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

Parents Forum
16741

<p>Thanks Spectrum and RVM for the good suggestions. Am at Goucher tonight for orientation tomorrow . DS very happy :)</p>

16742

<p>Glad to hear that your son is so happy, Shulamit. As I’ve mentioned before, my niece graduated from Goucher and she had a great experience there.</p>

16743

<p>So - I reached out to admissions at St. Mary’s to get an update on Jewish life on their campus. I was put in touch with a Hillel board member and here is an edited version of her response:</p>

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</p>

<p>So - a small Jewish presence - but one that could grow with a little bit of effort.</p>

16744

<p>Buying from BBB: it’s an impressive system, but small goofs can happen. We learned it’s a good idea to double-check what’s in the cart(s) you pick up against what you ordered. Turned out the room-sized rug didn’t make it into the cart. Silver lining: saved us the purchase price. :slight_smile: Do your shopping/scanning trip earlier rather than later, because they can run out of some items. </p>

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</p>

<p>One of our graduation presents to D1 (and next year D2) was/will be a tool kit. It’s a gift they’ll be using all through college, and it’s a way to make friends at the very start of the term (“hey, so-and-so has phillips head screwdrivers!”).</p>

16745

<p>Thank you Momjr! Good advice, slithytove.
RVM, latkes vs. hamentaschen sounds great!</p>

16746

<p>Does anyone know if being a legacy at Emory helps much in acceptance? My school guidance says legacy only really helps if you apply early admission to schools. Is that true? DD is on target for ACT score and her weighted GPA is very close to their median.</p>

16747

<p>I believe it does help. My father is an Emory graduate and I applied regular decision. Before the admissions letter came, he received a letter saying that although they take legacy status into account, it was no assurance of admission, just one of many factors they consider. I’m assuming that they would have specified that it only helped if someone applied ED, not RD. </p>

<p>I’ve also been to an event called Dinner with 12 Strangers (details about the program [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.alumni.emory.edu/volunteer-and-give/dinner-with-12.html]here:[/url”&gt;http://www.alumni.emory.edu/volunteer-and-give/dinner-with-12.html]here:[/url</a>] ) and the host was one of the directors of alumni relations. She stated that Emory is actively looking to increase alumni involvement, both as a way of fundraising and as a means of hiring the graduates (something borne out by my father’s experiences). So I’d imagine that part of this push to increase involvement is done via an admissions boost to legacy applicants.</p>

16748

<p>Prof. Green (<a href=“mailto:greenaf@wofford.edu”>greenaf@wofford.edu</a>) and Dr. Nuriel (<a href=“mailto:nurielpg@wofford.edu”>nurielpg@wofford.edu</a>) are the Hillel faculty advisors at Wofford and would be happy to answer any questions.</p>

16749

<p>^ I wasn’t aware of Jewish life at Wofford, so this is good to know. It is in the geographic range that Lastminutemom asked about. Thanks.</p>

16750

<p>

I’ll bite. <a href=“As%20it%20were.”>size=1</a>[/size]
My boy has a peanut allergy; when he started preschool, we met with the staff
to advise them. There was only one trip to the emergency room needed that year –
on “P Day”, when a teacher gave everyone crackers with Peanut butter. <sigh></sigh></p>

<p>Fast forward a dozen years. My boy just finished his junior year with a 2.83 GPA
and 1830 (680/550/600) SATs, and a 780 on the World History subject test.<br>
<a href=“Yeah,%20he%20rather%20likes%20History.”>size=1</a>[/size]</p>

<p>On paper, he’d seem to have at least a shot at Goucher<em>, Susquehanna</em>, HWS<em>,
Drew, Muhlenberg</em>, OWU<em>, Marist, St. Mary’s (MD), Eckerd, Wheaton (MA)</em>
and Hampshire College, with perhaps an outside chance at Wooster* or Clark.</p>

<p>All also depending, of course, on the essay(s) & recommendations.</p>

<p>Fair assessment, or totally off base? Any additional schools we should consider?</p>

<p>All insight welcome.</p>

<p>Thanks kindly,</p>

<ul>
<li>Richard

    • visits planned in August/Sept
      (Clark & Hampshire already visited)</li>
      </ul>
16751

<p>Welcome expatCanuk. I looked at your other posts to try to see your state of residence. Are you a Canadian resident now? I then noticed that you had posted that your son has learning differences. I think this makes a difference when looking at colleges. I say this because I’ve known some students who have gone to college and then struggled with other factors besides academics such as organization and stress. His GPA may reflect these challenges rather than his academic skills. What are some areas he may need help with, and are you looking for colleges with certain supports? How ready is he to be far from home? What are his interests?</p>

16752

<p>Thanks for the welcome. We’re U.S. residents (MA), tho’ my son possesses both U.S. and Canadian citizenship.</p>

<p>His diagnosed LD primarily manifests itself in organization and execution. He’ll certainly need to self-advocate for extended test time. Believe me, we ask about LD support at every school we consider/visit, and a section of my patented killer OCD-parent school comparison spreadsheet highlights schools having all of a Learning Center, Study Skills Assistance and a Writing Center. Bonus marks for schools with Comprehensive LD services.</p>

<p>Spent his junior year (and will spend his senior year) at a small VT boarding school,
so the ‘away from home’ piece is getting into place. </p>

<p>But academic challenge & rigor are key, 'cause he’s wicked smaht.<br>
I think my boy’s sophomore English teacher summarized him well:“An extremely quick and analytical mind … His final grade probably does not reflect his intellect but his production.”</p>

16753

<p>I’ve seen students struggle with the non-academic aspects of college: dealing with a different schedule, time management, room mates, and personal responsibilities- laundry, room organization, and so on. I know of one student who attended college far from home, but then transfered closer to home and was more successful- as parents were able to assist with some of the extra things like laundry and stress management. As smart as kids can be, they can still get overwhelmed with the demands of living and the college social scene. Because of this, I’m wary of students who may be vulnerable going very far from home, unless there are relatives or a support system nearby. Even with academic supports- the leap from high school to college is huge and taking it in small steps is playing it safe- because what you want is success and the pride of achievement that goes with it. Boarding school is a good start to dealing with the away from home part, but boarding high schools tend to be highly structured with structured social and study activities. In college there will be little to none and he will be left on his own to decide when to study and how to make friends.</p>

<p>I’m also in favor of small schools and academic support. I think you have a pretty good list so far, with schools like Wheaton, Hampshire, Clark being close by. Wheaton being a Christian college would not likely have much for Jewish students- but if that’s not a concern for you ( there are several non-Jewish posters here and everyone is welcome) this may be an advantage as religious schools could provide additional support, structure, and nurturing for students since their concern is spiritual growth as well as education. </p>

<p>Students with LD/ASD needs can have skills all over the place- high cognitive skills, but delayed daily living, executive function, and social skills, so choosing a best fit college has to take all these needs into consideration, and be a bridge between home and being entirely on their own. I think you have some good choices in mind and you’ve done research on academic support.</p>

16754

<p>Wheaton in MA is not a Christian school. There are 2 colleges with the same name, hence much confusion.</p>

16755

<p>Thanks for clearing that up. I had accidentally looked at the link for the other one when I looked it up.</p>

<p>To clarify- I’m not personally familiar with the colleges expatCanuk is looking at, but I know some students with LD/ASD/ADD issues, so my suggestions are based on their experiences. Any personal info on any of the colleges would be very helpful here.</p>

16756

<p>

We are indeed members of the tribe.<br>
All other things being equal (and they never are), after 2 years in rural Vermont (notwithstanding the excellent education), I’d like my son to at least have the opportunity to socialize (and maybe even daven) with other landsmen.</p>

16757

<p>Goucher has a good Hillel and a support program called ACE for time management or other challenges. My son is starting there in the fall (and has a peanut allergy, plus a few others).</p>

16758

<p>ExpatCanuk- I agree as I want the same opportunities for my kids. Hillel/Chabad are also support systems and opportunities to make friends. I think campus religious/cultural groups are important and wanted to be inclusive. I think you will get some good information from the posters on this board who are familiar with the schools on your list.</p>

16759

<p>ExpaptCanuk- PM or search for posts by pkdof13. She’s a “tribal” member who’s son, with similar stats, gained acceptance to many of the schools on your list. </p>

<p>She posted a lot in the Parents of HS Class 2013 3.0 -3.3 thread located in the 20xx Community Forum.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/class-20xx-community/939937-parents-hs-class-2013-3-0-3-3-gpa.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/class-20xx-community/939937-parents-hs-class-2013-3-0-3-3-gpa.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

16760

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Thanks. To my surprise, already done. Dialogue ongoing. ;)</p>