<p>He is very academic and already very well read, so would like a demanding established program. I think he would want to be “back east” which i say ironically, because we live on the left coast and so it is nor really “back” east. A school that offers merit scholarships would appeal to me 
The only school I was thinking of is Brandeis, but I imagine there are others to consider, as shown by your posts above. Thanks! We have lots of time to explore options at this point.</p>
<p>Yes - Brandeis would obviously be a good choice. </p>
<p>I also thought of University of Miami:</p>
<p>[The</a> George Feldenkreis Program in Judaic Studies](<a href=“Home | Judaic Studies Program | University of Miami”>Home | Judaic Studies Program | University of Miami)</p>
<p>and George Washington University in DC:</p>
<p><a href=“http://programs.columbian.gwu.edu/judaic/[/url]”>http://programs.columbian.gwu.edu/judaic/</a></p>
<p>If he’s a very good student, Emory offers a very strong Jewish studies program. The Emory scholars program is extremely competitive, but if he has high stats and is well spoken, he might get it. [Emory</a> Scholars | Emory College of Arts and Sciences Admission](<a href=“http://www.emory.edu/admission/financial_aid/merit_scholarships/emory_scholars.html]Emory”>http://www.emory.edu/admission/financial_aid/merit_scholarships/emory_scholars.html)</p>
<p>Other urban or suburban East Coast schools which appear to offer a stronger program in Judaic studies and aren’t nearly as selective as Emory include
-American University (the extremely strong IR department probably compliments Jewish studies because of the huge attention it places on Middle East conflicts)
-Boston University
-University of Pittsburgh</p>
<p>Some state flagships you might be interested in:
-SUNY Binghamton
-Penn State (a party school, but because it’s the state flagship there are quite a few intellectual students that attend)</p>
<p>Incredibly selective schools on the East Coast:
-Princeton
-Yale
-U Penn
-Vanderbilt</p>
<p>You should also consider your excellent public schools. If you live in California, UCLA has an outstanding Jewish studies program with an enormous number of Jewish students. Less selective UCs with good to excellent Jewish studies programs include UCSD and UCSC. </p>
<p>I believe U Oregon and UWashington also offer good programs</p>
<p>Seconding Whenhen, Emory does have an outstanding Jewish studies program. It has some very prestigious, very accessible professors and the students in the program are a tight-knit group. S1 and my DIL both had Jewish Studies as a double major, and the professors are still in their lives five years post-graduation.</p>
<p>I am still very new to this as DD is my first, a junior in high school. We have a list of about 20 schools at this point. How should she show demonstrated interest besides visiting the schools? She has no weekends left in May and June to visit and will be away most of the summer. I plan to take her to see a few in late August and Sept. Should she email the school admissions directly, locat the regional rep? Is there a basic list of questions she should ask? Is it ok to ask what is the Jewish population? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. TIA!</p>
<p>NYMom3kids
It is good to show interest, but for 20 schools that may be hard. You could start by having your DD request info on the websites. There are sometimes virtual chats in which she can participate. Once she is on the contact list she will get invited to those. If the colleges visit her HS then she could attend those info sessions in her senior year.
Visiting campus and interviews are good too. My son did a few interviews when the admissions staffs were in our state and a few with alumni. I think the interviews with staff were much better interviews. You can do the when you tour also and I wish he had done it that way b/c it’s easier.
Also it can be good to email her counselor with questions too just to show interest. Honestly, my son showed a lot more interest than the counselors who sometimes didn’t respond. When he got awards, etc after his app was submitted, he let them know too by email.
For the Jewish population I would contact the Hillel and/or look at the Hillel website . URJ also has a college planning article each year with info on Jewish populations at colleges
Good luck to your DD!</p>
<p>My older son and his best friend are going on the August 4th Birthright trip. He was a little surprised that he was accepted after applying in January because he had heard it usually took several attempts. He said it was a hassle-free process and was accepted on his first attempt.</p>
<p>Thanks Shulamit. The 20 schools is going to be narrowed down pretty quickly I think. She will probably focus on about 6 that she can truly see herself at. I just wish it didn’t feel so last minute. She just got her ACT score last week. I’ve been researching all year but now that the year is winding down and her scores came in he is taking a big interest. Lol</p>
<p>Agreeing with the suggestions offered by Shulamit and adding/expanding a few:</p>
<p>The regional rep is key. Try to meet this person when you visit. If you do meet, she should email the rep afterwards, thanking him or her for their time, and expressing interest in the school. Mention a program or other feature that was very appealing. If you don’t meet, find out who it is, and then she can email the rep to introduce herself, ask any questions, comment on what attracts her to the school, etc. Keep it short - a paragraph is fine.</p>
<p>If there is any type of college fair in your area, she should attend. These events are often very crowded, but each college generally has a sign in sheet or contact card that you fill out. If the regional rep is there, another chance to meet.</p>
<p>Facebook seems to be a growing option. I’m a little dubious about this, but if the regional rep for a school she really likes is on FB, consider it.</p>
<p>If the rep comes to her hs, she will want to attend that session.</p>
<p>Meeting the Hillel advisor at the college is also a great idea - not just to find out about Hillel and Jewish life, but because they may also interact with admissions.</p>
<p>The main point is that you want the admissions office to know who you are and that you are sincerely interested in their school BEFORE they receive the actual application. Colleges call it a “stealth” applicant when they receive an application from someone they have had no prior contact with and they will be skeptical of your interest.</p>
<p>One final note, this concept of demonstrated interest matters most with small and mid-sized schools. Not as important for large universities.</p>
<p>6 schools sounds just right NYMom3Kids. To echo the advice of others on this thread, try to have at least one affordable safety she likes with an early notification date (such as EA or rolling admissions) to have some relief early on about an acceptance. The stress at the end of March waiting for those letters can be a lot, otherwise.</p>
<p>Great advice RVM! I forgot to mention the thank your which are very important to me for teaching character as much as for admissions help.
Not sure if it helps with admissions, but it is good to meet with the academic dept and speak to a teacher/sit in on a class. It’s like test driving a car.</p>
<p>Thanks Shulamit. The 20 schools is going to be narrowed down pretty quickly I think. She will probably focus on about 6 that she can truly see herself at. I just wish it didn’t feel so last minute. She just got her ACT score last week. I’ve been researching all year but now that the year is winding down and her scores came in he is taking a big interest. Lol</p>
<p>Jandjdad thanks for the info. I’ve just head from the people coming from the March of the Living and they had a incredible experience. However the timing of the March is not as favorable for students as is Birthright, unless you are in a Jewish HS.</p>
<p>What does one do with a degree in Jewish studies?</p>
<p>I have a friend whose daughter is interested in this major - she hopes to work for a Jewish non-profit organization after graduation. I would also think you could teach in this field - perhaps at a Jewish day school or a Temple Hebrew School - or become employed by a Hillel on a college campus. I am sure there are other possibilities as well - go on to law school or grad school.</p>
<p>From the Fall 2011 edition of Reform Judaism magazine:</p>
<p><a href=“http://reformjudaismmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=2860[/url]”>http://reformjudaismmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=2860</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>From Cal State’s Jewish Studies program:
<a href=“http://www.csun.edu/~jsprogr/careers.html[/url]”>http://www.csun.edu/~jsprogr/careers.html</a></p>
<p>
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<p>Just in on the UD Hillel Facebook page: University of Delaware President Pat Harker visited with our student leaders at Hillel today! He officially announced the university’s plans to launch kosher dining in the Fall of 2015!</p>
<p>What we learned during college visits is that UD was losing kosher students to nearby Rutgers and Maryland because both of those offer kosher dining.</p>
<p>UD has a Jewish studies minor now (my DD is getting that, in combination with English major/professional writing concentration). Wonder if a major in Jewish studies is far behind at UD…</p>
<p>And Chardo asks: What does one do with a Jewish studies major? I asked that question to the mom of one of my DS’ friends (she’s a rabbi). She said that you learn to think, write, etc., just as you would with another liberal arts major (philosophy, sociology, etc.). It’s in another topic that you are interested in. So your options would be similar to those if pursuing other liberal arts. My daughter is, so far, combining her major/minor interests - interned with a Jewish non-profit in NYC last winter and is planning to intern for a Jewish publishing company during the 2013-2014 school year.</p>
<p>S1 double majored in Middle Eastern Studies and Jewish studies at Emory. After graduating, he immediately found a job with a Jewish international nonprofit in DC, and was lucky enough to be in the first cohort of PDI, through which he completed his MBA at Indiana (kelley) and also a masters in education through Hebrew College in Boston. He is now living in Boston where he is very happily employed using all of his education at a Jewish educational nonprofit. </p>
<p>He is one of the lucky ones who has the job he really wanted on his dream career path.</p>
<p>As far as other students in his program–one is at Stanford getting a PhD in one of the social sciences, one completed an MBA at MIT, and one is in pharmaceutical sales. Another friend from his program is working for the Federation in St. Louis, I believe. I’m up on all this because of all the weddings he has been attending.</p>
<p>BAMA has a strong Hillel. I live in Georgia and it is very popular with the Jewish kids who are looking for a good education with a strong community but are not looking at the higher priced overly competitive school like Tulane, Vanderbilt, Emory. Definitely a good option if your child doesn’t mind a big school.</p>
<p>MomofGrits, love your name by the way! Can you explain what you mean by BAMA having a strong Hillel? Is it numbers of kids, amount of functions? Considering it for DD but concerned about how southern it is in terms of culture. Emory, while in the south, has kids from all over and wasn’t southern in feel.</p>