Colleges for the Jewish "B" student (Part 1)

Parents Forum
15961

<p>Congrats on all the wonderful admission decisions. Sounds like this years group has lots of great choices.</p>

<p>cheermom - I think I heard or read (who can remember?) that Hofstra is bringing back football, so you may want to check into that. Also another school that might work would be University of Connecticut? We haven’t touched much on that school on this thread, anyone have any thoughts on it?</p>

<p>Regarding her testing, will she be home over the summer? If so that might be the best time for her to get serious studying done for them. I know it will be stressful not having the test scores now, but if she is home for th summer without the stress of catching up at school it might work.</p>

<p>Been busy planning D2’s spring break trip. We will be looking at 3 reaches, 2 matches and 2 safeties…just call me insane! We have already checked out 4 schools (2 have stayed on the list, 2 are off), plus all the schools we looked at 2 years ago for D1. This kid will have seen it all!</p>

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<p>Cheermom- for in state tuition have you considered UMD- Baltimore County?
Many schools base merit aid on scores, and you don’t know them yet. In state tuition is still likely to be a good affordable option. I agree with letting her study for the tests over the summer and focusing on school and rest right now. Just make sure she takes the earliest tests in the fall- and she can also take them again a month later if she needs to try again.</p>

15963

<p>Wanted to update you all on our recent college visits to UGA and College of Charleston with my DD. We drove through UGA’s campus the day before our tour and it was a good thing we did. The tour only takes you briefly around North campus and you don’t really see how the school is laid out from it. It has a rectangular footprint with buses that run to the North/South/East/West campuses. From the get-go DD wasn’t feeling it there. They told us that the computer is set up so no class will be scheduled that is closer than 15 minutes apart, which made me think that kids must be running to get places on time. The campus is all hills and stairs, making it a bit tough to navigate. You didn’t see bicycles like we saw at UDel and U Arizona, we saw a lot of scooters and motorcycles. We were told athletes received scooters from the school. On the tour they said something about students receiving 2-3 tickets to the football games and that more tickets for other games were hard to get. At U Arizona they told us that you pay $350 or something like that and you can get in to all the games for the year. (If someone knows differently, please correct me.)</p>

<p>We connected with a lovely freshman and took her to lunch to try to learn more about the Jewish life and a student perspective of campus life. She was a self-proclaimed band geek and a very high achiever as she started school with sophomore standing due to her high school college credits. She said about 40-50 kids were regularly involved in Hillel. (Is that good for a school of that size?) </p>

<p>While it looked very good on paper, we drove away knowing that it probably wasn’t a good fit for DD.</p>

<p>At College of Charleston we went on a tour with a lively, Jewish girl as our guide. While we love Charleston as a travel destination and it seems like a fun college town for kids, DD (and us) weren’t feeling it for her there either. She said it felt too much like living in a city and she really wants a campus at this point. They also didn’t seem to have the same kind of school pride as a schools with football teams do. She is looking for the rah-rah experience and active Greek life.</p>

<p>Congrats to all those who are hearing about acceptances!</p>

15964

<p>Son is going to UM or UMiami for the non- locals, open house on 4/7. See you’ll all there. Still waiting on a couple of schools but Miami is still #1. They have a great and active Hillel and most kids I know are extremely happy there. Party school? Only for the ones that are there for the wrong reason. Academics still number one.</p>

15965

<p>Many thanks for the awesome info…</p>

<p>twogirls: Already playing with Naviance to learn more about SUNY Buffalo! It was definitely NOT on our radar! Stay tuned…</p>

<p>rockvillemom: haven’t played with net price calculator yet…I’ve been in a state of panic and somewhat paralyzed by fear of the unknown. But, need to figure it all out, thanks for the nudge! Seems like everyone from D’s school LOVES Penn State. I’m on the fence. Was hoping to visit on 3/23 but no space. PS-How did your son choose Elon? Criteria? It’s so appealing on paper, do they typically give money?</p>

<p>mdmomfromli: Agreed! Don’t see much about UConn. Anyone?</p>

<p>pennylane: UMBC has been a hidden gem for years and is finally emerging from the shadow of UMD/CP. But not for my D…too suburban and small. Not the big college experience she hopes for with all the bells and whistles of football and Greek system. </p>

<p>Any experience with UMass/Amherst? A friend says it’s far from Boston but a super-cute college town. </p>

<p>On a totally separate subject…we started watching “House of Cards” on Netflix…really, really worth watching! Kind of addictive…in a good way…lol!</p>

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<p>Hi Cheermom-I think Elon awards merit aid to top students, but I think they consider both grades and scores, and it’s hard to predict because it depends on the competitiveness of the applicant pool. Sometimes one doesn’t know the actual financial picture until after acceptance, so it is good to apply to several affordable (in state) options as well, and have the financial talk up front when choosing a list of schools to apply to. Not that this is easy- kids are influenced by their peers and certain schools are more popular than others. Sometimes the more familiar options don’t seem as interesting as out of state ones to them, but objectively they are good schools.</p>

<p>I’m not familiar with UMBC but have heard of it. Of course, if she won’t be happy there, it’s not the right choice for her. Hopefully you both can come up with several choices of schools in your price range.</p>

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<p>Cheer mom keep me posted!! I went there lol. My daughter narrowed it down to 2 schools- SUNY Cortland and SUNY Buffalo. In the end she decided on the smaller school ( 6500 versus around 24,000 ish, ). SUNY Buffalo has a Jewish population. It’s a large university ( 2 campuses with a bus) and a football team - Division 1. At the very least it’s worth checking out the web site. Your daughter most definitely has the GPA to get in. My daughter’s was lower. Keep me posted!!! Older daughter is happy; soon time to work on my younger one.</p>

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<p>NYMom - my impression is that Jewish life is not very strong at Georgia. And being told that 40-50 kids actively participate in Hillel is not what I would consider vibrant for a school of that size.</p>

<p>cheermom - Elon gives a small amount of merit aid - typically $4500/year for 4 years to the top applicants. S2 just missed the cutoff, which was heavily based on test scores. He did receive a nice need-based FA award for this year. Elon simply had everything he wanted, from climate, to small class sizes, gorgeous campus, to Jewish life. It can’t compete with the sports experience of a big university, but he attends all/most football and bball games - no issue with getting tickets. You might also consider James Madison for your D.</p>

<p>The thing about the net price calculator is that it will really change your knowledge of what various schools could really cost your family. The $60,000 private might truly only cost you $30,000 and the $40,000 OOS public might really cost you $40,000. Just like Naviance gives you insight into your student’s chances at acceptance, the net price calculator helps you determine affordability…</p>

15969

<p>cheermom. I know that she hasn’t “studied” for the SAT, but maybe you might consider taking the March 9th SAT just to get a baseline score, knowing that in all likelihood, her scores will go up from there. She might surprise you and it might offer you some peace of mind. If she doesn’t do well, no harm done and you will know where she needs to concentrate her efforts. I have seen kids whose scores increase by over 100 points. Just having a starting point might make you feel a little better. You will have to pay the late fee to sign up now, and you might not be able to get the test location that is closest to home…just my thoughts…</p>

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<p>cheermom - regarding testing, I think you wrote that she was pretty accurate but not finishing the ACT sections. That’s pretty common. But, with lots of practice she can finish the sections. I noticed with both my D’s once they were able to complete the sections their scores went up around 5 points. So don’t get discouraged. But it does take time to get the sections down and that was where one on one tutoring really helped. </p>

<p>I also second Rockvillemom that you might want to check out JMU. </p>

<p>Also, regarding the net price calculators…some of them are great and some, not so much. I also find it helpful to look at the individual school threads and search for financial aid and merit aid information. That way you can get an idea of what kids with certain stats are getting. </p>

<p>Penn State is VERY expensive OOS, I am not aware of anyone who received any $'s from them.</p>

15971

<p>cheermom - echoing what mdmomfromli wrote about the aCT. My son brought his score up from a 27 to a 30 by doing practice tests over and over again. We did not pay for test prep until the very end, when I felt he could use a few hours of professional one on one coaching for the reading and essay sections. I just bought the red covered ACT prep book and he practiced a section at a time. When we started, he could not finish any section in the allotted time. By the time we finished and he took it again, he was able to finish evey section. In my opinion, the ACT is easier to improve on as time mgmt is so critical and that is a skill you can improve through repitition and practice.</p>

<p>One irony is that we were so thrilled with the 30, we agreed to stop there. When he missed the merit aid at Elon by a tiny amount, after he spoke with his regional admissions rep, it became clear that had he been just 1 point higher on math, English or reading, he probably would have recived the $4500/year merit award. Elon translates the ACT score into an SAT number, and he was about 30 points below the cutoff! Just FYI.</p>

15972

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>Glad to see this thread with many new posters! :slight_smile: Congratulations to the class of 2013 and all their wonderful acceptances!</p>

<p>I can probably shed a little light on UMass & UConn…I really don’t know that much about them, but I do know this:</p>

<p>UConn is a huge sports and rah rah type of school. The team spirit there is second to none and the students really support their various teams. It is a B/B+/A- type of school and just slightly more competitive to get into than UMass. It is, however, in the middle of nowhere, so some people may or may not mind. There is a decent size Jewish population, although off the top of my head I don’t know a number. We’ve known many people that have gone there that have LOVED it.</p>

<p>UMass seems to be more of a love it or hate it. It is ever so slightly easier to get into than UConn. Don’t know enough about their team spirit. It has two cute college towns, Amherst and Northampton. It has a large Jewish population and a huge Hillel.</p>

<p>UVermont is another state school with a large Jewish Population. Their college town is awesome…Burlington. Not sure about specific sports and team spirit. OOS is very expensive. Apparently the outdoor sports is big and the winter skiing opportunities.</p>

<p>This thread has had good luck with UDelaware too. You must have looked there if you live in Maryland…our family has a cousin there now who LOVES it too.</p>

<p>Hard to believe my Junior S2 takes his first official SAT’s next Saturday…it seems like just yesterday he was a freshman! :(</p>

15973

<p>Not east coast, but has a big east coast contingent, and gives good merit aid–maybe Indiana? It has always seemed quite similar to UMD to me, but an easier admit, and often gives OOS applicants aid that makes it at least equivalent to in-state.</p>

15974

<p>Indiana also has rolling admissions, I think.</p>

<p>A colleague of mine suggested Indiana to me as well–her daughter had a great experience there. She is very Jewishly-involved.</p>

15975

<p>If you are thinking about Indiana look into:</p>

<p>The Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program
Indiana University
announces scholarships of up $20,000 ($5,000/year for four years)
for incoming freshmen
2013-2014</p>

<p>M. Mendel and Frances M. Piser Scholarship
Selma Lee Mervis Young Scholarship (for students pursuing Jewish sacred music curriculum)
Friends of the Borns Jewish Studies Program Scholarships
Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Scholarships
Irving M. Glazer Student Scholarships</p>

<p>Application Deadline: Friday, January 25, 2013</p>

<p>The scholarships are available to students entering IU Bloomington directly from high school and beginning as freshmen (bringing no more than 12 credit hours). All scholarship recipients must be full-time students and maintain a 3.0 or higher GPA as majors or certificate students in Jewish Studies at IU Bloomington through the funded year/s. Students receiving four-year scholarships may use them, after their freshman year, toward a semester/year of study at Hebrew University, Ben-Gurion University, Haifa University, or Tel Aviv University in Israel, at predominantly Jewish Studies academic programs abroad, for IU sponsored or co-sponsored overseas study programs, or for full-time, unpaid Jewish Studies-related internships away from IU.</p>

<p>Selection Criteria: Candidates will be considered primarily on the basis of outstanding academic achievement and promise. Extracurricular achievements will also be considered. Students must have a high school GPA of 3.5 or above (out of a 4.0 scale) or equivalent and have a record of academic and extracurricular accomplishment. Students committing to pursuing the major in Jewish Studies will be given priority over students who plan to pursue the Jewish Studies certificate.</p>

<p>Mail, E-mail or FAX applications to:
Jewish Studies Freshmen Scholarship Competition
Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program
Indiana University
Goodbody Hall 326
1011 E. Third Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7005
Phone (812) 855-0453, FAX (812) 855-4314; e-mail: <a href=“mailto:iujsp@indiana.edu”>iujsp@indiana.edu</a>.
Submission of transcripts and recommendations may be mailed or e-mailed directly to the Jewish Studies Program.</p>

15976

<p>Cheermom. First of all, take a deep breath. You’re dealing with more than your fair share of stress, but the college stuff will work out for your D. </p>

<p>I agree that school work should be her top priority while she’s getting her energy back. I’d probably try a prep course this spring and have her take the May or June ACT. Then she could practice over the summer and retake in September.</p>

<p>Cost-wise, the instate MD schools will be your best option. I can see why UMBC would not appeal to her, but you might want to consider Salisbury. It’s not a big sports, rah-rah school, but it does have Greek life and more of a fun feeling than UMBC. She will have a chance at UMDCP if she can pull decent test scores. I wouldn’t rule out Freshmen Connection if she ends up in that range. Many of my D’s friends took that option. It wasn’t perfect, but they’re all now happy College Park sophomores and have no regrets. </p>

<p>I visited UConn and UMass with my D2. Chocchipcookie gives a good overview of the schools. UConn has a nice campus and friendly students, but it’s in a very remote location. UMass has a nicer location in a cute college town, but very ugly buildings. Personally, I think that Delaware is a better OOS option for a student from Maryland. I also agree that you should consider JMU, which has reasonable OOS tuition, and is less selective than Delware or Maryland. </p>

<p>Good Luck.</p>

15977

<p>Cheermom: If you’re willing to look to the Midwest, IU is a great choice. Also:</p>

<p>Wisconsin [UW</a> Hillel - Hillel Vision](<a href=“http://www.uwhillel.org/home/about/vision.aspx]UW”>http://www.uwhillel.org/home/about/vision.aspx)</p>

<p>Kansas (about 40 minutes from Kansas City) has a very strong Jewish community and is a good value:</p>

<p>[Costs</a> and Scholarships - KU Affordability](<a href=“http://affordability.ku.edu/cs/index.shtml]Costs”>http://affordability.ku.edu/cs/index.shtml)</p>

<p>[A</a> Great Place to be Jewish - University of Kansas Hillel](<a href=“http://kansas.hillel.org/home/about/greatplace.aspx]A”>http://kansas.hillel.org/home/about/greatplace.aspx)</p>

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<p>Hi, All. I’ve been out of town on business and see that I have a lot to catch up on! I can’t remember all of what I want to respond to but will give it a shot:</p>

<p>RVM: Congrats on the ZBT initiation. Very exciting. My brother was a ZBT (Penn) and I was a ZBT little sister (NU) - still see my ZBT friends from college!</p>

<p>Cheermom: You have an awful lot on your plate. We followed RVM’s advice re: ACT – DS took it 3 times during junior year, Dec, April, June (in addition to two SATs) - I know, I’m so mean. But he did practice a lot and saw significant increases in his scores. Finishing the sections is the key – and the more you practice, the better you get at reading the questions. He wasn’t happy with all the testing, but he’s had great acceptances this year and admitted that it was worth it.</p>

<p>Regarding some of the colleges that have been recommended for your DD – My DD is a junior at Delaware so I can answer many questions based on her experience there. She applied to other schools that have recently been mentioned - SUNY Buffalo (accepted, never really wanted to go there, know lots of kids who love it there though), UConn (accepted, was her 4th choice), UMass (she didn’t like it and didn’t apply - she has several Jewish friends who love it there - from Mass and from NY).</p>

<p>In our college news, DS is still waiting to hear from three more schools. He was accepted to UMDCP a month ago and, this weekend, received a letter informing him that he is the recipient of the President’s Scholarship - $5k per year. So he’s received merit money from all his acceptances! For the newbies, please know that this is my A student. I started on this thread several years ago with my DD, who was more of my B/B+ student. But these are my “CC friends” on this thread so I’m staying!</p>

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<p>I’m going to chime in to agree that a prep course may not be necessary.</p>

<p>If the problem is not the content of the test, but the format and the general expectations, then working on practice tests one section at a time and going over the detailed answers and explanations in the book is probably going to be very fruitful.</p>

<p>Whenever there is a standardized test to be taken, I think the most important thing is to get familiar with the question types and the response options. For example, on med school exams, there is a question type called a “K question.” For this, you are given four statements numbered 1 through 4. You then choose A if only 1 and 3 are true, B if only 2 and 4 are true, C if 1, 2, and 3 are true and 4 is false, D if only 4 is true, and E if they are all true. Got it? Imagine having to think that through WHILE TAKING THE TEST, instead of approaching the list of statements with a strategy already in your head. I don’t think there are K questions on the SAT or ACT, but you get my point. Just knowing what the types of questions will be helps with speed because you don’t have to take any time to orient yourself to how to answer the question.</p>

<p>There is also a strategy for the essays (and they are not the same for both the SAT and ACT), but both of them emphasize writing A LOT and using big words (whether you need to or not). That is a sad truth. There is a strategy for preparing to write the SAT essay that is shared on this site somewhere in the SAT/ACT forum that helped my daughter a lot. Basically, you brainstorm a list of historical figures, books, plays, etc., that you can cite when answering just about any question. It seems silly but it works and lets them start writing quickly so they have time to fill the page.</p>

<p>My daughter didn’t want to take a prep course, so we told her she got one bite at the apple on her own, and if her scores weren’t high enough, she’d have to take a prep course. This motivated her sufficiently to work at the dining room table taking practice tests out of the prep books (tip: buy the OFFICIAL prep book provided by the test provider), with me serving as proctor using the oven timer! Going over the explanations helped a lot–she initially wasn’t doing at all well on the ACT reading sections but then she got the hang of why the answers she was choosing were incorrect and it wound up being her best section in the real test.</p>

<p>In the interest of full disclosure, I must reveal that we did have the resources in-house to help her with all of the content areas–math, science, reading, writing, etc–when she did have questions but I think that if your daughter has a good mastery of the content, you’ll get more bang for your buck than you may realize just sitting her down with the prep books.</p>

15980

<p>Anyone have any experience with Career Israel? DS is applying for a summer internship in Israel through careerisrael.com. There is a program fee of $3500 which I thought was not kosher for a internship, but it does include housing in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Still, when you add airfare & expenses it is a lot to pay for a internship of unknown quality. I have one lead on a scholarship but I am still hunting around. Does anyone know anything more about this organization than I can find on their website? Thanks</p>