@fretfulmother Even though Hofstra is in Nassau County which has a very large Jewish population, the local Jewish kids who attend for undergraduate are not living in dorms, and even if they do, they will probably head home for weekends. In total, the Jewish undergrad population is 12% which is quite low considering the number of Jews that live surrounding the school. I’m sure the percentage of Jews in dorms is a fraction of that.
I second Muhlenberg and Drew :). Goucher, Clark, and Ithaca also.
Depends on your budget - run the NPC.
@uskoolfish - thanks, I did not know that! Both my son and my niece considered Hofstra and would have been observant Jewish dorm kids. I thought they had kosher, shabbat, etc. but it is good to know what’s really up! I have to say, some Hillels you really can’t tell. Wash U used to be known for being the biggest Jewish community etc., but apparently they now rotate their shabbatot and holidays and some are only in local synagogues and not on campus. (We learned this when DS16 visited in HS.)
A young woman from our shul went to Hofstra and found that the dorms emptied out on the weekends. Made it difficult to make friends. She came home after a semester.
Looking for some insight. Have been on Hillel.org and checked the population for some southern schools. Some are showing low numbers but people are telling me that it’s incorrect. I keep hearing about University of South Carolina, North Carolina University and Clemson. Does anyone know anything about these schools?
@my2kidsnj University of South Carolina and North Carolina State have a decent Jewish population but Clemson not so much. One of the ways I helped gauge how many jewish kids there were at the schools my son applied to was to see if there was a Jewish fraternity on campus. That factor was added to his spreadsheet.
Things to try: search on the name of the school and the word jew. Look for the school’s Hillel website and chabad website. See if there is a Jewish Studies major/minor. Ask on the specific school forums here on college confidential. Check out the (annual? biennial? not sure) Reform Judaism magazine special issue about colleges.
If there are active involved Jewish organizations on campus, even with a smaller number/percentage of Jewish students, that can be welcoming in its own way.
I’ve been reading this thread on and off for a while now. Finally ready to start my search for my current sophomore. She is looking for a school with an active Jewish population, not just Jewish kids. So, an active Hillel or Chabad with weekly services and other social programming to get involved in. Anything to suggest that has this and is a mid-sized school, east coast preferred, probably studying business? Thank you!
@Musicmom2015 my D is at GW and there are 2 Chabads and a Hillel that is very active. American would also fit into what you are looking for. BUT there are many other schools. My recommendation is to start getting the Hillel magazine that ranks the schools. Also when you start visiting, see if you can stop by the Hillel. Ask questions. i seem to recall that Drexel has an active Hillel when I visited with S19
SUNY Binghamton
Muhlenberg
I was doing the same!
I think my daughter has decided on Ohio Wesleyan - someone in an earlier post mentioned a friend’s daughter who went there. I think the fit is great for my daughter but I’m still a little uncertain about being Jewish there. Her identity is strong - but I want to make sure she is comfortable on campus. Does anyone have any knowledge?
Also, in terms of acceptance - she was admitted with Merit scholarships to the following:
OWU, Beloit, DePauw, Allegheny, Bradley, Knox, Kalamazoo, and Lawrence.
@Monkeypanda Congratulations to your son! (and congrats to everyone’s else’s sons/daughters–I haven’t been following this thread closely.) I hope you will visit Clark–Worcester is not the best area, but it is being upgraded in terms of restaurants etc. I know students who have gone there, and people who live in the area, and they do not worry about safety, etc.
It is likely my younger son will go there, because he really like the academic offerings and the way they structure them, and the student body seemed like a great fit for someone like him, who is on the quieter side and not interested in partying. Also, they have a free fifth-year Master’s Program.
I’ve started following this thread again because my son is a junior and he wants some guidance in picking schools. My daughter is a senior at Eckerd and has been happy with her experience in college. The campus has just enough Jewish students and activities it’s for her to feel like she’s part of a community when she’s at school.
My son is looking for a less liberal school and he isn’t looking for a big Jewish population (or any at all for that matter). He is interested in politics and law. He visited Elon last spring and it’s his top choice so far. We live in LA and are doing a road trip this summer - Nashville to Chicago. We are planing to visit Centre College. It seems like it would be a good fit based on his interests, but I don’t know if Jewish kids are accepted and welcomed. Has anyone had any experiences with this school? Also, what other colleges might be worth the visit? Thanks in advance!
@AEA: Look into American U and Dickinson, both reaches for B+ students but welcoming to Jewish students and superb for politics and law. Dickinson is more moderate than American.
Add Franklin and Marshalll to that list. My son is there and loving it. Active hillel,chabad and Jewish fraternities.
@AEAmom my daughter is attending Centre and we are Jewish. Very welcoming and accepting and there is a Jewish student group. The closest Hillel (if important) is at UK about a half hour away and they arrange transport. She’s never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome and is over the moon happy there.
@Finalthree That’s great to hear!! When researching the school I hadn’t encountered any negative news regarding Jewish students at Centre, but I wasn’t sure how welcoming the community would be. Hoping my son likes it and wants to add it to his list.
@AEAmom it was an initial concern of mine - being Jewish and being in the south. It was such a dark horse, even now I’m still a bit surprised that is the school she chose. But she couldn’t be happier. Good luck!!
Elon does have a great Jewish community, and is very inclusive and active with other faiths too.