<p>I am a senior in high school and need help finding the right college- I've tried the search engines, but they aren't very helpful!
Some important criteria for me:
prospective education major
I would like to study abroad, but understand that is hard in education
It is really important to me that I go to a school with a pretty active Hillel and a large Jewish population
I don't want to go to a school known for partying
I live in St. Louis, MO, and would prefer to be within a 7 hour drive
medium sized enrollment
campus setting: urban
I want to go to a school with a socially active student body</p>
<p>Some schools I've looked at:
Miami University of Oxford, OH- I liked it there, other than the campus setting, and also party school
Indiana University- too big!
Truman State University- doesn't have very many Jewish students/not a diverse campus.</p>
<p>Thanks! I think that a school like Northwestern or Washington University in St. Louis would be ideal for me, but I don’t believe that I am a strong enough applicant for these schools. Any ideas?</p>
<p>Well, one distinction to make is whether you want to become a primary or secondary school teacher. If the latter, generally you’ll major in one subject, minor in ed, get a certificate to teach, and then down the line get your masters in education. If the former, you’ll usually get a bachelors in teaching education and a certificate. Both will require state licensing exams. The elementary ed will usually require a uni with a school of education. The secondary ed may or may not.</p>
<p>Almost all state schools are going to have schools of education because, well, states need teachers. Your resumé suggests that you could attend many of the flagship and other public schools in your region, albeit some are quite large. There may be some employment benefits in attending these state schools, esp. if you intend to teach in the region. In the midwest, only some of these smaller state schools will have vibrant Jewish communities, I would guess. So you’ll have to research this element since you have a better idea what “large” Jewish, “vibrant,” and “socially active” schools look like to you. Possible candidates: Truman State, Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Indiana State, Central Missouri, Western Illinois, Southeast Missouri State. At many of these “other publics” you will be overqualified for admission, but that might mean some merit. </p>
<p>Private schools with schools of ed that might be a fit for you and have a Jewish population might include Belmont, Elmhurst, Tulsa, DePauw.</p>
<p>Personally, I think you would be better off finding stronger schools in the midwest regardless of whether they have a school of education, but that probably means ruling out elementary ed. </p>