Fordham and they gave me an additional month. They're very nice about it, so I wouldn't hesitate if I were you. Worst thing they can do is say no, but given how helpful they've been, I'm sure they will.

[Opt4theBest]

1 hour ago, tudor3x8 said:

Congrats Opt! I did ask for an extension from Fordham and they gave me an additional month. They're very nice about it, so I wouldn't hesitate if I were you. Worst thing they can do is say no, but given how helpful they've been, I'm sure they will.

Thank you tudor! Did you send an email to the general admissions email or any specific one? X