<p>Boysx3, I reread your q and it was more about fitting in then opportunities at a hillel etc. I have no doubt that they would fit in and be comfortable. My D is friends with folks of every religious stripe there is at Rhodes. Rhodes is not an overtly or overly religious environment and to my way of thinking is very inclusive . Rhodes is huge on community service and really that appears to be their "religion" so to speak. It's the keeping kosher on campus part that I need to find out.</p>
<p>Here are some links and contact folks. </p>
<p>Jewish Student Organization
Joel Chasan
Hillel of Greater Memphis <a href="http://www.hillelofmemphis.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.hillelofmemphis.org/</a></p>
<p>The Memphis Jewish Student Union serves Jewish students at the the University of Memphis, University of Tennessee at Memphis, Rhodes College and two other area schools. Contact director Elena Garner at 901-452-2453, <a href="mailto:jstudent@midsouth.rr.com">jstudent@midsouth.rr.com</a>.</p>
<p>Joel Chasan's email at Rhodes is <a href="mailto:chaje@rhodes.edu">chaje@rhodes.edu</a>. I am assuming he is an officer or advisor of the Rhodes Jewish Student Organizatioin.</p>
<p>Thanks, I'm turning all of this over to my neighbor. Kids who keep kosher can always eat the vegetarian selections, and some kids will eat dairy, but you hit the nail on the head when you mention the "fitting in" factor. sometimes it's hard to be the only one keeping kosher on an entire campus. The Hillel info will be very useful.</p>
<p>I forgot to add that of course I'm sure the merit money factor is a nice consideration.</p>
<p>I also had a rather random thought--do you think that the fact that she keeps kosher, if properly presented in an essay, would be worth an extra point or two in the " diversity" category at a school like Rhodes or similar?</p>
<p>Boysx3 . In a word, yes. At schools even more Southern like Centre and Millsaps even moreso. It's what I call the reverse commute idea. Boys to Vassar, Baptist to Brandeis. Country girl to Yale. Every little bit helps.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at Rhodes and absolutely loves it! He has been working his tail off though. He has been offered a paid interneship with one of his professors and St. Jude's. It has something to do with cancer, alzeheimer's, etc. At any rate, he has been very challenged at Rhodes. He has had good grades - but you have to work for them. His first semester he had 4 or 5 30 page papers. Now, he is into his second semester and still loves it! The professors really get to know you and are quite willing to help you. Many of the classes are in a discussion format, rather than having a professor just lecture the entire time. So you better do your reading and be prepared for class.................Good luck!</p>
<p>I'm happy things have worked out so well. I haven't seen anyone here more of a booster of a school on these threads than you are curm. I'm also pretty certain that your daughter is in control of her own destiny as much as any of us are.
At the same time I've noticed that in loving families such as yours and mine, teenagers read their parents' stated and unstated reactions very well. They love their parents and will almost always act accordingly.
Do you feel your discomfort with paying so much of your assets for school impacted her decision?
I know in my family, my kids would have reacted the way your daughter did. Happily or unhappily, we just never had the financial resources to make this an issue. Wish we had the assets, but we just don't.
But it sure made college choices much easier!</p>
<p>danas: I know my D sat on pins and needles waiting for the FA offer from Barnard to come in. When Mt. Holyoke's came in it was really generous and included some merit money, too. She insisted that if there was a substantial discrepancy she would go to Mt. Holyoke. Luckily, it didn't work out that way, although Barnard's didn't quite equal Mt. Holyoke.</p>
<p>I don't know where this sense of responsibility came from because we did have the money and always told her she could go anywhere but stuff happens and then we didn't. She sure stepped up to the plate. She also does work/study and says earning her own spending money has been very important to her.</p>
<p>I'm not sure S has these attitudes, but I think he does. We already knew his to p choice had really good FA, and it does.</p>
<p>With a kid as stellar and Curm's daughter and resources as stellar as Rhodes' I really don't think she sacrificed anything.</p>
<p>This is lovely to hear! I will definitely look into Rhodes when the time comes for me to apply!</p>