Hey again! Im so happy to help you out – and yeah if we both end up there Ill make an announcement: “Attention shmeichel67!” and everyone will think I fell off the moon and itll be awesome…
But anyway back to your question. Yeah so Im not applying to Bnos Sara because its probably too yeshivish for me, but I have a friend whos applying to Bnos Sara and Machon Raya. So heres what I think. The seminaries are similar in that they are both small, academic, and very nice, mature kids. Machon Raya is just a more open minded version of Bnos Sara. My two friends who are applying to Bnos Sara are both more yeshivish then me but they are also super nice and mature. So there are comparisons between them as far as learning and the out of town atmosphere but theres probably gonna be a more chilled, open environment in Machon Raya as far as what the girls are exposed to. Dont get me wrong. All the girls in Machon Raya are great girls, not rebellious or anything. But they dont necessarily come from houses where they were extremely sheltered. Im very much that way. Bnos Sara probably a bit more in the box. So yea – if Bnos Sara is not for you that does not mean at all that Machon Raya isnt. Somebody once told me that the gils in Bnos Sara want to be ‘sincere Aishes Chayils’…I think thats really admirable but its so not me. So I think Bnos Sara is definitely more aidel maidel and airy fairy while the girls in Machon Raya are just growing inside and not really talking about it or acting all ‘head in the clouds’. They are really very down to earth!
As for rules. Im definitely looking for a place where they run on trust. The mechaneches said at the open house that they choose girls that they can trust and they treat the girls like the adults that they are and are turning into. Like other seminaries have rules about not wearing your hair down or stuff like that – totally not in Machon Raya. They have their dress code – button down and pleated like everywhere else but its supposed to be really chilled. Theyre curfew is 10:30 I think and they have courtyard curfew at 11:30. But besides for that they didnt mention any rules. They said they advise the girls on where not to go etc but they really trust them.
Any more questions Id be glad to answer! May I ask where else you are thinking of applying? Because Im going slightly crazy. I dont want to go anywhere else but Machon Raaya! So if I dont get in (Chas Vashalom! haha) Im really up the creek.