Stern College

I just wanted to share my thoughts about Stern College with the student body (or whoever reads the blog). I want to say at the outset that I do NOT think everyone should go to Stern. This is for a number of reasons: a) Some people will grow more Jewishly on a secular college campus than they would in Stern. Some people thrive more when they are in a situation in which they really make a noticeable difference and must take leadership positions, whether officially by having a position in the Hillel or unofficially simply by standing out as an example of a committed Jew. In addition, some people grow more when surrounded by people who are NOT like them, which forces them to be more genuine and sincere in their own practice. If you’ve only kept kosher when surrounded by other people who are all also keeping kosher, doing so does not necessarily express deep commitment to halacha – it’s just what everyone in your world does. But being the only one in class who can’t eat the popcorn that’s being passed around makes you think seriously about your practices. This can have a detrimental effect on many people, but there are also many who are strengthened by it, and whose practices become more substantive and meaningful. In addition, in a secular setting, one has to be able to explain one’s beliefs and practices to others, which can also force one to develop a deeper understanding of her own religion. Finally, being exposed to other cultures often makes one appreciate the beauty and wisdom of one’s own. (Again, this can sometimes unfortunately have the opposite effect, but I recognize that for some people, it has a positive one.) b) I think one has to admit that the secular education offered in an Ivy League University is better than the one offered at Stern. My friends who attended Ivy Universities had significantly more readings and more papers than I did. This was based partially on the fact that since at Stern, we were balancing a dual curriculum and were often taking seven courses a semester in contrast to the Ivies’ 4, we simply did not have the time to devote hours of preparation prior to each course. In addition, since the Ivies only accept the “crème de la crème,” the professors expected and demanded more. c) There is a certain sophistication that comes from being exposed to new experiences, different cultures, eclectic classes and people that can deepen one’s character and perspective in significant ways. d) The Ivy name on a resume can help get into a graduate program, land a job, etc.

HOWEVER, what I think is critical for any college-bound frum Jew to recognize is that even though the Ivies do surpass Stern in a number of important areas, Stern surpasses the Ivies in other areas, including academic ones. As I wrote above, I do believe the Ivies offer a superior education in secular studies than Stern does. But Stern not only offers a superior education in Torah than the Ivies do, the Ivies aren’t even in the same league! The degree to which one’s secular education suffers in Stern, I think, pales in comparison to the degree to which one’s Jewish education suffers in a secular college. I think it is one’s prerogative once she is graduating high school to decide that her secular studies are more important to her than her Judaic ones, or one may feel that she is more capable of supplementing Judaic studies on her own than secular ones (though I am not sure why this would be – it would seem to me to be easier to analyze an English text on one’s own than an Aramaic or Hebrew one). But my main point is simply this – I genuinely believe it is a legitimate choice to go Ivy, but don’t do it without at least a glance behind. At least recognize that the same way as one sacrifices some degree of secular education by not going Ivy, she equally, if not more, sacrifices some degree of Jewish education by not going to Stern.

One last point I want to express is that, as I wrote in the first paragraph, one of the primary advantages of a secular university over Stern is the exposure to different people from different cultures and backgrounds. I do believe that such exposure can be extremely valuable in terms of one’s own sophistication, depth of character, sensitivity, worldliness, etc. However, I think it’s important to point out that we often idealize these communities and view them as some type of intellectual paradise, while forgetting about all the drinking, sex, drugs, and who-knows-what-else that also go on at every college campus in America. So these communities do provide certain invaluable opportunities and experiences, but it’s important when making a decision not to forget about the darker side as well.

To sum up, I do believe that there are very legitimate reasons to choose a secular college – they do offer many valuable intellectual and social experiences that Stern does not, but make the decision with your eyes open, recognizing that Stern also offers many valuable intellectual and social experiences that a secular college does not.