Hello. My son just got accepted to U of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Does anyone know anything about Jewish life there?
Any insight you can offer would be appreciated. Thanks
^ There are several threads on the Alabama board about Jewish life there. My son just graduated. What would you like to know?
@Chardo Thanks for responding! Iāll check out the Alabama thread. Overall, how was your sonās experience? We havenāt visited the school yet. Did he ever feel uncomfortable being Jewish? Was your son in a fraternity? Is there a decent Jewish population?
@Chardo I just read the threads on U of Alabama. They were very informative. Thanks again.
@oliver17 My son never felt uncomfortable. Quite the opposite. Everyone is so friendly. He was just another guy. He was not in a fraternity. Engineering student, captain of volleyball team, and other activities kept him busy. There are hundreds of Jewish kids on campus. Hillel is pretty active for holidays and regular social events (tailgates, bowling, bbq, etc.).
@Chardo my son is also going to studying mechanical engineering. They seem to have invested a lot in the engineering program the last couple of years. The engineering quad looks beautiful in pictures. My son was impressed with the research opportunities available to freshman, did your son do any? What region are you from? ( If you donāt mind my asking) Any other insight you can offer on the engineering program? I appreciate all your feedback.
@oliver17 He did electrical. From NY. No research. Had two internships, and senior capstone project designing a battery powered military rifle. Ended up with offers from 5 major aerospace defense companies. Now working for top secret team at Boeing. He canāt even tell me what heās doing. The insight is, a high GPA and good resume will have every opportunity available to you.
Hey -I thought you all might be able to help this person out. Someone wants to know about Kosher Food at college: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/1935625-current-college-students-hows-the-kosher-food-at-your-school.html#latest
Hi, Iām a current first year at a small LAC in the southeast with very little Jewish life on campus. Iām seriously considering transferring colleges and would very much appreciate suggestions as far as options that fit in terms of a) Jewish life on campus and b)(relative) affordability.
In terms of Jewish life, itās most important to me to be at a college that has:
-weekly Conservative Shabbat services on campus followed by a Shabbat dinner
-modern Hebrew classes
-a Jewish studies program extensive enough for at least a minor
-an active pro-Israel student group
-a significant Jewish presence among the student body relative to the size of the school
Also very important is cost. My parents are not young, but are kind enough to pay for my college education. Though Iāll have loans to pay off regardless, I donāt want to deplete their retirement funds. For this reason, I would strongly prefer to look at residential four year colleges with sufficient Jewish life that either have:
-a similar direct cost/sticker price (tuition and fees and room and board) to that of University of Illinoisās 2016-17 in state base rate, $27,006/year (I am an IL resident)
OR
- offer generous merit scholarships to transfer students that would bring direct costs down so they become equal to or less than the cost of UIUC (I will not qualify for need based/financial aid. However, my GPA after my first semester of college is 3.92 and I plan to keep working hard to keep it up.)
I would love it if such a college met the following also, though these are not essential:
-an active AIPAC chapter
-peer mentor program connecting new Jewish students to upperclassmen
-some type of Jewish house/living community (like Emoryās Bayit)
-southern location (warmer weather yet closer to home than the west.)
Iām looking at New College of Florida and USF currently as possible alternatives to UIUC, but I would welcome and appreciate any other suggestions or feedback on these options!
Thank you for your time!!
College of Charleston http://jewish.cofc.edu/
I think Elon may be worth a look.
Elon is definitely worth a look. Seconding @āQueenās Momā suggestion.
Unfortunately, I see from Elonās website that they donāt give any scholarships to transfers, and at a direct cost of $44,599/year, itās quite a bit higher than the $27,006/year for UIUC (Iād really like to apply to places comparable cost wise either in terms of sticker price or that give generous transfer scholarships to make the cost equal to or less than UIUC.) Similarly, Tulaneās direct cost, $64,854, only drops to $48,854 after the maximum transfer scholarship.
Do you know of any colleges with a similar caliber of Jewish life that would be similarly relatively affordable like UIUC in-state? $30k/year is doable, but $40k/year or more is very likely not.
I will add UCF to my list. I have heard that much of their Jewish studies course offerings are taught online and itās harder to get small classes there even compared to other large universitiesācan anyone comment on this?
UCF is suffering growing pains - itās grown to be the largest undergraduate size in the nation (with asu) very quickly. It takes longer to fund and build parking lots and buildings than it takes to enroll an extra 3,000 students. Hence what you describe.
Transfers get lousy aid. Fewer scholarships, for lower amounts.
Is your current college near another college? Could you create a joint group with another college nearby?
@writerlydreams what is your college GPA? Are you a freshman?
@MYOS1634 It did seem a lot larger than the typical state U. Thank you for the explanation, it makes a lot of sense.
Iāve wondered if maybe I should try to apply as a freshman instead of a transfer, partially because of aid, but partially because my current college has a very unique gen ed program (we take 5 classes per semester, two of which are specially designated classes that total to 5 credits each semester of our first year. Theyāre not classified as ātypicalā college subject classes and most likely wouldnāt transfer with me, so I might not have enough transferable hours to be considered a transfer.)
Would it be unethical to apply as a freshman instead of a transfer? Is it a viable option for me?
My college is very near a larger private university that has substantial Jewish life (has the Jewish life I seek but doesnāt offer any merit to transfers unfortunately), and Iāve been using uber to go to events there, like High Holiday and Shabbat services. I think the bigger problem is that I feel very isolated on my current campus as a Jew.
One of my professors this past semester assigned a reading with a blatantly anti-Semitic tangent about Jews being economically powerful and never said a word about it when we discussed the reading in class (and when I tried to test the waters by bringing up some of the other generalizations, the professor wouldnāt let me speak.) In theory, Iām supposed to be able to cross-register to take Hebrew at the private university, but my Jewish friends have told me itās impossible to get into since we donāt go there and students at that private U get priority registration. Our Judaism classes are taught by a āJewish Voice for Peaceā activist, so I donāt feel comfortable taking them, our on campus Hillel is not functional and mired in politics and drama, and our humans rights classes unfairly demonize and single out Israel. And, our campusās first exposure to anything about Israel was a āBreaking the Silenceā event, where an Israeli soldier criticized Israel. I donāt object to the perspective offered by the Breaking the Silence event being expressed, but I DO take issue with that being the first and only exposure to anything about Israel for my college.
I know these kinds of things are far from rare on any campus these days, but I think Iād feel much better (and happier) at a college with a substantial Jewish presence on campus. That way Iād have support and resources right there for when this kind of thing happens.
I do like my current collegeās small classes and that professors know who I am, but I think thatās more an appreciation for the academics of small colleges as a whole than for my specific school. (And much as I love not having lecture classes, Iād give that up if need be because Iām not happy where I am.)
@ClarinetDad16 3.922 (one A- Iām afraid I didnāt see coming), and yes, I am a college freshman.
No, you canāt apply as a freshman unless you meet the definition of freshman at the school you are transferring to. Some, not a lot, define āfreshmanā as less than 25 credits (or the number it picks), and will take a freshman transfer as a freshman. There may be more options if you donāt back to school for the spring if you only have 15 or so credits. You have to look at the definition at each school you are interested in. If you make such a transfer, the schools will be more interested in your high school grades and scores than your college transcript because you are asking to be let in as a high schooler, not as a college transfer.
Iām so sorry to read about your problems, @writerlydreams. Itās so hard on many college campuses these days. Your best bet is to call the admissions office at the schools youāre interested in and see what they can offer you. Also, run NPC, you may qualify for financial aid to replace merit.
@twoinanddone : I appreciate the clarification about applying as a freshman. Thank you for all your input, you make some excellent points. My parents paid for my spring semester already, so Iām going back, but Iāll be sure to keep your wisdom in mind.
@āQueenās Momā : Thank you, I appreciate your sympathy.
Iāll definitely try giving them a call.
As far as financial aid, Iām afraid thatās not likely (I was accepted to Mount Holyoke last year but couldnāt attend because they didnāt offer me any aid and expected my family to pay full freight.)
Iām thinking about UW-Milwaukee (though a bit worried about the low grad rateāany theories about why?) and University of Minnesota if anyone has input on them!
What about for a business kid - A/B hs grades - any recommendations? Preferably not huge school