Birthright parents- has anyone had experience with purchasing health insurance for the trip. Both my children have Anthem Blue Cross PPO but it only covers them in Ca. They will need a supplement for the trip. Anthem sells a policy but I also notice you can buy coverage through an Israeli company,
My S got his vacation approved for the trip. I’m so glad they are accommodating since he will go over his paid vacation time off.
Next is figuring out the flights to JFK. They want to spend a day or two on one end or the other in NYC.
Oliver- my nephew sounds similar to your S. Mainly a B student with a 2200 SAT and a high level of Chinese. He got into American, George Washington both with merit aid. He also got into Oberlin but not sure how that is for Jewish students.
I’m not sure anyone can guarantee what are A or B schools. I always considered BU and Northeastern similar in difficulty of admission. Northeastern has been getting more difficult to get into the last few years - our guidance counselor said that kids who definitely would have gotten in last year, didn’t this year. I think you just have to make sure you have a varied list - sometimes the schools can surprise us (in good ways, not just bad!).
@oliver17, another strategy to use (besides the list approach) is to first find schools that fit your B student’s stats (and your budget!), then come search and ask on this thread about the Jewish angle.
One resource that many people neglect is their child’s high school. A 3.0 at School X is not necessarily the same thing as a 3.0 at School Y. Ask the counselors where students with similar stats were being accepted.
If my son doesn’t pick up the pace and start studying for his exams I’m going to have to start the Jewish colleges for C students!
Hang in there! And remember your relationship with your son is the most important thing. I regretted some of the arguments I had with my son over grades and schoolwork junior year. If I had it to do over, I would try harder to remain calm and not nag quite so much!
Thanks @rockvillemom I needed to hear that! I’m not sure if boys are SO different from girls or if it’s just my son!
oliver17, I don’t want to make waves or make comments on what I don’t know. Every kid is different and parenting is a balancing act for sure. It sounds like grades at your son’s school are different from my kid’s high school that has no track record with any colleges outside our state schools (but that’s another story). I just mention it because it sounds like your son’s B’s may be stronger than B’s at other schools. If that is the case it might help keep your anxiety in check. But after reading RVM’s comment, and being around this thread for awhile, and reading how brilliantly she coached her son in prep for the ACT, I didn’t want you to accept her comment on maintaining your relationship as being akin to complacency. That would be a disservice to you and I expect not what she meant. My son’s grades were everywhere in hs. Our joke was that we wondered which kid would show up for an exam. In college he is doing amazingly well. (I hope I’m not jinxing it by saying that). His very gratifying reply to me regarding my questioning how he upped his game was that thanks to me and a couple of teachers he went into college knowing how to work. Please don’t take this as a comment to make you crazy. Take a breath and follow your gut regarding what you know about your son. Try and work together but conflicts happen. My best advice is remember how much you love the kid and make sure he knows it regardless of his scores. Don’t stress but if your kid needs a coach be the coach or find one…RVM none of us are perfect parents but from what I have read over the years, you are pretty great mom!
Thank you, I appreciate that! I guess I would clarify my previous comment by saying yes to coaching and encouraging, and no to yelling and nagging. There were a few times that I let my fears and frustrations get the best of me - and that was not productive.
College of Charleston
A great option for Jewish B students and one we have discussed previously - adding new Kosher option.
To echo @spectrum2’s point, my D attended a well-regarded New England private HS that eschewed a fair bit of grade inflation. Colleges seemed to get that.
Most, if not all high schools, have a document called the high school profile that goes out with every transcript. It explains their grading system, if they have a weighted GPA, and gives a distribution of the range of GPAs - basically putting a “3.0” in context. College admissions reps are responsible for understanding what grades represent at the various high schools in their territory. A straight A student at one hs with easy grading might be comparable to a straight B student at a hs with tougher grading.
This is why it is impossible to put a precise definition on what we mean by a “B” student. It could be a student who gets a mix of A’s and B’s, or all B’s, or mostly B’s with the occasional C. And then of course there are test scores, ECs, recommendations and the essays.
If you have not seen your hs profile - ask the gc for a copy or a link.
I think many of you are east coast and might have some advice for me- two of my kids are going on Birthright in July leaving out of JFK. We live on the west coast. They need to meet their group at 10:30 pm. From our city I would need to put them on a red eye getting them to NY at 7:30 am on a Sunday. They would have the day to kill. The youngest has never been to NYC. My D is begging me to let them stay a night or two in Ny before or after the trip.
one option is to fly them in on the red eye arriving Sat Am and have Sat night in a Manhattan hotel. That would give them 2 full days but I don’t know how much they can see on a Sunday, or if they will be exhausted after flying.
Adding to the dilemma is that they arrive back to JFK at 840 pm on the return from Israel. The last flight to Lax leaves at 9 pm and that doesn’t get them home. I’m thinking they will need a hotel that night near the airport Or I could have them for 2 nights in Manhattan.
How easy is it for them to get into Manhattan from airport? Hotel suggestions in Manhattan and at airport. After Birthright have most of your kids just wanted to get home?
If it makes any difference they are 21 and 26 so renting hotel room won’t be a problem.
I live in NJ and work in NY. Getting to Manhattan from JFK is very easy. They can take the E train to AirTran. This is to and from Midtown NY. This will cost about $7 per person
Taxi will cost about $70 each way including tip.
They should take the E train.
If they stay at a hotel near the airport just pick the cheapest one, within reason of course.
.
If they stay in the city, I highly recommend they stay in the Union Square area along Park Avenue South. This way they aren’t far from Grand Central but that area is very hip and happening and great fun. Its the best balance in terms of cool location and ability to use the subways to get around.
The W Union Square, The Jade, Hotel 17, The Evelyn are good suggestions.
Hi, all! I haven’t been on in a while but I see that a lot of your kids are on Birthright! My DS went with University of Miami Hillel in May, then stayed on a new Birthright extension program called Project Beyond. He’s got a week “off” now (staying with DD, who is finishing up a ten-month Masa Teaching Fellowship in Be’er Sheva) and then has an internship in Tel Aviv for two months, arranged by Onward Israel. They helped get the internship and provide an apartment, bus pass, and small stipend for food. He is getting experience in something related to his field (engineering) which is difficult in the U.S., I hear, until after junior year (he just finished soph year). So have your kids look into Onward Israel for summer opportunities. My son is not interested in doing a semester abroad, but he is in Israel for 3 months this summer, including more than 2 months in an apt, so he is getting the experience of living abroad.
The Masa Teaching Fellowship is a great opportunity for new grads - keep it in mind for the future!
^^Wow, talk about timing. Hi LINYmom!! 
(I don’t come on to cc as often anymore, but just signed on and saw your post!)
My older S also did Onward Israel @2 years ago and his internship was two months in Jerusalem, with an apartment (it’s actually a hotel apartment & he said it was soooo nice), bus pass, stipend for food and laundry…he LOVED it. Right in the heart of Jerusalem. He interned at a Hedge Fund. My nephew I’ve talked to you about, Linymom, also graduated UMiami did the same two month internship in Tel Aviv (Comp Sci) and a niece did her two month internship in Jerusalem (the 2 first cousins stayed at the same hotel apartment) in Health Sciences. So all three cousins got to be together for the summer, they all loved it. We have cousins in Tel Aviv, who brought the Tel Aviv student to Jerusalem to meet up with the other two. My younger one is also Engineering, but has decided to do a summer program with Onward Israel right after he graduates or they also have a 5 month option.
The younger one is on Birthright right now. Mom60: I brought him to JFK last week and stayed at the Best Western at the airport, so clean & inexpensive & very nice front staff, I think it cost around $135 total. Very reasonable & includes nice breakfast.
I wouldn’t take the E train into Manhattan. It passes through some rough neighborhoods and plus you have a ton of luggage you need to schlep up and down stairs and get onto subway cars. Load both of them into a yellow taxi and pay the 70 dollars into Manhattan. Easier, safer, its vacation after all. Plus to get to the E train you need to either take a bus or take the airtrain. Lots of time involved.
My son’s flight from Israel arrived several hours late into JFK last year and he missed his flight home. He tok a cab into NYC and stayed with gf for the weekend and then took bus home. It’s such s long flight to begin with - easier at that point to take a cab.
@bucky0926 The E train goes through Queens which is the safest of all the boroughs. There are no rough neighborhoods on that line.
A cab is “convenient” until you are stuck in traffic, which can be horrific.
New Yorkers always take the E Train / Airtrain route, there is one every 15 minutes. You could wait for a cab at JFK for 30 mins sometimes.
Sorry BatesParent but I live in Queens and have for the last 45 years. And while Queens is one of the better boroughs it does have spots that leave much to be desired. Where the air train drops you to pick up the subway is a rough neighborhood (Jamaica). I wouldn’t let my kids take the subway into manhattan by train with all the luggage. If you don’t want to use cash use a charge card but trust me you will stick out like a soar thumb in Jamaica and be an easy target to get ripped off. Anytime I take a plane from JFK I never think of the airtrain. Never!
I will preference the above by stating that when my son went on birthright and extended I told him not to take the buses in Israel. I said I don’t care how much he spent on cabs and didn’t care if all his friends didn’t chip in a dime for the cabs but told him no Israeli buses (at the time he was going there were a few incidents on the buses). I believe in not temping fate. I figured it was virtually a free trip so spend the money for my piece of mind. (I didn’t ask for my 250.00 deposit back and let birthright keep that-my contribution to the next kids who want to go).
Mom60,
I had this situation a while back when my kid’s birthright trip flew in to JFK late at night. We figured the kids would be pretty tired after that flight and opted for a hotel near the airport.
Some of the kids’ parents on the trip contacted each other to share the cost of a room. I think many parents also chose the same hotel so the kids would travel together.
Being that your child is over 21, this should not be an issue. I will say that it is as I have heard of them checking ID’s at check in. It isn’t easy to find a hotel that accepts over 18. Also check this rule directly with the hotel as travel booking sites may not be accurate.
This worked out well. All they basically had to do was get their bags and get on the shuttle to the hotel. I also didn’t schedule a too early flight the next day so they could sleep a bit.