<p>That is a consideration. We’re not Orthodox and my kids attended public schools. Of course the schools were very accommodating, and by law they had to excuse the absence. But for us, regular school was in session. This meant making up all the work they missed. Made the holiday stressful.
I would think the NY schools would close for the major ones, but not all of them. Yet some colleges have high numbers of Orthodox students so they must work something out.</p>
<p>Hannah,</p>
<p>You do know that McCauley at Hunter offers 2 years of free housing, if you apply for housing as an incoming freshman.</p>
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<p>zoosermom: Really? Nobody said anything on the site… that would be nice to know <em>ahem, CUNY…</em>
Thanks so much!
boysx3- I think I said earlier that X is Touro Lander Honors in Manhattan. Like I said, probably not quite as terrible as I’m painting it, but far from where I want to be.
I do plan on trying to get a job during school, like I mentioned- such as tutoring at my high school, babysitting or something similar. I can also work summers (I’ve worked for a few summers but there’s no way I’ve saved more than $1500 so far), but premed students also pretty much need to do summer science programs and hospital internships in order to get into med school. I’m sure I wouldn’t need to do one every summer, especially if I do school-year research as well, but it does eat into earning summers.
Pennylane- boysx3 is 100% right about that. I have a friend who has a scholarship, through her 8-year BS/MD program, for reduced cost medical school, but she told me that she is still considering full-cost Einstein because it doesn’t have school on holidays. Schools like Brooklyn and Queens with a lot of Jewish kids generally don’t actually give “off” on holidays- the classes are obviously still running- and while they do work with you to help you make up your work it’s an ENORMOUS pain in the neck.
The absolute MAX that New York schools might conceivably close for is Rosh Hashana (maybe even both days if you’re lucky), Yom Kippur, MAYBE a day of Pesach/Passover, and… well, that’s probably it. Not near enough for real peace of mind.
sybbie: It’s complicated, but even if it’s free I’m not dorming at Hunter but rather commuting. That is fantastic though- one of my friends may be dorming there if she goes, so while I’m sure she looked into this, I’ll be sure to pass on the message.</p>
<p>Go to Yeshiva. Definitely not Touro Lander, not CUNY. In the scale of life, that money is a small thing. Less than the cost of a new car. I am not one to encourage student loans, but in this case, it makes sense to go where you want to go, especially with the chance at a full medical school tuition, and a school that supports your religious needs.</p>
<p>One other point about the absences for the various and sundry Jewish holidays–many professors have attendance policies, for example, only X# absences for whatever reason, and then they start lowering the grade. Some even fail students for more than a certain number of absences (often just 5)–you can see several threads on this recently.</p>
<p>It is one thing to use the allowed absences for religious observance. The problem arises if you ever are too ill to go to class, or if there is a family emergency. </p>
<p>Some professors are willing to make exceptions, some are not…</p>
<p>anxiousmom: That’s definitely my thought process right now.
It’s funny, I’ve been talking to my parents, and even as they were saying that one of the reasons why they want me to go to YU is for medical school, they did tell me that if I do decide to change my mind, it’s completely up to me and I shouldn’t feel pressured to stay in a track I don’t want. So if I decide I’d rather major in Bible studies or interpretive zumba (another cool thing about them? you can invent your own major!), they’ll be fine with that. It’s conflicting in some ways but truly amazing in others.
We still have plenty to talk about, but we’re well on our way.
boysx3: Another friend, currently at Brooklyn, failed a class because after all of the chagim, she got scarlet fever. (Don’t ask how she got scarlet fever at age twenty- she’s just talented that way.) It was the only time she was sick the whole semester, but after taking off only one day to let the antibiotics kick in, she still had enough absent days to flunk. It’s depressing.
Good news, though! Apparently my grandparents made a trust fund for me with $25,000 in it. While now that I know it exists I would really rather use it for a down payment on a house or something later on, my parents told me that if I can use it for the extra tuition and thereby avoid working and instead focus on grades, I should. (They didn’t tell me until now because they wanted to ascertain how much money was in the fund.)
In the meantime, I’m going to ask my friends who also got the scholarship whether they’re going, because even though I’m planning on making loads of new friends I’d like to shlep at least one of the old with me as a security blanket :), and then I’ll follow up with YU about my questions.
Thanks so much for all your help, everyone!</p>
<p>That’s wonderful news. It gives you choices, and now you can look more closely at them. You seem like a sensible and considerate young lady, and I know you and your family will come up with the best solution for you.</p>
<p>What did you decide to do?</p>
<p>A bird in the hand…</p>
<p>I’d take Yeshiva’s offer, withdraw applications from all other schools, and never look back.</p>
<p>I hope the OP checks back in to let us know what she decided. Of course, it’s not my $7k per year to worry about but, after reading this whole thread, the one thing no one mentioned is the life experience of living on campus; with the OP’s other two options, I understand she’d live at home. As long as her parents can afford the room and board they’ve offered and it won’t create a hardship, that, along with the many other things that have been mentioned (schedule aligns with her needs so no missed classes for the Jewish holidays, possible opportunity for funded med school, higher caliber of institution, etc.), I would bite the bullet and go to YU.</p>
<p>Hannahbanana, let us know what you decided!</p>
<p>Have you applied for other scholarships not affiliated with the school? That can significantly lower tuition prices too. I’m sure there are tons of scholarships out there for Jewish girls that you would be a strong candidate for, with your grades and scores that you mentioned earlier. </p>
<p>Just something interesting to look at:</p>
<p><a href=“http://blog.saltmoney.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SALT_Are_Scholarships_Worth_It_Infographic.jpg[/url]”>http://blog.saltmoney.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SALT_Are_Scholarships_Worth_It_Infographic.jpg</a></p>
![http://blog.saltmoney.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SALT_Are_Scholarships_Worth_It_Infographic.jpg[/url]](http://blog.saltmoney.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/SALT_Are_Scholarships_Worth_It_Infographic.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>To me, the best choice is pretty clearly YU, choice A+. Just the fact that you labeled it that way convinced me from the start, but I have read every detail in this thread and nothing has made me think otherwise.</p>
<p>I would like to ask more about your gap year. Are you using that for Torah study? It looks like YU allows you to enroll only in the fall, either right after high school or right after a post-high school year of Torah study. Is that right? And you get a year’s credit for that study at YU? Do you get that credit elsewhere?</p>
<p>Therefore, going to YU may actually be the most affordable option because it is 3 years, not 4.</p>
<p>If, down the road, you decided NOT to go to YU and have withdrawn all applications, I don’t see any problem because you are taking a gap year and can just apply again for fall 2015. You won’t have lost anything.</p>
<p>One caution is that in our family, we try to think long term. This means I honestly discourage working in restaurants or stores, that kind of thing, once they are in college, in favor of focus on schoolwork or possibly internships, things that contribute to long term goals versus short term cash on hand. (My kids don’t always cooperate with this!)</p>
<p>It is none of my business but if I were your parents, I would cover the $7K for now so you could maintain the 3.6 and do things like assist with research. At some point, you could pay them back, but I think that having those financial worries may detract from your focus.</p>
<p>It would be a shame to go to school X, because of the $7K difference, which isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things. I really hope you don’t. I also realize that you are a mature young person who is not demanding anything and is unusually agreeable to your parents’ wishes. It is certainly refreshing but makes me hope you will go to YU even more.</p>
<p>At some point, if you had compatible roommates, would you be able to live off campus and save on room and board? Would the scholarship go down if you did that? Would your parents be okay with your living off campus with others? Or would they want you with family?</p>
<p>My bottom line: hoping you can enroll in your #1 choice. If you change your mind, or decide the money is too much, you are doing a gap year and can reapply to other schools anyway. Think long term as much as possible as long as you have a roof and food!</p>
<p>This is pretty old, but I was just going through my old threads and realized people responded after I left.
I am now officially part of YU Honors Class of 2018 
:). I knew it was what I wanted, but I think that this thread, along with a few heart-to-hearts with my parents, helped me concretize that.
compmom: I will be spending next year at a Torah study institution in Israel, which means I’ll be getting a full year of credit. I will probably still have to take some of my cores (though some are covered by the gap year and some I’ll test out of with APs) but it’s 100% a benefit. I’ll be dorming because honestly, off-campus housing in mid/downtown Manhattan isn’t all that cheap either and like collage1 said, the dorming experience is something I’m excited for. My parents would probably also prefer that if I’m not at home, I should be in a supervised dorm with an RA and all that. Also, I do now have money to pay the 7k difference, which I’d rather not use but probably will anyway. If I do work, it will be in something very part-time (like tutoring an afternoon a week at my high school) but my parents think like you do and I’ll probably focus more on academics.
SamiLaine: I’m still looking for scholarships, and one thing that’s nice is that I have both this year and next year to try to find some, so I’m also looking for expired ones that I can apply for next year.
Thanks so much to everyone on this thread! Even if just by your interest, you helped me immeasurably.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for posting back what you decided. And congratulations!</p>
<p>How wonderful–congratulations and best of luck to you!</p>