It is very interesting info. But keep in mind that just because a med school would allow CC classes to fulfill prereqs does not mean that a those CC classes would be the basis of a competitive med school application. Med school applications involve a lot more than ticking boxes.
Also, I completely agree with this. It’s about expanding access. I think a traditional student with advantages and access is not the type of student a med school would expect to take prereqs at CC.
And I noted - as a person in the south and i put my kids in the wrong situation - they were the only jew around.
I don’t know the % of jews where I grew up - but there was a volume that allowed for a social circle.
One wouldn’t understand this living in the Northeast where Jews are aplenty and life, even school calendars, take this “volume” of students into account.
I simply noted my not religious son would still not want to be the only Jewish student and that “volume” at his current school provides a level of comfort he hasn’t had b4 but he’s not the unicorn - he’s one of many.
To provide OP with context have you ever been on Rhodes campus such that it has informed your strong opinions?
I’m not talking about you.
I’ve lived in New Jersey. California. Lots of Jews in both.
Tennessee for 16 years where there are few.
I have my opinions. You have yours.
I have no idea why you brought a school into the conversation that is not on the list.
move on. Please
Assuming this means neither of us have ever set foot on Rhodes campus. I hope OP doesn’t allow uninformed people (such as me) who have never been on campus to influence their decisions.
Good evening.
I am glad that this battle ended in peace 
. I think often on this forum and others at CC people are a bit snarky and inconsiderate. It should not be my way or the highway. Everyone can have different opinions.
I’m by Rhodes each and every month. Thanks
So please share for OPs benefit the vibe of the school, any student interactions, how was the campus food, Jewish student comments on sense of community, dorm life, quality of the tour, etc.
I didn’t realize you had been on campus monthly. Sorry.
OP has what they need. Rhodes is a very nice campus in a not nice area, east of downtown memphis. Some may love memphis. I don’t. Memphis in general is not nice but there are some parts that are ok - Germantown, Collierville specifically.
The kids I know - including a Jewish kid - very much like Rhodes.
OP has heard all this from a million people and is going in April.
The discussion tonight was about OP is concerned with the class list she found. That’s all - and wondering if Rhodes is good for a Jew.
As OP is visting campus, which is wonderful, I hope they set up a visit with a person in charge of Jewish life - and they can certainly learn more. That’s why visiting campus is so important - whether or not it is determined to be a good fit, their investment will be well worth the time and money to get their questions answered by people on campus and their own impressions.
No reason to keep rehashing.
I mentioned up thread that one of my son’s best friends ( who is Jewish) is currently a freshman at Rhodes and is very happy there. Neither he or his mom has mentioned anything about the religious classes that are of concern to you. I would suggest that your daughter reach out to her admissions officer with her concerns. Last year my son’s friend was set up to spend a day and attend classes with a current student. I think he was able to stay overnight in the dorms as well. Perhaps your daughter could sit in on one of the classes you are worried about while you are visiting. In the meantime, have her email Hillel. They will be happy to answer her questions and put her in touch with Jewish Rhodes students.
Furman does not have any requirements for religious classes. They have a gen ed category that they call “ultimate questions”. A lot of the courses that fulfill this are within the department of religion, but there are also course offerings in philosophy, humanities, political science and English that fall under this category. You can search their class catalog online.
https://catalog.furman.edu/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=214
My experience as a Jew living in the deep south has been very different than what @tsbna has described. That is in no way meant to diminish or discount his point of view. I know many Jewish students who feel that their connection to Judaism was strengthened by being part of a smaller Jewish community. Only your daughter can decide if it is the right fit for her. Good luck and Shalom y’all
@momsearcheng at one point wasn’t your daughter pleased to hear about Jewish leadership roles at Rhodes? What has changed that?
I do not recall anything like that. She was pleased that there was some Jewish life and a Jewish scholarship there (she did not apply since it would not give her money since she expected higher merit that was not stackable anyway and could actively participate without applying.) She was in shock during the interview process that the admin was on the phone until she mentioned that she is a Jewish leader in one of the local Jewish groups. I would not call it pleased. I would call it more what is wrong with this school attitude. BTW this was the only interview out of a lot (like 15?) when the person was on the phone during the zoom interview and she could clearly see the phone glare on the screen.
BTW, we are going to Rhodes anyway since we already bought tickets. It is good to know now about these “comparative religions” or “religion-based discussions with some history and philosophy” classes. This is definitely a big minus and not what DD would prefer to study vs. normal free-of-religion-involved ethics, communication etc. core classes for three semesters. We will see how she would like the rest. Frankly, all schools that push down your throat some ideology (including some “required” Honor Classes in some Honor LLC at UMD with tracks like freedom at stake, redesign life, global crisis etc.) make me want to run in the other direction. Not that I am against any of this but let’s put it that way given my family background (I am not going to elaborate on this), I want my family to stay away from any bias and “forceful” education one way or another. I would rather prefer schools like GT with zero “activism” in curriculum and normal core humanities with zillion of choices about history, music, architecture, philosophy, etc. Unfortunately, there are very few schools public and private that are like that nowadays so we need to go with our priorities first.
My 5 attended public universities, but all took classes that they really weren’t very interested in because there were seats open. My daughter was not happy taking a marvel comics/Greek mythology class, had never even watched a marvel movie. She ended up loving that class. I remember some of my friends taking wine tasting in college, sounded great until that 7 - 10 class was a strict 3 hour class and mandatory trips to vineyards were early Saturday mornings. Sometimes they have to take what’s left. My very not religious husband ended up taking several religion classes at our flagship, he found it fascinating learning about different religions and histories. I’m sure he signed up due to timing and location (Rutgers, 4 campuses with buses).
Deleted.
I totally get it. However, when you know ahead of time that there would be nothing that you are interested in and you have to take it for several semesters; it is another story. Older DD was OK with UMD (her safety, she had other options but either too expensive or not worth the money in our opinion for her major) until she learned that the school put her in the above-mentioned LLC (her 7th choice out of all available options - students rank them) with all the above activism tracks (with a big scholarship.) She had a choice either go with it and take a scholarship or not go with Honors at all and live with kids who did not qualify for Honor programs… She was devastated and said that she would hate to do it for two years. Luckily, GT took her from the waitlist at the last moment.
Earlier in this thread @momsearcheng posted this:
Anecdotal evidence. DD had zoom interview with Rhodes yesterday. Counselor was sitting on the phone… Was not impressed by really good internships etc. However, once discovered Jewish leadership roles became very interested and engaged… I think this is hilarious. My daughter was in shock from that… She would consider normal vice versa reaction…
I guess you were talking about how the counselor from Rhodes was impressed with your daughter’s Jewish leadership roles. Frankly, I view that as a good thing.
Clarification, once the Counselor discovered daugher’s leadership roles in HS, Counselor became engaged.
Yes…I understand that now…but view it as a positive.
Re: the courses…you need to make your own family decisions. But my kid (not Catholic) felt her religion courses at her Jesuit college simply opened her mind to other perspectives. And she viewed that as a good thing.
I understand where you are coming from. There are several southern LACs that have made it an institutional priority to increase their Jewish enrollment. While I see this as a positive, it can come across as pandering. We had an experience at another LAC (not Furman or Rhodes) that my son found a little unsettling. After touring the college, we asked the lady in the admissions office where the Hillel was located. Shortly after our visit, my son started receiving emails from his area admissions counselor and hand signed letters from the head of admissions making sure he was aware of scholarship opportunities for Jewish students. He had not yet applied and never filled out any paperwork indicating that he is Jewish. I’m pretty sure the admissions office must have taken note of our request to see the Hillel.
Edited to add: take it for what it is. Your D will most likely have zero contact with the admissions office once she enrolls