<p>Daughter in at Syracuse as Dual Major with Newhouse School of Communications and the Business School. Cost is high. Not sure if its worth the high cost vs. the significant scholarships at Bentley, Bryant or Quinnipiac. Great opportunities - now time for the decision process. Any thoughts on this???</p>
<p>Mint: if there is a significant cost difference between the dual program and Bentley, I would go with Bentley (although a VERY different overall experience)…Bentley has excellent job placement…</p>
<p>D would not have given up her Syracuse Newhouse experience/education for anything though…alumni networking/job prospects top notch…</p>
<p>DS just got a letter from Muhlenberg …accepted!! :)</p>
<p>PDK : I went to to the Hofstra campus last weekend for accepted students day. It was too urban (campus crosses a major road) and busy/large for my son, but I did like the departmental presentation and my nephew is very happy there. It has a different vibe than Adelpi and Goucher which are smaller and quieter.</p>
<p>^ It isn’t accurate to say that the Hofstra area is “urban.” It’s definitely a busy area but that’s what a lot of Long Island suburbs are like! Boston University and University of Pennsylvania are urban. That’s very different than the Hofstra area! I guess “suburban” is in the eye of the beholder!</p>
<p>Right LINYMOM. That’s why I used the quotes. I probably should have said busy instead. I was thinking about how my nephew has to push a crosswalk button to cross the street between campus and his dorm and the vibe from Hempstead Tpke, even with a bridge across it. BTW, I went to Hofstra for law school and have lived on LI my whole life, but I know what you mean. It’s not a city at all, but it’s just not a calm feeling place to me.</p>
<p>Oops I didn’t use quotes…guess I just wasn’t clear in my thoughts…sorry!</p>
<p>Mint,</p>
<p>Newhouse is an amazing program. Highly regarded on both coasts. Cost aside, I see tremendous potential in the dual major. If interested in both, I think that would be both a formidable and impressive degree…</p>
<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I’ve been following this thread for some time now, it is time to introduce myself.</p>
<p>I am a mom to DD who is a HS Junior and a B+ student - 3.3 UW GPA, one honor class for now, still waiting for the SAT scores. Outside of school, she is a dancer and is in a dance group which performs for seniors (since 2nd grade), volunteers as a teacher’s assistant at Hebrew School and really loves it, has a silver award in GS and might go on to do the Gold Award. She is also very involved in our temple’s youth group (Reform). Another EC is music/voice (not performing)</p>
<p>Would love to hear from other parents of kids with similar stats/interests which schools they have on their lists. We are in NJ, D wants to go OOS but knows she will need to apply in state as well.</p>
<p>As far as fit, a sense of community on campus is important to DD. Jewish life and jewish presence on campus are very important. She also hopes to continue with dance, possibly join a dance group. Location-wise, since she will not have a car at least initially, it would be good to be close to a safe and easily accessible town. Academically, she seems to get more of the classes where she is engaged into a discussion or a project (as oppose to a lecture) and has an opportunity to interact with her teachers. Not yet decided on the major but definitely not an Engineering or a Science major.</p>
<p>So far we visited Brandeis (loved it but out of reach), UMass (D didn’t like it, too big and spread out), Ithaca (liked the school not the town, not sure about jewish life there), Syracuse (neutral impression, high % jewish is a definite plus), SUNY Binghamton (didn’t really like it) and Hobard William Smith LAC (liked it but concerned about fit, it felt somewhat of a “preppy private school” category while she is from a public HS, also very rural area). </p>
<p>Financially, we will not qualify for need-based aid and while we have been saving for years, a private college would not be possible without merit aid. An OOS public would be a big stretch. We will also expect D to contribute by taking a student loan but keeping it small to make it possible for her to continue to graduate school at some point.</p>
<p>So anyone in the same boat?</p>
<p>Wanted to add that we visited Syracuse and Binghamton on a weekend which I know makes a difference. D is keeping both on her list for now but both are certainly reaches.</p>
<p>Shulamit, congrats on Muhlenberg! Great school. DS still waiting to hear, no mail from there today.</p>
<p>NeedPlanB-I think that until you can report SAT scores, any advice would be premature.</p>
<p>Good luck PKD!!</p>
<p>Hi NeedPlanB,
Have you looked at Muhlenberg or Goucher? Both have dance, I believe. Both have talent scholarships and academic merit aid. Both have a strong Jewish presence on campus and small discussion based classes. Adelphi is another to consider.</p>
<p>Shulamit: Congrats on Muhlenberg!</p>
<p>JayneB: Congrats on Syracuse. My kids just like the idea of being “orangemen” but it’s not on the list for any of them in a real way.</p>
<p>Pkd: We’re trying to decide, too! Not the same choices but still - A friend’s son goes to Goucher (I’d never heard of it before) and loves it. For what that’s worth…</p>
<p>S13 is deciding between UIUC and Case Western. Large state flagship vs. small private. Hmmm… Financially similar (b/c of scholarship) though in the long run UIUC will be less expensive. UIUC is ranked #4 for Computer Engineering. Case has a great engineering program. We are taking him back to UIUC for scholars program session but not sure I can get him back to Cleveland (though we will try). I feel like I am pushing for in-state but can’t articulate why I think it is better for him.
Thoughts?</p>
<p>PlanB- have you tried any of the other SUNY schools? Binghamton is hard for in state kids to get into, requiring a 3.9 and 29 ACT. It is a little easier for OOS- wait for the test scores to come back to get a better idea. SUNY Buffalo fits your criteria. The SUNYs come in at under $30,000 for OOS. Another nice school is Towson, although its big.</p>
<p>Suny Buffalo might be too big, although there is dance and a Jewish population.</p>
<p>“Ithaca (liked the school not the town, not sure about jewish life there)”</p>
<p>Haven’t posted on this thread in a very long while. Know Ithaca C pretty well. I applied there back in the olden days and I know many recent graduates of friends and family. I wouldn’t be concerned at all about their not being enough of a Jewish presence on campus. </p>
<p>My son also applied but, tbh, their merit aid was the worst out of all the schools he applied to and it was a safety for him. </p>
<p>My son also applied to HWS and would agree with your D’s assessment as far as it being on the preppy side. But it was his 3rd choice and he would have gone if not for getting into #1 and #2. Much more in merit aid from HWS, also.</p>
<p>mint5: My D is about to graduate with a dual degree from Whitman and Newhouse. It has been very expensive!! Including summer courses to make up the extra year of classes. But D would definitely say it was wonderful. Having both degrees have opened up amazing opportunities, Whitman has been a great foundation (they are your home school and you mostly take Whitman classes) and the Newhouse faculty is fantastic and dedicated. I think it depends on what your student is interested in. For some fields, the communication degree is not that helpful. The alumni network is strong. Feel free to PM me with questions.</p>
<p>PlanB - I hope you’ve spent some time on the Theatre and/or Musical Theatre Forums. Lots of great info there.</p>
<p>I would look seriously at Temple University in Philly. Lots of terrific, non-auditioned (at least in theatre) arts programs, low cost, and looks like quite a lot of Jewish life (Hillel, Jewish Studies, etc.). Maybe the name is an omen!</p>
<p>PlanB… Definitely look at Muhlenberg. I have heard GREAT things about that school… my DS14 has it at the top of his list. He is a higher stat kid, but wants to major in theater, and maybe something else. I would also take a look at Elon in NC. I don’t know what your geographic preferences are, but my DS also LOVED Occidental in CA. MAybe St Olaf too.</p>
<p>Ps… Hi EB!!! Hope all is well with you:)</p>