Colleges for the Jewish "B" student

[rockvillemom]

Great quote. And unfortunately very true.

[boysx3]

That quote is so true. I also think of that statement, I think by Golda Meir, about how things won't change until the Palestinians love their children more than they hate the Jews.

My boys have a lot of friends over there. I worry for all of them.

[LINYMOM]

LuvMomN8er: I am back from Charleston but, unfortunately, cannot report on C of C. I saw a lot of college students and we walked by the arena where they play basketball (several times) but we did not walk by the campus. Was not on DH's "to do" list (and he could not understand why I wanted to walk by it!). We probably walked all around it (as I would estimate we walked about 20 miles this weekend... in the cold and rain), but I did not see the campus. I can tell you it's a great college town... very walkable... but that's it.

If your kids are going to C of C and looking for a Jewish home beyond the campus, we did tour Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, the Reform congregation of Charleston, which is the oldest continuous Reform congregation in the country, with roots back to the 1700s. They were very welcoming and I'm sure they have open arms for college students. Worth a visit if you are down checking out the college. Home Page - Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim

My next trip is with DS and without DH... to New Orleans to visit Tulane at the end of next week. Purely a college trip, for sure.

[phillyartmom]

Just an early happy Thanksgiving note to all. I am thankful for all of you and the help and support that you gave me last year. I am also thankful that my dd loves her school and that she is having a great time making dinner for her classmates that did not go home and that she will be home on December 7th for her semester break for a month! Lots of other things to be thankful for, but won't set them out here!

[champs2004]

Stopping by to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. It is been a pleasure sharing our thoughts, fears, and suggestions throughout this college process, so at the risk of sounding "cheesy", let me say that I am thankful for you, my CC-friends, supporting me throughout this time. Believe it or not, my S actually mentioned to me yesterday how grateful he is for the help I have given him these past 6 months, (I did not realize that he understood my effort, and I appreciated his "thanks").

My thoughts are with friends in Israel. We have a lot of friends and family over there, and as I watch the reports, it is amazing to think of what they consider a normal part of their lives. Prayers for them.

[mumof2]

Hi, Happy Thanksgiving to all! I just wanted to share some good news on D2. She has recently been accepted to Penn State and U Georgia. She has visited Penn State and loved it. We will probably visit UGA in the next few months. I am wondering if anyone has firsthand knowledge of UGA. It looks like a great school with everything she wants including nice weather. I am just wondering if a Jewish girl from New England will fit in well here. Your thoughts? Thanks!

[Pennylane2011]

Mumof2- I have not been to UGA personally, but it is a popular choice among my kids' Jewish friends in the southeast. I'm pretty sure it has an active Hillel and Jewish fraternity/sorority. Most of the students are from GA, and Atlanta has a large Jewish population. I am not sure the exact details of the Hope scholarship for GA residents, but for many of my kids' friends who live in GA, UGA is a very affordable and good choice, and it is often their first choice.
It's worth a visit to check it out. She will probably fit in fine, and it will be a lot warmer than what she is used to.

[socaldad42]

UGA is beautiful. Michigan/Ann Arber of the south. A very good jewish population. We know a sophomore jewish boy from texas who goes there. In jewish frat. Loves it. I think it is well worth a look....

[momjr]

Mumof2: I don't know any Jewish students who attend UGA. A non-Jewish girl from our area attends and loves it. Greek life is very poplular. Freshmen girls go early in August and rush before school starts (which is typical at big Southern schools). I agree that it's worth a look.

Happy Thanksgiving! Time to start cooking.

[whenhen]

I've spoken to many UGA students, and by and large they love the school. The entire state of Georgia supports UGA and their Hillel's facebook lists an enormous number of events https://www.facebook.com/hillelatuga It'll be more conservative than she's used to, but that merely reflects the state's conservative bent. One girl I spoke to hailed from Maryland and she raved about the campus spirit, academic offerings (according to her not too challenging but still pretty tough), and downtown Athens.

[Shulamit]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Yesterday, DS got a letter offering a free app to Brandeis. He is applying to small, supportive schools (like Muhlenberg) and I was wondering if Brandeis fit the bill. DS did attend an information session at his HS from a Brandeis rep but didn't come away with any feeling one way or the other (which is generally how he has felt about every other school too, btw.) Also, Brandeis doesn't offer any merit aid which makes it an unlikely pick for DS since we wouldn't qualify for FA. Any feedback on Brandeis is welcome!! Thanks in advance.

[Vitrac]

We visited Brandeis and it was a pretty school whose student population seemed more premed than anything else (not D2's choice). It did seem small and supportive and D2 would have applied but for their no merit aid policy.

[LINYMOM]

I visited Brandeis with DD; we got the feeling that, even if she somehow got in, it would be hard for her to keep up. Would have been perfect for DS, except that they don't have engineering (oh yeah, and the price).

As a side note, my parents wanted me to go there many moons ago. The tennis coach there wanted me also and I was accepted. My mom was really pushing for it, but I opted for Northwestern (further away, bigger school, Big 10 sports) instead.

[mumof2]

Hi, wow.. no activity in this thread for 3 days, where is everyone? Well time to share the good news that D2 was accepted to Tulane today!

[LINYMOM]

Mumof2: congratulations to your D!! We will be at Tulane on Friday. Have you visited?