Fordham University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Finance with a concentration in Fintech
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: South Asian Straight Male

Summary

I [have a leadership position] in the Entrepreneurship Society; I’m a senator on the student government; I work at the Development Office at Fordham and at the Fordham Foundry, which is our start-up incubator; I’m a tour guide for the Rose Hill Society; I’m a Giving Day Chair for the Student Philanthropy Committee; and I’m part of the Finance Society.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: South Asian
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Private school in Jersey City, New Jersey with a graduating class of about 230 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Finance with a concentration in Fintech
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I [have a leadership position] in the Entrepreneurship Society; I’m a senator on the student government; I work at the Development Office at Fordham and at the Fordham Foundry, which is our start-up incubator; I’m a tour guide for the Rose Hill Society; I’m a Giving Day Chair for the Student Philanthropy Committee; and I’m part of the Finance Society.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
The Entrepreneurship Society, Fordham Foundry, and the Development Office have had the biggest impact on me. Being [a leader] in the Entrepreneurship Society, I’ve learned a lot of leadership skills and team management skills. I know how to follow up, interact with people, and make sure everyone is on the same page. For the Fordham Foundry, I’ve learned how to take on different projects, how to get in touch with the right people and see who fits the criteria for what needs you have. Then, working for the Development Office, I’ve learned how to schmooze, mingle, network, or just interact with high-level people and actually learn from them.

Are clubs at Fordham competitive to get into?
The majority of clubs are not competitive to get into. There are certain clubs that have certain activities, like consulting challenges or site visits, that you have to apply to get into. But, most clubs are open to anyone to join.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Most of my coursework is reading. There is a ton of reading-related work, whether it’s for my Liberal Arts Core or my major coursework. I don’t have many homework assignments I have to complete, I only have one or two that are regular each week.
Is there anything you feel the undergraduate business school does especially well or poorly?
It has its own internal career services office. We have the Consulting Cup where you’re put in a group of four-six students, given a problem from a Fortune 500 company, and you have to come up with a marketing plan, accounting plan, analyze their 10-K, and create a solution. It’s a phenomenal program and a good thing for recruiters to look at. Apart from that, there are a ton of great clubs and extracurricular opportunities. Also, company recruitment-wise, there are a lot of recruitment activities on campus. In terms of what it doesn’t do well, I wish we had better employers come on campus and a larger variety of companies come to campus.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s competitive to a certain extent, but I think it’s more collaborative. Ever since freshman year, we’re always taught teamwork and leadership skills because there’s a heavy focus on working with your friends, so it’s very collaborative. Everyone’s always willing to help each other out. It’s just competitive in the sense that people want to do well for themselves.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. They have office hours and are flexible with them, but they’ll also offer to have a Google Hangout or a Skype call with students to discuss their problem.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken for your major so far?
Financial Modeling. That was a really cool class.
Do you feel people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes. People are always open to different perspectives. In my liberal arts classes, were always encouraged to debate, so students like to play devil’s advocate at times.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’ve never been good at reading, writing, or science, so liberal arts wasn’t what I wanted to go into. Business-wise, I love numbers and data analysis, so I figured finance was the best route to go with.

Reasons to Attend

1) Amazing New York location that gives access to great opportunities.
2) The Fordham network that we have here. From faculty to staff to alumni to the administration, everyone here is very helpful.
3) We have a phenomenal business school with tons of opportunities. It has a great reputation in New York City.
4) Our arts and sciences are very strong here.
5) It’s a beautiful campus with a lot happening here. It’s a great school where you can meet a lot of people and learn a lot.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The Bronx isn’t the best place to be in for college students. But, you can overcome that with campus shuttles and campus security does a great job.
2) It’s not a target school for big banks for those who are interested in finance.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: I commuted from home in Jersey City which took about an hour and a half each way.
Sophomore: Hughes House, which is off-campus university housing, so we had a university security guard. I then moved to O’Hare Hall which is dorm-style and I had one roommate.
Junior: Walsh Hall, which is apartment-style housing for juniors to live in. I share a bedroom.
How did commuting impact your experience freshman year?
I didn’t commute by choice. I commuted because I received admissions without housing, so I had to commute. It wasn’t that bad of an experience. Commuting took up about two or three hours each day, but I was able to get a lot of my work done on the bus and train. But, I wasn’t able to get involved on campus, meet people, network, and do a bunch of things that I do now. So, commuting does take that away from you because not a lot of activities on campus are commuter-friendly. When I got housing on campus, it opened up a new world for me. I was able to join clubs, network on campus, and meet different people in leadership roles on campus. Plus, I’ve made some great friends. [About 24% of freshmen commute.]
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
On campus is very safe. Public safety takes very good care of us and student safety is taken very seriously, especially because of the area we’re in. The Bronx doesn’t have the best reputation for safety, but at the same time, I don’t think it’s that bad. I’ve been off-campus alone at night before and didn’t feel that unsafe.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
A lot of people go into Manhattan and Brooklyn to go shopping or for different events. On Sundays, a lot of people like to go out into the city and do brunch and things like that. Nightlife-wise, there are a few off-campus parties that happen in houses. There are also a few bars around campus that are popular with students. I mostly go out on Friday and Saturday nights. Some students like to go out on Tuesday nights because many students don’t have class on Wednesday.
What have been some of your favorite times at Fordham?
My favorite times have to be Spring Weekend. It’s when everybody comes out of their dorms and all the commuters come on campus, so it’s a great time to be on campus. Homecoming is always a great time.
A stereotype of Fordham is that it’s a commuter school? Is this true? If so, how does it impact the weekends?
That stereotype is not true. It used to be true, but now most Fordham students live either on campus or directly off-campus. The nightlife around campus is always bustling, so that doesn’t have an impact now. [About 50% of students live off-campus.]
How happy are you with the weekend options at Fordham? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m very happy. There’s always something happening and once you have access to Manhattan, it’s perfect. Even more, we have our second campus, Fordham Lincoln Center, so it’s very easy to get to Manhattan because we can take the Ram Van there.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them by living in the same building. Two of my closest friends went to the same high school as me. When I was commuting we got a bit distant, but once I started living in the same building as them we all became good friends and we have a great group going.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Fordham?
I feel like it’s a great social scene because there are a lot of clubs and activities offered and students like to participate and mingle through that. Also, the nightlife is great here because lots of organizations and committees host a lot of different programming events where people can make friends and mingle.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
There are many opportunities for mixing here. I can’t tell specifically how much mixing does go on, but all social opportunities are open to everyone. There are a lot of specific diversity and inclusion events where a lot of mixing happens. It’s very common to see diverse groups of friends around campus.
What is the impact of the school’s Jesuit affiliation on campus? How strong is it?
I feel like you can feel the Jesuit presence every time you’re out and about. We have a lot of Jesuit priests here and there is a Jesuit retirement home off-campus. I like the fact that it’s a private Christian school because it forms you into a better person. Our Jesuit values are present in every class, even the business classes, and there is a lot of talk about Jesuit values and the Jesuit belief system. It’s also present in the university church, mass the campus ministry, and different volunteer activities. I really like the strong Jesuit presence because it’s a great talking point when you meet someone and it also just makes you feel good and makes you want to be a better person and learn how to be a better person.
How would you describe the South Asian community? How strong is it?
It’s getting stronger. We have two undergraduate clubs that focus on South Asian communities – one at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center. But, most of our undergraduate South Asian students are international, so we are trying to build a community both with the domestic students and international students. Recently, we created a South Asian Business Association that tries to unify South Asian students in the graduate business school and all the undergraduate schools. It’s a fast-growing community here and we are starting to get resources to be able to throw a Diwali party and things like that.
How do you like the size of Fordham in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 9,600] students?
I think Fordham has a great size. I prefer going to a smaller to mid-sized school so you can get one-on-one attention from professors. Here, I’ve been able to meet some amazing people and people are able to connect me with others because if they mention my name to someone else they usually know me.
What is the social impact of going to a school in such an urban setting?
I think it’s perfect to go to a school in an urban setting because it opens a lot of doors for you. It opens doors not just with networking and business, but also there are always events happening where you can learn something new. There are so many museums and the Lincoln Center campus is right near the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts so some students like to go to the opera and other shows there. Being able to have access to all of that really helps because here we get real world outside experience.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not directly yet. I’ve had many friends that have gotten internships because of alumni networking. We have a phenomenal alumni network here because the community is very tight-knit since it’s a mid-sized school and the Jesuit values.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They’ve been very helpful. They’re all very experienced. The Gabelli [School of Business] career office is really helpful with detailed resume checking and helping you know what steps you need to take. They’re great at connecting you to alumni and employers. But, at the same time, we have a university-wide career office that is better for more diverse opportunities. Like, if you don’t want to work at a bank but want to work with a tech company, they can help you with that.
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
Sophomore year in the Gabelli [School of Business] you take a semester of an Excel course where you learn it in detail. Then, the second semester of your sophomore year, you take a semester-long course on Microsoft Access. Then, your junior year you have to take an analytics class. There are a variety of analytics classes, and a few of them teach Tableau. Also, because I’m in the Fintech concentration I’m learning Python this year and I took a course in Java over the summer.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy are they to work with?
They’re very responsive and very easy to work with. It takes a little bit of time for them to get things done, but if you call someone up they’re more than happy to talk to.