<p>Thank you again for all the feedback. My daughter thinks she wants a defined campus- though since we’re just starting our visits she isn’t really sure what she wants. I put Emory and American back on the list. ( This may sound crazy- I’m just the messenger but it bothers her that American is 60 percent girls,I believe Charleston is as well-kids!) We live in Ohio so almost every school is hard to get to. ( We do have a direct flight to Atlanta, Chicago and Baltimore) She likes Ohio State a lot but it’s too close to home (about 20 minutes) and she thinks it might be too big. ( At least that’s what she thinks today!)
Will someone please explain how hard it is to “congregate” or “meet people” when there’s no defined campus. Is there a center section? This is my 2nd child so it shouldn’t be this difficult, but she doesn’t know what she wants so it’s hard for me to direct her. She wants there to be a lot to do and not TOO hard, though she told me today she may want to major in engineering. Ugh, this is making me crazy! She’s a bright girl that identifies more with her social side but still wants to be successful. We are going to U of Texas this weekend and touring Monday then next weekend U. of Delaware, Penn State and Maryland so I might have clearer picture after that. </p>
<p>What about Miami University? In state tuition, good Jewish life, and a medium sized campus. </p>
<p>Did anyone mention Muehlenberg (sp?)</p>
<p>lilly, with your daughter’s stats and coming from a more rigorous school, I would not underestimate her potential, especially since her academic interests may grow as she matures. I agree that placing her in a “nerdy” group may not be a good fit for her, but neither is putting her in a college environment where most of the students are less serious than she is. Peer influence is still important, and her fellow students can both inspire her and entice her to party-especially if she is not challenged academically.
The state schools you are considering will have a wide range of students, as well as honors colleges where there are more studious students. She could find her niche in them. I would keep Tulane and Emory on the list. Emory has a dual enrollment with Georgia Tech for engineering. Also keep UGA on the list. Your daughter may qualify for the honors program there. The ease of getting to Altanta may be a plus for these schools.</p>
<p>The feedback has been amazing. She is actually looking at Miami University but I don’t think there will be enough going on for her. Muehlenberg (sp) is too small I think. I will definitely have her look at Emory due to the feedback on this site. I’ll keep you posted. She has been to Tulane a couple of times…she’ll apply I’m sure and see what happens. The funny thing is my older daughter wants my son to go to Tulane, just not her sister. She admittedly is very jealous… I guess awareness is the first step!</p>
<p>Lilly17 - hello and welcome! You’ve gotten a lot of great suggestions - pretty much every school I was thinking of has been suggested. Did anyone suggest Pitt? Might be a little bigger than your ideal, but lots to do and great Jewish life. James Madison University in VA is also a possibility. Laidback fun vibe with some Jewish life. Of course, I second the Elon suggestion!</p>
<p>Lilly17:You mentioned a few Texas schools but I would expect the climate here wouldn’t be much cooler than Florida. Based on the weather we have been having lately you may be misled about the climate when you visit, this winter is the coldest one I can remember in years. But as is typical Texas weather it can be 70’s one day and 30’s the next, we just have had a lot more cold this winter but no telling what it will be when you are here. I think she would be a candidate for UT but they can be touchy about admissions and the lack of AP’s could be a problem although the strong ACT might counter that. It depends a lot on what major she is applying to, some are more competitive than others and engineering in general is a competitive major, but also, as you know a lot of work. If you are up for looking at the other huge Texas University, Texas A&M I can talk to you about it as this is where my son goes, he loves it and chose it over UT (but I know this is unusual.) I can tell you that while percentage-wise the Jewish population is small, since the student body is so large there are a decent number of Jewish students on campus and a beautiful new Hillel building. The following schools came to mind from what I have read and not from any real experience with them, Emory, possibly Oxford Emory, George Washington, (previously mentioned), and Oklahoma U also previously mentioned. I agree that older sister shouldn’t make her count out Tulane if this is what she wants. From my experience if kids don’t want to spend time together they can quite possibly never see each other. It isn’t like HS where they follow each other with the same teachers. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thanks again to everyone- I have added a few to her list. The one that has piqued my interest the most because so many people have mentioned it is Elon. ( Pitt. is easy to get to as well so I’m sure we’ll check it out at some point.) I still have my doubts about Emory especially after checking out Naviance but we’re going to be in Atlanta anyway so she signed up for a tour. I appreciate the help.</p>
<p>I will be touring Elon this Saturday. Will post a report soon afterward.</p>
<p>@fretfulmother, even if Chabad isn’t going to be your son’s minyan it can still be a great place to have Shabbat dinner. I know many, many egalitarian Jewish students who love going to Chabad for a homecooked dinner and a family atmosphere. </p>
<p>Yes, the Chabads associated with campuses that I have heard of seem open and accepting of all students. Although I would suggest avoiding tank tops, flip flops, shorts or short skirts, students do not have to dress according to Orthodox custom when they are there and can wear what they have. See what the other students are wearing, but it seems to me that for services,khakis/polos/button down shirts are fine for guys. The new maxi styles for women make it easy to avoid too short skirts and still be stylish. Jeans might even be OK. Chabad does offer a more family style atmosphere, with home cooked meals. </p>
<p>@SlitheyTove and @Pennylane2011 thank you! Yes, I often visited Chabad when we lived in Pasadena and there wasn’t much of a kosher scene. However, my tendency for college recommendations would be to find a place where the students are their own Jewish community, because I think it offers so much more. I really appreciated my own Hillel and the chance to create new services, argue about kiddush practices (well, not so much the arguing as the being part of it all), plan Purim readings/plays/parties, plan Shavuot learning/cheesecake, etc. My freshman year, my parents “made” me go spend Jewish holidays in the homes of nearby Orthodox friends, and it was such a breath of fresh air to start spending them on campus instead. My DS, I think, would have a hard time taking hospitality from an ultra-Orthodox group. He knows too much about, for instance, how they treat Women of the Wall, and issues of Jewish marriage/divorce in Israel, and I don’t think he would be comfortable. The only way to convince him to attend a Chabad dinner would be, and this could definitely be the case 
the presence of Ms. Right candidates in their Ortho-approved-but-not-always-worn maxi-dresses, provided that these Ms. Right candidates were egalitarian in mindset…</p>
<p>I think the colleges that would provide Kosher food/daily minion and that also have a wide range of students who might make use of them would be colleges with larger Jewish populations. I am thinking colleges like University of Maryland, Brandeis, University of Michigan, U Florida, Indiana- there are surely more- that would have a larger group of students like your DS. State schools in areas that have larger Jewish populations could offer more options than colleges in areas that have smaller populations. </p>
<p>Yes, UMD and UMI are on our list, for sure! Apparently Brandeis has really scaled back its merit aid and it is super costly, so I’m not sure it would be good for us.</p>
<p>I agree with Pennylane about looking for schools with absolutely large numbers of Jews since the number of practicing Jews who are observant enough to do minyan every day is extremely small (even at Emory, I’d never heard of the practice although it was probably out there). Here are some other suggestions.
-Michigan State
-Ohio State
-SUNY Buffalo
-Rutgers
-Binghamton
-New York University (some NYU Jews came down to my school a few weeks ago and quite a few of them were modern Orthodox)</p>
<h2>-Syracuse</h2>
<p>Thanks, @whenhen! BTW is your avatar meant to be extra funny b/c of being “OU” like the kosher symbol? You mentioned Emory in passing - what’s Jewish life like, there? I have two cousins on opposite sides who are both going there this fall. They’re not too observant, but I’m curious what the Hillel is like?</p>
<p>Since I have gotten so much help from everyone, I had to put in my 2 cents worth about Ohio State. I can’t speak for the Chabads in other areas, but I can tell you the Chabad in Columbus Ohio is amazing. I have been involved with it for years and we are conservative.They make you feel good about what you do instead of bad about what you don’t do. They are open and accepting and the kids wear whatever they want.The Hillel is very good as well. Now, to put a plug in for Ohio State, it is really worth checking out! It would be the perfect fit for my kids accept we are 20 minutes away and my kids need get away. O.S.U has the MOST school spirit, the football games are AMAZING. Academically it has improved so much, its reputation has not caught up to it yet. It’s rated 51 in USNWR, the average ACT is a 28 and the average GPA is a 3.7. The Greek system is thriving and there are a lot of Jewish kids. The campus offers a lot with a vibrant social scene on high street and a nice shopping area in the Short North area, about 5 minutes away. Columbus has great shopping areas (Polaris and Easton) and a great zoo. O.S.U has and honors and scholars programs as well as high ranked programs. The people here are extremely nice and down to earth. I have repeatedly heard that O.S.U is very similar to U of Texas, I’ll find out after this weekend! Admittedly, we do NOT have good weather but it’s not as bad as the east coast either. </p>
<p>oops- I don’t know how to edit- it’s rated 52 not 51-typo AND I forgot to mention how amazing the workout facility is. </p>
<p>@fretfulmother, have you looked at the Reform Judaism magazine college issue? <a href=“http://reformjudaismmag.org/fall_2013/college/”>http://reformjudaismmag.org/fall_2013/college/</a> Lists of the schools with the largest number of Jewish students, largest percentage of Jewish students, and other schools that are “small and mighty”. Even looking at the ads is helpful–tells you what schools are looking to target Jewish students. Maybe more useful than looking at what schools support a daily minyan if the big priority is the dating pool (-:</p>
<p>And one cautionary tale: one of D1’s criteria was a school with a big Jewish population. She’s at Tufts, which certainly qualifies. Beautiful well-funded active Hillel. Yet she’s really never meshed with the students who show up at Hillel events. No way she/we could’ve predicted that in advance. </p>
<p>Thanks, those are all great points!! :)</p>