<p>Spectrum 2, I agree with your post as to the intent of this board. It’s lasted a long time and I’ve enjoyed being a part of it.
I looked at ORNCKG’s other posts and he (or she) seems to be promoting the link he posted as it appears in most of them.
I don’t think his comments are relevant to our community, and we can carry on supporting each other and anyone else who chooses to join us.</p>
<p>Thanks for handling that.</p>
<p>On Macalester, I know a couple who sent both kids there, and they belong to a Conservative synagogue here at home, so I would imagine there is at least some level of Jewish life on campus.</p>
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<p>Sorry, don’t follow.</p>
<p>My guess is something to do with this type of thing:</p>
<p>[Open</a> Hillel: Sign the Petition!](<a href=“SLOT777: Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Terpercaya Terbaru”>http://www.openhillel.org/petition.php)</p>
<p>Cheermom- my DS just finished his freshman year at University of Alabama. He got a fantastic scholarship. Look at their scholarship info, looks like your daughter will get one with her stats. There is a Hillel, a beautiful new Hillel building with a courtyard and a temple on the other side of the courtyard. The part time rabbi there is a professor on campus. It is a reform congregation. Hillel does regular activities. Shabbat dinners, BBQs, building a Sukkah, game nights, events off campus. My son attended most activities. There is a link on the Hillel page to a sorority that has some Jewish focus, I’m not too familiar with it. My son is one of 5 guys starting up a chapter of AEPi. It will grow when the new kids start coming in August. Greek life is very big at UA, about 30% join. However, kids are certainly very active without joining one. Very many Rah Rah opportunities as well. Of course, the football team is a huge draw. There is the million dollar band, and I’m sure lots of cheering opportunities if that’s what your D is interested in. Lots of other sports as well. Beautiful campus, great faculty and staff. My son really enjoyed his first year and can’t wait to get back. Message me if you have any questions. BTW, we are from Rhode Island, so we make a long drive every year.</p>
<p>Thank you Spectrum 2. I looked at some pictures of the UMiami send off and those kids looked like they were miserable, not. Lol. My final thoughts on this matter is that any of these kids are privileged to have parents that are concerned and committed to their well being and future. I am a proud member of this tread and I do applaud their members for always being so inclusive and polite when dealing with all the posts and people in CC. I,on the other hand,would say to Mr or Ms ORBCKG : HIT THE ROAD JACK. This is not the tread for you!</p>
<p>I checked with my friends S. He gets stuff all the time for activities but he doesn’t attend most of it. His parents went to a Seder this year. Very active Jewish student group.</p>
<p>Had some Israeli camp counselors staying at the house for a day off and it dawned on me to check out GAP year programs. Anyone have info, thoughts or advice? It can be Jewish or secular based, USA or overseas? I know there are programs that are state funded but haven’t begun to research them. Need to find out D interest.</p>
<p>from hillel’s website: "Israel is at the heart of Hillel’s work. Our goal is to inspire every Jewish college student to develop a meaningful and enduring relationship to Israel and to Israelis. Whether they want to engage in deep dialogue or are politically active in mobilizing others to support Israel, we enable students to share a rich connection to Israel and to each other as a people. Engaged and educated students can become committed Jewish adults who are passionate supporters of Israel. " [Hillel</a> and Israel](<a href=“http://www.hillel.org/jewish/hillel-israel]Hillel”>http://www.hillel.org/jewish/hillel-israel)</p>
<p>Therefore, if a school’s Jewish student organization does not want to be “pro-Israel” it may not affiliate with Hillel. I know this was the case at a school I visited with one of m kids. (at the time we visited that particular school, it seemed “popular” for the active Jewish students to be pro-Palestinian. I won’t mention the name of the school since it was long enough ago that I’ve been told it no longer represents what the Jewish student body there is like now)</p>
<p>Momofgrits – re gap year – if your child plans to apply to colleges and then defer attendance at chosen school for a gap year, be sure to investigate how taking the deferral/gap year will affect any financial aid awarded. I knew of a student who wouldn’t consider one school because of how the deferred year would impact future aid awards. (don’t ask me to explain details; i don’t know them - just that parents were upset because they felt the way the fin aid policy was designed discouraged taking a year’s deferral)</p>
<p>Unbelieveablem – thanks for the explanation. I really appreciate it. Not sure how I feel about a school that won’t affiliate with Hillel now. (Don’t want to make this political but I am not sure my D would feel comfortable). It seems I have some more research to do.</p>
<p>CAN’T RESIST! :)</p>
<p>ORNCKG–Based on my research, you appear to be a 22-year old who managed to obtain scholarships and graduate debt-free. Good for you! And I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that some of your good fortune and opportunity might be attributed to your parents…possibly? </p>
<p>You also appear to be a strong advocate for an experience called “Tweak3nd” which I’ve learned “chronicles the literal and metaphysical highs and lows during a drug and alcohol-fueled weekend of…privileged, disaffected, social-media and technology-obsessed cool college kids…” I’m nothing without my Urban Dictionary, and I won’t pretend to understand your agenda, since these days a “shot” is something I’m contemplating in order to avoid shingles, as opposed to a small glass filled with jello and Grey Goose. But I digress…</p>
<p>I can confidently say that most, if not all, of the parents in this forum are focused on working cooperatively with their children in order to identify a college that will be the best fit in every respect - academically, socially, culturally, and financially. Your points are well taken, but you give us far too much credit. No one is trying to “control” trajectory or otherwise. Most of us consider any given day to be successful if we leave the house with matching shoes.</p>
<p>You can sleep easier tonight knowing that we are a well-meaning and gentle group, determined to support one another in the collective journey toward finding that tricky balance between educating our children AND retiring before we’re completely reliant on walkers, social security, and assisted living.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your thoughts and best of luck to you on your personal journey…</p>
<p>Shulamit - Have been too lazy to sign back in, but voted for your S way back when you first posted the link! Good luck to him!</p>
<p>Cheermom20878- OMG LOL 
seriously if I had been drinking something it would have been all over the monitor. </p>
<p>MamaBear16 - I have to agree, if the Jewish Group won’t affiliate with Hillel and take a pro-Israel stand, I don’t think my D would be comfortable with that environment. Don’t want to get political here…but I guess that’s why we all have options!</p>
<p>LINYMOM - Can’t believe your D is a college senior, I remember your early posts. So glad that she has had such a good experience at UDEL. Good luck in launching your S! I am sure he will love Miami!</p>
<p>D2 is away for the summer and I keep thinking about colleges. I remember with D1 feeling like I must have missed a school that should be on her list. I feel that way about D2! I keep searching, but can’t find anything else to add and D2 keeps cutting her list. Or looking at it and saying, “why did I want to apply here”. Seriously? Then I remind her what she liked about the school and why it’s on the list and I get an “oh yeah”. </p>
<p>Anyway after so many campus visits, internet searches, D2 talking with friends, etc. she keeps coming back to the school in our backyard. It really does have most everything she wants and is looking for and I like the price! Feeling fairly good that she will get in.</p>
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<p>Thanks. Though the text on the website that was cited is poorly written, that is the gist of what I got from it.</p>
<p>This is certainly a partially complicated issue. And I’m all for hearing all sides and opposing views.</p>
<p>But, if I ran the Hillel organization, I can understand not wanting to be associated with any group or speaker who advocated in any way either against the existence of Israel or supported violence against Israel.</p>
<p>I was not aware of it at all and am severely disheartened to hear that this situation is going on at several campuses.</p>
<p>Part of my daughter’s excitement about a couple of the schools she has visited is the apparent activeness at the respective Hillels.</p>
<p>Is there a list online anywhere of the centrally “approved” Hillels and which ones are in hot water so to speak?</p>
<p>Pennylane – Thanks for the mention of Appalachian State—it keeps coming up in searches and I keep dismissing it for some reason. I’ll try and learn more though!</p>
<p>Shulamit - Thanks for your patience lol! I enjoyed reading and I voted for your S!</p>
<p>LINYMOM – We just had our second visit to UDel last Saturday and we LOVE pretty much everything about it, but not a safety school unfortunately. I’m guessing Cheergirl won’t be offered $$ with her current test scores (ACT: 27; SAT: Math-640, CR-580). She’ll take both again in the fall, fingers crossed. SO glad your D has had a great experience (and best of luck to your S at UMiami!)! Where has your D lived at UDel and did she join a sorority? </p>
<p>Proudmama3 - Thanks for the info on Alabama! I’m so happy for you that your S had a wonderful freshman year there! I’ve heard they can be generous with $$–I’ll check stats more closely on their website. Just added to list and brainstorming right now. Cheergirl is definitely interested in Greek life. Do you or your S happen to know if there’s a sorority chapter that’s predominantly Jewish? We’re in Montgomery County, Maryland and you’re far more northern than we are—do you, or your S, feel at all like it’s “too Southern?” Would you mind sharing where else he applied and the criteria that led him to choose ‘Bama?</p>
<p>MomofGrits – We talked with Cheergirl about a “gap year” in Israel, especially because she’s young for her grade, won’t turn 18 til December of freshman year in college, but she’s adamantly not interested. I wonder if she’ll consider it if she doesn’t get acceptances to her primary college choices…please continue to share what you learn!</p>
<p>GolfFather – A school can have a Jewish Student group (whatever it may be called) without being affiliated with the national organization Hillel. There are various reasons why a school may not be a Hillel affiliate – the Israel issue is one. Another is funding. At some schools, Chabad is a strong presence and Hillel just simply doesn’t have a foothold. </p>
<p>Hillel’s website has a college search feature: [College</a> Guide Search](<a href=“http://www.hillel.org/college-guide/search]College”>Find a Hillel - Hillel International). It indicates information about a schools Jewish community including whether they are affiliated with Hillel. (note - in the past, sometimes the data they had at the Hillel site was not always up to date for a given school, but was a good starting point to get information. it looks like they have revamped the website itself; i don’t know if that means their information is also more up to date or not – always get information directly from a school’s organization once you identify which ones you want to investigate futher). If you find a school that is not affiliated with Hillel, it is worth asking why.</p>
<p>Realize also, things can change over time. My two kids are three years apart in age. When we college visited for the older we went to the school I mentioned where there was a clear pro-Palestinian slant to the Jewish organization on campus (which refused to affiliate with Hillel because of this). By the time we visited with #2, things had changed and we were told this was no longer the case. I just checked and this school is now affiliated with Hillel.</p>
<p>Golffather- I think the Hillels that are there are OK to be there. It would be the independent Jewish groups like Macalester which choose not to affiliate with Hillel. I’m with the other posters here ( and don’t want to get political) but would think that a college that welcomes inclusiveness to all points of view would be a safer and more comfortable place for us. There’s a wide variety of student groups on every campus, and I would want one that includes Hillel. Students who disagree with them are free to not join and to join or start other groups, but I would also want a student to have the freedom to join Hillel.</p>
<p>“I won’t pretend to understand your agenda, since these days a “shot” is something I’m contemplating in order to avoid shingles, as opposed to a small glass filled with jello and Grey Goose.”</p>
<p>Sooo funny!</p>
<p>I don’t get here as often as I used to (or would like), but when I do, I LOVE it.</p>
<p>The Macalester newspaper does appear to indicate hostility to Israel.</p>
<p>[Macalester</a> students critique Birthright trip to Israel | The Mac Weekly | Macalester’s Independent Student Newspaper](<a href=“http://themacweekly.com/2012/03/macalester-students-critique-birthright-trip-to-israel/]Macalester”>Macalester students critique Birthright trip to Israel - The Mac Weekly)</p>
<p>[On</a> Israeli Apartheid Week:Gray Matters | The Mac Weekly | Macalester’s Independent Student Newspaper](<a href=“http://themacweekly.com/2012/03/on-israeli-apartheid-weekgray-matters/]On”>On Israeli Apartheid Week:Gray Matters - The Mac Weekly)</p>