<p>OURA & Cama, please don’t be discouraged! I, too, have felt “inadequate” from time to time on this thread, but have stayed for the invaluable insight from been-there-done-that parents and the mutual support & comfort so warmly & openly given. My DD is definitely a Jewish B student with no AP courses, no true leadership roles and only sports for EC’s. I know I’ve helped my DD wade through the college search waters with the help of my Dfriends on this thread! So, stick with us. I echo LINYMOM & Rodney: We’ll happily help, just give us a few questions.</p>
<p>orangemom, Mazel tov! Happy he’s happy! So, tell us, what led DS to Clark over $80K scholarship (Oh my!!) Denison?</p>
<p>Cama and Oura: even though my daughter is an A- student, I love this thread because it’s not obsessed with the lottery schools, and it focuses on schools that welcome religious diversity. If you read this thread from about 8 months ago, you’ll see that some kids that started out as B students did very well on their ACTs and exceeded parental expectations. Others remained B students, but conducted focused campaigns and were accepted everywhere. I’ve learned so much here and am very grateful that the contributors have shared their stories.</p>
<p>It has been said over & over again by many posters, but it bears repeating yet again: the parents who post on this thread for the most part have more than one child. Some of those kids are true A students and some are true B students. This thread has been welcoming to all posters and has helped and suggested schools for all GPA’s, high, low or in-between. The posters here have suggested schools in paticular to that parent’s request, knowing the child’s academic record and where they choose to look, the east coast, the west coast, in the middle of the country, in the city, in the suburbs, etc.</p>
<p>My older child’s GPA was off the charts. (A true A student) His brother, a h.s. soph, is a true B student and also doesn’t push himself as true B students sometimes are known for. We have a list of B colleges that are meant for him. </p>
<p>Sometimes you have a child who is a true B student, but gets A’s in some subjects, C’s in others…sometimes the student can be a B+ student or a B- student…this thread has evolved over two years, but all in all the focus has been and will continue to be to help B students (Jewish mainly, or otherwise) find good matches for their college experience.</p>
<p>I’ve been lurking for about 6 months and this thread had given me a few schools to look at that I would have known about. I still use other sources to check my kids stats to see if her gpa and test scores would really be a match or a reach. It seems like a lot of parents are on the east coast and I really appreciate your views on the schools in your area. Starting next year I’ll be really asking your opinions since DD wants to go east from MN and there is no way to visit all the wonderful schools out there. For all those with children set next year for college-congrads. </p>
<p>If there was one thing I wish you could do; it would be to explain some of the Jewish faith? things you talk about. For example what is a Hillel?</p>
<p>The largest Jewish campus organization in the world, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life provides opportunities for Jewish students at more than 500 colleges and universities to explore and celebrate their Jewish identity through its global network of regional centers, campus Foundations and Hillel student organizations. Hillel is working to provoke a renaissance of Jewish life.</p>
<p>Hillel’s mission is to enrich the lives of Jewish undergraduate and graduate students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. Hillel student leaders, professionals and lay leaders are dedicated to creating a pluralistic, welcoming and inclusive environment for Jewish college students, where they are encouraged to grow intellectually, spiritually and socially. Hillel helps students find a balance in being distinctively Jewish and universally human by encouraging them to pursue tzedek (social justice), tikkun olam (repairing the world) and Jewish learning, and to support Israel and global Jewish peoplehood. Hillel is committed to excellence, innovation, accountability and results.</p>
<p>Backing up chocchip’s post about how some of us have kids who fit in different categories on the GPA/academic scale. Like chocchip, older kid is very strong academically (at the same school as chocchip’s S1, in fact ) while younger kid will be looking elsewhere. Given how long we’ve all been hanging around, it’s natural for many of us to want to know where all of our young’uns end up, regardless of their GPA and SAT. ;)</p>
<p>Finding a school with a strong Jewish presence was important for D1. The methods she and I used for that search–Hillel website, Reform Judaism magazine survey, googling on Hillel and Chabad and even the word “jew” along with the name of the school, visiting Hillel, seeing if there was a t-shirt with the name of the school in Hebrew :), talking to people, and (of course!) posting on this thread and others here on CC to ask questions–apply to any Jewish kid looking for a college, regardless of GPA. Heck, it applies to any kid looking for a college that offers enough community for any political/religious/gender-identity/what have you minority. I’ve suggested the same techniques to Muslim students searching here on CC. :)</p>
<p>D1 visited Clark and Muhlenberg and Pitt and U Oregon, all schools that fit under the B student heading (but which are also good merit possibilities for stronger students). She did spring break through Hillel at U of Arizona, and reported on what its Hillel felt like to her. And despite all of our legwork, it turns out that D1 isn’t a big fan of the Hillel at her school, which just goes to show…something. I haven’t quite figured out what, yet. It’s all useful fodder for the thread. </p>
<p>And we wander off course all the time, which just proves that this is a thread with a lot of Jewish posters. :D</p>
<p>cama, “B” student is in the eye of the beholder. Just like Justice Stewart and p0rn0graphy :D</p>
<p>It’s a big-tent thread. We have no litmus test for membership. If your kid turns on the academic afterburners and moves up to A- territory, you can still hang out here. Ditto if there’s a slump and they move down below a 3.0. If you’re looking for a school with full kosher catering, we have you covered. Same if you don’t care about having a lot of Jews around, but want to make sure the school doesn’t have mandatory chapel or a faith statement. Or something in between. Quite frankly, we don’t even care if you’re Jewish. </p>
<p>And if you want to vent about your nephew’s fiancee’s idiocy in scheduling her bridal shower for Yom Kippur, OH BOY are you in the right spot! :D</p>
<p>Lisztserve - My DS will be a freshman at C of C this fall. We are from the NE and visited for the first time last June and fell in love with the school and city. We went back in Oct. for the JSU/Hillel prospective students’ weekend and my DS who has had no interest in any organized Jewish activities throughout high school, was so impressed he wants to be active in the JSU and join a Jewish fraternity! It’s a fairly large school but is so warm and friendly that it feels a lot smaller. He and my DH are going down to Charleston in June for Orientation, he can’t wait!</p>
<p>If you want your kid to go to Harvard, this thread is probably not for you. Conversely, if you want your kid to go to Liberty University, you probably won’t need this thread either.</p>
<p>S is a true B student. APs and honors only this year. Did well on ACT. I am clear he got in to Elon, because he applied ED and let the admiss counselor know how much he loved the school. He also looked at C of C, JMU, U of South Carolina, all B schools., UNCG, B-C school)</p>
<p>D a freshmen is an A- student who will have lots of honors and APS. She will not be at the Harvard level however and I will look to this thread for ideas, when it comes time, for the group of schools between the Ivies and the Bs. Since so many of you have other children in this level school, I expect this thread to be equally helpful as it has been.</p>
<p>on another note, sorry i have been quiet on the thread. I herniated my back again and I can’t sit too long. I am reading posts on ipad, but not taking the time to post too much.</p>
<p>Rodney- thank you for the update on Ithaca- especially EA!</p>
<p>We visited Hofstra this weekend with DD! We were pleasantly surprised. Pretty campus, strong academic programs, classes sizes are small. If anyone has any questions, ask away.DD’s interest is in Liberal Arts so my knowledge may be limited.</p>
<p>In response to concerns regarding the actual B-level’ness of this thread… here is my point of view. I recognize that some of us have a B student with non-B siblings. The experience of non-B siblings is helpful anyways - still helps comparing city vs campus schools, small vs large, etc… I continue to appreciate the information, even if the school is not necessarily on my S’s list. The non-B moms continue to offer advice regarding how to make the most of campus visits, things to consider, etc… so I think of this thread as not just a list of B schools, rather it is a wealth of information.</p>
<p>We are not all here looking for the “perfect” solution, we are here to share ideas, answer one another’s questions, and be a good, friendly, supportive listening ear. And I love reading about the success of everyone’s kids (B student or not).</p>
<p>palmharbor - Hofstra is on my S’s radar, however he had heard that it has a reputation for “emptying out” on the weekend - meaning that students go home. Was this discussed? </p>
<p>Another question: Is the expectation that we (parents) edit our kids’ college essays or is typical that their hs teachers are somewhat involved? </p>
<p>My kids let me read their essays and were polite enough to listen to my response…but it was their HS teachers’ edits that they really paid attention to. We were lucky that our school system has the college essay as the first big assignment in the fall.</p>
<p>Champs 2004. We did ask the question about it being a suitcase school; The response was that 46% are from out of state and even the NY kids stay around especially since there is always a sporting event to watch. Not sure how accurate that is, just what we were told.</p>
<p>Watching the news… California state schools went up 14% this year alone… and more raises to come plus university system to loose $48 billion Oy Vey!!</p>
<p>Just adding a few thoughts to the “B” student issue -as this question comes up from time to time. When I started the thread - two years ago - I had no idea it would take off the way it has and endure for such a long time. It has expanded in scope beyond my initial question and is truly more of a community of Jewish parents and non-Jewish parents who seek diversity. That being said - I do view it as being more “B” student-focused than the typical Harvard vs. Yale conversation you will see so many other places on CC. This would not be the place to debate the merits of various Ivy League schools or to wonder if your son should retake his 2340 SAT.</p>
<p>The other consideration is that one student’s reach school can be another student’s safety. I think that there are parents of stronger students who might use some of our suggestions as a safety school for their student - nothing wrong with that. And then there are those students on our thread who apply ED and do get into their reach school - which is fabulous and in no ways means they should not be participating in this thread.</p>
<p>The overall theme is inclusion - rather than exclusion. And keep in mind that the term “B” student is very broad. We have students with mostly “B” grades - but higher test scores - and students with a mix of "A"s and "B"s - but lower test scores. </p>
<p>Bottom line - we are here to help and support each other. So - if you need ideas of suitable schools for your hs sophomore or junior - or have other questions about Jewish life on various campuses - or you just want to kvetch for a bit - all participation is welcome.</p>
<p>RVM, thanks for starting this thread. I have found it very helpful in thinking about choices for ShawD who started as a B and ended up toward A- by the end, but was very concerned about Jewish life. I also got good advice here about BirthRight for ShawSon, who just completed his junior year without knowing where Hillel meets and has a cute non-Jewish GF (but so did I at his age), even though he is was an A student in HS and probably has a higher average in college. I think the direction to address issues related to Judaism on campus for kids of all grade persuasions as well as admissions for kids who aren’t going to apply to Yale or Wash U has been very good.</p>
<p>‘Community’ is the right word for this thread, for this is a place where people come together with common concerns and interests, where self-interest is not a primary motive, and where participants work together toward the common good. It is, in fact, what CC as a whole ought to be for parents and only very imperfectly and occasionally manages to be. A participant can bring any legitimate concern to the table and not risk being attacked or ridiculed. I am reminded of a quote from the Harry Potter books: ‘Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it’. No one comes here who does not value the Jewish commitment to family, community, service, and education. As to what constitutes a ‘B student’ that will vary from family to family, from individual to individual, but I think the most inclusive definition would simply be ‘the daughter or son of any parent who comes to this forum for information or assistance’. There is a process of self-selection that works to the advantage of everyone who visits or contributes here. As a non-Jewish parent who has benefitted greatly from this community, I congratulate you all.</p>
) while younger kid will be looking elsewhere. Given how long we’ve all been hanging around, it’s natural for many of us to want to know where all of our young’uns end up, regardless of their GPA and SAT. ;)</p>
