<p>When I was a kid GW was Jappy but now I’m the mom of a junior so I’m not sure. I suspect it’s still going to be Jappier then Denver just by the very nature of the kind of person who would be attracted to school in Denver. My son is an earthy kind of guy, he loves the outdoors, nature cares about the environment and loves to ski he would love Colorado and being in DC would not appeal to him at all.</p>
<p>Moments- I will agree with the idea of Elon as a possibility. They have their own film studio and some interesting internships. Because it is a small school, they are able to give personal attention to the students. It won’t be as great for skiing as Colorado though, but it is in the middle of NC with about a 3 1/2 hour drive to the mountains and about the same distance to the beach. I believe the “Elon Outdoors” club aranges for trips but you’d have to look into this.
I don’t have a student there, but I am familiar with the school. Of course the only way to know if he would like it is to visit and research it. I don’t know if he would like the rural area it is in, but it is a pretty school.
Welcome to the thread- which could be a book on its own.</p>
<p>13all,</p>
<p>I would have to say your question/concern is correct. Having seen dozens of schools with that all have sizable populations, and knowing quite a few kids who went or go to GW, I would say it is a leader in Jappy Quotient. Denver is must chiller on that front. I think you understand the stereotypes, and nailed it…</p>
<p>I found this blog…for better or worse…to be enlightening about the atmosphere at certain schools, GWU included. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but…</p>
<p>[How</a> Sushi Are You? Sushi With My Girls!!!](<a href=“http://sushiwithmygirls.com/2011/01/21/how-sushi-are-you/]How”>http://sushiwithmygirls.com/2011/01/21/how-sushi-are-you/)</p>
<p>I’d love to stay away from the “Jappy” stereotype if possible. I do understand there are schools with a population of wealthy and overly materialistic Jewish students, but whether it is GWU or Denver or any other college, that is just one segment of the student body. i’m sure there are plenty of Jewish students attending these schools who are more down-to-earth.</p>
<p>momentscaught - we have definitely discussed both Eckerd and Rollins. I think Eckerd might interest your son more, given his interest in the outdoors. Right on the water and you can actually sign up for a tour of the campus by boat! Use the search function at the top of the page, type in the college name, and you should be able to find the relevant posts.</p>
<p>Just wrote and attempted to post a lengthy post about my DD wonderful experience at SUNY Buffalo. She just finished her first semester at University at Buffalo, which is not the same as Buffalo State. Anyway for some reason the whole post was wiped out. Oh well so frustrating!!! I will try to highlight what was in my first post.
University at Buffalo is actually in Amherst NY which is a very nice suburb.</p>
<p>Easy to get home to LI via Jet Blue/ Her dorm is only 15 min from Buffalo/Niagara airport.</p>
<p>Campus divided into North and South Campus making campus very easy to navigate</p>
<p>Really nice dorms for Freshman and Sophomore and for Junior and Seniors beautiful on campus garden apartments!</p>
<p>Many dining options/ recently opened new dining hall by freshman dorm that is the equivalent of an international food court with fire place and lounge area.</p>
<p>Campus includes medical school, dental school, engineering school which is ranked 54th by US News while Watson at Binghamton ranked 102nd, pharmacy school, law school, business school, architecture school</p>
<p>Close to Niagara Falls, Toronto and 6 malls including a Galleria Mall</p>
<p>DD has become involved in both Hillel and Chabbad</p>
<p>One of the best features SUNY Tuition for both instate and out of state residents is a GREAT value!!!</p>
<p>RVM, I’m probably one of those Jews, even though I attend a school high on the Sushi list. Parents, just remember that even if a school traditionally attracts the overly materialistic students, PLENTY (most?) of both Jews and non Jews will be fairly normal and level-headed. </p>
<p>Anyways, now I’m in need of some advice. Over the summer, after I deposited, I became interested in geology and that interest hasn’t waned. Unfortunately, Emory only offers a few courses in the subject which I’ll exhaust by sophomore year. Therefore it’s in my best academic interest to transfer to a school with a larger geology program, and plentiful research opportunities. Owing to transfer specific issues, I’m only considering larger state flagships or quasi flagships, and though I have a few “reach” schools, I’ve been looking into some guaranteed safeties. </p>
<p>If any parent is curious, the NRC Rankings for Earth Science: [NRC</a> Rankings Overview: Earth Sciences - Faculty - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“NRC Rankings Overview: Earth Sciences”>NRC Rankings Overview: Earth Sciences) and the US News’ Geology rankings are the primary drivers of my search [Best</a> Geology Programs | Top Earth Science Schools | US News Best Graduate Schools](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/geology-rankings]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/geology-rankings)</p>
<p>As of now I have a few guaranteed, or almost guaranteed, admits, but most are in areas where few Jews live. Such schools include:
-University of Oklahoma
-Oregon State University
-LSU
-U Kansas
-U Alabama
-U Arizona (hopefully safety)</p>
<p>I understand based on this thread and the University of Alabama board that UKansas Bama, and University of Arizona all have excellent Hillels, but I was wondering about the other schools on my list. Does anyone have any information regarding Jewish life at these schools? Additionally, when a school doesn’t have a large Jewish population, how does a prospective student ensure that there are adequate opportunities for students to get involved in Jewish life, particularly on the weekends. </p>
<p>Finally, a shout out to my current institution. For those parents who find that their kids like both small LACs and larger more urban research universities, look into Oxford College of Emory University. High Jewish population (the published numbers on the website are wrong), small class sizes, two totally different campus experiences, and good financial aid.</p>
<p>One last thing. Can I get a mazel tov for my younger brother? His bar mitzvah is today!</p>
<p>Hi whenhen and mazel tov on your brother’s Bar Mitzvah. A little surprised to find you on cc the day of, but perhaps it is an afternoon service.</p>
<p>I’m not very familiar with Jewish life at Oregon State , LSU or Oklahoma. My general approach is to look at the school website, see if they have a Hillel or Chabad, and then email contacts in those organizations to see if they can provide you with more detail. I also look to see if they have a Jewish fraternity or sorority. Simply doing a google search for a phrase such as “Jewish life at xyz university” can uncover some clues.</p>
<p>An active small Jewish population can often trump an inactive larger one. A Hillel with 50-60 active members can provide a good basis for making you feel at home as a transfer student. View it as a starting point, a way to make a few friends and then branch out from there. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>whenhen. you can also go on hillel. org and do a college search. that will tell you the number of undergraduate, number of jewish students, info on hillels and jewish studies programs. For example, U of Oklahoma has 20000 undergrad, only 300 of which are jewish. 11 jewish studies courses, a hillel, kosher food available on campus, & a chapter of AEPI fraternity.</p>
<p>The hillel.org site is generally a bit outdated. It might be a starting point, but I would not put a lot of stock in their numbers. If nothing else, it generally does have some contact information for Hillel at each school.</p>
<p>Thought I would share my sons profound wisdom about what he wants to be and thinks he should study in college at the moment… “I am really interested in psychology, but don’t want to be a psychologist, I love film making and editing but need to make more money then that, I want to invent something, something that will change the world. I think I want to study psychology, continue with filming and computer science so that when I figure out what people really need I can invent some new kind of technology that will really impact the world, oh and I don’t want to work for someone else.” And that major would be? I need to just let him be, let him find his way and stop trying to micromanage him to be what I think he should be, it’s just very hard.</p>
<p>Don’t worry too much about the major now. Even those who enter college ad a particular major change frequently. If he goes in undecided and repeats what he told you to his advisor when registering for classes, he will be given good suggestions of classes to explore - frequently fulfilling general education requirements - so he really see what he likes. Psychology is available at all if not most colleges. It would be important to know ahead if he was interested in a field that wasn’t offered everywhere, like engineering or marine biology, because that might narrow down the search. </p>
<p>I think many of us are micromanagers, I know I am, but we have to learn to slowly let go. By all we have taught our kids to this point, we have to realize that we have given them a good foundation. They won’t be perfect, but at this age they have to start figuring out things for themselves and even making some mistakes that they could have avoided if they’d only listened to us! It’s a process and it’s not easy. I am definitely better at it with my DS, graduating this spring, than I was with my DD, who graduated from HS three years ago. </p>
<p>One of the values of this thread is that you can obsess with like-minded parents and get input about how much to big your kids and when to leave them alone. </p>
<p>One caveat: junior year of HS is not a terrible time to micromanage. This is not the year to screw up!</p>
<p>“Bug” your kids ( not “big”). Sorry! I am on my phone !</p>
<p>momentscaught - that is an interesting combination of academic interests and possible majors and reminds me of my very successful cousin. He majored in psychology as an undergrad and then went on to get a doctorate in clinical psychology. Also had very strong computer skills. He joined a floundering company that marketed touchscreen technologies to hotels and resorts - turned it into a huge success - sold his share of the company - becoming a millionaire. Since then, he has started and sold several additional companies, that sold educational computer and visual products. He never actually practiced as a psychologist, but I am sure it contributed to his success. So, those interests, can actually mesh very well.</p>
<p>So nice to know I’m not alone in my micromanaging issues and very inspiring to hear about your cousin rockvillemom! As I try to understand why I’m so obsessed with this I do think a part of me wishes I could do it all again with the knowledge I now have so I just want him to not miss a thing in life. I know I need to take myself out of the equation and allow him the space to find his own way, but it is the absolute opposite of my instincts to do that. On another note, I’m sure you are all aware of the “I’m Schmacked videos”? It was started by 2 guys from our area high school (so proud, not). They go around filming at big colleges/U and show the party side of each campus. They just got a big multi million dollar deal with MTV. My son and all his friends always check out the videos to see what the party scene is like at a given school… Scary stuff! Here is an example : [I'm</a> Shmacked The Movie : University of Miami - FSU week (2012) - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>Maybe we parents shouldn’t be watching these videos, or we may have to start a new thread on good orthodox yeshiva’s and convents for Jewish students.</p>
<p>Moments: You have got to love that inoscent everything is possible perspective. I have a friend who has a Phd in Psych and she works for the airforce on cockpit designing. Who would have thought a psych degree could take you there.</p>
<p>I see a few parents here have kids at Elon, any of them interested in the “fellow program” they offer? It sounds great to me! [Fellows</a> Academic & Scholarship Programs](<a href=“Elon University - America’s Top-Ranked Teaching University”>Elon University / Undergraduate Admissions / Fellows and Scholars Programs)</p>
<p>DS had interview for University of Denver yesterday, so fingers crossed.</p>
<p>DD auditioned for and got a call back for the on campus a cappella group. Hopefully she will find out soon.</p>