<p>Happy to report DS was accepted to his HMFR, Wheaton (MA)!! Can anyone tell me about Jewish life there?</p>
<p>Also kvelling about his twin S - accepted to Bryn Mawr and Wellesley yesterday!</p>
<p>Pdkof13,
Congrats to both you kids on their acceptances!!</p>
<p>pkdof13 - fabulous news! Congratulations!</p>
<p>So just thought I’d check up on this thread. About two months ago, I posted on this thread asking for advice about what Jewish life is like in states with few Jews, and posters told me to contact each school’s respective Hillel. Well I did that with the University of Oklahoma, and from the president found out that their chapter is one of the small and mighty ones. Their events listing makes it seem like I can find at least one Jewish event every week, which is a huge positive. </p>
<p>I also contacted students and professors in the University of Oklahoma’s geology program, and they raved about it. From what I read and heard, it seems to offer fantastic academic and post graduate employment opportunities in exactly the sub-fields I’m interested in. So in all likelihood, I’m going to be screaming “boomer sooner!” come August.</p>
<p>If any parent of a Jewish B student has questions about schools that are good for both Jewish life and environmental science/earth science, feel free to contact me. I’ve done quite a bit of research (admittedly more focused on larger state schools) on the subject. </p>
<p>Again, I’m going to throw out a recommendation for Oxford College of Emory University. High Jewish population, incredibly diverse for a LAC, and gives good financial aid since it sources from Emory’s financial aid pool.</p>
<p>My goodness, it’s like old-friends week here!
It’s nice to hear of the new acceptances. By the end of next week most decisions should be out, and there will be so much to consider.</p>
<p>My B-student, a sophomore, is going to start prepping for the SAT/ACT as soon as school is out. I can’t believe I’m on this ride again so soon.</p>
<p>Is everyone ready for Passover?</p>
<p>Thanks for the update, Whenhen.</p>
<p>PDK: Congrats on the latest acceptances. It looks like your S and D have great choices. Are you going to revisit any of the schools. You deserve a lot of credit for managing two applicants at once.</p>
<p>Hi C43. Fortunately, I’m not hosting a seder for Passover, so I’m in pretty good shape. Both of my Ds are coming home and flying back on Tuesday morning.</p>
<p>Hi everyone. Hope those of you who celebrate will have wonderful seders. Our dd is not coming home and I am kind of sad, but she finishes school in about 4 weeks, so she will be home soon. Congratulations to all with their college acceptances–so proud to be part of this group!</p>
<p>Any thoughts on bryant university for undergrad focused on international business?</p>
<p>My DD has spring break this week (UD), so I am spoiled by having both of my kids home! Will be awfully quiet around here for Passover 2014. Cooking a little at a time (and DH is making some things as well). Trying not to get overwhelmed, but I’m only partially succeeding. Have to deal with some work things on Tuesday morning, and that will definitely add to the excitement around here (not).</p>
<p>I also think that Lehigh decisions will be posted tomorrow. As if there’s not enough drama.</p>
<p>Congratulations on acceptances. </p>
<p>We’re hosting for the first time in recorded history. Hosting was always in Toronto for ShawWife’s family. We don’t keep kosher so can’t host for mine. But, this year, we are doing it for ShawWife’s family. One part of her family is aggressively (sanctimoniously?) vegetarian with one or two vegans thrown in for good measure. So, we are making doing fish for all but the vegans and ShawWife was going to make/serve gefilte fish as one of the appetizers. Seemed like a lot of fish. I was in Mexico last month and went to an haute Mexican restaurant – foods and spices the Aztecs used raised to haute cuisine. I suggested she do that with Pesach (she’s an outstanding cook among her many talents). So, last night, we had a three-layer gefilte fish terrine – cod died with beets, salmon, and cod. It was served warm and was the best gefilte fish I’ve tasted by an order of magnitude. She went on the internet and almost all recipes for gefilte fish start with “buy it from the store or frozen.” Interesting. She is making it from scratch. I was trying to think of other dishes to “hautize.” Chrain smoothie anyone?</p>
<p>Our kids are doing surgical strike visits for the first Seder. ShawSon will arrive in the afternoon, have a call for his new business, attend the seder and probably drive back to school Monday night. ShawD has a big test the next day at 10. So, she’ll come in the afternoon study at the library near our house, and I’ll probably drive her back after the seder. So, we’ll see each kid briefly. But, who knows? It may be one of the last years ShawSon will be around for a seder.</p>
<p>Second seders in my wife’s family are not really ritualistic and have seemed to have devolved into a talent show for the kids of the vegetarian family (the parents seem rather unselfconscious of how exclusionary (to other cousins) or off-putting this might be (and is to me, but not to my wife). I’d be more than delighted to give it a miss, but can’t.</p>
<p>So wonderful to hear about all the acceptances. Congratulations!! I tend to log on every couple weeks and I am sorry that I miss a lot, but D and I are heading north from N. Carolina on Friday for college visits. First stop will be AU (my alma mater), and later George Mason. But when we go further north we will be a little short on time and we are debating: UD (because it has gotten such rave reviews here, so thank you!), UMBC, Goucher, Towson. Oh my… My daughter is not very creative, doesn’t want a tiny school, and is likely to be a bio or science major.
By the way, we’ll be staying in Bethesda so I may end up sitting next to Rockvillemom or others at Parkway Deli. I miss that place…and any Jewish deli for that matter.</p>
<p>Love hearing about all the Passover Seder plans. S2 is home - having a great year at Elon - all going very well. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.</p>
<p>NEinNC - Parkway is always great - try Brooklyn Deli in Potomac also.</p>
<p>NEinMC, that’s a serious tour. There used to be a fabulous Chinese restaurant, very low end decor but good food, on the basement level of a building on one of the main drags there like the Rockville Pike. I can’t remember the name. Not KLP but really good.</p>
<p>I’m not hosting a seder for the first time in years, but going to DH’s sister’s home. I’m bringing the farfel, though, and the matzoh crunch.</p>
<p>Things are so much more relaxed around our house now that DD is in at 5 great schools, even though she has several to hear from this week, and DS got into his HMFR (his tenth acceptance). Now it’s a matter of trying to figure out which schools we really need to visit and make the arrangements.</p>
<p>I’ve started spread sheets for each kid, with location, size, cost-merit=net, whether preferred majors/minors are available, etc. as factors.</p>
<p>Rockvillemom: Thanks for the deli tip. </p>
<p>I’ve tried to read a lot in this thread, but don’t remember anything about UMBC. Any comments? Thanks!</p>
<p>Shawbridge: Thanks for the Chinese restaurant tip. I’ll see if my Rockville friend knows what it is. We aren’t planning to see all those MD. schools, by the way. Trying to narrow it down…</p>
<p>What is HMFR?</p>
<p>We are not strong on MD schools. ShawSon had health issues and I didn’t want him too far away (plus he was in the A/A+ category). I think with ShawSon all of the schools were in New England or NY except for a couple of Ivies. ShawD, our B student who morphed into B+ and then in the last year of HS into A-/A only applied in Canada as a HS senior and then only applied to one school in Boston when she transferred after the first semester. So, we don’t know much below Massachusetts, really. I think I have reported one of my cousin’s fabulous experience with UDelaware. Her younger sibs are doing well at U Maryland CP. One is in the business school and I think the other wants to do biology and has gotten herself an internship at NIH. They are MD residents and cost is a real issue, but I think they are both happy.</p>
<p>On the efficacy of touring, ShawSon only visited two schools before getting accepted. He said, “I don’t want to fall in love with some school I have a 10% probability of being admitted to I promise to do a great job on my applications and will apply to a couple of extra schools if we don’t have to visit.” Then, he got into 10+ schools and did a triage down to 3 and visited only three and decided after the 2nd visit. He’s been wildly happy there (and he only applied because I thought it was one of two schools that I thought might be best for him). ShawD toured probably eight schools with me, chose one and transferred after one semester. [To be fair, had the school allowed her to switch from biology to nursing there without reapplying as a freshman, she would have stayed. But, she is much happier and better off where she is, as she is in a program to become an RN and a Nurse Practitioner.]</p>
<p>CONGRATS to everyone on acceptances, SO EXCITING! And love to hear about all the family holiday “eccentricities”…Shawbridge–I was laughing out loud about your sanctimonious vegans!</p>
<p>Haven’t been on this thread in a week. Cheergirl had to finish the quarter strong after our mono misfortune, and she didn’t disappoint. Somehow, she managed to pull out 6 A’s and 1 B (AP Lang). I actually don’t know how she managed to do it, most of the A’s were 90’s or 91’s but NOT complaining. </p>
<p>ACT prep continues to be disappointing.Pretty certain that Kaplan was NOT a good choice. It’s what we could afford–$799 for unlimited prep through graduation. BUT if it seems to good to be true, it probably is…I should’ve known better. Trying to get her to study on her own over break, wish me luck lol! </p>
<p>We visited UPitt over the weekend. We all loved the city. The school is vibrant and spirited and the students seem SO engaged. We can see why its the right fit for so many, but not for Cheergirl. Too urban for her. Made her realize that she wants a traditional campus (like UMD or UDel) with proximity to an urban area. No regrets. We all agree that sometimes you need to figure out what you don’t want before you can figure out what you DO want.</p>
<p>Tomorrow we leave for a week with my mom in Palm Beach, FL. Looking forward to matzo ball soup AND sunshine! On Thursday we visit UMiami. Only college visit of spring break. Wanted to focus on quality time with my mom and she’s not up for too much schlepping around the state. </p>
<p>Well that’s it for now, congrats again to everyone! Happy seder to all (or happy Easter for our non-Jewish friends!). When we dip our pinkies in the wine and recite the plagues, the newest one should be the loooong winter of 2013, OY! Can we blame it on the Pharoah???</p>
<p>Shawbridge, that gefilte terrine sounds amazing. We are not nearly as creative here, just gefilte fish from the jar. FYI, the O.l.d. V.i.e.n.n.a brand is really good. We eat it year-round.</p>
<p>D2 and I leave for Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning, so no 2nd seder for us. My older kids are both in school, so we’re having the smallest seder we’ve ever had. </p>
<p>We’ll bring lots of matzah, macaroons and KLP treats along for the trip. I think we’ll try to stop in at Hillel at AU and GWU for a meal. I’ve done that on past college trips; it’s always a nice experience.</p>
<p>Also Shawbridge, HMFR is (I think) Huge Mother-F…ing Reach. At least, that’s what I’ve been saying in my head!</p>