<p>Thanks Pamom59- these are great suggestions and we will take a closer look at them. Delaware Valley looks to me to be more technically oriented than academic although it does have a pre-vet track. I thought it would be a good fit for another student mentioned here who loves animals and was described as a more hands on than book learner. </p>
<p>As to ED, DD will not apply ED. I guess it’s mostly because it is binding and we do not want to get locked into a binding financial agreement. However, she would apply non binding EA. </p>
<p>If a student has an absolute unwavering first choice and finances are not an issue- ED could be a good thing as it increases chances of admission. On the other hand, you risk the student being rejected on the basis of junior year grades, and some families feel the senior grades may make a difference. It’s a choice either way- with risks and benefits as usual. I know it helps with chance of admission but I understand that is a lot of pressure on a student who needs more time to decide.</p>
<p>[…]Also, eventhough we are not religous at all, we are Jewish-traditional. I saw there’s a Hillel. Is it an active one? Also, is there a Chabad on campus?[…]</p>
<p>Also I am adding now the following questions?: is there antisemitism? What dorms would you say are best?</p>
<p>Hi - as I mentioned on your other thread - JMU does have a chpater of AEPi - here is the link:</p>
<p>[Omega</a> Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi at James Madison University - Omega Epsilon Chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity . The Jewish Social Fraternity at James Madison University.](<a href=“http://jmuaepi.org/]Omega”>http://jmuaepi.org/)</p>
<p>There is a contact us section - perhaps your son would like to try and contact them and get some more info on both AEPi and Hillel at JMU.</p>
<p>This made me laugh out loud! Here’s what worked: “You aren’t going to tennis tomorrow unless the essay is drafted.” PERIOD. Really, it’s not pretty. For goodness sake - it’s only a draft. And it’s about yourself. Just write it.</p>
<p>Fast forward to today. This morning we had a nice chat about the NY Times article out yesterday (merit aid, highlighted Miami and Tulane), the status of his common app essay, the goal to finish that and do the EC essay on Saturday (when he has no work and no tennis). While my kids don’t have the ability to look ahead, I know how busy September will be with his AP classes and ECs. There’s not going to be time. DD worked at camp the summer before senior year and it was truly brutal in September (her sport is in the fall, while his isn’t till spring, but still). Therefore, I am fine with being annoying. That only lasts until they are relieved that things are behind them and DONE. For example, DS and the ACTs. Yup, I was the most annoying ever. But now, he is really set with his scores.</p>
<p>This is a one shot deal. There’s no second chance if they get the timing wrong, i.e., wait till the last minute. So they have to do it my way. I’m so mean… :)</p>
<p>Is there antisemitism at JMU? Unfortunately antisemitism is ubiquitous. Every major university has a variety of people, and there is anti-Israel discussion at many colleges. I think the other side is to see if there is a large enough Jewish population for our kids to have a community, and if the university is diverse in general so that a variety of beliefs, backgrounds, and lifestyles are tolerated. Of course you would want your son to feel he is in a safe place. JMU seems to have a large enough Hillel and has enough of a Jewish population to achieve this- so the next question is to ask them directly about Jewish life. If your son is applying this year, he has plenty of time to go up there, spend Shabbat with them, see if it is a good fit.
Specific anti semitic stories are less likely to be informative. If I spoke about a racist person in my town, it would not tell you about the many people who have been accepting and welcoming to us. The bigger question is will your son feel a sense of belonging and be happy at JMU- and I think spending some time there would help- especially since he is so focused on that school.</p>
<p>And my S chose the reverse. He was pretty much a lock at RIT with max merit aid. He went with the more traditional college experience at Bama over the tech school vibe at RIT, which was the opposite of his priorities at the start of his search. Interestingly, people around here often joked he would be the only Jew down there. When we investigated (thoroughly), we found the Jewish population at Bama was actually a lot higher than RIT. According to Hillel, there are 250 Jewish students at RIT (1.8%), and 600 at Bama (2.4%). And that Bama figure is actually well over 700 now according to the school, and growing rapidly. We were quite surprised that RIT, a school in NY, had such a low Jewish population. If a Jewish presence is important to you (maybe it’s not), then you might want to consider this info in your decision.</p>
<p>Nice research, Chardo. Did you happen to find out about RPI’s or WPI’s percentages? :)</p>
<p>Linymom: I lol’d when I just read your post! Believe me, you are doing the right thing and they will THANK you when September rolls around! My S1 had friends telling him how lucky he was to have a mom so vested in his college search…</p>
<p>rockvillemom:
I wasnt trying to be repetitive by posting again, i was just following the advise of many of doing so in this thread. thank you! :)</p>
<p>Pennylane2011:
You are saying makes sense, I just wanted some reality from JMU students/parents. Thank you! :)</p>
<p>CCC: Yes, my DD’s friends were stressing in December, while all her apps were out before the end of October. I was on top of the GC… she told DD, “Your mom is stressing me out.” Really? You don’t want to see me stressed in December waiting for the GC who is handling her portion of 475 seniors. She WISHES there were more parents like me (or so I would like to believe). In actuality, we didn’t need her (or ask her) for anything - just send out her rec and the official transcript to the schools. We were on top of all of it. If she couldn’t handle me emailing her the last week in October to make sure she complied with a Nov. 1 priority deadline, then she is in the wrong business.</p>
<p>I should have her hang out on CC for a while… see what “stress” really is!</p>
If you ask for financial aid, applying ED does not lock you in. The school will make you a financial aid offer, and you must take it or leave it; you give up the ability to compare financial aid offers from other schools. But if you have that one dream school above all others, and your only question is “Can I afford it?” then ED may confer some admission advantage over RD (re loving applicants who love the school).</p>
<p>The last time I looked up information on that website was at least a year ago and WPI’s page was blank when it showed undergrad Jewish enrollment. Nice to see it’s been updated!</p>
<p>Ewillinsky: A lot of kids from my area attend JMU, and most of them love it. I don’t get the impression that Jewish life is particularly vibrant, however. My D’s Jewish friend didn’t participate in many Jewish activities and she attended class on the high holidays. I think that it’s easier for Jewish kids to stay conncected when they meet a good number of other Jewish students. My D2 attends BU, and while she wasn’t involved in Jewish activities, she made many Jewish friends. When Rosh Hashana rolled around, she went to Hillel for dinner and services with her friends. I don’t think she would have gone without the group.</p>
<p>Have you visited JMU? I would recommend visiting in the fall when there are lots of students on campus. I would also visit some other schools that would offer the outdoor activities your son is looking for.</p>
<p>Linymom: Nice work getting the early start on applciations!</p>
<p>I also laughed when I read your post, Linymom. My S1 told me at the beginning of the summer after junior year to nag him about getting drafts of his essays done. It’s good he gave me permission to do so, because I would have anyway. My S2 is a lot less forward thinking and won’t appreciate, let alone ask for, my nagging. But he’s going to get it for sure.</p>
<p>not all kids are the same … LINYMOM’s strategy wouldn’t work with my kid…threats don’t work with her and only serve to make her hostile and uncooperative. That’s why I used the third party approach.</p>
<p>pamom: I had to use the third party approach with SAT/ACT prep. I totally get that. I will report back after the weekend and let you know how my strategy worked.</p>