<p>I am a transfer student who has almost no background in Judaism, except for a few months in Hebrew School when I was five. Anyway, there is nothing online even close to a review of the Jewish Theological Seminary. Have any of you been there or know someone who has and can tell me anything about it? Is it legitimate? How do other denominations see it? Is there a campus (or campus life)? Are the teachers good; do the students like it? Will they let someone like me in, and what kinds of things do they like to see from incoming students, particularly transfers? </p>
<p>More importantly, how do graduate schools view the List College/Columbia or List/Barnard double BA program; will they think it's a sham (particularly Columbia's School of General Studies)?</p>
<p>Thanks for any information! I am hoping for information that wouldn't be on their website.</p>
<p>It is a seminary, with all the limitations that entails. These are the majors available:</p>
<pre><code>* Ancient Judaism
Bible
Jewish Art and Visual Culture
Jewish History
Jewish Literature
Jewish Thought
Jewish Gender and Women’s Studies
Liturgy
Medieval Jewish Studies
Midrash
Modern Jewish Studies
Talmud and Rabbinics
</code></pre>
<p>Rest assured, though, that JTS is a very well-respected seminary, leading most of its students to a career in Jewish scholarship, rabbinate/cantorial work, Jewish education, or similar careers. And the joint Columbia/Barnard programs are also well-respected. They are very rigorous and quite difficult.</p>
<p>I know it’s a seminary; and they do say that they have students coming in from secular schools. I blame my parents for my not having a background, not my own deficit.</p>
<p>I think this is the kind of specific question you need to call JTS up and ask. But if you just have a very “generic” Jewish background, this would be akin to determining you want to be a chemistry major without having even taken an intro to chemistry class. There is undoubtedly a level of observance and knowledge that is assumed as the minimum.</p>
<p>Of course it is “legitimate.” It is essentially the prime/ founding seminary of Conservative Judaism. I don’t think the question is about what background you had in Judaism…it is more what direction you want to head. Students in the program will more than likely all be observant Conservative Jews who will honor the sabbath and keep kosher. Most will want to become rabbis, cantors or Jewish scholars. Even though it is a joint BS with Columbia, you will need to pick a major in Jewish studies.</p>
<p>It sounds like you may not have a true understanding about how a observant Conservative Jew lives and worships. Exploring/ experiencing that may be a good starting point before you emerge yourself in seminary life.</p>
<p>Right. If you aren’t currently observant ( at least to Conservative standards) you may have a big learning curve on that alone. You said that your knowledge of Judaism is limited to a few months of Hebrew school as a young child. Therefore, I’m going to assume that you do not speak or read much Hebrew, did not grow up keeping kosher or being Sabbath observant. Which is fine!! But the JTS students will be at a different starting point. Many / most will have come from observant families. They may have gone to Jewish day schools. They will likely already be starting from a strong knowledge basis of Torah, Talmud and Jewish studies. They may have traveled to or lived in Israel. Will you be able to walk into that world?</p>
<p>“how other denominations see it” isn’t really a relevant question. With a secular background, what makes Conservative Judaism appealing to you?</p>
<p>“Students in the program will more than likely all be observant Conservative Jews who will honor the sabbath and keep kosher. Most will want to become rabbis, cantors or Jewish scholars”</p>
<p>the first is barely the case. List says they do have some students from Reform and from Modern Orthodox backgrounds, and many of the Conservative students are not that observant. The dorms are kosher, but shabbat observance is not mandatory, IIUC. </p>
<p>As for the second, my strong impression is that the majority of List graduates do not go on to careers as clergy. Many or most will go on to secular careers (but hopefully remaining well informed lay leaders) and of those who do go on to Jewish careers, many will do so at teachers and organizational leaders, not rabbis or chazans.</p>
<p>What do you want to pursue in grad school? What is it about JTS that intrigues you? </p>
<p>As noted, it is the premier Conservative seminary. Every denomination acknowledges its rigor (although Orthodoxy may not recognize all its rabbis - particularly women).</p>
<p>they indicate that strong hebrew background is not necessary - I do think strong demonstated interest in jewish studies is essential. </p>
<p>JTSA is a seminary. List is not. List is an undergraduate program that offers the chance to get a secular major at Barnard/Columbia while also getting a Jewish studies major taking advantage of all the resources of the seminary. The Jewish studies side is going to have the Conservative JTSA approach. OTOH that approach is historically academic and rigorous - I do not know that its approach to history, historical understanding of texts, etc is going to be that different from a Jewish studies program at a secular university. Except that the teachers, by and large, are living the attempt to lead and develop Conservative/Masorti Judaism. </p>
<p>From what I understand List students can participate in all the extracurrics at Columbia and Barnard, so there is all that campus life, but you go off to your own List College dorm. </p>
<p>My understanding is that the Columbia GS degree is taken seriously.</p>
<p>I should say that even though my formal education ended there, I am reading quite a lot and know what I’m getting into. I like to think the Conservative movement itself isn’t a monolith, and shouldn’t be a closed system to those whose parents just didn’t happen to care very much. I mostly mentioned my background to see if they even take people like me…now I’m kind of regretting mentioning it.</p>
<p>EDIT: Thank you, brooklynborndad. That’s what I suspected [concerning the observance level] anyway. If I really wanted to go somewhere I wouldn’t belong, I’d go to Stern College.</p>
<p>As info, our DD, who had 5 years of day school (k-4 at a pluralist school), went on from religious school to confirmation at our C synagogue, and was an officer at her USY chapter and active in the region, was rejected, apparently cause her GPA didn’t quite swing it for Columbia. </p>
<p>There is a limited number of committed observant Jewish youth who are interested in List AND are capable of admission to Barnard/Columbia. I would NOT rule out the possibility of admission for someone with a lighter Jewish ed background, not without talking to List first. </p>
<p>But it IS a dual curriculum - Barnard/Columbia are challenging schools, and the Jewish studies curriculum at JTS is rigorous.</p>
<p>Have you considered simply applying to Columbia/Barnard and taking courses at JTS? Again, regardless of your background (I would ask this of someone who went to a Jewish Day School as well), why do you want a degree from List? What are your interests and why does it intrigue you?</p>
<p>I agree that it might not be that different content-wise from a Jewish studies program at a secular university.<br>
However, a Jewish studies program at a secular university may be teaching kids who are starting out at ground zero from a Jewish studies perspective. I wouldn’t think that would be the case here. Your classmates may be starting at a whole different level in terms of understanding of and familiarity with the sources, the thinking, the philosophy, the language, the beliefs, etc. IOW, the “issue” isn’t the material – it’s the classmates and their base level.</p>
<p>Look, someone who was raised in an observant Conservative home, who celebrated all the holidays, who knows his or her way around issues relating to religious observance, who attended a day school, is simply going to approach Judaic studies from a higher level than the person who was raised secularly or with little Jewish knowledge. That’s not a slam – that’s just how it goes. (I’m Reform myself.)</p>
<p>batoven - do you feel kinship to the ba’al teshuva movement? What about Conservative Judaism attracts you, compared to Reform or Orthodox? I really think that needs to be something you can articulate to yourself. Why this program, compared to Jewish studies at a secular university? Clearly you want to get something more than just Jewish studies at a secular university. What is your end goal?</p>