<p>As DS has received his application decisions (he’s 6-2-1 so far), DH would ask me “where is it ranked?” And then the next day, he’ll ask me if it is too tough a school for DS. I told DH we’re doing some visits, and we’ll look at all the acceptances and get advice from our college counselor and his HS before making any recommendations to DS. He’s going to need small classes and very good academic support, at least the first year as he eases in.</p>
<p>Does anyone know about how Fordham might be for a student who would like some Jewish presence on campus?</p>
<p>Thanks momjr, I hope so too. I remember when your daughter had mono and how it messed with her birthright trip. I wish this was occuring at the start of break rather than the early part of the semester. Fortunately he doesn’t have the wicked sore throat that I remember having when I had mono. The main thing he has is extreme fatigue. My husband and I told him that before he goes back to school he will have to walk up and down the flight of stairs in our house twice and then up and down our very long driveway. If that doesn’t completely exhaust him he might be able to get from his dorm to class. He said if it wasn’t for dealing with the stairs and getting to class he thinks he could manage now. From what I see, he might be in class but would very likely be sleeping by the end of it. He did seem to feel a little better today so hopefully this illness will be brief. He did contact his teacher’s who told him they would help him catch up and he was also in touch with the dean of his program. Now we wait to see how long this will take. He would hate to take a summer class because he is committed to being a counselor at his favorite place, the URJ camp he has gone to every year for years. I guess he will do what he needs to do, I would prefer he take a medical drop or leave than blow the semester but he’s hoping to go back and not blow it. I hope he can do that.</p>
<p>NYMom3 - How about adding UCF (Univ of Central Florida) to your list? Sounds like it might meet your criteria? Friends from Florida love it and suggested to my S. Too far for me, but sounds like you are looking south???</p>
<p>Just a different opinion on UCF, we live in Orlando, my husband is a software engineer and their are a number of interns at his company that attend UCF and have been complaining to him about the overcrowded classes and how hard it is to get extra help when needed, they are all thinking of transferring elsewhere, our daughter did not apply here.</p>
<p>In the meantime our dd still has no clue of where she wants to attend, she been accepted to 13 colleges at this point, I’m afraid she is not going to decide until the last possible moment.</p>
<p>Nyumom, just want to add… I was also looking for the place where my D would thrive and not struggle. I think that is so important.
As for U of A, In the dark ages, I went to school at a “higher ranked” east coast school, but took summer classes there while my sister was there for grad school. I thought it was great…had wonderful professors and took one of my favorite college classes there. I think it has an awful lot to offer.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using CC</p>
<p>Hello to all… First time mom and I don’t have all the acronyms down just yet so please forgive me. I am a MOT, Hubby is not and he is Hispanic and we meet the FARMS requirement for income. </p>
<p>D1 is a junior and D2 is a sophomore, who has just been granted permission to graduate a year early, so she would graduate in '14 with her sister.</p>
<p>D1 has a 3.19/3.64 GPA and with the classes she is taking this year has a total so far of 7 IB/AP classes. Is on the school’s Sr. Dance Company. Is on the Jaime Escalante Honor Society. Third year on an appointed Curriculum Committee. Coaches a kindergarten basketball team and has over 300 community service hours. Has not taken the SAT or ACT yet.</p>
<p>D2 has a 3.0/3.41 GPA and is in Pre IB and Honors classes, has not taken any AP classes as of yet. Is on the school’s Jr. Dance Company. She coaches a 4th grade basketball team and has over 200 community service hours. </p>
<p>We are looking at taking a Spring Break college road trip to North Carolina as they seem to have very generous need-base packages. Looking for suggestions as to schools we should look at and maybe why your suggest them. Coming from the Washington DC area.</p>
<p>Any other suggestions would also be welcomed as I had not planned on having both girls start the same year :)</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Justamom: welcome! I don’t have any advice for NC schools as we didn’t look there. However I am already doing Lamaze breathing for you as you embark on this process with not one DD but two at the same time!</p>
<p>Please feel free to not only ask for advice here but also to brainstorm and vent when needed. We are happy to listen and hold your hand as you navigate this. It is an exciting time but can also be stressful. The folks on this thread have listened to me so patiently and provided so much support. Really saved my family from listening to all that’s gone on in my head!</p>
<p>Welcome Justamom! We visited UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Wilmington, Elon and UNC Greensboro. Without knowing SAT scores, it is hard to predict an academic fit. Chapel Hill is a very tough admit for out of staters. UNC Wilmington seemed very nice. Close to the beach, nice campus, cute town nearby, Honors Program. Greensboro, too was nice. I’ve heard fabulous things about UNC Ashville, but we’ve never visited. Elon was great. Beautiful school, nice vibe but too remote for my kids.</p>
<p>Welcome, Justamom. Like Vitrac said, it’s hard to predict fit without SAT or ACT scores. In North Carolina, in addition to the schools already mentioned, you should check out East Carolina. It’s very popular with B students from my area.</p>
<p>Do you live in Maryland or Virginia? Your in-state options could very well be the most affordable. If you live in Maryland, I suggest looking at Towson, Salisbury, UMBC and Frostburg. If it’s Virginia, how about GMU, JMU and Mary Washington.</p>
<p>Good luck. It will be a challenge getting through the process with two at the same time, but we’re here to help.</p>
<p>Frequent lurker - Just wanted to say thanks for the info on these 2 schools. UCF especially. We are inundated with their mailings and I was considering to push son to apply to one more school that would give him some scholarship money. After reading Saddlebrook’s comments, I am best to leave as is.</p>
<p>This thread has been one of the top 3 threads that have helped our family through the process, even though we aren’t Jewish. You all have introduced us to schools which are not cut throat and are more tolerant overall, not just Jewish friendly. </p>
<p>You all can not imagine how thankful I am for this thread!</p>
<p>Justamom- I don’t know how generous the public NC schools are to OOS students, but there are some private ones that may be generous and possibly a good fit. Take a look at Guilford, High Point U, Warren Wilson. Lees McCrae, Lenoir Rhyne and Brevard. Not all of them would have many Jewish students if that is a consideration.
I’m pleased that people of all backgrounds have found this thread helpful and RVM should be proud for creating this thread as a supportive and welcoming place.</p>
<p>justamom - hello and welcome! Since you mention NC, you know I have to put in a plug for Elon. Jewish life is thriving there and it is a beautiful campus with many academic and social opportunities. They are looking to increase campus diversity. Definitely worth a look. I know some other posters have provided other NC options, I just don’t know that you will find much Jewish life at schools like High Point.</p>
<p>I agree with the suggestion to look at your Maryland or Virginia in- state options. I have visited most of them! As have many others on this thread and we would love to help you.</p>
<p>While having both of your daughters start at the same year may seem daunting, from a need-based financial aid standpoint, it is a good thing! You will get more FA with two in college. Please take the time to do a few net price calculators on the schools website, so as to get a fel for costs and potential aid.</p>
<p>Longhaul - that was so nice of you, thanks. It is rewarding to have found a group of parents with similar goals for our kids, and a focus on finding the right fit rather than chasing prestige.</p>
<p>On somewhat of a tangent, I want to mention that a lovely Jewish girl in our town - hs senior - died suddenly this week. She had an underlying medical condition, but her parents had no idea that when they said good night to her last Friday night, that was the last time they would see her alive. She died in her sleep. Amidst the sadness of this tragedy, is the reminder to cherish our children, even our annoying teenagers. Don’t allow the college admissions process to overwhelm or overshadow quality time spent with your kids. That is my biggest regret, that there were times when I let the stress of the process get the best of me. I think my kids have forgiven me! But if I could do it over, I would proceed more calmly.</p>
<p>RVM,
So sorry to hear about this loss! It does indeed remind us what is important in life.</p>
<p>RVM that is so sad. I am sorry to hear about this loss. </p>
<p>I just now figured out what MOT stood for. I agree that the colleges I mentioned do not have the Jewish student activity that Elon does. Some may not have any Jewish students on campus. They may not have enough other Jewish students to provide activities and holiday celebrations. </p>
<p>Salem College in Winston Salem is an all female college that may also be a good financial aid resource, but I do not think it has many Jewish students. I wonder if there were any- if they would share activities with Wake Forest.</p>
<p>I think, at this point, the number of active Jewish students at Elon is second only to Duke and UNC of all the NC schools. I agree that it is a good choice for a Jewish student who wants to be in the area. I a very impressed with the activities their Hillel and Jewish Fraternity have offered this year. </p>
<p>I also love that this board is about finding a good “fit” and not prestige.</p>
<p>Everyone, thank you so much for your kindness. </p>
<p>Rockvillemom - How terrible about the young lady. Life is precious and we all need to be reminded that the search for college is not about obtaining some status symbol; but, a place that will be home for our children and a place that will help them to learn and grow into amazing humans for hopefully only four years (yet I am seeing that it is more like six?).</p>
<p>DD1 has taken her PSATs and while I honest to goodness didn’t think she did that well, we have actually had colleges call our home for her and she is receiving emails and mailings every day. I didn’t think colleges called your home unless you were a star athlete. </p>
<p>We are in Maryland and DD1 has gone to tour Univ of Baltimore (not to be confused with UMBC) and she really has liked the treatment the admissions folks from there have given her (and this was before she took her PSAT). They remember her at the college fair and promptly answer her emails. She also likes that they have a program for freshman called “learning communities.” It is a set of two or three thematically linked courses in which you can learn and develop skills along with your classmates during your freshman year. </p>
<p>I did do the Net Price Calculators for Chapel Hill & Duke and they came in around $5k while Wake Forest, Davidson & Wilmington all came in well under $10k. </p>
<p>Duke’s admissions policy is “need-blind,” which is nice.</p>
<p>Chapel Hill has the “The Carolina Covenant” which is for students from any state IF admitted to Chapel Hill and the student meets the guideline they can graduate with a baccalaureate degree debt-free. And, there is no limit on the number of Covenant Scholars. They also get mentoring, a laptop computer allowance, special events and more.</p>
<p>UNCW has a similar program called SOAR, just not as generous.</p>
<p>I put our numbers in for Elon, and they did not look good 
I will still mention it to both girls and see if they want to stop there.</p>
<p>On the other end of the coast, DD1 is looking at schools in NY. She likes Sarah Lawrence but I think that is way out of our price range. And Barnard she likes as well, I’m not certain she would get accept to is suppose to meet need-base.</p>
<p>On a completely different topic, I loved all of your stories about your children’s birthright trips! I’ve mentioned those trips in the past to my girls and they didn’t seem to interested. I’m not even certain if they can go as only I am Jewish and not Hubby. They have visited his homeland several times. After reading your stories, I might have to revisit the subject again. Thank you for sharing.</p>
<p>Justamom- for Birthright, only one parent has to be Jewish and, I think, the child has to identify with Judaism. All streams of Judaism agree that if the mother is Jewish, so are the children, so your children are eligible for Birthright I believe.</p>
<p>I mentioned Guilford as it is in Greensboro and may share Hillel activities with students at UNC-G. It may be worth looking into as it may offer some merit/ and need based aid. Goucher in Maryland has also been mentioned on this list. </p>
<p>Some private schools may offer a combination of merit and need based aid to students.</p>
<p>justamom - as a Maryland resident, take a look at the Academic Common Market:</p>
<p>[Southern</a> Regional Education Board](<a href=“http://home.sreb.org/acm/choosestate.aspx]Southern”>Southern Regional Education Board)</p>
<p>this gives Maryland students a chance to atend out of state schools for in-state prices for certain majors.</p>
<p>Are you considering any Maryland options?</p>