Colleges for the Jewish "B" student

[2boysima]

"no one has bothered to clarify what form of 'jewish life' each post is referencing"

Most posters..who actually read the OP...are posting about schools that may meet the OP's criteria. While some people may be able to go into extensive detail about Jewish Life on campus, most of us are suggesting other places to consider based on our own knowledge, our kid's knowledge, or people we know who have attended the schools discussed.

It would then be up to the OP and child to determine if the Jewish Life on that campus fits what this child is looking for. The OP seems very willing to do this additional research.

The OP has put out some numbers of what might be too few Jewish students....and some have posted that there are a couple of schools actively looking at attracting Jewish students. I do not see any "code" or hidden agenda here.

[Sop14's Mom]

Actually, the OP did clarify: her S doesn't need kosher food, but an active Hillel. This means a critical mass of students sufficiently interested in Jewish life to create a vibrant Jewish community, both religious and social. It means not having just three people at the Hillel Shabbat dinner table, it means not feeling like a minority 24/7, and it means having a choice of people to date.

[college4three]

Definitely Clark, F and M, Goucher and Muhlenberg. I've heard good feedback from Jewish kids at American. Having been to Susquehanna (and loved it for my Jewish D although she chose elsewhere), it's a great school with a growing Jewish population. BU always and UMass Amherst.

[momjr]

I'll second the suggestions of Delaware and Towson. I know many Jewish students who have had good experiences at these schools. I grew up in the Baltimore area and had a similar opinion of Towson to the OP's. When my daughter and I visited we were pleasantly surprised. The school has a pretty campus in a great location with up to date facitlities. The location, in walking distance to shopping and restaurants is very appealing. The students seemed happy and engaged. I think it would be a good safety school for your son. They have rolling admissions, so he would hear early and could relax.

[LINYMOM]

thanks for posting about Delaware - particularly the Freshman Fest program. I found a link for it on the Delaware forum and it looked awesome - this is exactly the type of info I'm looking for - I had no idea that Delaware had so many Jewish students and such an active Hillel. It's a little bigger than I had in mind - but I'm absolutely keeping it on the list. Thank you!

D signed up for Freshman Fest as soon as she deposited at UD. The program has quickly grown from 50 freshmen to 200, who come in about a day and a half early. So many students we met at UD Hillel said they met their best friends/roommates at Freshman Fest. There are already close to 100 listed who joined the Freshman Fest Facebook group. for this August. (Check out the UD thread on CC- there's been a lot of talk about it there.)

[JHS]

rodney -- You're right, in that I'm talking about kids who graduated from high school in 2000-2005. Also, they all went to a very strong school, where a 3.5 GPA put you solidly in the top half of the class, and the top half of the class went to top 15/10 unis/LACs. The kids who went to Elon were definitely in the bottom quartile, but the bottom quartile of a strong pool.

[quakerstake]

The University of Kansas has a surprisingly large Jewish community. (Lawrence is close to Kansas City by the way.) Its Hillel has won national awards. Here is a link that may be of interest:

YouTube - Rock Chalk Shabbat

[rockvillemom]

I am so pleased with this thread - thanks to everyone who has weighed in.

Thanks to 2boysima, SlitheyTove and Sop14's Mom for helping to define what I am looking for in terms of Jewish life. Our background is reform Judiasm. S2 is very active in BBYO. I am looking for colleges that have more than 50-60 Jewish students - which has been an issue at some of the smaller LACs - particularly in the Carolinas and Virginia. I don't have an exact target but 10% Jewish would be great - a little less is not a deal breaker. I would like a college with an active Hillel - at least a few social events every month - maybe some community outreach - special programming for major holidays - that sort of thing. I don't want or expect him to socialize only with Jewish students - that is not his life now - we live in a very diverse community. But I do want him to have Jewish friends and a Jewish dating life.

One of the things I'm trying to do is weed out schools that seem to fit initially, but do not have the number of Jewish students or an active Hillel to warrant further consideration. High Point is an example of this. It seemed to be a good fit as a safety school, but it does not have what I am looking for in Jewish life, so it is off our list. Susquehanna is still a question mark - I welcome more anecdotes and will continue to research - might visit in the fall.

CountingDown - his PSAT results were not good - about a 140 both times he took it - 9th and 10th grades - so that's like saying a 1400/2400. He did much better on the PLAN - a 26. My research (anecdotal - not terribly scientific) tells me that most kids do 2-4 points better on the actual ACT than they did on the PLAN, which is why I feel pretty comfortable saying he could score 28 - 29 on the real ACT.

My goal is to start his junior year with a list of about 10 safety/match schools that are on the east coast and within driving range, prefer size greater than 2000 students and less than 15,000, with an undergraduate business program ( he is unsure about major, but this is a possibility) and with an active Hillel. I actually enjoy researching and visiting colleges - it's making the list itself that has stumped me a bit. Thanks for your help.

[happymomof1]

Fast Fact: WJHS sends more graduates to Montgomery College every single year than it sends to UMCP. A quick look at the "senior scatter" for the last few years at rockvilleson's HS will probably show exactly the same pattern. This means he doesn't have to look at Towson/Salisbury/Frostburg right off the bat as far as safeties are concerned. If rockvilleson is truly serious about business he should apply to the Macklin Business Institute. But even if he doesn't do that, he can be confident that the first two years of business education are solid.

What about taking a look at the second tier of Quaker schools? Haverford & Swarthmore would be out of range, but Guilford should be possible and there is a business major.

[KLucky]

I drive past the UD Hillel building every Friday right before Shabbat services start----lots of kids going in, hanging out in front. It seems like they have many service and fun activities each month

[Queen's Mom]

I think Goucher could be an in-state safety as well since he is male (they are sorely in need of boys). It has a very nice Jewish community and I think, a better reputation than Towson or Salisbury.

On the down side, I think it is a little small for you and I don't think it has business.

I also second Binghamton. It is the perfect size, has business (if he can get in) and they will definitely take a kid with his stats from OOS. The Jewish community there is FABULOUS!!!

ETA: EricLG, I'm sorry you didn't receive your Zionist conspiracy handbook in the mail this month. It has all the latest codes in it. It must have been delayed due to Shavuot.

[rockvillemom]

QM - that was hysterical!

[rodney]

RM: thanks for the "heads up" on this thread; great idea...

JHS: thanks for the clarification......

[JustAMomOf4]

Might want to consider Stevenson University. Great school for a B+ student, probably would get merit and located in a big Jewish area. Lots of Jewish students. No Hillel but maybe they could start one? It is an up and coming and growing school.

[college4three]

Bryant University for sure, if he's interested in Business.