<p>Rockville Mom: Thank you for letting us know your impressions of Towson. I am curious what you think about Towson compared to the other schools you are visiting. Did you go to Muhlenberg yet?</p>
<p>I think you are doing an intelligent and careful analysis of the various factors for the right decision.</p>
<p>It is great that your son is diligent about studying for the ACT. I hope he gets a high score with a merit scholarship.</p>
<p>Hi - current plan is Towson soon, Susquehanna in early Sept., Muhlenberg in October and Elon in early November - and I will post each time. College of Charleston in April - and then we have to decide if Florida is on or off the list - might do Florida in June. I’d like to see James Madison again in the spring - if S2 is still very interested in it - so that we can see it again when classes are in session and meet with people from the business dept. and Hillel.</p>
<p>ACT - he is still practicing - although I think he has hit a bit of a plateau. Scoring 28 - 32 on math and science - a very consistent 27 in English - the reading section is the trouble spot. Reading has been between 21 and 26. Many times he cannot finish the section. I think he’s just not a fast enough reader at this point. So, I’m thinking he’ll take it as planned in Sept. and see how it comes out. If the reading section is low, I’m thinking maybe trying to find a tutor just for the reading section? My feeling is he would benefit from some tutoring in reading in general - to help him with his speed, and his reading comprehension/retention. Anyone have thoughts on this? I’m not quite sure how to go about it. My feeling is that if reading is his weak spot now - it will continue to hinder him during the rest of high school and on into college. I have not mentioned this concern to him yet - I’m just thinking aloud here.</p>
<p>I would like to add that Hillel is a wonderful and important organization, but is not the only way for Jewish students to become Jewishly engaged in college. There are also opportunities with Jewish fraternities and sororities, local synagogues, local community centers which may include sports leagues, Chabad, Va’ad, ZOA or J street for the politically inclined, Jewish studies and Hebrew classes, chavurim, and more things that I am not thinking of right now. Some larger and well-staffed Hillels may coordinate or connect students to these other activities, but some smaller ones may not. But I think that if students find a disconnect with the college Hillel, for example in the level of observance or in some other way, or if you are finding that the Hillel does not pass your initial “screening test”, it is helpful to be aware of these other opportunities that may exist at a college or in a local community.</p>
<p>levirm - I have been particularly intrigued by the schools that offer a Jewish Studies minor. I don’t necessarily expect S2 to complete the minor - but I would be thrilled if he took a few courses that interested him. Like many Jewish kids, he disliked Hebrew School. But I know he is interested in Jewish history and the Holocaust - so hoping he has a chance to take some courses of that type wherever he goes to school. I noticed that Susquehanna has a Jewish Cuisine course - now that sounds like fun!</p>
<p>[Susquehanna</a> University - Jewish Studies: Courses](<a href=“http://www.susqu.edu/academics/9121.asp]Susquehanna”>http://www.susqu.edu/academics/9121.asp)</p>
<p>And here’s Delaware’s program:
<a href=“Jewish Studies”>Jewish Studies;
<p>And College of Charleston:
<a href=“http://spinner.cofc.edu/~jwst/pages/minor.html[/url]”>http://spinner.cofc.edu/~jwst/pages/minor.html</a></p>
<p>My middle son is a rising senior at the University of Denver…a very good school for Jewish B students (the school is about 25% Jewish), which is what he was in high school. He discovered last year that he needed only one more class to complete a minor in Jewish studies, so he will be taking that class this fall quarter. Taking Hebrew or a Jewish studies class (which will often fill various distribution requirements) is a really good way of meeting other Jewish students.</p>
<p>rvm: D is going for the Jewish studies minor at UDel. Will keep you posted.</p>
<p>Rockville Mom and concerns about study for the ACT: I think the reading section is based upon vocabulary. The only way to really improve the reading section is to read a lot. It is really difficult to study for. Therefore, I think the best way to increase the ACT (and SAT) scores is to do repeated math problems and aim for a very high math score. There are ACT on-line study books. I would focus on doing 30 minutes a day of math problems so that your son knows how to do the math. I would not stress about the reading section because it is really more related to reading large numbers of books to increase vocabulary and reading comprehension. It is just easier to prepare for the Math than for the Reading parts. Feel free to ask your GC at school, and perhaps pose your question on the SAT/ACT forum. Hope this helps. Please do not stress yourself or your son about all this ACT study. It sounds like he is doing a great job and working as hard as he can.</p>
<p>mdcissp - I did look over the ACT section of CC - and the most frequent advice given was to do exactly what he is doing - taking multiple practice tests and then reviewing the wrong answers. I agree that hopefully if he can hit a 30 and above on both math and science - this will offset a lower reading score. I’m also trying to remember that this is only the beginning of junior year for him - so if he ends up with a lower score than we would like - plenty of time to take it again in the spring and next fall. I’m just a little concerned that his weakest section is reading - as reading skills are crucial for success in school. </p>
<p>I love looking at the courses for the Jewish studies minor - this is something I would like to do! I agree that it would be wonderful to use such courses to fill distribution requirements; to meet other Jewish students and to foster a love of Judaism.</p>
<p>You might want to request getting on the e-mail list for Hillels at colleges that interest your s/d. That way, you can see, at at least a marketing level, the activity of the campus’ organization. </p>
<p>I’m on the parent listserv for my s’s college and the Hillel regularly sends e-mails (like 2 to 3 times a week sometimes) about events/programs/volunteer opps. These e-mails go to all parents, not just those interested in Hillel or who are Jewish. We also get the notices from other organizations/departments on campus. Interestingly, I think Hillel is the only religious group that sends its e-mail notices to listserv parents.</p>
<p>Rockvillemom,
I agree with MDCISSP that the best way to improve standardized test reading scores is to read a lot. You son seems pretty cooperative and motivated, so you might want to try to get him to read for pleasure this summer. I suggest taking him to Barnes and Noble or Borders and letting him pick out some adult books that interest him. If he likes sports, there are lots of sports books that he might like. Reading magazines and the newspaper might help also.</p>
<p>I also think you are very smart to have him do test prep this summer and start his testing early Junior year. My daughter took an SAT prep course last winter, and her first SAT in March. Her scores were okay, but not great. She then preped on her own for the ACT and took it in April and June, with better results. Unfortunately, we spent Spring Break visiting safety schools that she doesn’t need to apply to now.</p>
<p>Just returned from our Towson visit - we decided to tour the campus and the surrounding area on our own. The area around the university is very nice - suburban with plenty of shops and restaurants. York Road is the main street in front of the university and if you follow it towards the beltway there are restaurants, a movie theatre and a mall with stores like Macys. </p>
<p>The campus itself was quite nice - more so than I expected for a public university with many commuters. The campus is actually fairly compact - the library, academic buildings, most dorms, university union and Burdick Hall(recreation facility) are all in close proximity. There is a huge new College of Liberal Arts building that is nearly complete. The Arts Center is also very close to this area.</p>
<p>On the other side of Osler Drive is the West Village area of campus which contains dorms and the football stadium is also in this area. I understand there is a shuttle bus - but it really is not very far from one end of campus to the other. If memory serves me correctly, James Madison was much more spread out and more of a hike.</p>
<p>The only drawback I could readily see is the parking issue. With so many commuting students - it was easy to see how parking could be an issue. There were at least 3 large parking garages - with a 4th one under construction in the west village area. No such thing as an open parking lot - attendant booths everywhere and lots of signs about this lot requires this permit, and so forth. My understanding from the website is that 4500 students live on campus right now - and with dorms under construction - clearly they anticipate that number growing. But I don’t anticipate S2 having a car there - so it really should not be much of an issue for him.</p>
<p>So, overall we liked what we saw as far as the physical appearance/layout of the campus and the options available around the campus for things to do. I know we all have questions about the quality of the academics at Towson - and nothing we did today was designed to address that issue - but we are keeping Towson on the list as S2’s primary safety school for now. The school has a significant Jewish population and an active Hillel, and it has a wide range of majors, and I have to believe S2 would be admitted pretty readily - so it was a worthwhile trip.</p>
<p>Congrats on a good trip–is there an advantage to a MD resident of JMU over Towson?</p>
<p>Rockvillemom,
I’m glad you had a good visit. My daughter will probably apply to Towson as a safety also, although she’d prefer to get out of Maryland. The do have rolling admissions, which will help releave stress this fall.</p>
<p>yabeyabe - I think at this point S2 would apply to both Towson and JMU. I like that Towson is rolling - hopefully he’d have an acceptance in October. JMU does not release EA decisions until January, I believe. Financially - it’s about $18,000 for Towson for in-state vs. about $26,000 for OOS at JMU. And Towson has more Jewish students. However, JMU has a much higher retention rate and graduation rate and always seems to come out at the top of those rankings for “happy students”. I think life at JMU is more campus-oriented - even for those that live off-campus - while Towson has a much higher percentage of commuter students who may not be involved in campus activities beyond taking classes. Finally, my perception is that the quality of academics is better at JMU - don’t know how to quantify that - or how to prove or disprove it - that’s just my sense of things. </p>
<p>I think that we are comfortable enough with Towson that I am not going to worry as much about having more schools at that level. I don’t see the point of continuing to investigate University of Tampa - for example - when we have Towson an hour away. Not sure about keeping York College on the list either - with only about 100 Jewish students. I want to investigate the academics at Towson further - but it seems like it would be the most sensible choice for an academic and financial safety school.</p>
<p>rockvillemom, on the ACT prep, the one thing that has helped my daughter’s scores in practice has been to slow down and read the question carefully. The second thing has been not to second guess herself. Those can be practiced, though reading skill itself is harder to practice in a short period.</p>
<p>We’re starting our visits tomorrow (other than New College of Florida, Hamilton, and Amherst). The thing that worries me a little is that the school that ShawD likes on paper and at which she’s going to attend a short summer science program is a school that really mentors the students who show promise (intellect, enthusiasm and hard work) in science, at least, and guides them. The faculty help them participate in research, become authors of journal articles, and then apply for fellowships (the most Rhodes per capita) and grad school. Supportive, warm, friendly, and proactively helpful. Perfect for her. The downside, a small Jewish population and no dance classes.</p>
<p>Rockville Mom: Keep in mind, from your descriptions, that it might be easier to get into the Business school at Towson than at JMU. I am curious to hear what you think upon closer examination of the Business school is like at both Towson vs. JMU. </p>
<p>Towson Parking: This is a concern. However, Towson has a shuttle to the Amtrak station which makes it easier to come home if he wants. </p>
<p>Towson Dorm: If you explore the dorms, let me know. </p>
<p>Are you going to explore Hillel at the upcoming Hillel welcome activities?</p>
<p>I think Towson is much more convenient than JMU. I agree that Towson should be on your safety list. My son is applying to Towson.</p>
<p>Rockville Mom: Did you like Towson better than any of your other possibilities such as U. of Delaware?</p>
<p>It was my D’s safety and she got her acceptance in mid-January. Better than waiting till April!</p>
<p>I am quite positive Towson is much easier to get into. The GPA requirement is lower - I think it is a 2.0 - and there is no set number of slots. JMU is a 2.75 and there are only 750 slots - so if you are not in the top 750 applicants - you do not get in for that semester - although you can try again for the following semester. However, I think most people would rank JMU> Towson in terms of prestige and quality.</p>
<p>At this point - I see Towson as a safety. I would far prefer to see S2 at Elon or Muhlenberg, etc. But - I like the fact that we have a safety school that we are all ok with. My goal is to visit both JMU and Towson again in the spring - maybe attend an open house - and learn more.</p>
<p>shawbridge - it’s frustrating, isn’t it? You find a school that has most everything - but then it is missing 1 or 2 key components. I know nothing about dance - but for the Jewish piece - do you have any idea of how many Jewish students attend the school? Do you want to name it - I’m thinking that people reading this thread might be able to give you anecdotal info about Jewish life at this particular college - good or bad. Does it have a Hillel? If it does - I would certainly speak with the faculty advisor and/or the Hillel president to gain insight. That’s what I did when S1 chose Wake Forest - speaking with Hillel members and meeting one in person helped us reach a comfort level with this university - which does have relatively few Jewish students.</p>