Fordham University has been chosen as one of the “25 Hottest Schools in America” by the editors of Kaplan/Newsweek’s How to Get Into College Guide.
The 2008 edition of the guide, which is excerpted in the Aug. 20 double issue of Newsweek that hit newsstands Aug. 13, listed Fordham in the “Hottest Catholic School” category, describing the University’s ability to attract a national semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search, Amanda Fiscina.
“She was impressed,” according the guide, “not just by the academics, but the school’s commitment ‘to prepare us as people with strong morals, values and ethical behavioral standards.’” The guide also highlighted Fordham’s small undergraduate student body and class size.
“Clearly, Fordham is an institution on the move and it’s wonderful that others around the country are recognizing that fact,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “We’re pleased with the recognition, particularly that the guide highlights our commitment to cura personalis, a concern for the care and educational development of the whole person, for it’s truly at the heart of a Fordham education.”
The media spotlight comes amid a record-breaking year for Fordham in which more than 20,000 students applied for admission. It was the first time in the University’s history that the applicant pool crossed the 20,000 mark during an admissions cycle. In all, applications have increased by 54 percent since 2004, and the acceptance rate has dropped to 42 percent.
The Kaplan/Newsweek guide is different than others in that it doesn’t rank schools. Instead, it briefly describes each of the 25 colleges and universities. According to Kaplan/Newsweek, the list is based on admissions trends and extensive interviews with educators, admissions officers, students and “other longtime observers of the admissions process.” Perhaps the quirkiest listing was New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology as “Hottest in the War on Terrorism.”
Kaplan is among the largest test preparation companies in the country and Newsweek has a circulation of four million. Both Kaplan and Newsweek are subsidiaries of The Washington Post Co.
In an article about the 25 schools in the guide, Newsweek contributing editor Jay Mathews wrote: “Some of these schools are large. Some are tiny. Some charge more than $40,000 a year and some only a tenth that amount. Some are celebrated, but one was completely unknown to us and several experts we consulted until a well-traveled counselor pointed it out. All the schools have strong programs that can change young lives for the better.”
