Strong academic record [3.9, 1510/34] but light on EC’s [most likely political science or business; IL resident; <$50k]

[tsbna44]

Maybe it should be added to the list :). Good things happen in 3s.

Dennison would be a reach from Dickinson. Davidson from Dennison.

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

I thought as much…Denison has PPE and it has seen a good number of students from our hs apply there… there is a substantial endowment and perhaps a reasonable prospect of decent merit aid.

[tsbna44]

Again 3 Ds

Btw those majors can be ‘made’ in some sort anywhere. They have merit too.

If you want big merit, see if another D can work with a combo of programs - DePauw or maybe a place like Kalamazoo or Juniata. Schools like this pay big $$. And there’s more.

Good luck.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Thanks for sharing, did not know Davidson had a PPE major.

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

What can you tell me about Jewish life at Davidson/Denison/Dickinson. Asking for a mom…

[tsbna44]

Honestly I can’t. I know when we went to Miami, the Hillel director we met with had just graduated Dennison.

I don’t think the Hillel #s are accurate. I thinks it’s best to reach out to the directors and even ask to speak to a student.

You can use the Hillel #s directionally because that’s all you have.

Dennison shows 5.5% Jewish. Not a big # (125) but not a big school. See link below.

Davidson show 60 of 1837 or 3.3%.

Dickinson 180 or 8.4%.

Not having known b4, based on location I’d have assumed Dickinson was most prominent.

But dig into the campus websites, find names and talk to people. We did at LSU, U of SC and others and physically met a few. Whether they passed muster or didn’t, my daughter got the info needed to decide. Hillel directors - plural - have told me they have no idea where these #s come from. But they’re not accurate.

Jewish Life at Denison

I am a freshman jew and can say there’s hillel if student seeks it out. they have shabbat dinner on fridays. it’s a very waspy campus and don’t think youll meet many jews though. lotta ignorant people for sure from waspy massachusetts towns.

[LisaMBA]

Davidson doesn’t actually have a Hillel group; the students elected to disassociate from the organization. But, they have a very active Jewish Student Union.

Jewish Life

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Interesting, thank you @LisaMBA.

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Appreciate the details on each school.

I do not know many people from MA, but “Ignorant people from waspy Massachusetts” might be just a tad unfair…

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Just to be clear, those are not your words @tsbna44.

[tsbna44]

You know I just put in a link from a few years ago. I didn’t write that.

There was a thread on Jewish life at Dennison so I included it for you

Edit - I see you acknowledged that.

Hopefully there was an iota of useful info in the thread. That said definitely reach out to directors and students at schools of interest. We found all very forthcoming - whether in a strong or we really aren’t so strong and have little Jewish life way.

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Can I ask the posters here for your thoughts on Macalaster and St. Olaf. Should ‘Saint’ in Olaf be a concern for Jewish parents?

[AustenNut]

In doing a quick search of the forum, here are a few threads/responses that popped up that may address your questions (at least pertaining to St. Olaf…though I think the answer will be the same for Macalester):

Smaller school with merit aid for Jewish girl B+/A- premed [really 3.95 unweighted HS GPA]

Mom of a Jewish student at St. Olaf here. While apparently not a fit for the OP, there is a small but active Jewish student union at St. Olaf. They have weekly Shabbat services, bi (CORRECTION TEICE) monthly havdalah, torah study and Hebrew as well as other social gatherings. There are a couple of rabbis on the faculty who facilitate and held a student led seder last week. Apparently the student who led it was raised conservative and did the whole Haggadah with lots of editorial in Hebrew (a new experience for my very very reformed son) They collaborate in some or all of these with Carton students too. Honestly, my son identifies as Jewish and participates in activities maybe more now than he did at home.

Does St. Olaf have a vibrant LGBTQ community?

My daughter goes there and is from a crazy liberal town. She had the same concerns you do, and ended up going there for the same reasons you cite. She is having a relationship with someone who is non-binary. She also has Christian friends, who are socially and politically liberal and have no problem with her relationship. She has atheist friends. She has friends who party. She has friends who don’t. She has friends from other countries. It’s probably less LGBTQ-populated than Carleton, but has the advantage of not being an echo chamber of any kind. And BTW “Evangelical” Lutheran is the cool, liberal sect or whatever. Don’t let the name fool you.

Questions about St Olaf College

Piling on to @sandraguth 's comment. My son is a freshman at St. Olaf too and has a similar experience–there are all kinds of students from all over the world and who carry the entire spectrum of religious and political views. My son is Jewish-more of a cultural than religious identification- and he has had no problem finding great friends. It’s does seem to be an especially warm supportive environment without sacrificing academic rigor. Also if you have a student with ADHD, or other challenges, the supports through the disability services office are great, but exemplary are their Trio (federally funded) programs offering a depth of support, including extra advising and community for students with disabilities, or who face the special challenges of being 1st generation and/or economically insecure. TRIO Programs at St. Olaf – St. Olaf College

Wheaton vs St. Olaf [pre-med, environmental science]

At St Olaf you can sign up for The Environmental Conversation program as a freshman, then you can take Science Conversations sophomore year. Only admitted students can apply/sign up. Faith can be as important as you wish at St Olaf. Chapel is not mandatory, you can attend (there’s no class scheduled during chapel) or you can do whatever you want. They are very big on Interfaith dialogue and have representatives of various faith working on campus and in the Religion department. Your classmates will NOT be exclusively Christian. Wheaton IL is an evangelical college, more conservative than St Olaf, and where you sign a creed before you enroll (or teach there). As a result, all your professors are evangelical or conservative Christians and virtually all your classmates will be evangelical Christians. Chapel is mandatory. Academically speaking, especially for science and premed, St Olaf is seen as the stronger choice.

Questions about St Olaf College

“How religious is the school” Classes are not taught from a religious point of view. There are a bunch of threads that will give you insight into this question: I posted a ‘vibe report’ from my D’s sophomore year that addresses her perception of the religious vibe of St Olaf. St Olaf is not a Christian College, however many of your classmates will be Christian and that it different than at other schools and will affect your experience. My D had a great 4 years at St Olaf, and I recommend the school but it will have a different ‘vibe’. Also keep in mind that it is a very very musical school. https://www.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/st-olaf-college/4129201.html Regarding double-majoring. My D double majored (2 STEM fields) and many of her classmates did. How hard it is depends on what else you are doing. Many Oles do 1 or more terms abroad (they have a robust study-abroad system) or were heavily involved in music. Those 2 things can make it harder to double major (depending on what f…

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Thank you @AustenNut

[thumper1]

Davidson was our DDs reach school. She really love it but did not get accepted. Actually, we all loved it. It’s a great school, gorgeous campus, outstanding facilities. Cute small town. Around here we call it Amherst of the south.

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Davidson would also be a reach for S24. We are leaning toward visiting Denison, they have a tour on Labor Day, very nice. It’s a six hour drive, can’t wait to play my 80s/90s rock stations for him😁

[tsbna44]

If you’re going to Denison, Kenyon isn’t far. About 30-40 mins if I recall - even if only time to self tour. They are different campuses. My daughter was anti one, surprisingly liked the other although applied to neither.

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Good suggestion thank you @tsbna44.

[Motherprof]

Kenyon has a very active Hillel. In general, a great school (my daughter is a rising senior there). As for your earlier question re Macalester and St. Olaf, we visited both with her back in 2019 and loved them. Our daughter is an atheist from a half-Jewish family, but she thought she’d be comfortable at St. Olaf. Mac was her favorite for a while, but she ended up choosing Kenyon. All three are excellent schools academically with some differences: most obviously, it’s location, with Mac located in a residential area of a city, Kenyon very rural but beautiful and an hour away from Columbus; a strong music emphasis at St Olaf; a strong creative writing/theater tradition at Kenyon; an international relations focus at Mac, etc. (but you can do all of that at any of these schools). It’s important to visit, if you can, to get a better idea.

[TheMobileMinecrafter]

Then you for the feeeback @Motherprof.