E-mail from seminary

amother

↑ OP ↓

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 4:55 am

Responding to some of the above posts -

Yes there is a vaad that sets rules for all the seminaries - This one included.

This seminary happens to be a slightly more affordable option (about 5-7,000 less than most places), all sems require a deposit upon choosing to accept their acceptance - the issue is forcing the girls to choose this sem IF they are accepted without any other information

I agree that it is taking away any and all negotiating power about scholarships etc.

I am just floored by the whole thing.

Has anyone else's advisors told them to ignore it?

amother

Iris

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 5:00 am

Elfrida wrote:

I wasn't saying security costs. How about food, salaries, rent, electricity, water, arnona, equipment, and so on? Girls who get MASA pay less tuition. The students gain from it, not the seminary.

The deposit would be the same, whether it is paid early, as this seminary is asking, or on time, on the day set by the va'ad. Does the seminary your daughter applied to not ask for any deposit? That is probably unique.

MASA provides grant money which is paid to the program. Why wouldn't the program receive the money from MASA?

↑ Elfrida ↓

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 5:18 am

amother Iris wrote:

MASA provides grant money which is paid to the program. Why wouldn't the program receive the money from MASA?

The girls apply for MASA. They receive a grant of X amount from MASA, which is given directly to the seminary. This amount is deducted from the girls tuition. The seminary does not make any significant gain on the process.

↑ Elfrida ↓

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 5:35 am

amother Diamond wrote:

Pay the bills? Are you serious? If this seminary is open this year, and is charging $30,000, and gets other money like masa, they’re making a massive profit. Most Israelis don’t make this salary.

I don't know why an Israeli salary is relevant, but $30,000 is 110387.85 NIS, at the current exchange rate. That works out to just over 9,000 NIS a month, which is quite a bit under the average Israeli salary. Average wage in Israel is approximately 12,000 NIS a month. Salaries are only one part of a seminary budget, but what Israelis earn is far from the only factor in the business of a seminary.

amother

↑ Burntblack

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 6:24 am

Elfrida wrote:

It's $30,000 PER STUDENT. Most seminaries have around 100 students. 9000 NIS X 100 students =900,000 a month.

imanotmommy

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 6:58 am

I see no issue with the concept of this offer from the seminary. If they are part of the vaad and breaking the agreement, then that's an issue.
I think as an applicant it would be somewhat frustrating to need to make this decision. But I think a system where many seminaries use this process would lead to more acceptances, fewer girls receiving wait list letters, and maybe more calm overall.
I haven't fully thought through the potential results of all seminaries doing this, so maybe this wouldn't be the exact best system, but something like it.

amother

Calendula ↓

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 7:02 am

lucky14 wrote:

Seminaries are all businesses. And not just this place. They are all concerned about money.

Is this an accusation? Why can't seminaries be a wonderful environment where the students grow and have the time of their lives, and also be a business so that the people who own it and run it can make a good living?

What's wrong with this?

amother

↑ Rose ↓

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 7:09 am

imanotmommy wrote:

So if one seminary sends out acceptances in January or however early they want to- yeah, more girls would get in on first round because those girls would rescind their acceptances from the other schools. But it is unfair that people have to make decisions without knowing all their options. That seminary places unfair pressure because they don't know where else they would be accepted to, it may not be their first choice, but they have to make a decision before hearing back from other places.

I had that with grad school. Had to make a decision on school 1 before hearing back from school 2. I accepted school 1 but wish I could have gone to #2.
When I went to seminary- everyone found out the same day. But my school had a no sem talk rule for 2 weeks. None of my friends discussed it. Hype went down, schools could push for their girls for round 2... it was a lot less stressful than it could have been.
Too bad we can't have a medical school match type system.

amother

NeonPurple

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 7:22 am

amother Rose wrote:

I applied to seminary about 15 years ago. One of the ones I applied to (not BY) was a big brand-name one (X) that sent out acceptance letters in January even though the BY seminaries only started giving out acceptances mid February. Seminary X required students to accept or decline their slot a full week or so before the BY seminaries sent out their acceptances. It felt very frustrating to be pushed into a corner to decide - am I going to accept a slot at seminary X when they know full well that I don’t know what other options I have? The inflexibility and the pressure it caused, really bothered me.

To my seminary principal’s credit, she told me that if I needed to know before mid-February if I was accepted, I should let her know and she would tell me over the phone so I can make a decision about which school was right for me. Her flexibility and support was the clincher that made me choose her seminary over the brand-name school.

↑ Elfrida

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 7:36 am

amother Burntblack wrote:

It's $30,000 PER STUDENT. Most seminaries have around 100 students. 9000 NIS X 100 students =900,000 a month.

Obviously. Which further begs the question why the previous poster felt the need to bring up Israeli salaries.

Again salaries are far from the only item in a seminary budget, and things like rent are a much higher expense.

amother

↑ Calendula

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 12:14 pm

amother OP wrote:

so for those who got this letter and it is your DD's first choice - are you doing it?

(Aside from my other issues with it, I don't want to pay by CC - I was planning on zelle.)

If it's the first choice do you still have an issue?

I can understand why if it's the second choice there's an issue. On one hand you'd rather go to choice one, but are a little stuck now because choice two wants a deposit. If you don't give a deposit and choice one doesn't accept, now you don't have choice two either.

But if this school is choice one, why not give the deposit and move forward?

amother

↑ OP ↓

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 12:31 pm

I guess part of my hesitation is that it is so wrong for them to send the e-mail, so why am I playing the game.

My other issue is that it gives them full power. I am not sure in reality how much negotiating power we have after acceptance to talk scholarships etc- but if we send in this form and they charge our card on March 1 with an acceptance, we have zero negotiating power at all!

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Feb 21 2024, 7:11 pm

amother Burntblack wrote:

It's $30,000 PER STUDENT. Most seminaries have around 100 students. 9000 NIS X 100 students =900,000 a month.

Or in American dollars, 3 million!
That's a budget for a school three times the size in America (with American salaries). Ok, before inflation, maybe now it's for 2.5 times the size...

Yes there's room and board so the budget is different, but still, the owners are definitely making nice salaries.