It's seminary application time, so…

I’m not sure whether you would consider a non-Chareidi place, but I cannot say enough good things about Migdal Oz, a beautiful seminary located in Gush Etzion. It is a relatively large place that attracts very intelligent and inspired, motivated girls, mostly from dati le’umi backgrounds, but not exclusively. I have not seen another seminary with as strong a faculty as this place. They are given three meals a day there, which is something that not all seminaries can claim. Moreover, they are located outside of Yerushalayim, which provides students with an ability to focus on their studies. The majority of the girls are Israeli, though there is a sizable group of Americans and other foreign students. If you are interested I can tell you more about this place. As someone who learned in yeshiva for many years, and as a father, it is a very inspiring place to which I would love to send my daughter one day. I think they have a website with information about the place, and maybe also a short video.

I went to Migdal Oz a few years ago! It really is a wonderful place, one of a kind. The Beit Midrash is beautiful, and it overlooks Gush Etzion. Migdal Oz offers a very high level of learning, and spending a year there is a truly humbling experience. The head of Migdal Oz is Esti Rosenberg, Rav Lichtenstein’s daughter. She is an exceptional role model for frum women. The Israelis there are very nice, and I always had someplace to go to for Shabbos 🙂

Sorry!! Didn’t mean to steer this thread in the wrong direction. The only thing I can say is that from what you wrote, it sounds like your daughter will thrive in whichever seminary she ends up. May she have much bracha wherever she chooses to study.

That said, I hope lots more people post information about those four places. Good luck!!

When is the application deadline this year?

I just went through this last year so if you have specific questions I will be happy to let you know what I found out.

Just trying to help what’s the bad attitude for? I’m grateful to be a mother. What does my name have to do with the seminary question?

I’m guessing that her daughter was the applicant in question…

Those are great questions.I feel that Binas Bais Yaakov and Bnos Sara tend to have very similar girls. Smart, fun, academically strong. Bnos Sara is probably a little more inside learning. That’s not to say Binas is not, they are very focused on inside learning ,but they do have a strong hashkafa program as well. Most girls who apply to Bnos Sara also apply to BJJ. Binas has many girls who applied to BJJ as well ,but a lot of them also applied to nachlas, and a bunch to Bnos Sara. So you’re looking in the right group from what I understand of your daughter.

Machon Raaya is probably the most academic of all the schools. The girls seem like they are always working, yet they do seem happy. I think the difference is that the girls in Machon Raaya may come from homes where they have a little more leeway than a typical yeshivish family ,but they are all growing wonderful girls.

Mesoras Rochel is a great academic seminary. The diffence with this one is that the girls seem to be the class leader types and come from yeshivish families.

I think the seminaries are all trying to have a closer relationship with their students now. Most do a pretty good job. I would say each of the ones you have mentioned accomplish that quite well.

What did you mean by how does the warmth manifest itself? Hope this helped.

Go to Peninim if you want to tour all over Israel and want to learn half day and learn how to do sheitels and cut hair.

All I can say about Bnos Sara is that when I was a madricha on Neve campus, all the girls came over to me and said “if that (pointing to a Bnos Sara girl) is what being religious means and that how is how they act then I want to become religious”….nuff said

Ive heard Binas beis Yaakov is an upcoming BJJ/mesoras rochel, is that true???

I went to Machon Raaya recently. It seems that I looked into similar seminaries as the girl that you are describing is. I am also from out-of-own and (I hope!) fairly shtark, and quite wacky!

My favorite thing about Machon Raaya was its excellent teachers. I really enjoyed the classes. I found them to be very intellectually stimulating, very textually based, and inspiring without being fluffy. They do have a uniquely open-minded staff. We had one teacher who only teaches in Michlala and Machon Raaya because he does believe in many of the other BY seminaries hashkafa. I would say that many of our teachers were atypical and discussed things that they would not discuss in other BY seminaries they teach in (although I can’t say that for sure). The principal, Mrs. Rosenbloom really appreciates smart out-of-towners who can think for themselves. Both in class and out-of-class were full of atypical debates and hashkafic discussions which usually involved girls pulling out sefarim from the library shelves.

The teachers in Machon Raaya will not chase you. If you want to have a relationship with them, you have to work for it. You also do have the option to become close with the hanhala. Many took these opportunities, many did not. There are some teachers that everyone gravitates to and become close with and there are those that are harder to reach. But, you do have the ability. I know girls who talk to teachers and aim bayits still. Personally, I have not, but iy”H when life’s exciting things happen/ I get engaged, I will feel comfortable calling them. On a similar note, if I have difficulty with something, I would feel comfortable calling a couple of them. I did go to many of my teachers and my principal for Shabbos- and felt very comfortable doing that. It really depends on your daughters personality.

They do attract a wide range of girls- at least my year. I had a group of friends who are super shtark, committed girls who definitely left more shtark than they came in. And, I would say that their development and commitments were real. Both among ourselves and with teachers we would discuss and debate. In general, they were more yeshivish than their families. There was also a large group who were less into growing the same way- though they also grew. This year, there are 100 kids- more than half are from very in-town communities. Some of those girls are really shtark, most considered themselves sooo atypical, but to me they seemed like pretty typical Brooklyners. I am an out-of-towner after all! All are smart and worker hard. A good way to find out what kind of girls go, are to find out what the other schools they applied to were. My friends also applied to Bnos Sarah, BJJ, Mesores Rochel, and Michlala. Other places girls applied to were Nachlas, Meohr, Seminar, Bnos Chava, Binas, etc.

And, I cannot forget the location. Being in Geulah was amazing. We were enough out of it that I did not feel claustrophobic, but three minutes away was a fascinating neighborhood. I loved walking the back streets of Meah Shearim, and the Old City is less than half an hour walk. Protests weekly, controversial signs, great Shabbos gifts, dynamic neighbors, unusual places to daven- truly a remarkable location.

At both schools, she will have to work hard. Make sure that her skills are up to par, though if she needs help, I know that Mahcon Raaya will help her.

Binas is academic, but it is known to be more hashkafic than textual. It may be more fluffy- though that may speak to her. She will probably not get the same rigorous acadmics and the girls that come along with that. It also is more yeshivish. I do not know so many girls who went there.

Mesores Rochel is known for its rigorous academics. It is also very in-towny. I doubt that there will not be many out-of-the box thinkers. I do not know much it about it, though.

I did not feel like I was doing busy-work generally. If there was some, it was minimal. Yes, the classes were very textual, but they had a lot of solid machshava. Machon Raaya does not believe in forcing ideas on you- they do not have a “type” that they want the girls to come out as. They truly believe in individuality. For example, never did a teacher say that our husbands must learn in Kollel forever, rather we often discussed the value of Torah and the ways to have it permeate our lives. Machon Raaya has a very good balance of text based learning and machshava. Also, they have an elective system, so while girls have to take all of the morning classes, they do not have to take all of the afternoon ones, rather they set their own schedule. Besides for the freedom that it offers, it also means that a girl can take the classes she connect with.

If your daughter goes to Machon Raaya, she will probably find a group like her and have passionate, intense conversations (that is what we did in Machon Raaya!) and a lot of fun, crazy, shtark out-of-towners – though these girls will probably not be the majority of the seminary. She will have a great group of diverse teachers and she will learn a lot-both inside the sefer and out.

I hope this helped and Hatzlacha!

“[Bnos Sarah] is really hard to get into – you can really only get in with push. So if you want her in, prepare to have many phone calls made.”

Speaking from personal experience, this is not true. If you deserve to be in Bnos Sarah, you will get in without making a single phone call. It could be that some people use protektzia, but that’s true for every seminary. Most girls get into Bnos Sarah on their own merit.

I’m in Machon Raaya this year. I came home for my brothers wedding and I remember when I was the one anxiously asking for information on here:) So basically if you have any specific questions about this years crowd then i can tell you. It’s quite bigger then last year even though it was not anticipated. It did become slightly different then years before, and it depends what your daughter wants. Machon Raaya is definitely a superb seminary for someone who belongs there. I can’t quite get a complete picture of how open your daughter is from your description but let me say this. The work is very interesting – not busy work but work that you need to use your head. A lot of hachana, deciphering meforshim, and challenging reports. The electives are brilliant and the way that girls can arrange their schedule is amazing. Mrs. Rosenblum is probably one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. She cares about each girl in a way that I have never seen and she will go to any length to make a girl happy.

The girls are all extremely impressive. They are smart, poised and confident but this year there are a nice amount of trendy/popular and partyish girls. They are all nice people but it might be a little less warm and friendly this year because of the amount of girls. It is not a yeshivish crowd but the girls are extremely solid. The girls are extremely open and there is no pressure to be something you are not which is beautiful. There are some seriously incredible girls there as far as middos and desire to grow. The girls are also mostly extremely out of the box. They love having a good time and although it is an academic seminary it is not a pressured environment. If your daughter is open then she will 100% find her crowd. But since its bigger it might take a little longer then it wold have in the past. If you have any specific questions about MR this year I would be happy to try to answer for you.

That’s true of any seminary-more good girls apply than can be accepted. I was responding to the person who said that you can only get into Bnos Sarah if you use protektzia, and that’s not true. Does everyone who “deserves” to be in Bnos Sarah get in? That’s debatable. But most of the girls who do get into Bnos Sarah get in on their own merit. That’s all I meant.

BJJ: (very big – 160,170 girls)Extremely academic. Very intellectual but their focus in not specifically on self taught learning. They like lectures but the lectures are supposed to be amazing. Quite a bit memorizing but supposed to be beautiful lessons. The common denominator is that the girls are all smart. There are girls from all backgrounds. They are all studious and conscientious and take their work seriously. But you will have girls who decided between BJJ and Michlalah but also girls who come from extremely frum and yeshivish houses. They have everything there. If your smart and enjoy brilliant lectures you can probably fit in there. Work is extremely hard though. A lot of hachana and busy work.

potpie: Understood- the way that was said is just a bit simplistic.

BJJ very large compared to most seminaries. the teachers are older and many find it hard to relate to them but still benefit from just being in their presence. there is a very wide range of girls there. they come from all different schools and backrounds but all have the same thing in common- theyre solid good girls who want to keep becoming better. there is a lot of work in Bjj but the reports have not change since BJJ first opened so anyone that went there can tell you how to do them. Bjj’s teachers design their tests so no girl should get an incredibly high mark. an 80% is considered amazing.. because they teach on a very high level. it is a great hashpaah to be in. the teachers may not seem so special until the middle of the year because they aren’t very relatable, but then youll start to gain when you realize how much just being around them changes you. the girls there gain a lot from being with the other girls. they are all in the same place striving for the same thing and that brings them together.