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Hey everyone!
As you all know, it’s starting to be seminary sign up time. I’ve been her for quite a few years so I believe I’m entitled to one seminary thread, no?
Anyway, it’s my turn to go to seminary. There literally hundreds of them. If asnyone has any ideas here is what I’m looking for:
– Not huge but not teeny. Meaning 20-120 girls.
– Not academic. A school that doesn’t take grades seriously, but learning and classes are taken seriously. Meaning less classes, little to no tests, but very good classes, and whatever classes they do have- they are very makpid that you don’t miss it and have amazing teachers.
– I’m open to any type, but I really hope not all the girls are from NY. (NYers are amazing, but in like the right ammount 😉 I want a MIX
– Warm teachers. Smaller classes, teachers that get close to students and go to them for shabbos and have DMC’s and stuff.
– I’m looking for a school more to the right. Like girls can have a laptop but have to wear socks that meet the skirt so you don’t actually see anything. But I want the girls to be a mix.
– Good strong hashkofos
I was told about 2 seminaries I really want to sign up for already-
Chedvas and Tomer Devorah. That sounds like my type. But I want to know if anyone knows of any more ideas for me.
Thanks!
Are you currently in school? Why then are you online? In any case, my advice is to discuss this with your mechaneches. She may have some valuable insights into which seminary is best for you. Hatzlacha.
She’s in Eretz Yisroel.
Why not Hadar?
Why not Hadar?
Because it’s a seminary.
The 2 seminaries that you said are extremely different. I have never seen them be put together. But i say a big factor you need to decide on is if you want to go to a Bais Yaakov or not. Also keep in mind when you say not academic a lot of times that means the girls are not as serious about learning in general, since those girls are attracted to lenient school types.
What about Midreshet Tehilla? Seems to fit a lot of what you’re looking for…
Hadar is a very chareidi seminary. Been around a long time and generally attracts a yeshivish crowd. Doesn’t sound like the place for you from what it sounds. There are always new seminaries and I guess you will have to dig, but from what i remember when my daughters went through this, the frummer ones won’t allow regular access to the Internet. Why do you really want to go to seminary?
Tomer Devorah is probably too modern for you.
You want to go to sleep away camp for a year? You don’t want seminary. Former Devora is a MO institution. Sem should be an intense powerful learning experience for growth and change (@20k it better be powerful
Come to a seminary in America. Beis yaakov half day.
And the other half, join Israel’s international Sheirut Leumi program.
I am not a big fan of seminary. Basically most seem to be geared to those who want to go into chinuch. Otherwise, I think you can accomplish your kedusha now just as you hope to do after a year of seminary. Save your parents the money, which is a fortune for those living in the U.S. It seems girls want to go to Seminary to experience living in Israel; if are there already, you don’t need that component. I have seen many many girls, including my daughters, who have gone to all sorts of seminaries, and most of them do not come back much different from the way they left, except maybe being brainwashed into marrying the type of guy the seminary prefers.
Nu, anyone have any decent ideas? Which seminary is for frum yeshivish, some out of town, folks, that teaches strong yeshivish hashkafos, but isn’t an academic pressure cooker where you’ll have to write 1700 reports a week.
In other news, I have no idea how to help my sister in law with her report, so I hope she figures it out.
Nu, anyone have any decent ideas? Which seminary is for frum yeshivish, some out of town, folks, that teaches strong yeshivish hashkafos, but isn’t an academic pressure cooker where you’ll have to write 1700 reports a week.
For your criteria I’d say somewhere like Ateres or Seminar. But that’s frum yeshivish. She’s not looking for a frum yeshivish place. No seminary on the Bais Yaakov spectrum allows Internet access.
What report?
Popa: Hadar sounds like your kind of place
No seminary on the Bais Yaakov spectrum allows Internet access.
I think that’s right. if internet is a deal breaker, you will have problem. Why not just use when you visit home for shabbos?
shopping – i honestly believe that if you think you would chose a seminary based on internet access, the best thing you can do for yourself in regard to growth is find a place that would be good for you, period. and learn to live a year without internet access for a year. you are too young to be making choices for those types of reasons.
I lived with a kosher phone and really filtered internet in Israel. We had computers with pretty much just Gmail and Skype. And I can honestly say it 100% added to my year. It was so refreshing to be out with your friends and have no one on their phones. Don’t let that stop you from an incredible year in an incredible seminary.
Pninim Seminary is just like that. Focusing mainly on the hashkafos and has girls of all types.
you should check into levavi. Heard amazing things about it and it might fit with many of your criteria. But it is kind of small this year – only 20 girls.
DOn’t think ateres has any “access” but I don’t think you should base your choice on that. Most if not all of the BY hashkafa seminaries won’t have full access – at most just email and skype.
Why not leave your phone at someone’s apartment near sem so you can check it when you need it – but not be on every day which isn’t so healthy even for us adults!
It’s your year to grow and a lot of that happens by taking a break from all of the technology.
I think you’re looking at the right factors. Hatzlacha rabba!
Someone already mentioned it, but Pninim sounds like a good fit for you.
try BJJ. I find that every girl there has their own mentality. Not a mold at all.
I think BJJ has a pretty strict policy of not accepting girls who live in Israel; I could be wrong.
Chedvas is veeery different than Pninim; not just more BY but a totally different mentality. You have to make sure it’s your style, maybe sit in for a few days on classes. If it’s your type, you’ll love it and have an amazing year; if not, you’ll be miserable as it’s a very distinctive style.
And you’re lucky- while American-Israelis go to Chedvas for their first year, for Americans it’s their shana bet, so even though it’s a very frum BY place, they let you have laptops and have a much more lenient internet policy.
They’re on separate floors but definitely together a lot and you can become close friends with American girls- they’re not segregated.
Pninim: Very warm and you can form amazing connections with very caring teachers, incredible, incredible classes with teachers who are brilliant and deep, the girls are a huge mix- a lot of different types.
Levavi: I don’t know as much about, but it’s also very warm, girls are definitely not NY type, it’s officially a BY and has very good girls, but it might be a bit too open-minded for what you’re looking for. But don’t rely on any of us in the CR bec we don’t know you personally… Check it out yourself.
-Call the principal/staff and ask them what type of girl they’re looking for, before telling them what you want, so you get a real answer.
-Ask girls who have been there- girls who are there this year will usually paint a picture of bliss bec they’re experiencing it right now and are very subjective.
-Sit in on classes, or at least visit, to truly get the vibe, the tone, the atmosphere of the place.
-Speak to girls who have been madrichot there
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