New York City is fairly compact, and so we need only take a short stroll from the New York Institute of Technology to our next school, Fordham University. Like the University of San Francisco, which we visited earlier in our tour, the Fordham approach to education is rooted in the Jesuit tradition, although it welcomes students of all backgrounds and beliefs. I have to say that Fordham University has an excellent reputation for rigorous study on a friendly campus, and yet many international students overlook it! But not Uplanders–we know to look beyond the obvious names in order to find universities that are the “best fit” for us.
Fordham has two campuses in the city, and we visited the one located near Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. This is a bustling part of Manhattan, with a lot of restaurant-goers, shoppers, and performing arts lovers milling about. Although I have walked past the Fordham campus many times, this was my first time inside. I was surprised to see that the university was actually a closed campus with its dorms and academic buildings arranged to create an outdoor courtyard that is not visible from the street. Fordham students call it their own little Central Park, and it is indeed like a private park because passersby on the streets would never even know that it exists!
Something that we have not yet discussed on our tour is that US universities encourage students to choose not only a “major” course of study, but also a “minor,” so that students can dive into a main area of study while also exploring a secondary subject. Some students even take enough coursework in two subjects to complete a “double major.” Fordham provides us with a great opportunity to discuss this in more detail. Here is a list of the majors and minors offered at Fordham. With its campus right next to a world-famous performing arts center, it is no surprise that the university offers special opportunities such as its partnership with the renowned Alvin Ailey Dance School, to offer students a chance to double major in Dance and another subject such as the Sciences.
This approach underscores the US emphasis on a “well-rounded” education, which is not always valued in education systems in other parts of the world. Many of my students are attracted to being able to engage in more than one main area of study. Yet, some others prefer the “one course only” approach.
What about you?
- Does this “major/minor” approach interest you? Why/Why not?
- If you had to choose a major and a minor, which would you choose?
- Sometimes students and their parents cannot agree on a course of study. Does this situation resonate with you? If so, how can a double major or major/minor be useful?
