<p>^ I assume their endowment is large enough to handle it.</p>
<p>We really like University of Tulsa. There’s a hillel, according to this: [University</a> of Tulsa - Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life](<a href=“http://www.hillel.org/HillelApps/JLOC/Campus.aspx?AgencyId=17939]University”>http://www.hillel.org/HillelApps/JLOC/Campus.aspx?AgencyId=17939)</p>
<p>According to the Common Data Set language, if aid replaces any portion of the Expected Family Contribution, then by definition it isn’t need-based. See the CDS, section H2(i)), which refers to the calculation of need-based aid:
“Exclude any aid that was awarded in excess of need as well as any resources that were awarded to replace EFC”</p>
<p>Of course a private school like Vanderbilt can award any amount of aid to anyone and call it whatever they like. It should be big news if they are handing out as much as $40K/year in need based aid to more than a few isolated families making over $300K. Harvard created a stir in recent years by granting need based aid to families making as much as $180K. The Harvard ceiling this year is down to $150K; grants to families at that income level typically are only up to 10% of income (though in some cases families with even higher income do get need based aid).</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Financial Aid: FAQs](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/financial_aid/faq.html]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/financial_aid/faq.html)</p>
<p>^ All I can tell you is that is what Vandy did for my sister’s stepson and that they knew prior to him applying that Vandy was actively recruiting Jewish kids - especially from the NE. Vandy took 15 kids his year from his school (Scarsdale High )</p>
<p>I don’t know what they called it at Vandy. At my son’s school, which gives no merit aid at all, his is called ‘School Name’ Scholarship.</p>
<p>I must’ve cross-posted with tk21769 this morning. I had no idea Reed had a linguistics dept–thanks for that (not sure that either the Latin or the computer science offerings are deep enough–they send the comp science kids off to UWashington, but at least it’s an option). Doubt the culture will be a fit–he hardly seems a Reedie.</p>
<p>And I agree that historical linguistics is the long-pole in the tent, which is why I posted for recommendations other than SLACs. Though Middlebury’s classics department looks surprisingly deep, and they seem to have an interdisciplinary linguistics program too, so that might make the list.</p>
<p>U of Chicago, at least in its earlier incarnation, would be a natural, were it not smack in the center of the city. DS is not an urban kid.</p>
<p>Computer science is coming back to Tulane.</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to the Tulane Computer Science Program](<a href=“http://www.cs.tulane.edu/Tulane_Computer_Science/Tulane_Computer_Science.html]Welcome”>http://www.cs.tulane.edu/Tulane_Computer_Science/Tulane_Computer_Science.html)</p>
<p>I don’t know what Vandy is up to now, but in 2007 they came to our NY suburban high school and were quite explicit that they wanted more religious diversity. </p>
<p>Glad to hear comp sci is back at Tulane!</p>
<p>It’s clear that Vanderbilt has been seeking not just more religious diversity, but more Jewish students in particular. Vanderbilt hasn’t been the only southern college to do so in recent years.</p>
<p>[Vanderbilt</a> U. Woos Jewish Students - Beliefnet.com](<a href=“Vanderbilt U. Woos Jewish Students - Beliefnet”>Vanderbilt U. Woos Jewish Students - Beliefnet)
[Explaining</a> the Boom - Campus - New Voices](<a href=“Campus & Community Archives | New Voices”>http://www.newvoices.org/campus?id=0003)
[Why</a> More Colleges Want Jewish Students | Inside Higher Ed](<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/10/29/jewish]Why”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/10/29/jewish)</p>
<p>What’s not so clear to me is how Vanderbilt might be using money as part of this effort. Are they really showering “need based” aid, in amounts as high as $40K, on families making as much as $300K/year, just for being Jewish? Or is some other factor involved? In other words, can any well-qualified Jewish applicant realistically expect to get the same benefit regardless of family income? Or is emilybee’s step-nephew just an isolated, one-off case?</p>
<p>The one parallel I can think of is to international students at small LACs. Average aid to internationals at Amherst exceeds $40K; in 2010-11 it went to 146 students (which is almost all internationals on campus). Aid to internationals is characterized in the CDS only as “institutional financial aid” (not broken down into need-based v. non-need-based). I suppose it’s possible that Vanderbilt is enticing significant numbers of Jewish applicants with similar non-need, non-merit incentives in similarly high amounts.</p>
<p>tk21769, I PM’d you but your box is full!</p>
<p>^ Sorry about that. I’ve made a little space in my box now.</p>
<p>Computer science is being reintegrated into the Tulane curriculum so don’t rule it out because of that. The major should be back available in the 2014-5 academic year, with classes currently available in the school of Science and Engineering. [Welcome</a> to the Tulane Computer Science Program](<a href=“http://www.cs.tulane.edu/Tulane_Computer_Science/Tulane_Computer_Science.html]Welcome”>http://www.cs.tulane.edu/Tulane_Computer_Science/Tulane_Computer_Science.html). </p>
<p>(oops- idad beat me to it) </p>
<p>Your s should consider being a little more open-minded about the “south”. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Rice. Great, GREAT school.</p>
<p>TUfts, CMU, Geneseo, Brandies, Rochester, Holy Cross…all on my D’s original list for Classics at mid-size Lacs. Best classics program in this grouping is Holy Cross, IMHO.</p>
<p>You might consider some SLACs that aren’t to rural (Haverford, Wesleyan).</p>
<p>After Brandeis, Rice may be the smallest university with robust coverage of Linguisitics, Classics, and CS. It’s a little less selective than the Ivies. Along with Vanderbilt and WUSTL, it is one of the most generous with merit aid among the top 20 national universities.</p>
<p>One possibly not-so-good sign is that Rice does not have its own, autonomous Hillel. Rice Hillel is part of Houston Hillel, which also serves Baylor and the University of Houston.</p>
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</p>
<p>Just from browsing through the Linguistics course offerings and faculty profiles, it appears to me that Brandeis and Rice have two distinct orientations. Brandeis seems to have a strong Computational Linguistics orientation. Rice seems to focus more on language typology and description. If Sop14 Son truly is interested in Historical Linguistics, then Rice’s department may be closer to what he wants.</p>
<p>“What’s not so clear to me is how Vanderbilt might be using money as part of this effort. Are they really showering “need based” aid, in amounts as high as $40K, on families making as much as $300K/year, just for being Jewish? Or is some other factor involved? In other words, can any well-qualified Jewish applicant realistically expect to get the same benefit regardless of family income? Or is emilybee’s step-nephew just an isolated, one-off case?”</p>
<p>Tell me - what would you do if you were charged with recruiting a large number of very bright Jewish students (students who could go almost any school they wanted to and where there is already a significant Jewish population) - to attend a school in Nashville, Tennessee? </p>
<p>Personally, I don’t think just building a Hillel Center is going to be a big motivator.</p>
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<p>I’m taking Latin at Reed and it’s seriously amazing. The Classics department here is very, very strong.</p>
<p>Vandy actively increased its Jewish population probably 5-8 years ago. I think the Jewish population has probably stabilized. Not sure its still an active goal like it was back then.</p>
<p>[Classics</a> || About || Bucknell University](<a href=“http://bucknell.edu/x63098.xml]Classics”>http://bucknell.edu/x63098.xml) Bucknell University ¶ 3,500 students.</p>