I know this is premature, but can’t hurt to ask…
Our daughter is a rising sophomore in high school. She is a competitive synchronized skater with two national medals. We are in the Midwest, but it is her dream to relocate to the Boston or New York area for college and try out for one of the senior teams in those areas. Her grades, while decent, are not stellar - right now after freshman year she has a 3.2 GPA. She also has some test anxiety, so we are very realistic about her anticipated SAT scores. She is a very social kid who makes friends easily. I could see her wanting Greek life. She’s also pretty active in the Jewish community, so a college with a strong Hillel would be a plus. We’d like to know if there are options for her put east when the time comes…
There’s a thriving collegiate Jewish community in Boston and the Hillels of various colleges in the area have a lot of events together, so that’ll be easy to find! I don’t know much about skating so can’t speak to that. Take a look at schools like Simmons, Suffolk, Stonehill, UMass Boston, etc. Of course a lot depends on what happens to her grades in the next few years, what she wants to study, and what your family can afford, but those might be some good options for someone with her approximate GPA.
As for New York, there are a lot of colleges in the NYC area that would be good options for her (especially in NJ, lots of colleges there), but I’m not so sure about in NYC itself. If she’s got her heart set on the city itself maybe take a look at the CUNY system. Lots of good options, but not as insanely competitive admissions-wise as places like Columbia and NYU. The Jewish community is very strong in NY/NJ as well, so she’d have very little issue finding a Hillel.
This is a long-running and helpful thread about colleges for the Jewish “B” student: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19571409#Comment_19571409
With national awards in her sport I would think she could reach pretty high. Colleges love outliers with specific areas of high achievement.
Have you identified schools with teams?
If her scores tend low, here is a list of schools that don’t require or emphasize test scores: http://fairtest.org/university/optional
Have you saved for college? Merit aid in Boston or NYC for a B student will be tough to come by. Figure out your college budget and run net price calculators starting late sophomore and early junior year.
I’m not sure of the Jewish population, but take a look at Framingham in MA.
Are finances a consideration?
Look at the Boston University School of General Studies. Often students who aren’t accepted to one of BU’s other schools will be offered admission to General Studies. It is a structured two year program where all students take the same set of required courses. Once you have completed this program you can transfer to any of the BU schools for a four year degree.
When the time is closer I’d suggest you get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide) so you can read up on different colleges.
My daughter is Jewish and does figure skating though not at a high level and has never done synchro. I know the Lexington Haydenettes are well known and it looks like they offer a collegiate program that is open to college students in the Boston area (easiest with a car). There is also the Skating Club of Boston which may have a college synchro program. The colleges I know with skating are BU, NU, MIT and Harvard and I believe they all have a Hillel. You can look into smaller schools to such as Simmons and Suffolk. Right now I would be hesitant with UMass Boston due to financial issues it is facing. U Mass Lowell and Salem State have some skating and I believe Hillel.
I can’t suggest colleges for Jewish kids, but a former synchro mom here… I assumed you referred to Hayden and skyliners. you may want to look into Hayden’s FB page. Their FB page includes where the skaters attend colleges, I knew a few of them attend Merrimack and BU…you may also want to check with the coaches…and team managers… A few years ago, my kid considered trying out for their junior/novice team, the parents were very helpful in suggesting how to make it work as we are from NJ.
I assume your DD may want to tryout for both teams, hence you will need to cast a wide net for colleges. Sometimes it is not the skills alone, as they have no shortage of amazing skaters, similar to elite colleges, they build a team.
In the case of skyliners, again you may also want to contact the coaches and team managers for suggestion. I have heard, and not sure how much is accurate, that some girls are not local and they fly in to train.
Will your DD consider Miami as backup plan?
University of New Hampshire (UNH) has both a synchro program and a Hillel. It’s about 45 min to an hour outside Boston; there are buses that go into Boston from nearby Portsmouth, NH. B students with modest SATs are accepted (acceptance rate is 80%, 1000-1200 is the middle SAT range.) Check out their web page at www.unhsynchro.com – they seem to have a “get to know us” program for interested skaters. I lived in both Chicago and the seacoast area of MA/NH – Chicago is colder! One of the challenges could be cost for OOS. But it’s worth checking out!
I strongly suggest Brandeis, which was originally a primarily Jewish school and has a synchro team:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/32425/brandeis-university-synchronized-skating-team/
It is in Waltham, just outside of Boston, and a nice campus.
I know a kid who got in there through athletics with a similar academic profile.
Simmons is also mentioned, and is right in Boston, in the Longwood medical area.
Here is a list from googling: http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/lists/list/colleges-with-strength-in-synchronized-swimming/581/
This site on scholarships mentions Wheaton College in Norton MA
http://www.scholarshipstats.com/syncswimming.html
I would think there would be more of an admissions advantage at schools that have programs versus schools that are close to outside programs, and I would not underestimate the admissions advantage her accomplishments might bring.
As OP mentioned Boston or NY for “senior” team, I believe the skater is looking to skate in an elite skating team and those teams represent US in international competitions…
My daughter said her friend is going to Merrimack which has a skating program. She said she wants to look at it because even though it is a Catholic school it has Hillel and isn’t really religious. Merrimack is not right near Boston if she is looking to be in or right near Boston. We plan to visit but haven’t yet. UNH is a good school though it is more rural than city.
Here is a page for the Haydenette’s http://haydensynchroteam.com (I’ve always heard them called Haydenettes)
I don’t know about the college program per se but I know that in general they compete in international skating events.
If you need a Boston area place for skate needs cooke’s skate supply in Wilmington MA is used by tons of people and they were the skating pros used in Boston when Boston hosted the Nationals and Worlds.
compmom - I think you confused sychro swimming with synchro skating
Yes - she would love to try out for Hayden and Skyliners. She is pretty dedicated. I know it’s an option to try out from out of town in high school, but she is in a great program right now, and is very happy. She will have to move on once she graduates from high school, hence the interest in the east coast teams. Miami an option, too , although I understand that they do not hold tryouts until you are on campus as a freshman already! Thank you all for your responses…this has been very, very helpful!
And, finances are alawys a consideration, but we are somewhat flexible. This is our second child, so we have already been through the wringer with college costs, lol.
I want to second Cooke’s Skating Supply in Wilmington, MA, as THE place for skate sharpening and supplies. We journey there 2-3 times a year for skate sharpening. If you visit the Boston area, they are worth a visit.