Hi,
I’m a religious Jew looking for a college with an active Jewish community (kosher food, minyan every day, etc.). The more financial aid/ scholarships the better.
I have around a 3.7 GPA and a 2120 on the SAT (I’m retaking it in October). I want to go into publishing as an editor for novels and also work as an author myself. I would like the opportunity to get certified to teach English at the same time, but I can live without that. Creative Writing majors are nice, but English Lit works too.
A little background: I attended (am attending, technically) a startup for high school, so my school is literally unknown because I’ll be the first graduating class. Because the school is so small, there’s no options for APs or even really Honors courses. There are also not really any extracurriculars (I was in charge of yearbook last year and should be again this year, and I’ve done lots of community service, though.)
I’m skipping 11th grade (taking the 2 classes I need for requirements other than 12th grade over this summer), which I think is not unimpressive, and I took the SAT before Geometry (which I took in 8 days online, also not bad) in 10th grade with very little help (hence my scores and the retake) which I think makes my current scores pretty good if the colleges bother to look at the dates.
Thanks!
Edit: Just to clarify, I am open to international schools, including ones that aren’t in Israel if they match my needs.
If you are not adverse to having a dual curriculum, look into Yeshiva University (in New York).
Brandeis University also has a kosher cafeteria and daily minyan. Look into the Brandeis Orthodox Organization (BOO)'s webpage.
And although it’s a reach for everyone, University of Pennsylvania also has a pretty big orthodox presence.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I went to a high school for orthodox Jews, keep kosher, go to minyan most every day, and am currently a rising sophomore in college.
Hi,
I would rather not have a dual curriculum because I’ve gone to dayschool my entire life and there was no room for my passions amid all the classes- in college I want things to be different. YU is a definite no for quite a few reasons which I probably shouldn’t start ranting about.
I’m definitely considering Brandeis. Lots of Jews, and a CR major… what’s not to love (aside from tuition and acceptance rate)?
Here’s the list of colleges I’m already considering:
All three UMasses
Rutgers
Drexel
UMaryland
Emerson
Harvard
Amherst
Barnard/Columbia
Brandeis
Columbia and Barnard have large Jewish communities, with an active Hillel that has a beautiful building (the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life: https://columbiabarnardhillel.org). I don’t know if they hold minyan every day, but the Jewish Theological Seminary is very close by and they almost certainly have a minyan every day (and of course, there are lots of synagogues in New York). I’ve eaten in the dining halls and I know they have kosher food.
You might want to check out Hillel’s College Guide: http://www.hillel.org/college-guide/top-jewish-schools. You can select to search for colleges with a Hillel and kosher dining options. (For “largest population,” be sure to check the proportion if that’s important to you. There are a lot of public universities on there, but that’s by dint of the fact that they have large student bodies overall. Some colleges may have smaller overall numbers but Jewish kids might be a larger proportion of the student body.)
There’s also [url=<a href=“http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-colleges-with-jewish-communities/%5Dthis%5B/url”>http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-colleges-with-jewish-communities/]this[/url] list of “best colleges for active Jewish communities”.
I think you should really check out Binghamton! We have the largest/most active Chabad in the country (300+ person shabbos dinners every week), a kosher kitchen in the dining hall, very easy to miss class/exams for yom tovim as the professors will be getting the same requests from dozens of other students, can get a physical key for the card-swipe dorms…oh, a weirdly high marriage rate and lots of very cute Jews. And weekly shabbat parties - I’ll fill you in on that.
Really though what I like about it is the huge range and acceptance of different kinds of Jews. It’s a really great welcoming community, but at the same time, it’s very integrated into the campus, so you won’t only be hanging out with other Jews if you don’t want to.
I majored in English and also went into teaching, so let me know if you have any specific questions there.
Thanks for the links.
I’m not a huge fan of NY, but Barnard and Columbia are on the list. I have relatives in NY, so I could probably save on dorming fees, too. I’ll look at Hillel’s guide.
I’ll definitely take a look at Binghamton. Is there an Orthodox community? Is there a Hillel, or just a Chabad? Who certifies the kashrut of the kitchen? Sounds like a lot of fun.
That’s cool. I literally don’t know any non-Jewish people. I’d love to broaden that while at college.
Binghamton’s not in NYC, to be clear, it’s upstate. There’s a huge Orthodox community. I’d say the average person at Chabad is modern orthodox but there’s plenty of people more frum than that. There’s a very active Hillel as well. I’d say Hillel is where more of the Reform/Conservative Jews go but that’s definitely not a hard and fast rule and there’s a ton of overlap between the two. It’s pretty common on Friday nights for people to go to Hillel for dinner, which starts earlier, and then go to Chabad, which drags on all night (in the best way) and they’ll probably still be making kiddush by the time you get there. The kitchen is certified by Rabbi Adamit from the local Orthodox shul.
Excellent, I dislike NYC.
Oh, darn, I keep forgetting. I live in a tiny community where Modern Orthodox means frum but not Charedi. Not entirely clear on how the rest of the universe uses it, but usually not that way. I am frum, just to clarify (but not Charedi, so probably not to Charedim… this has gotten very confusing).
Your best bet is probably Yeshiva University, as its the most conducive to the Orthodox lifestyle, and offers a lot of interdisciplinary programs. If you’re looking for Ivies, I’d look at UPenn, as it has the highest Jewish population out of any of the Ivies and has the most active Hillel.
Haha I get that. I meant Modern Orthodox as in shomer shabbos/kashrut but will, for example, watch R-rated movies and television and integrate into secular life, like clubs/organizations on campus. Most guys wear t-shirts and jeans and a kippa but it’s not uncommon to see tzitzit strings. Lots of girls dressing tzniusly but again there’s a huge range, many wear jeans. Not uncommon to see shomer negiah relationships. One of my best friends came from a Charedi family but that’s definitely not the norm. Hope that paints a better picture!
YU and I do not get along. I’ll look at UPenn, thanks. I’m not that attached to the idea of going to an ivy; going somewhere that’s a good fit and is affordable without loans is my priority.
Yep, that would be me (minus the R-rated movies). I’m a t-shirts (anyone who’s overcome with sexual feelings at the sight of my elbows is probably not the sort of person I want to be around) with skirts past the knees and high collars sort of person, but I definitely don’t mind other levels of frumness in the people around me (I just don’t want to be alone). That’s good, I’d hate to be the only shomer person.
Yes, it does, thank you.
You wrote “The more financial aid/ scholarships the better.” Have your parents given you a budget? Have you and they run any net price calculators? And what state are you in?
You need to post your request on the the Parents Forum thread “Colleges for the Jewish “B” Student” http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/931514-colleges-for-the-jewish-b-student.html In addition to giving you ideas of other schools, you’ll also learn about schools where you’ll be in the running for merit aid (meaning scholarships). The thread started because it’s easy to find lots of “A” student colleges where there are large Jewish communities, but admission is tough–so how about for “B” students?
A friend of one of my daughters attended Binghamton after spending a year on an Israel program. She is frum (originally conservative) and was very happy with the community there.
Hello,
I’m in MA. $6,000 a year is about what we can actually afford. Because that’s because of private school costs and living in a Jewish area inside the eruv and all other sorts of complications financial aid offices don’t care about, we’re unlikely to get anything of the sort. So, the lower the better.
Oh, I wasn’t aware that was still going. I’ll try that.
I specifically need a Modern Orthodox population. I don’t think I and a Reform shul would get along very well- and neither would I like an NY Charedi shul. I can, of course, compromise, but I’d rather try for a perfect match
I’ll put Binghamton on my list, then. Do you know if they’re good for financial aid?
$6k a year is going to be tight. Add another $5k a year from federal loans (don’t go to private lenders!), plus a part-time job during the year and summer employment puts you at around $16k or so. You’re definitely going to want to get help off of threads where a lot of parents with experience congregate–Parents forum, financial aid forum. Start new threads there. I don’t know specifics of who has good aid, and as you’re coming from a new school it’s tough to know how that will play out. People will be no-nonsense and may come across as unsympathetic in their replies, but you will get helpful advice and that is what counts.
You really want to get your test scores up to give you the best possible shot at merit aid. Have you tried the ACT as well?
It sounds like there are other children in the family, and that your family’s Expected Family Contribution will be higher than what your family can afford to pay. Check the net price calculators; places like Penn will be unaffordable as they can offer generous need-based aid but not merit aid. Are any U Mass campuses a possibility?
Another possibility is to look for schools where you can find a modern O minyan off-campus. And just checking, sounds like you must have hechsered food, as opposed to eating vegetarian.
And another thought: as you’re finishing high school a year early, a gap year could work for you. It gives you more time to get your college applications ready, and allows you to earn money which can be saved for college.
We’re trying to avoid loans since I don’t have a great chance of making any money. I’ll look in the other forums, thank you. Yes, the new school thing is unfortunate, but someone had to be the first at all of them, and they managed.
I haven’t tried the ACT. Since I was only halfway through Algebra 2 and hadn’t taken Geometry when I took my first SAT, I think I have a good chance at a much better score this time around. I scored really well in CR and Writing, so I’d rather try for a higher math score (a lot of schools have score choice) then start again with an unknown. Merit aid, aside from at two UMasses and UMaryland, is pretty useless, because it comes before financial aid. Unless the place offers full scholarships, even with all the merit aid they can offer I won’t really be able to afford it.
I have an older sister just starting college and a brother (a year behind me).I’m appying to all the UMasses; two of them offer full scholarships. There doesn’t seem to be a Jewish community at UMass Lowell, though,
Yes, vegetarian won’t work. I need hechshered by a kashrus agency or a rabbi my dad trusts. Which kind of limits my options.
If I don’t find a college that works this year, I definitely plan to take a gap year and rethink (or just take some time). I want to try this year, though.
I’m not Jewish but stumbled on this thread because of the reference to UMass. You may want to check on the full scholarship to UMass to see exactly how much it is. The fee structure at UMass is strange. The tuition is very low, and most of the costs are loaded into fees. A full tuition scholarship at Umass Amherst will save you about $1500/yr on a $26,000 bill.
@me29034 I assume the full ride he’s talking about is a full ride at Umass Lowell, which actually offers complete full ride scholarships plus stipends, as opposed to Umass Amherst, which has incredibly lousy/random merit aid.
The confusing cost structure at all the UMass campuses was an artifact of state budgetary procedures that are finally being changed. Not sure if it takes effect this year or next.
UMass Amherst has a large Jewish population but I do not know about the other campuses.
