<p>Why talk where kids can’t hear us Bears. I find this very perplexing, words have meaning and if kids are using a word with a “new” meaning fine but they should be aware of the history of derogatory words. I think the kids can handle this, they’re the ones using the words.</p>
<p>Paintster - sounds like you have a great gap year planned! I think your application must have been pretty special to get that academic scholarship right away - good for you. I hope this “hipster” word hasn’t caused trouble (above posts). I think I remember looking at some of your portfolio work that you posted here and if I am remembering the correct post it was fantastic -
I can’t wait to be done with high school - two more months!</p>
<p>Just excuse this befuddled geriatric mother, we’ve taken the topic over to Launch so you guys can continue with your stuff. Good luck paintster, I think gap years are great.</p>
<p>^see that smarty, kids are alright
GDH could have ignored you totally but she (I think she) wouldn’t.</p>
<p>@Paintster: I’ve read that 33% of Pratt’s student body is jewish (see hillel.org for stats). Don’t know about MICA. Your gap year sounds wonderful – I keep wondering if someone like that wouldn’t be fabulous for my D. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yeah I’d prefer to not turn this into a discussion of the questionable semantics we teenagers use to insult each other. I guess I should phrased the question more about the social atmosphere in general.</p>
<p>Thanks GSH. 
Good luck to you on picking a school also. Two more months! So close! </p>
<p>Anyone here go to Pratt/have a kid who goes to Pratt/etc? I’m still so torn.</p>
<p>Really SLH? I’ll look that up. Your D is a HS senior too? Maybe if she decides to go to Pratt we could be friends in a year or two. My parents don’t really like the gap year thing at all.</p>
<p>See also Inside College site
[url=<a href=“The Best College Rankings and Lists | Inside College | CollegeXpress”>The Best College Rankings and Lists | Inside College | CollegeXpress]Private</a> Colleges with the Highest Percentage of Jewish Students | InsideCollege.com<a href=“I%20didn’t%20do%20the%20link%20well,%20but%20you%20get%20the%20idea!”>/url</a>. They list it as 32%, but still higher than you’d think. Yes, my D is a HS senior :)</p>
<p>Yeah, that is pretty high. I wonder how much of that has to do with location. I think they have a really high percentage of internationals too. </p>
<p>Yeshiva is listed at 93%?</p>
<p>College board indicates that 25% are from NY, 14% are non-resident aliens (pretty standard for art colleges, I think). I know students currently at Pratt and MICA and all are happy. I think location is very important, but very personal. And then the school will be what you make of it.</p>
<p>Hi. I saw the 33% number on the website and thought that was very high. I contacted the Pratt’s Hillel to verify and immediately got a call back from the Rabbi in charge. He was extremely open and said that he thought that the number was too high…in his estimate more like the 20% range or so.</p>
<p>Regardless, he sounded very cool. He was a Chabad Rabbi but very accepting of others. Seem to have a close relationship with the Jewish gay and transgender community. He said that the kids who attend functions are a cross-section of the school’s community and all are welcome. I spoke to him about a year ago and he said at that time that he was in the process of leasing a gallery/ performance space that was going to be Hillel’s home near the school. Not sure what happened.</p>
<p>He just bought an apartment near the school and said he often opened his home up to students for Shabbat dinners.</p>
<p>Try contacting him if you want more info. He was warm and welcoming to my inquiry.</p>
<p>Thanks for this information! That DOES sound more realistic, in terms of numbers.</p>
<p>Pratt is in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn which is the cultural center for many Hasidic Jews. I’m glad the rabbi at Pratt mentioned being open to gay and transgender Jewish students - much of the neighborhood Jewish community might not be so easily accepting.</p>
<p>Pratt is located in Clinton Hill which is about 2 miles (maybe a bit less) from Williamsburg. Clinton Hill is different community and has a different look and feel to it than Williamsburg. The Rabbi I spoke about bought housing right by the school, which is some distance from the Hasidic community in Williamsburg.</p>
<p>I think I better butt in
Williamsburg can be very many different things.
(grownup)Hipster area, Italian area, Irish area, Latino area, then those serious Jewish people area.
this is why it is very important to walk around and get to know surroundings, not only drive in and out of the school. Pratt is in weird air pocket. Clinton hill is not so different from Bedstuy depending on where you are.
One corner to Pratt is housing projects (think “Precious” but not that bad) One corner is brownstone family houses overflow from Park slope wannbe upper middle class going to farmer’s market in the Fort Greene park.
then across from the same park is, again, housing projects where kids still get shot sometimes.
Once my boss’ for-the-one-weekend-dogsitter kid in (hipster part of) Williamsburg was having a party with a door open, and the dog escaped and was lost.
I went to search mission and started from Bedford ave, went thru Jewish part, walked about Navy yard and came out where Pratt is within an hour or two.
Poor dog was never found but my my so many different kind of communities and different kind of people there were.
That^ is Brooklyn, always been, always will be. stay longer and see it for yourself.
either you’ll love it or will be taking Pratt of the list.</p>
<p>PS
that’s where the NY’s best red velvet cake and cheesecake is.
[Cake</a> Man Raven - Fort Greene - Brooklyn, NY](<a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/cake-man-raven-brooklyn]Cake”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/cake-man-raven-brooklyn)
[Junior’s</a> Most Fabulous Cheesecake and Desserts](<a href=“http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/our_restaurants/brooklyn/]Junior’s”>Brooklyn)
enjoy!!</p>
<p>good morning!
It just came to my mind.
USK or someone else, can you tell from your thing how many freshman at Pratt are local kids?
NYC public school sysyem is one of few that closes at every major Jewish holidays. so many teachers and students are in it, school won’t work if they’d forced open. every kids would know about Passover or Rosh hashanah. also those goes to private schools are often somewhat Jewish, or have a friends who are: get invited to the party and envy pile of bar/bat mitvah money they get.</p>
<p>I now remember that one kid with mom actually complained that their state make kids go to school on those holidays is now at Pratt.
I will ask how the kid’s experience have been, since Pratt won’t close for it.</p>
<p>Bears and Dogs…good description of Williamsburg and the nature of Brooklyn. </p>
<p>Yes, I agree that if Pratt has a lot of local NYC/ suburbs kids there will be a pervasive knowledge and acceptance of things Jewish. As for the fact that Pratt doesn’t close for the Jewish holidays, I was very surprised to find that NYU was open as well.</p>
<p>I think the decision is based on whether the school could hold most of their classes on the holidays. NYC public schools can’t, but obviously NYU and Pratt can. Older D at NYU has always just e-mailed teachers and taken off. No biggie.</p>
<p>We are going back to Pratt in April and plan to walk the neighborhood and ways kids would walk to get to subways, etc. The area is much more vibrant than when I was growing up in Brooklyn many years ago (!), and my hunch is that although there are pockets of concern, that if you use street smarts, it will be fine.</p>
<p>Recent visit to Pratt observations: Campus is beautiful and old (in a good way); traditional college feel – dorms, meal plan, clubs, student center, library, etc.; surrounding area is getting better but still half built-up/half abandoned. Area seems relatively safe – always use street smarts, but somewhat run-down. New Pratt building on Myrtle avenue gives a fresher feel to the street, but the rest will take some time to catch up! Foundation year is pretty standard, broad range and intense. Opportunities to take courses outside your major – sometimes you get shutout of a really popular class, but that’s standard fare for all colleges. Library is largest for art colleges across the country – very charming. Dorms are, well, not the nicest we’ve seen. Pretty small room, suite with shared bathroom. Although it is a subway and/or bus ride to Manhattan, not like being IN the city. Like so many have said, it’s a personal decision – depends upon your interests and needs.</p>
<p>lemme add that Prat got the most “charming” library in any artschools far as I know.
love that glass floor/ceilings.
well stocked if only know how to navigate the maze and don’t mind musty-ness.</p>
<p>It IS beautiful! Endposts designed by Tiffany’s, lighting great.</p>