Whether it’s the “Gabelli Bros” or STEM majors, it can often appear that Fordham University students have their future mapped out. However, students like Chapin Fish, FCRH ’26, explored all that Fordham has to offer.
Fish came to Rose Hill in the fall of 2022 as an undecided first-year. After his first semester on campus, he decided that perhaps the Gabelli School of Business was a viable route. “I transferred to the business school because I saw it as a safe option,” said Fish. He then spent the next two years immersing himself in the Gabelli curriculum, like the Consulting Cup, but he found himself wanting more. In his sophomore year, Fish and a couple of classmates decided to found the Bronx Integration Project, dedicated to immersing students in the music, history and culture that the surrounding borough offers. This initiative was very successful, providing informative presentations and a variety of integration-based activities.
Last summer, while many of his Gabelli counterparts were interning on Wall Street and other financial hubs, Fish opted to return home to Portland, Oregon, where he interned for Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
Despite his efforts to hunker down and finish out his business degree, he felt called to pursue his passions elsewhere, reconsidering the course of his education. “Over the course of my first two years I found a genuine joy in learning, and so decided to switch back to [Fordham College at] Rose Hill, where the majors and core classes are more academic and less professional,” said Fish. His curiosity for academia overpowers the tug of complacency.
“My new major is math/[economics], and I’ve really enjoyed the stem curriculum, but just as key in my decision was the diversity of subjects in the Rose Hill core requirements,” said Fish. The Gabelli core allowed him to transfer almost all of his math requirements over, but the FCRH core presented itself as an opportunity to become well-rounded intellectually. Fish jumped at the opportunity to challenge himself with tough courses like physics and advanced literature, some courses being better for him than others.
“I also realized that, if I put enough work in at Rose Hill, I could have just as good of outcomes as Gabelli kids,” said Fish. This perception of Gabelli “superiority” is commonplace among the Fordham community due to the schools’ high regard, particularly in New York City. Fish wants to make it clear that there are noble pursuits in every aspect of what Fordham offers, whether that’s communications or computer science.
“Changing my major was scary, especially being two years into college, but I’m glad I did it. You only get to be an undergraduate student once, so take advantage of that time and what inspires you even if it takes two [years] to figure out what that is,” said Fish. Many students can get bogged down by the anxieties faced by having to start all over again with a new area of study, but Fish implores students to take advantage of the freedom of choice that they are given. “You’re gonna have more fun and be more successful doing something that truly interests you,” said Fish.
Outside of his classes, Fish is a member of the Fordham Political Review and the Debate Society. He can also be found on duty as a Resident Assistant at Arthur House for the 2024-25 academic year. For fun, Fish enjoys fashion, traveling, jazz bars and has been a staple member of the Millwall U23 intramural soccer team since the fall of 2022. He might change his major, but never his loyalty to weekly recreational soccer.
