<p>Which of course brings us back to the lunacy of “financial aid packages” that are chock full of loans. And then the college still claims with a straight face that they have met your “full need”. It’s quite a minefield to navigate.</p>
<p>In other news - S2 has agreed to start doing apps this week - I think JMU looks pretty easy and straight forward - he will start there.</p>
<p>Since D2 has ADHD, I keep a weather eye out for any mentions of schools that work for those kids. Lo and behold, an old thread resurfaced on the subject, with one poster extolling the virtues of Farleigh Dickinson. I went and checked it out on the hillel website, and was stunned to see that out of 4200 undergrads, there are 200 Jewish students. That’s in Teaneck, NJ, which has a huge Jewish community (and the kosher BBQ restaurant of my dreams 
). How come a large school in Teaneck has such a teeny Jewish community? </p>
<p>That said, the school does have merit aid that would reach down to some B students. </p>
<p>sujormik, GWU says that they award Presidential scholarships to 20% of their accepted (or matriculating? ) students. I believe those can go up to full tuition, but not full ride. Anything more depends on need. Also, a family friend’s son was admitted but not initially given much merit aid. He successfully negotiated on his own for a larger scholarship, and got it.</p>
<p>I’ll admit that I’ve been surprised when schools I figure are in the middle of where lots of Jews live don’t have that many Jewish students. D just got back from her Adelphi orientation (Garden City, LI) and said she really didn’t get the sense that she was surrounded much by Jewish kids. I figured she’d sense a difference at least from her hometown in WI, where she is one of maybe 2 Jewish kids. But while Adelphi has a nice Jewish presence, and certainly meets any of our expectations for Jewish life (which are low), I guess I figured just because it was in NY it would more be noticeably “Jewish.” </p>
<p>I guess this is why we have this thread - since it’s naive to make assumptions, either way.</p>
<p>SLitheyTove: I think you are referring to the Madison campus possibly? </p>
<p>there are two FDU’s: one in Teaneck and one in Madison…Madison is NOT a Jewish community (nor are the surrounding areas; quite the opposite, actually)</p>
<p>FDU is not a big draw for Jewish students in NJ…with it being private and expensive…most kids want to leave; and if they are going to be commuters it is usually to a CC or to a NJ state school…</p>
<p>like emmybet’s D school in Garden City; Garden City is traditionally a very non-Jewish area…even though it is smack in the middle of LI…</p>
<p>rodney, the 200 Jewish students out of 4200 total is from the Hillel site for the Metropolitan (Teaneck) campus. The “get out of dodge” thing makes sense, but it’s still surprising to me that Jewish students from surrounding areas don’t come.</p>
<p>^^I may be wrong, but I think? the Teaneck campus is a commuter one ( not residential like Madison)…</p>
<p>we live here and we only know kids at Madison…and they live there</p>
<p>Dunno for sure, but there are dorms, including dorms for upperclassmen. But there could be a lot of students who are commuters none the less.</p>
<p>Edit: Just checked USNWR, which says that 38% live on campus. So there you go, a commuter school.</p>
<p>SlitheyTove, the Orthodox kids are at Rutgers :-)</p>
<p>I was going to mention the commuter thing but you beat me to it.</p>
<p>EmmyBet, when I hear “Garden City” my first thought is Kansas, not Long Island, and Garden City, KS is most def not Jewish. We have good friends from there, so I can brag that my first thought when hearing “Garden City” is of them and not of Truman Capote and “In Cold Blood” :eek: ;)</p>
<p>I live on Long Island. I would say that Hofstra and CW Post have slightly more of a Jewish presence than Adelphi, certainly on a graduate level, but not as much for undergrad. I would say that the Jewish kids who stay home on Long Island and commute are more likely to attend Nassau Community College and eventually transfer to a 4 year school. Or some attend SUNY schools like Stony Brook and live on campus, or Farmingdale College and Westbury. The SUNY’s all come at a much lower price tag and seem to be an interim stop for some kids before they leave home or if they are bounced back home after an unsuccessful try at another college.</p>
<p>But in general the Jewish kids leave Long Island for college. Many attend Binghamton, Buffalo and Oneonta upstate. University of Delaware, University of MD (College Park), and University of Michigan are very popular and Ohio State is gaining ground this year. The usual “Jewish” privates like GW, Boston University, Syracuse, Northwestern, Emory, Tulane, WashU, Tufts, Brandeis, University of Miami and American are also popular for kids from Long Island. </p>
<p>Kids who stay more local and are talented in the arts attend NYU (Tisch or Steinhardt) or with good academics, aim for Stern.</p>
<p>I would not send a child to Adelphi expecting a Jewish experience or a NY crowd.</p>
<p>^^^Really, uskoolfish?</p>
<p>I have done no research on Adelphi recently, but I have a good guy friend that went there (many moons ago) and thought it had many Jewish kids. Has it changed? It’s true that the town of Garden City may not be a Jewish town, but certainly the school attracts Jewish kids, or at least they did.</p>
<p>What does that mean that Hofstra or CW Post has more of a Jewish presence? Do you mean like 50 or 100 more Jewish kids or significantly more?</p>
<p>The theater Dept. has a fabulous reputation from what I hear. I’m sure the Hillel Dept. can tell us more about the Jewish presence in the school today…I’m also sure Emmybet did her homework before she & her daughter chose the school…maybe she can tell us more about this topic! :)</p>
<p>I can’t really offer a ton of perspective here, because D couldn’t care less about Jewish presence at college. She can be sure of seeing more Jewish kids than she did growing up, and that’s enough for her, so she’s bound to find someone to have a seder with if she wants, etc. </p>
<p>I’ve never suggested Adelphi strongly on this thread because I really don’t think it’s very helpful for a family that’s really looking for significant Jewish life on campus. But it’s fine for us - my girls are both very solid in their Jewish identity but don’t seem to need the community feeling so much. I think most of you know D1 went to Tufts, enjoyed finally having a few more Jewish friends, but wasn’t active in Hillel really at all.</p>
<p>My D2 is going to Adelphi specifically for the BFA in Theatre. Also as a B+ student with good test scores she got a fabulous scholarship which helped influence her choice. She said after spending time there that there are plenty of LI kids (quite a few commuters), also lots from CT and into NY state, generally. The arts kids are from all over and pretty much all of them live on campus. Her guess is the larger ethnic groups represented are kids of Italian heritage and Asian-Indian. </p>
<p>I enjoy this thread and relate to the conversation, but our family is definitely on the lighter side of the “Jewish” part of it.</p>
<p>Adelphi is definitely a good choice for theatre kids. The school wants the program to grow and it has been investing in the program and facilities over the past several years. I know that the NY State Summer School of the Arts–a pre-college program for top NY state theatre kids-- has been on the Adelphi campus for the past 2 or 3 years. It is a good option for B students who want to be in a liberal arts setting pursuing a BFA.</p>
<p>I am certainly not saying that there aren’t Jewish kids on the Adelphi campus, but it is a somewhat low percentage. As Emmybet stated, though, it is not at all her primary concern. </p>
<p>As to why there may be more Jewish students on one campus rather than another within very close proximity, I would have to respond that it is very typical of Long Island. Long Island is not at all homogeneous and has the notorious reputation for being one of the most self-segregating areas in the nation. Adjacent neighborhoods can differ dramatically along ethnic, religious, racial or demographic lines. So it is not a surprise that local colleges can be like that when it is common among neighboring high schools.</p>
<p>So for whatever reason, Hofstra probably has the most Jews–certainly on the graduate level with its law school, MBA program and new medical school (affiliated with Long Island Jewish Hospital.) There seems to be a trickle down effect from the reputation of its grad schools that has placed Hofstra more on the Jewish radar for its undergraduate programs.</p>
<p>CW Post has a very strong arts program and their Tilles Center is popular for various concerts and cultural shows throughout the Island. Hofstra, as well as CW Post, offers classes for gifted children and other enrichment opportunities and camps. These programs have all made the Jewish population more familiar with Hofstra and CW Post–resulting in a greater Jewish presence on their campuses.</p>
<p>Chocchipcookie–I hope this clarifies things a little. According to the Hillel website Adelphi has 370/4930 Jewish undergraduate students. It does not have any Jewish studies classes or services. Hofstra has 1350/7500 Jewish undergraduates. It has a Jewish studies major and religious services. It’s grad program–and I don’t think this reflects its med school yet–has 1500/3783 Jewish students!</p>
<p>Emmybet: your DD can come to my house for seder if no on campus options!</p>
<p>Re: hofstra. My kids went to Saturday classes for young people there when they were in elementary school. I don’t think that kids that do that are necessarily going to consider hofstra more when its time for college. However, hofstra does have a high profile on LI.</p>
<p>Re Tilles Center- DS’ camp friend has his actual bar mitzvah there (service). Both parents are rabbis and they must have needed the big venue!</p>
<p>Sent from my ADR6300 using CC App</p>
<p>Rockville - Is the JMU the same app year after year? or is the app for our kids up now?</p>
<p>Thanks, LINYmom. I know where to find you!</p>
<p>Two more details I would say about Adelphi while we’re on the subject are 1) there is a terrific stand-alone Honors College that we feel compares to any high-level LAC - my D will be doing both the BFA and HC - and 2) there is an interfaith religious center that has a rabbi on staff, so I wouldn’t say there are “no” Jewish services. Actually my D is more likely to get involved in an interfaith center than in a straight Hillel.</p>
<p>As others have said, Adelphi and Garden City are decidedly non Jewish areas of LI. GC and Manhasset are the archtypal upper middle class non Jewish towns on the Island. However, West Hempstead which has a large Conservative/Orthodox population, along with a couple of kosher restaurants and shomer Shabbas stores, is just a hop skip and a jump over from Adelphi.</p>
<p>I don’t think there are any/many places close to campus , of interest to students, the town of Garden City doesn’t have much. I wonder where Adelphi students go when they want to get off campus or to grab a bite to eat? The kids who live on LI always complain about that. It would be especially difficult without a car.</p>
<p>A propos tuition increases, Califonia today increased state tuition by 12%, following a 10% hike last year.</p>
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<p>A few years ago I spent Shabbat in West Hempstead at a friend’s house and we took a leisurely afternoon walk and wound up at Adelphi. It was really incredibly close, and IMO a much better neighborhood than West Hempstead.</p>
<p>With the increase, Cal State tuition goes up to about $5500 a year. That doesn’t sound like much, but for the many many students who are putting themselves through school and commuting by bus from home, it’s hellish. One student told the LA Times she’s going to need to find a second job. I’m thinking “where? What jobs?” :(</p>