Colleges for the Jewish "B" student (Part 1)

<p>swimcollege - hello and welcome. We visited Virginia Tech with S2 and were very impressed. One of S2’s close hs friends is a junior at VT and very happy there. He is involved with both Hillel and a Jewish fraternity. Do you have a specific area of concern?</p>

<p>Thanks rockvillemom. My daughter loved our visit VT so my only concern was only 8% of the students are Jewish and there are no Jewish sororities. But I’m glad to hear you know someone who is happy and active with Hillel on campus!</p>

<p>I think 8% is quite good - and in terms of the actual number of Jewish students - 8% at a large university such as VT is what - over 1600? 2400? I also believe that because so many students at VT are from northern VA - they grew up in a fairly diverse area - so even the non-Jews will have some familiarity with Judaism. I don’t think a Jewish student would ever feel odd or out of place at VT, more of a risk at smaller colleges with 1-2% Jewish students. And although you can never say never, I don’t think your daughter is likely to have my freshman year experience of a roommate who had never net a Jewish person before! (Which worked out just fine, once we each got over our initial shock).</p>

<p>hello all- I’ve been off the thread for a while and was shocked to hear about boysx3. So glad that she is doing better.
When I visited York, I didn’t get a sense that there was a big Jewish presence. In other news, D3 has sent off several of her applications. I remember the wild ride here four years ago with my S. You guys were a great support back then. </p>

<p>Agreed on York College - if it is 2% of 4600 students - that’s about 90 Jewish students. Would not be a top recommendation for someone who wanted a vibrant Jewish community; might be an option for a “B” student who was not that concerned.</p>

<p>Thanks for the input on York. Think that one’s coming off the list. Any info on Hofstra? I know there is definately a jewish community there, but am seeing mixed things about it being more of a “commuter school?” Thoughts?</p>

<p>I grew up near Hofstra and it was almost totally a commuter school. I know they have built some more dorms since then. but I think a big percentage of the students still commute. I’m sure you can get the stats from the college. The one friend’s kid I know of who dormed at Hofstra cane home almost every weekend.</p>

<p>According to Hofstra’s CDS, about 70% of freshmen live on campus with 31% commuting. 47% of all students live on campus, which is far better than many residential state schools. </p>

<p>Sometimes the stats about the percentage of students living on campus are deceiving. At some colleges, a large number of students (usually upperclassmen) live in the surrounding community in off-campus housing. That’s different than when a large percentage of students commute from home. </p>

<p>An update on boys3x:</p>

<p>“The other news is that she she should formally go completely off ventilator support tomorrow when she has been off it for a full week. Her next goal is to be able to keep her airway clear for 7-10 consecutive days. Once she has done that she will be ready to have her tracheostomy reversed. She still needs to be suctioned occasionally, but her progress has been very good. Once the trach is reversed, she can start transitioning to solid food. When that transition is complete, the stomach tube can be removed. Not to get ahead of ourselves, but at least there is a pathway in sight. She also is making progress in physical, occupational and speech therapy when she has been awake and participating in her own therapy.”</p>

<p>Encouraging news - keeping her in my prayers.</p>

<p>Thanks for keeping us posted, RVM. This is good news. </p>

<p>The weekend before last was Friends and Family Shabbat at ShawD’s school. I was away but ShawWife was able to attend. As president of Hillel, our once scared of any public exposure daughter graciously welcomed old faces and new ones and then sang the Kiddush. She used to be so shy that she would hide behind an adult’s leg at parties. Makes me very pleased. She and her friends went to Chabad later.</p>

<p>RE: Hofstra. I live about 25 minutes away and actually went there for grad school when I went back to school to become a reading teacher in the late 90’s.</p>

<p>Hofstra is trying hard to reach out to students outside of Long Island to be more than a commuter school. However, there are still many commuters and even among students who officially dorm, many locals will stay in dorms during the week and come home on weekends. I would not put Hofstra in the category of a school that has many students from out of town living in surrounding housing. </p>

<p>If you are looking for a Jewish experience on campus, I would also ask Hofstra or Hillel how much of the student population who dorm are Jewish. I would guess that it is less than the 18% Jewish that Hillel shows because that number might reflect the Jewish population on Long Island that commutes or goes home for weekends.</p>

<p>how the hell is this thread 1120 pages long</p>

<p>It’s 1220 actually.</p>

<p>A sad sign of the times:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new-york/college-students-get-app-combat-anti-semitism”>http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new-york/college-students-get-app-combat-anti-semitism&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Hi RVM, LINYMOM, Spectrum, Shawbridge and all the old regulars who I used to chat with regularly on this forum. Just catching up. One d graduated Tulane last Spring and is still in NOLA getting her Master’s. She went on Birthright (“Israel Outdoors”) in June and had the most amazing experience. Kind of a shocker coming from a very secular kid. Other d is a happy Tulane sophomore. Obviously I’m your gal for any Tulane inquiries. Nice seeing this thread is still going strong. It really helped me when I was steeped in the college process. </p>

<p>Vitrac - thanks for checking in! Glad Tulane has been such a success for your daughters.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on Elon, Bryant, Bentley, and Syracuse for a business/finance major?</p>

<p>Any insights into merit scholarships?</p>

<p>I will not be eligible for Fin Aid.</p>

<p>Here are my stats/information:</p>

<p>Male, from NY
SAT I: 730 Math, 570 Reading, 690 Writing (1300/1990 SAT Score)
95.4 uw, 102.4 weighted GPA
All honors classes
Currently taking AP Calc BC and AP Stat</p>

<p>2 year president of Junior Chamber of Commerce
Secretary of FBLA
Treasurer of National Honor Society
Math Tutor
Soccer Referee
Sports Journalist for website on internet
Captain of Tennis Team
Much more</p>

<p>All help is greatly appreciated</p>

<p>Please provide any insight on these universities and their business schools </p>

<p>Thank you</p>

<p>thoughts on attending the best school you could attend (Non-Ivy) with limited merit vs attending a good school with significant merit scholarship?</p>