<p>@mdmomfromli - thanks for mentioning Bryant. I was a Jewish B student who went there. My best friends in college are now:
VP of Tax at one of the world’s largest publishers
Senior VP of one of the largest office furniture mfgs
VP of a top-10 Wall St brokerage
CEO of aerospace parts mfg
CFO of cosmetics giant</p>
<p>Several others, myself included, are successful business owners. Bryant may not be well known, but it has an excellent track record. Jack Welch (legendary CEO of GE) said it best in one of his books: “Some of the best executives I’ve worked with have attended places like Bryant”.</p>
<p>I know this is a little off our college topic, but there was some discussion of interfaith marriage upthread, so I thought I’d share this article from today’s Washington Post. The article examines the current state of one interfaith marriage that has ended in divorce - with a court battle about the child’s religious upbringing. I saw a piece about this couple on 20/20 a few months back as well. Very sad story. One interesting statistic is a claimed 40% divorce rate in the first 5 years of marriage for Jewish/Christian marriages - no idea of the validity of this - but certainly thought provoking.</p>
<p>Interesting article. Unfortuantely, in giving the 40% divorce in 5 years statistic, they did not give figures over a longer period of time. My guess would be that the birth of children is often a crisis point, because it is hard to compromise on the question of baptism–you either do or you don’t. For whatever reason, all of the interfaith marriages I have known --at least 10–have succeeeded so far, which is not true of all the same faith marriages I know.</p>
<p>Visiting Dickenson with my son 2 yrs ago. very impressive Jewish life and wonderful academics.
Trinity and UCONN - excellent choices with strong Jewish life
Mulenburg…very Jewish as is U Bing.</p>
<p>Agree - wonderful school with great academics. Offers early action also. My only reason for not having it on S2’s list is the focus on everything international - which does not seem to interest him. Their business major is international business and it has a requirement about studying a foreign region and there is a foreign language requirement - so I don’t think it is a fit for that specific reason - otherwise it would be on his list.</p>
<p>Have heard great thinks about Muhlenberg - looking forward to visiting this fall.</p>
<p>Someone else had also mentioned Univ. of Hartford - one of the schools I have yet to look into - thanks for reminding me.</p>
<p>Rockville mom and others: Did you look into the graduation rates of the schools you are considering? We are now less sure about UT Dallas because it appears to have a lower graduation rate. The reason I am worried about graduation rates is concern if there are enough supports at the school for success particularly with budget cutbacks.</p>
<p>Yes - and 20% Jewish. Campus is easily accessible (right off of I84). Borders not so great part of Hartford on one side and gorgeous upscale suburb of West Hartford on the other.</p>
<p>Very good in certain academic areas, but less competitive to get in.</p>
<p>Graduation rates have been puzzling to me as well. Even at some of the top schools on my son’s list - the 4-year graduation rate is only around 80% - at some of the less selective schools, like College of Charleston, it is closer to 60%. I was quite surprised when I first saw how many schools were now quoting 6 year grad. rates. I also like to look at the freshman retention rate - how many freshman return for sophomore year. At 93%, Muhlenberg’s was the highest of the school’s on my son’s list. I believe my conclusion is that graduation rate sometimes includes things beyond one’s control - financial issues, switching majors, etc. But if most of the freshman return for sophomore year, you know that they have had a successful freshman year and are happy there - so I think I’m focusing more on that statistic.</p>
<p>University of Hartford does have a business school - The Barney School. But, I actually think it seems a little less competitive than where S2 should be - keeping it in the back of my mind though. It also does have a Judaic studies program - always a good sign.</p>
<p>Interesting about Bryant. Size, location and admissions criteria make it a possible fit for DS. Does anyone know anything about Jewish student life there? Are there Jewish students? Hillel has no information listed on Bryant at all. Also, I know it is primarily a business school and wondering if the other departments there are also good.</p>
<p>(What are the best sites for determining grad and retention rates? As well as midrange SAT and GPAs? I find them all over the map! OK to PM me to not clutter this thread)</p>
<p>New Interfaith Chapel dedictaed in fall 2009 - </p>
<p>"The main worship area is a circular area with retractable walls to accommodate up to 200 people. Water flows down two stone walls one outside the building and the other in the main worship area providing a tranquil background noise. The main hallway boasts floor to ceiling windows to allow light into the space and provide a view of the campus. While the sanctuary a small room to one side of the main hall has windows along the bottom of the wall, providing a view of a small reflecting pool.</p>
<p>Already, the facility is getting use, Devens said. The university chaplains provide Protestant, Jewish and Catholic services once a week and students are using the facility for their own groups as well." </p>
<p>I saw contact info for Hillel but not much more info.</p>
<p>As far as Bryant, merit aid can be hit or miss. I viewed Bryant as a safety school for our older son. At the time it looked as though 25% of students were awarded merit aid. My son visited twice, and he interviewed. He did not get a dime in merit aid. The FA award arrived in beautiful packaging with a bow/ribbon on it! We opened it to find nothing but loans in his package! It was very frustrating at the time. Just to compare, my son was awarded a 1/3 tuition scholarship at Bentley.</p>
<p>When looking at graduation rates, consider that if a private school is located in a state with lower cost state schools, and many students attending that private school are instate, that family decisions might be to have their child transfer to attend the state college at a lower cost, especially if the private school is gapping the student. This might be the plan all along, if the student did not get into their “dream state public”, and/ or needed to just boost their GPA a bit to get in.</p>
<p>crester - I like to use the common data set when I can find it. Just Google common data set xyz college and you should get it. Or, try Office of Institutional Reserch XYZ College. That way, you get all the raw data - admissions stats, grad. rates, everything you might want to know and more. I have also used it to see how many students graduate with a business major - some colleges offer it - but it might be a weaker or new program - so looking at grduation broken down by major helps.</p>
<p>There are Jewish students at Bryant (I was one). Drawing many students from the Boston and NYC areas, you’re bound to get some. Not much as far as organized “Jewish student life”, but you easily meet others through other activities and classes. It’s a small school, easy to meet everyone. It is primarily a business school, only branching out into other areas in the past few years. Even most of the “non-business” majors tend to have application in the business world. Unless your ultimate goal involves something in the business world, I would wonder why you want to go there.</p>
<p>I don’t know what Jewish life is like there, but it is New England, but my wife taught a couple of classes at Endicott College and was very impressed with the kids and the physical setup.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A high 4 year graduation rate is always a good sign–kids are clearly happy, getting into required classes easily and getting needed financial aid and academic advising.</p></li>
<li><p>A high 6 year, but not 4 year, rate can be the result of not enough room in classes required for a major (often the case at some flagships); kids transferring in and needing to gain additional credits (also common at large publics); kids having financial issues; or kids not choosing a major on schedule.</p></li>
<li><p>A low 6 year rate suggests kids are leaving for some of the above reasons–this is often found at nonflagship publics, where kids transfer to the flagship or to a private school after saving some money.</p></li>
<li><p>A high freshman retention rate is always a good sign, but if coupled with a low graduation rate, raises concerns. Conversely, a school with a relatively better graduation rate than freshman retention rate may reflect that something about the school is not for everyone–too rural/urban; too large/small; a sports team or HS romance not working out,etc–but that for most kids it everything works out very well.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Note that it is not uncommon to see different rates for the same school, often a result of data not being updated or confusion over 4 year vs. 6 year graduation rate.</p>