In New England
Private (non-merit) schools that meet full need and have a large Jewish population are:
Yale
Harvard
Tufts
Wesleyan
Private schools that give merit aid and have a large Jewish population are:
Brandeis
BU
Clark University
A small public university that gives merit aid and has a large Jewish population is:
University of Vermont
OP, some folks do better on the ACT than the SAT, or vice versa. The only way to find out if one test works better for you is to take both. Worth the investment of your time.
Suggestions like “Penn, Brandeis, Barnard, UCLA, Columbia, NYU, and Chicago” aren’t helpful because they won’t be affordable, unfortunately.
@me29034 and @Qwerty568 Yes, I’m talking about UMass Lowell and UMass Boston, both of which offer real full scholarships. UMass Amherst looks like it has a lot less aid.
@SlitheyTove I’ve already signed up for an SAT retake. If I don’t do significantly better and end up taking a gap year, I’ll certainly look into the ACT. I’ve already purchased books and whatnot for the SAT, and I’m happy with everything but my math score, so I’d rather try retaking that first. Thanks for the advice.
A lot of the colleges I’m applying to aren’t going to be affordable (such as Barnard/ Columbia) but I’m applying so that my school can brag about it if I get in. So that’s why there are random ivies on the list. I also need somewhere to go, though, hence this thread.
Are bragging rights really worth hundreds of dollars? It’s not free to apply to these schools, and I had gotten the impression from your posts that money is tight…
@Qwerty568 The school will pay the application fees for the schools they care about. I have no intentions of wasting money on colleges I couldn’t go to even if I got in (except Emerson). I wouldn’t even try Harvard if my mother didn’t want me to, because of the extra money (in SAT 2s among other things).
The OP has a 3.7 gpa. He isn’t going to be accepted into many of the schools others are suggesting.
Okay, just to make it clear: I am a she. Thanks!
My GPA is AROUND 3.7. I could be off by .1 or .2 points, although I don’t think I am. It’s never actually been calculated. So if a 3.7 is just barely going to cut it, that school probably isn’t a great match, especially for merit aid.
Muhlenberg would be a match/safety for your stats, and has very generous need-based aid and a large Jewish community
http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/campuslife/hillel/faqs.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/28/muhlenberg-college-hot-am_n_841578.html
Muhlenberg does have a large Jewish community, but I do not believe it has a Modern Orthodox community.
I just mentioned Muhlenberg for need-based aid and then looked upthread and saw that Columbia wouldn’t be affordable for you. Have you run the net price calculator to be sure? Getting to a cost of $6,000 on merit aid alone is kind of a no-can-do already, even before narrowing the search to find the right kind of religious community.
@uskoolfish I think it does have a Modern Orthodox community. According to their website, they have food under Star-K, which means there are enough people keeping kosher that they have food for them (also means I wouldn’t starve, which is always nice).
@hs2015mom I haven’t run the net price calculator, because I’m not applying to it for me. If they offer me enough money, then I’ll consider them, but I’m applying either way.
I know it’s impossible… I’m just trying to get as close as possible. I could go to UMass Boston, and I probably will if I can’t find anywhere with enough aid- but I’d rather not, hence the search. The $6,000 number is just the money my parents already spend for me to go to dayschool. The other dayschools and colleges will take that if I go to college for free, so the money doesn’t really matter until it gets over $6,000, at which point we just don’t have any money.
“Okay, just to make it clear: I am a she. Thanks”
Wouldn’t you know it! The one time I got gender specific and I blew it! Sorry about that.
Have you considered any of the Canadian schools?
Most Canadian schools are not going to have the kind of religious community and accommodations this girl needs.
@hs2015mom I haven’t run the net price calculator, because I’m not applying to it for me. If they offer me enough >money, then I’ll consider them, but I’m applying either way.
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Could you run the NPC for Muhlenberg, then? You need a data point - ideally more than one - for how much need-based aid you could get
@Hamotron I believe that the kosher kitchen is in response to a population of observant Conservative Jewish students who went to day schools. I’m not saying there aren’t any orthodox students, but the vast majority are not.
The Hillel’s kitchen is not under kosher supervision. Last spring Hillel’s president resigned because she is against Hillel International’s restrictions on anti- Israel speakers. Open Hillel hosted speakers that support BDS on campus instead.
In general, I think the environment might be more liberal and less religious then what you are seeking, without a strong enough Orthodox presence.
I’m sure Hillel can give you more info.
I think that you are going to have better chances at universities, rather than LAC’s. Smaller schools have a smaller pool of students to draw on for any particular activity, and the odds of having a group as observant as what you are looking for, particularly with a daily minyan, are not great, and may vary year to year.
There is at least one orthodox shul walking distance to Muhlenberg.
OP, I think you need to invert your search. Instead of first looking for colleges with kosher meal plans and daily modern O minyan, you need to find schools that would be affordable and that offer your major. Then you can see which of those offer kosher meals (which is increasingly common–College of Charleston is the latest school to join the club), and which have a modern O community nearby (no idea what the O shul is like in Charleston, we went to Reform services there on a vacation trip because the shul is old and historic and we love davening in that kind of setting–obviously we are not O 
).
I’m concerned that you are going to be applying to schools which you won’t be able to attend even if admitted because they’ll be too expensive. It’s a lot of work to put together a good application. Even with the Common App, it takes time to write good essays. More schools means more supplements, which have more essays. It’s a common mistake for students to spread themselves too thin and apply to too many places. Better to concentrate on a smaller list of schools so you can really make your essays sing.
Someone upthread mentioned Goucher College. Baltimore has a number of modern Orthodox congregations in the area, and the itself school does have a kosher kitchen and meal plan.
Here’s a map with all the info you need about colleges for religious Jews - kosher food, Orthodox community, organizations and resources, and a ranking: http://theheart2heartproject.org/map
And if you want more info about kosher food specifically, http://theheart2heartproject.org/koshermap/