Topic Wiki

Because someone is going to find this thread and think it's a Guide, here is some useful information that we've gleaned from the thread. Note, the topic is 'Orthodox' Jewish life - while there are a lot of great resources out there, not many of them seems orthodox specific, but they're a useful starting point. Please feel free to improve the wiki.


Some Caveats:
  • Not all Campus Chabad's are "Official" Chabad houses - they may not show up in the chabad.org search
  • Data and situations change all of the time - the resources above are good guidelines, but always reach out and check

Establishing Residency:
A lot of "State" colleges have different in-state/out-of-state tuition rates. For example, Rutgers and SUNY are about 25-30 for in-state residents, and 40-45 for out of state residents. "State" colleges aren't limited to the ones with "state" in their names, and in some examples, because of state funding, even private colleges have different rates - Cornell, being one example,certain schools are funded in part by SUNY, and have reduced in-state tuition.

In addition, as colleges search for more money, they'll sometimes admit more out-of-state students for the purpose of having someone pay the higher tuition. Originally, people would use the opportunity to switch residency freshman year so that subsequent years are at the in-state rate.  But colleges have caught on making it more difficult to switch. For example, Maryland recently (last year) changed their requirements so that you have to be living in-state for purposes other than Education, and that you are not dependent on income from your parents who live out of state: http://registrar.umd.edu/Residency/resreclassfaq.html. Every state and school has different residency requirements, it's worth checking each school.

Some important notes:
  • Some schools allow you to claim residency if you don't live there, but attended high school there. A common example - kids in NY who go to HS in NJ or vice versa, or someone who is from NY, but went to boarding school in another state. Again, need to check with the school
  • Some schools need you to establish residency there for 12 months. So you could take a gap year in that new state, and then use that as the basis for residency

Doing a Gap Year(s) first:
  • Assuming that you applied to college while still in high school, some colleges will let you defer your admission, others will not
  • Most schools will allow you to defer one year, but a lot may not allow more than that (Macaulay honors at CUNY is one example)
  • Getting Yeshiva/Seminary credits accepted is a mixed bag - it depends on the school, major, and program
  • Some programs don't accept any credits, others will accept credits, but they may not account towards your major. For example, if you major in something technical like engineering, you may need 110-115 credits in required courses, so even if they take your 32 credits from Israel, not all count towards your degree
  • Most colleges have minimum residency requirements, which max the number of credits you can transfer in

« Last edited by Yonah on February 28, 2019, 10:53:15 AM »

Author Topic: Orthodox College Life Guide?  (Read 10663 times)

Offline Yonah

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Orthodox College Life Guide?
« on: February 27, 2019, 12:23:46 PM »
Not sure if this is the best place to post. But I am in the process of looking at colleges for with my oldest, and I am having a hard time finding out about Frum life on campus. Yes there are those same 20 campuses that we know are good, but then my son comes up with a name of a college out of left field, and it's hard to gauge what is there - short of hunting down the local chabad shaliach and calling him to find out the scoop.

The one or two guides I've found are either too focused on Jewish Life, but not necessarily orthodox or are out of date, or both. For example, apparently UNC has a lot of Jewish Life, a huge birthright trip, and a ton of Israel clubs - but it has no on-campus kosher meal options.

Does chabad have a college guide? Any thoughts? Is it worth creating a wiki here or will it fall unmaintained? I think that the questions I probably want answered:

- Availability of Kosher Food (and Hashgacha)
- Minyanim - with Frequency and Size i.e. Daily/Shabbos and Yom Tov, 15 people daily, 50 on S/YT
- Proximity of off-campus kosher/frum community
- Hillel Orthodox Rabbi / chabad shluchim info.

Offline Dan

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2019, 12:28:47 PM »
Does chabad have a college guide?
Lol, no.
Best bet is going to be calling each shliach and then starting a Wiki here.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline dpk4588

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2019, 12:29:21 PM »
This is information the college guidance counselor at your son's school should have.
This might also help:
OU-JLIC College Guide 2018-2019: Jewish Life on the College Campus
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
-Albert Einstein

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Offline Yonah

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2019, 01:05:57 PM »
This is information the college guidance counselor at your son's school should have.
This might also help:
OU-JLIC College Guide 2018-2019: Jewish Life on the College Campus

Thanks, I will ask for it when I meet with them. I did see a PDF version of this, but it looked like it was limited to OU-JLIC campuses

Offline Yonah

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2019, 01:06:31 PM »
https://www.chabad.org/centers/campus_cdo/jewish/Campus-Directory.htm
Slightly useful - doesn't preclude me from having to contact every shaliach at campuses we're interested in. It also will find the nearest shaliach, even if that chabad center isn't necessarily on campus. 

Offline Yonah

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2019, 01:10:24 PM »
Lol, no.
Best bet is going to be calling each shliach and then starting a Wiki here.

You've got what, about 10 years until it's nogea for your kids? :)

Offline Dan

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2019, 01:11:34 PM »
You've got what, about 10 years until it's nogea for your kids? :)
I got my BA in Liberal Arts and Smicha from Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad :)
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Yonah

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2019, 01:36:18 PM »
I got my BA in Liberal Arts and Smicha from Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad :)

I've many friends who were thrown out of there :) - The school is a great trivia question - what's the only chabad yeshiva not official Tomchei or Achei Tmimim :)

Offline gozalim

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2019, 02:05:03 PM »
Slightly useful - doesn't preclude me from having to contact every shaliach at campuses we're interested in. It also will find the nearest shaliach, even if that chabad center isn't necessarily on campus. 
probably identical to
https://www.campus.chabad.edu/centers/campus_cdo/jewish/Campus-Directory.htm

Offline avromie7

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2019, 02:07:00 PM »
https://www.chabad.org/centers/campus_cdo/jewish/Campus-Directory.htm
I just tried finding Chabad on Rutgers, it's no where to be found. The closest one it has is pretty far.
I wonder what people who type "u" instead of "you" do with all their free time.

Offline shwarmabob

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2019, 02:18:35 PM »
The other option is to let him board at home and go to a local college/university. It depends where you live ...

Offline gozalim

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #12 on: February 27, 2019, 02:20:56 PM »
I just tried finding Chabad on Rutgers, it's no where to be found. The closest one it has is pretty far.
https://www.google.com/?q=chabad+rutgers
« Last Edit: February 27, 2019, 02:27:27 PM by gozalim »

Offline avromie7

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #13 on: February 27, 2019, 02:31:18 PM »
I wonder what people who type "u" instead of "you" do with all their free time.

Offline Dan

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2019, 02:32:14 PM »
I was just pointing out that this list is not very good.
If it's not on the list, then it's not an officially recognized Chabad House. There are hundreds of non-official Chabads across the globe in addition to the thousands of official Chabad Houses.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline whYME

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #15 on: February 27, 2019, 02:52:25 PM »
the only chabad yeshiva not official Tomchei or Achei Tmimim
I'm not so sure about that

Offline zh cohen

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #16 on: February 27, 2019, 03:06:04 PM »
If it's not on the list, then it's not an officially recognized Chabad House. There are hundreds of non-official Chabads across the globe in addition to the thousands of official Chabad Houses.

Hundreds?

Offline gozalim

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2019, 03:09:45 PM »
If it's not on the list, then it's not an officially recognized Chabad House. There are hundreds of non-official Chabads across the globe in addition to the thousands of official Chabad Houses.
rutgers is one of the bigger ones, with not much 'official' direct competition

Offline Dan

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2019, 03:10:42 PM »
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline IGBES

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Re: Orthodox College Life Guide?
« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2019, 03:29:23 PM »
Don't think there are many not-official Chabad on campuses
« Last Edit: February 27, 2019, 03:39:54 PM by IGBES »