Would I be a good fit for Sharfmans? (Description provided:))

Not a bad idea. It’s funny – a friend of mine who is indirectly involved with seminaries (she works in a high school) just mentioned Sharfman’s to me on Shabbos when she was discussing the seminaries her students go to.

I hadn’t heard anyone mention Sharfman’s in years and I had forgotten all about it. It sounds somewhat similar to some of the schools you mentiond. She told me which schools it is the most similar to, but I forgot what she said. Maybe Midreshet Tehilla.

Other than that, I don’t have much to tell you. There is a lot of hashkafa, I’m not exactly sure where it falls on the academic scale, but definitely not intense, probably somewhere in the middle. I have a vague memory that there may be different levels, but I’m not sure.

It sounds like the girls are probably coming from similar backgrounds to you, but I can’t say for sure.

I did not go to Scharfmans, but very close friends and family of mine did.

The girls that I know that went there were from a more modern background or slightly frummer.

Most were active in NCSY and were looking for something frummer than modern.

They were much like you in background and commitment and chose to become more after spending a year in Israel.

The school is used to girls who are from a more modern background, so your involvements won’t shock them, though, like most sems, they don’t want the girls hanging out with boys in their free time. That being said, one of my friends met her future husband that year.

It’s a good program, but not heavily academic, like michlala is known to be.

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Most of what Mommamia2 said fits what I know about Sharfman’s. I would just add 2 qualifications:

1. Even though it’s a very growth-oriented place,they give the girls a lot of freedom to make their own choices about things.

2. Even though it’s not as academic as Michlalah, I have known girls who were very bright who went there and were happy there.

However, the above information is based on what Sharfman’s was like over 20 years ago, so you would have to check if it’s still true. I do recall that the freedom thing was an essential part of the school’s philosophy. That is the reason that the girls lived in regular apartments as opposed to a dorm. They also had to make all of their own meals.

Futuregirl- One important piece of advice that I mentioned recently on another seminary thread: You should apply to at least 2 or 3 seminaries since they can be hard to get into. Obviously, some are harder than others, but I think it’s always kidai to apply to at least two. Also, different schools have different criteria, so you may think it’s easy to get into a certain school, but it might be harder than you think.

Meno – wow! so it’s really a word -cool! And all this time, people have been correcting me. So why in the world does everyone say “Aren’t I?” Where on earth did that come from?

wow, I didn’t realize the deadline was so soon. I obviously won’t be able to find out before you apply, but like you said, you can decide afterwards. Maybe at the interviews, you’ll be able to get more of an idea of what the schools are like.

Is there a sheitel gemach place in Israel where women can donate hair during their time in seminary to make wigs for poor kallahs?

I loved the food there. But I might have different tastes than you.

I’m not sure what type of girls go to MT, but I had a vague impression that they might actually be more your type than TD. I actually also had the impression that Sharfman’s girls might be more your type than TD, but I am really not sure of any of this.

Even if I could get more information about that, I’m not sure if I’m comfortable posting it online. I’ve been trying to stick to neutral subjective comparisons of schools, but I’m concerned that it may be LH to start comparing how modern girls in different schools are (since that may be considered objectively negative). It’s the type of thing that would be okay in a 1-on-1 conversation (since it’s for toeles) but online may be different.

“Another thing about MT is that it is together with many other seminaries for meals and such. I want somewhere that is smaller and homier.”

I’ve worked on Neve campus, although not with MT. My impression of the seminaries there is that they still have that feeling of being small and homey despite being on this huge campus, because for the most part, each school really is its own place, with its own dorm and its own section of the building for classes and offices. It’s only for the meals that they are in the same room, but even then, the girls in each school usually eat separately.

But I can’t say for sure – you would have to speak to girls who have been there. Even a girl who has been to one of the other sems there (one of the warmer ones like Bnos Sara or Michlelet Esther) should be be able to tell you.

Do you know girls who have been to any of those schools whom you can ask?

btw, if you feel that way about Midreshet Tehilla, then Michlala is definitely not for you! That was one of the main reasons I didn’t think it’s for you.

It doesn’t seem like it’s the right type of school for you religiously. Not just the students, but also the hashkafa of the school and the teachers. I know you are tzioni, but within the dati-leumi world, there is a huge range of hashakfa/level of Frumkeit. You seem to be more the MMY type in terms of hashkafa, and this school seems to be very different from MMY.