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Colleges for the Jewish "B" student
rockvillemom
6941 replies184 threads Senior Member
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.
19251 repliesSo, 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.
Post edited by ccadminkris on
Replies to: Colleges for the Jewish "B" student
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?
A couple kids from our shul are very happy at Pitt.
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.
Hillel's Guide to Jewish Life on Campus
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.)
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?
I'd add Syracuse and Union to the list. Delaware has an undergrad population just slightly over your range and has a very pretty campus and the feel of a private school. Drexel and Northeastern (for their business coops). BU and GW (for business).
Arizona is another hot place for those who used to look at Wisconsin.
I happen to know a Jewish kid who is not too happy at all at Susquehanna, but that is just anecdotal.
Would going west be of interest? Lots of Jewish kids from the west coast at U of Arizona and ASU. But these are larger schools than desired. (and I just looked at roshke's post which makes the same point).
Delaware is interesting - we visited 2 years ago with S1 and were not blown away. But I keep hearing great things about it and maybe need to give it a second look.
barrons - I agree with you - to me - it is not just getting in - but being successful and happy. Nothing could be worse than having your kid get into a school like Emory or Tulane and then either flunk out or just be so miserable that he wants to transfer. Fit is very important to me - more so than "prestige".