<p>wow…with all due respect to everyone on this thread, I think mythmom really missed the mark; and I think it results from the fact that her kids are not “B” students (or at least I don’t think they were)…rm started this thread to determine which schools would be a good fit; unfortunately, many of the schools in the US that are heavily populated with a >10% Jewish population are highly competitive (or just huge and not appropriate) and would not accept “B” students…not sure mythmom got that…</p>
<p>She also has no idea where my post came from (while others who have been following Elon, in particular, do) and I did mention that my post was a result of the comment made by the HIllel director previously…I’m very sorry I offended her…and to call me chauvinistic (is that the right use of this word?) is amusing…</p>
<p>many of us have stated that we are very interested in a diverse student population for our kids while at the same time trying to help them maintain involvement in their religion…if there is a crime in that, please convict me…</p>
<p>yabeyabe - doesn’t PA have the best selection of colleges! I looked at Bloomsburg University - part of the state system of PA - there are 14 colleges/universities in this system. Bloomsburg is primarily in-state - about 90% from PA and 7% from NJ. Average accepted SAT was 1050/1600 and average accepted GPA was 89.1. About 8000 undergrads. They report an 81.2 freshman retention rate and a 63.8% 6-year grad. rate. Wide selection of majors and there is a Hillel.</p>
<p>Within the PA state system - I prefer York College. It was recommended by Jay Mathews as a “hidden gem” in his 2003 book “Harvard Schmarvard”. It is also listed in Baron’s Best Buys. This school has 4600 undergrads - 2300 live on campus. Interesting male/female ratio in that 47% of students are male - better than at a lot of the colleges we have considered. Tuition, room & board are about $23,000 for OOS. Unlike Bloomsburg, only 49% of students are from PA. The others are from surrounding states - 21% from MD, and the rest from NJ, NY, etc. Average accepted SAT is 1090 and 80% of students score between 1000 and 1250 - so good potential for merit aid. Average acepted GPA is 3.46. The freshman retention rate is a little low at 78%. Wide variety of majors. On their Profile - they indicate 2% of the students are Jewish. For our family - this school may take the place of Salisbury as an academic/financial safety. Hoping to visit in the fall.</p>
<p>yabeyabe - I am sure you have seen this article before - but I just came across it and thought I would post the link. It is from the student newspaper regarding the new Hillel House that recently opened.</p>
<p>RM, thanks for the article–I had not seen it. York is a popular financial and academic safety school here and I can see its proximity to MD attracting MD kids. I do not know if the York business school matches up to Bloomsburg in accredidation or breadth of courses.</p>
<p>I appreciate all the creative ways people are trying to figure out Jewish populations, beyond whatever the colleges may list, in order to make various decisions about “fit” for their child. My own experience, post-decision, includes walking around at S-2’s Freshman Orientation and seeing many more “chai” necklaces and Jewish-y baseball caps than I expected, based upon college-published data. </p>
<p>But I will suggest that looking at last names is no longer any indication in 2010. People of the last two generations in America have intermarried and of those, many raise Jewish kids, leaving kids with last names that sound like the United Nations. </p>
<p>As well, and for same reason, we all know or have heard of Cohens, Levins and Schapiros my age (boomers) rush to inform all that they are: “Not Jewish” or “from Russian lineage.” The classic old Jewish names no longer guarantee Jewish identity.</p>
<p>My own 2 kids are marrying Jews after interdating a-plenty. But of the last names, one sounds as Irish as the leader of a St. Patrick’s Day parade; the other last name is very heavily Italian. So I joked with my youngest - now in California - that we anticipate he’ll bring home a Jewish “Chan” or “Lopez” so we have a clean sweep of 21st Century Jewish last names among the inlaws.</p>
<p>I take heed of a clever essayist – can’t find the link, but it isn’t me – who wrote, “To figure out ‘who is a Jew’ stop looking at their parents and start looking at their grandchildren.”</p>
<p>p3T: yes, I agree with your assessment…and mentioned that risk in my post…starting to wish I never posted that info publicly in the first place; oh well…</p>
<p>“but when my grandmother suggested that Jews were smarter I decided to leave the Jewish community, at 11.”</p>
<p>you decided to give up an entire religious and secular cultural heritage to spite your probably bigoted (but possibly correct as far as average IQ is concerned) grandmother?</p>
<p>"But I will suggest that looking at last names is no longer any indication in 2010. People of the last two generations in America have intermarried and of those, many raise Jewish kids, leaving kids with last names that sound like the United Nations. "</p>
<p>Not only intermarried, but married to Jews by Choice (those are NOT intermarriages) who not only have diverse last names, but are even more likely to raise effectively Jewish children.</p>
<p>You’re so right; marrying a Jew by Choice is no intermarriage; it’s a Jewish marriage in the first place. </p>
<p>And… I agree and see many who become Jewish right before or some years after a marriage who, by studying as adults, have sophisticated understandings and deep dedication to running Jewish families, sometimes to the surprise of the Jewish-born partner!</p>
<p>And…There’s a new declaration in the Reform movement to have their synagogues acknowledge and appreciate parents from other backgrounds who marry Jews and, while remaining nonJewish parents, still do the heavy lifting to raise and educate their children as practicing Jews. That’s not easy, either, on those individuals. As it helps the Jewish community find continuity and future, these individuals are starting to hear some appreciation from the community for all they do, too.</p>
<p>York College is actually not part of the PA state system. It’s private and so far, my D loves it there. A lot of emphasis on professionalism and networking, even for non-business majors.
My D went to see Bloomsburg with my husband, and would not get out of the car! Something about it just struck a nerve.
Lock Haven is a nice campus and part of the PA system; D said there were so many hills, for her a turn off…</p>
<p>as for mythmom, whatever. I think it’s good that we can give voice to our concerns and speak frankly about some of the meshugas that is specific to our kids.</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying on York - I thought because the full name is York College of Pennsylvania that it was part of the state system - as they are all named that way - Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, etc.</p>
<p>Can you tell us more about her likes and dislikes at York? How does it feel with about half of the 4600 living on campus and the rest - I don’t know - living off campus or commuting. How does she find campus life - is there enough to do?</p>
<p>Her one complaint is that there is not enough to do off campus. She enjoys the campus activities, but wishes that the city of York had more to offer. She does go to Baltimore sometimes.</p>
<p>Rockvillemom,
I’ve heard good things about York, but the setting is not very exciting. I think Towson makes a much better safety school for a Jewish Marylander. Towson has a very nice campus in a great location with restaurants, movie theater and a large mall in walking distance. It’s also about 20 minutes (by car) to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. There are lots of academic choices, a strong business program and great facilities. Although the school is on the large size, students seem to get a lot of support and access to faculty. The students I know who attend are very happy and doing well.</p>
<p>yes, she lived on campus and will do so next year. the new dorms are soooo nice. she went to hillel a few times.
towson probably does offer much more in the way of excitement.</p>
<p>levirm - that’s actually kind of funny in that I did not catch that - about “The Crusader”. One of the schools we visited with S1 used to have a team name of the “Fighting Christians” which had been changed a few years back to something more PC.</p>
<p>momjr - thanks for the comment on Towson - still so on the fence on this one - we really should try and visit at some point. I just have a certain negative perception about Towson that is very hard for me to get past.</p>
<p>College4three–a friend’s son benefitted greatly from York’s small classes for 2 years, then transferred to UMCP–but his york friends are still his close friends. How does York manage to be inexpensive for a small, private school?</p>
<p>Thanks for mentioning York and Bloomsburg. They sound good so I checked their websites.
Two questions if anyone knows: 1. Does your child have to have a car to come home (D.C. area)? Does the university provide a bus back to the DC or Baltimore area? Is there Amtrak in the vicinity? </p>
<ol>
<li> Anyone know about Hillel or Jewish life at these schools? I can’t find any info. on the websites.</li>
</ol>
<p>yabeyabe - Barron’s Best Buys in College Education has a write up on York that tackles that question directly. They cite “strict adherence to a policy of keeping administrative overhead low, avoiding debt, and resisting the temptation to set a higher tuition for all and temper it for the vast majority with extensive scholarships, grants and loans.” Barrons calls York one of the lowest priced private colleges in the northeast. Call me intrigued.</p>