Colleges for the Jewish "B" student

rockvillemom · 05-20-2010, 01:11 PM

I have been debating for a time about starting a thread such as this. On one hand, I want to make sure I have considered every college this should be on my son's list. On the other hand, every time this topic comes up there a lot of posters who criticize the need for such a thread. So, I make this request - if you are interested in this topic - have good ideas - please contribute. If you feel this type of thread is not necessary - then I guess there is no reason for you to post on it, right? (Said gently!)

So, for my "B" student - considering Elon, College of Charleston, James Madison and Muhlenberg. All have a reasonable number of Jewish students and an active Hillel.

Ithaca has been suggested - not sure that he wants to head that far north - but it is a maybe. Drew is another possibility - but it might be too small.

I also like things I have heard about Gettysburg and Susquehanna in general - but not as sure about the Jewish piece. These schools have Hillels, but their reported Jewish populations are under 100 students.

Considering Salisbury as our in-state super safety school - but have no data on number of Jewish students.

So, I'd love feedback from parents and students who are familiar with Jewish life and the Hillels at these schools. If I have overlooked some - please fill me in. We are trying to stay in the mid-Atlantic region and trying to aim for colleges larger than 2000 students and below 15,000. He might be a business/management/marketing major - but that is certainly not definite.

srco14 · 05-20-2010, 01:18 PM

I would definitely add Clark and Goucher to your list. Both might seem a little smaller than what you've initially identified but they are both very special schools. Clark has the smaller Jewish population but has an active Hillel

SlitheyTove · 05-20-2010, 01:20 PM

Sizes might not be right, but possibly Goucher and Pitt.

When we visited Muhlenberg, D1 loved their Hillel. Don't know much about the others you've listed.

Is FA/merit aid a consideration? How "B" is his GPA: is that weighted or unweighted?

rockvillemom · 05-20-2010, 01:33 PM

Yes - FA will be a consideration for any of the pricier schools - such as Gettysburg. Right now, finishing up 10th grade with a 3.5 UW and about 3.9 W. Many honors classes - trying first AP next year. Hoping he will get 28-29 on the ACT. Active in BBYO - but not a lot of ECs - no hook or other extraordinary achievements. Just a nice average kid!

rap_mom · 05-20-2010, 01:36 PM

Check out Guilford College. although it's outside of your target area. Seems like a super school for B students, one of the "Colleges that Change Lives." My nephew (a Rabbi's son) goes there. Seems to have a pretty active Hillel and he feels very comfortable. Of course, I don't have any direct observation.

2boysima · 05-20-2010, 01:40 PM

I know a number of Jewish students from Long Island at Towson. Could this be an in-state safety, also? Looked at their Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 calendar...seemed to be an event almost every week....and a Shabbat event at least once a month.

rockvillemom · 05-20-2010, 01:45 PM

I think Towson is an interesting example of negative in-state bias - I have kind of a negative perception of it - but it is not really fact-based - you make a good point - if Salisbury is on the list - I should think about Towson as well.

green678 · 05-20-2010, 01:48 PM

I have heard that Franklin & Marshall is a good one too.

CountingDown · 05-20-2010, 01:55 PM

I'll put out URochester, if he's willing to head north, and add another vote for Clark and Elon. I take it your S doesn't want to be some place as large as UMD. Would he look at UMBC?

A couple kids from our shul are very happy at Pitt.

jym626 · 05-20-2010, 01:58 PM

Have you seen this from the Reform Judaism magazine? http://reformjudaismmag.org/_kd/Item...ation=ShowItem
Be sure to scroll all the way over to the right for a list of the top 20 by percent. I wasn't familiar with Lesley University.

monydad · 05-20-2010, 02:15 PM

This might be helpful to you:
Hillel's Guide to Jewish Life on Campus

wjb · 05-20-2010, 02:29 PM

Some possibilities: American U, Goucher, George Washington U, Lehigh, U of Pittsburgh, Franklin & Marshall, Syracuse, Boston U, Clark.

JHS · 05-20-2010, 02:36 PM

1. 3.5uw/3.9w at the end of 10th grade, especially for a boy, isn't what this particular Jew would describe as a "B student". Of course, you know your kid and his school, and I don't.

2. More votes here for Pitt (especially its honors program), and Franklin & Marshall. Also, the other "hot" second-tier LAC in Southeastern Pennsylvania these days seems to be Ursinus. The Jewish kids I know there all seemed to be happy last I heard, although I know zip about Hillel there (and quite possibly neither did they). Ithaca, too. Rochester, absolutely, especially if he is a very academic sort of B student.

3. Heading south, I know that Jewish kids have gone from here to Elon, but I don't know how they liked it, and they were closer to 2.5 than 3.5 students. I would think about Tulane and Emory (the latter being something of a reach). I have fairly observant relatives who moved to South Carolina a few years ago. Their B-student youngest child applied to College of Charleston, but ultimately decided she would rather not go to college than go there -- I'm not sure why. (Rochester took her off the waiting list, so her resolve was never tested. She really liked Rochester.)

PRJ · 05-20-2010, 02:50 PM

I second (third? fourth?) the suggestion of Clark. We were prepared not to like it given its location in Worcester MA, but D and I both loved it. D was amused by the "Hookah in the Sukkah" posters we saw on our October visit

Also, hands down the best food we ate on any college campus.

rockvillemom · 05-20-2010, 02:55 PM

JHS - not sure I followed your comment - he gets mostly "B"s - so I refer to him as a "B" student. I'm looking for colleges that are not ultra-competitive - but still considered decent schools.

Tulane has been a thought - just concerned about the distance. Pitt really seems to be up and coming - I hear so much about it lately. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Any comments on Jewish life at Susquehanna or Gettysburg?