<p>I always get confused when people say “USC” - is that southern California or South Carolina? There’s a bit of discussion on Univ. of South Carolina over the past week or so - look back over the past few pages. A frequent poster - MDCISSP - is familiar with Univ. of Southern California and I’m sure could give some info on Jewish life there.</p>
<p>There is definitely Jewish life at USC. There is an active Chabad and Hillel. Hebrew Union College has its building adjacent to the USC campus and offers Hebrew and other Jewish content classes for USC credit. There is a kosher apartment for one of the on campus dorm choices. I don’t know if this scholarship is currently available–but when my son applied, there was a $10,000 scholarship for a Jewish student to bring leadership to the campus (i.e. have a lot of strong Jewish oriented extra-curriculars to compete for this scholarship). I think there is plenty of Jewish life on campus for a variety of Jewish kids, but it is not huge like at Univ. Maryland College Park. </p>
<p>Los Angeles has plenty of kosher restaurants, religious communities from Orthodox to Reform, and lots to do.</p>
<p>I did a very serious and conscientious search for colleges for S1, and we are all very happy with USC, both academically, Jewish activities, nice kids, etc. However, USC is a reach for a B plus student unless you have stellar test scores and other strong activities.</p>
<p>USC is a very social school and has a strong alumni network, plus a superb study abroad program. There are very strong academic programs in a variety of fields–Viterbi Engineering, Marshall Business, #1 Cinema school in the country.</p>
<p>To be honest, I have not found a single school comparable to USC that matches for a B or B plus student in terms of all the great resources in one place.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing, unbelievablem, great article. I’ll send it to my sister whose son goes to Vanderbilt. Vandy is the school where they wear shirts and ties to their football games! I saw Vanderbilt listed on many other lists of schools attended by Jewish students. I didn’t realize it was such a recent occurence that their Hillel was created. Interesting that the article points out Jewish students having leadership roles…that tends to be true!</p>
<p>Mdcissp: Does Syracuse come close (to USC) for the B, B+ student? Or Northeastern?</p>
<p>“In Effort to Lift Their Rankings, Colleges Recruit Jewish Students.” That was the front page headline from the April 29, 2002, Wall Street Journal. The article tells a marvelous tale of tantalizing ironies. “‘Yes, we’re targeting Jewish students,’ Chancellor Gordon Gee told a March 17 board meeting of the Vanderbilt affiliate of Hillel, the nonprofit national Jewish campus organization. ‘There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s not affirmative action. That’s smart thinking.’” Later in the story, Gee, a Mormon who left Brown University to head Vanderbilt, indicated the effort was part of his “elite strategy” to move Vanderbilt into Ivy League status. “'Jewish students,” he said, “by culture and by ability and by the very nature of their liveliness, make a university a much more habitable place in terms of intellectual life.”</p>
<p>That’s a little piece of Daniel Golden’s 2002 WSJ article that put Vanderbilt’s quest for Jewish students out in the open. At the time this piece was written, the Jewish population at Vanderbilt had fallen to about 2%. It’s amazing what they were able to accomplish in just a few years.</p>
<p>This next article is from 2006 - and if you are interested in the Vanderbilt story - here’s more detail.</p>
<p><a href=“Inside Vandy: Vanderbilt University's student news source”>Inside Vandy: Vanderbilt University's student news source;
<p>^^it didn’t hurt that the other Southern school for Jewish students (Emory) decided to go in a different direction by actively recruiting and accepting Asian and International students…so many Jewish students around here who would have normally attended Emory 10-15 years ago are attending Vanderbilt…</p>
<p>Parade also mentioned Salisbury, including under business schools. </p>
<p>F&M deferred a friend’s child ED, then called to say that he would be accepted–if he promised to attend. Good example of how to manipulate yield %. By rep, it is a good school, with fierce competition for law and med school. </p>
<p>Rockville, thanks for the info on the Lutheran influence–what a shame they did not start their trek west from NJ!</p>
<p>Choc, I do not think a B student will get into most of Syracuse or Northeastern, although B+ kids might. My sense is that NE and Syracuse are both good schools, but very different–NE is urban, with minimal sports emphasis and a huge emphasis on co-op programs, IT careers, etc.</p>
<p>Rodney, in addition to Vandy being helped by Emory’s shift in recruiting, I suspect they benefited as well from Katrina scaring some kids away from Tulane–plus Vandy sports teams are much more prominent than Emory’s or Tulane’s.</p>
<p>Well, it definitely worked for Vanderbilt. It was listed in Newsweek magazine’s 2007 list of “new Ivies”.</p>
<p>Thanks for info., yabe, I have Syracuse on my list for S2 down the road…when we were in Boston we visited many campuses and I wasn’t crazy about that Northeastern is smack in the middle of the city…some people love that, for us, not so sure yet.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know Syracuse and Northeastern that well. I know that Northeastern is great for its co-op plan.</p>
<p>Choc, Rodney is well-versed on Syracuse.
My relative who went there liked it, except for the very severe winters. I note that she graduated with a very nice live in Catholic boyfriend–as others have noted, this happens even at schools with very significant populations.</p>
<p>D spent some time there this summer in their summer college program. She enjoyed the program and liked dorm living, etc. She thought that the Ernie Davis dining hall was great. She liked the campus, but wants more of a campus feel. It was a little too urban for her. Plus, she really didn’t like the surrounding area…can’t say that I blame her! Not sure if it will remain on the list, but it’s on there until we see more schools. We also had Northeastern on the list, but based on her reaction to Syracuse, I think that will come off the list after we visit. In looking at the list of schools we put together, I am starting to think that she may only have safeties and reaches on her list when we finish the visits. I hope that’s not the case, but I am starting to get a little worried about that!</p>
<p>@mdcissp… Wow. Sounds good. Do you by any chance know the name of the kosher dorm and where I can get more information about it?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks again for great information, everyone, and for links to articles.
And, one question I had about funding these Hillels in small colleges was answered in the the Forward article; the colleges themselves contribute to the Hillel director’s salary, and there is other fundraising going on among the few Jewish alumni, Jewish faculty, and community members. The article doesn’t mention parents, but I am sure that parents also contribute. As more Jewish students attend these colleges, I suppose the model goes, this will become more sustainable. I think that it is fascinating that Washington and Lee is among these colleges. Some of the other colleges that we have discussed here may have “graduated” from this “small and mighty” list already.
RM and others: what do your Naviance data say about Union College? I know that some on this thread would reject it because of the weather or the town, but there are some who may be interested.</p>
<p>I took both of my daughters to visit Syracuse and they both diskliked it. They both felt that it had the disadvantages of a city schools without the advantage of being in an exciting city. The campus is actually pretty nice for an urban campus. It has interesting architecture and some green quads. The surrounding area is not very appealing, and the weather tends to be cold and gray. Students seemed friendly and spirited. The acceptance rate is pretty good. Some programs (Newhouse, Architecture) are very selective, but I think that the Arts and Sciences school is accesible for “B” students. I’m not sure about business. Socially, the big attractions seem to be greek life and sports. A lot of kids are very happy there.</p>
<p>Since so many of the posters seem to based in the mid-Atlantic, why is there no mention of Washington College:
[Washington</a> College | Hillel](<a href=“http://hillel.washcoll.edu/]Washington”>http://hillel.washcoll.edu/)</p>
<p>Thanks for mentioning it. At about 1326 students, it is smaller than my son wanted, so was not on our radar - but might be of interest to someone looking at smaller schools. They do offer early action. They offer very generous merit scholarships to anyone who is a NHS member. Tuition, room & board for the coming year are $44,572.</p>
<p>“All accepted applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships that range in amount from $5,000 to $20,000 per year. Accepted NHS and Cum Laude Society members are guaranteed a scholarship of no less than $10,000 per year. To qualify, students must be inducted into NHS before March 1 of their senior year.”</p>
<p>Here’s a brief description of the area:</p>
<p>"Washington College’s setting is a transformative element in your college experience. In historic Chestertown, the Chester River—with waterfront activities ranging from sailing, kayaking and waterskiing to hunting and fishing—is practically at your doorstep.</p>
<p>The town has been described as an “authentic” Williamsburg, with thriving businesses and restaurants, a restored art deco theatre, a weekly Farmers’ Market, and lots of preserved colonial charm."</p>
<p>Other quick facts: Lacrosse is huge at Washington College. Freshman and sophomores are required to live on campus. About 80% of the total student body live on campus. About 49% of the student body is from Maryland. The freshman retention rate is 90% and the 4-year graduation rate is 70%. Test optional admissions is available. Finally, not sure how many of the 1300 students are Jewish. The Washington College Hillel website does not give any numbers. The national Hillel website estimates the Jewish population at 70 students.</p>
<p>all things Syracuse here: “B” students with ok SAT/ACT are fine for arts and sci/human ec/…I say ok meaning around a 1150 MV or a 26 ACT…ED obviously lower stats ok especially if full pay…</p>
<p>I do know a couple of lower B (with decent # of C’s) students there that are not succeeding particularly well in the school of arts and sciences…I think the HS rigor would be more indicative of success for a “B” student…</p>
<p>Union College also takes a large % of their ED applications fyi…a little reachy for a “B” student, but I do know some there that were accepted ED</p>
<p>We’re up in Canada at our vacation house and ShawD saw 5 Canadian schools (plus Rochester) in a week and then spent 10 days at one of the Canadian schools. We’re now spending lots of time with a friend whose daughter is a rising college senior and was president of Hillel at her college last year. She’s got ShawD gung-ho about going to a school with a bigger Jewish population but also ShawD is wondering if she really has to take the ACTs because Canadian schools don’t need them. We’ve said, “You change your mind pretty easily so we have to make sure you have options.” One of ShawD’s two top Canadian choices has a large-ish Jewish population. The other, where she knows she’ll get in and met the President and is getting wooed has a much smaller Jewish population.</p>
<p>Snowboard: As I remember it, Parkside Apartments, on campus housing at USC has special interest communities including SChalom apartment that is kosher. I don’t know if this is just one apartment, or an entire floor of kosher apartments. I suggest if you are interested, to contact USC housing and inquire about this apartment to see if it meets your needs. I also understand that there is some kind of hot kosher meal available (I think at Parkside dining hall).</p>
<p>Although a lot of Jewish kids want UMCP or go to New York, my children do not want a huge state school or go to NY. USC is really a great school.</p>
<p>UT Dallas-undergrad application is 9 pages long. I have never seen such a long application before. Is this typical? Also, asks for family income. I thought that was info. for financial aid. They list 10 different boxes for activities–I thought schools like when you focus on a few activities which you are involved in. Not so sure about UT Dallas anymore. I think my son should stay in state.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If you think your child will benefit from small classes, ask tour guides not jsut the student:teacher ratio or the typical class size, but the size of each of their freshman year classes. Some schools manipulate the USN stats re % of classes with fewer than 50 students by combining 2 or more above 50 student sections into megaclasses of over 100 kids, which reduces the above 50 percentage. I was pleased to see, during the freshman class registration process, that my son’s classes were capped at 15, 18, 25 and 35 kids.This is what he gets in exchange for not going to a big time sports school.</p></li>
<li><p>Kids now get more vacations than I did–e.g., Fall, Thanksgiving, Winter, Spring and Easter. If you are looking at distant schools, that can be a lot of expensive flights–and then add a Family Weekend and the start and finish of the year.</p></li>
</ol>
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