Compare seminary prices now vs 10 years ago.

amother

↑ Plum ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 9:08 am

amother Brass wrote:

People should stop sending and then the prices would go down. But everyone is scared to tell their daughter no.

Disagree.
It’s up to each child to decide if they want to go. My daughter who’s going this year didn’t want to go to Israel for seminary and she changed her mind after a few trips to Israel. And on the trips no one mentioned seminary at all.
I think it’s important for girls to learn how to live away from home.

amother

Fern ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 9:20 am

Wow. I'll just say my last dd was much less. I don't know if all the scholarships we qualified for are still around, like MASA. BH they didn't have the same cutoffs as FAFSA. And if you asked seminaries would work with you on a head checks schedule.
We never visited our kids in seminary and we didn't bring them home for Pesach.

amother

↑ Brass ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 9:25 am

amother Plum wrote:

It's up to the child if the parents will spend 30k on them?

You can learn independence living at home too. And many girls in sem aren't really independent swiping daddy's credit card and calling mommy every 5 minutes.

↑ Chayalle ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 9:31 am

amother Plum wrote:

Um, why?
I do think if a girl can finance her own seminary (or somewhat) and wants to go, then she should get to make that decision. But parents do not have to do what's unaffordable to them. I don't see how this whole milk-the-parents system contributes to society in any way.

amother

Anemone ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 9:34 am

Wow. I have 2 girls coming up. I didn’t realize seminary alone was 30k. I thought it was the total year cost…
I wonder how much zimras is. It was started as a more affordable option and I heard it’s very popular.

amother

Eggshell

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 9:47 am

I went 13 years ago, to a new BY seminary (I went the second year after it opened, through the Touro Israel Option program). Tuition was I think $16-17k, plus airfare. I think I got $1k off from MASA, and the seminary gave me a $3k break. Very very grateful I was able to go BH!

amother

Papayawhip

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 9:51 am

My sem was $6000 in the late 80's
My oldest dd went about ten years ago for around $22000. Youngest dd tuition is in the low 30's but hers is on the higher end of BY seminaries. Most are in the upper 20's (not that that is much better). I think Zimras is supposed to be significantly cheaper (like 18,000) but feel free to correct that.

amother

↑ Plum ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 10:06 am

Chayalle wrote:

Who says the parents are being milked?
From most of the posts on imamother it looks like people are making amazing salaries and buy luxury items for infants. If they’re able to afford to go to hotels for Pesach, buy shaitels that cost a couple thousand each and have at least two, go to the country for summer, Florida or Israel or the islands for winter break, have live ins and baby nurses, send every kid to summer camp, spend at least $100 on a pair of shoes for the kids, go out to eat for a couple times a week for a couple hundred dollars…spending 30k on seminary isn’t outrageous. It’s cheaper than sending to a private college. And there are ways to make seminary cheaper. Seminaries in US aren’t necessarily cheaper and you might end up spending more. I know people who have priced it out.

↑ Chayalle ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 10:31 am

amother Plum wrote:

LOL. Let's just say it then, these seminaries are for the rich. If you aren't living as described above, skip it, or send locally (where you skip the dorm fee, so it comes out cheaper.)

amother

↑ Anemone

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 10:34 am

Seminaries are a money maker.
As I mentioned earlier look at zimras. They set out to make a cheaper seminary. It worked. Ppl like it.
It’s same owner as brc who set out to prove camp doesn’t need to be so expensive.
I wish there were more ppl going that. It’s such a chessed.

amother

↑ Cerise

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 10:41 am

amother Plum wrote:

I think the silent majority of us do NOT live this way. We make enough to pay full tuition, and are BH BH not poor. But we live within our means, dont make extravagant simchas, I buy cheaper shaitels every 6 years or so, and drive used cars because its cheaper than lease payments.

Please dont tell people like myself that I NEED tto send my daughter to seminary in EY at full tuition cost plus other expenses. It is patently absurd.

amother

↑ Plum ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 10:48 am

Chayalle wrote:

LOL. Let's just say it then, these seminaries are for the rich. If you aren't living as described above, skip it, or send locally (where you skip the dorm fee, so it comes out cheaper.)

I still think it’s important for girls to get out on their own. Girls who don’t go to Israel have a harder time in shidduchim. I’ve seen it and heard about it.
Zimras raised their prices this year. It’s still cheaper than other seminaries but there are other costs involved. And it could be more expensive than other seminaries in Israel. For example,
If you go through a study abroad program (like Touro, for example) you can use American scholarships for seminary and fafsa (if you’re eligible). Doing that and then getting masa (if eligible) also can mean you’re not paying much for seminary tuition. It can be cheaper than high school tuition.

↑ Ruchel ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 10:57 am

Interesting. Most girls who are going to sem in my circles go to Europe if only for the price but also because some, say Gateshead is extremely sought after. Never accept a shidduch who's favoring the sem over the girl. Also you need one man, the bashert. Tons of meetings is also very frustrating so... Just like a slim girl should say no if the boy said he'd have said no if she wasn't slim. Or the rich girl if she wasn't rich

little neshamala ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 11:00 am

amother Plum wrote:

I still think it’s important for girls to get out on their own. Girls who don’t go to Israel have a harder time in shidduchim. I’ve seen it and heard about it.
.

Pure nonsense.
I didnt go to seminary in EY, neither did my sister.
We heard plenty of the fear mongering you are perpetuating, and BH both found our Basherts very easily. I got engaged one of the first in my class (to a learning boy).

amother

↑ Plum ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 11:25 am

little neshamala wrote:

I’m really happy for you.
I live out of town and I’m basing my info on what I see. It could be it’s different in other cities.

amother

Hibiscus

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 11:28 am

amother Brass wrote:

People should stop sending and then the prices would go down. But everyone is scared to tell their daughter no.

No, it's shidduchim everyone is scared about. Which is silly!

amother

↑ Plum ↓

Thu, Aug 22 2024, 11:36 am

amother Hibiscus wrote:

No, it's shidduchim everyone is scared about. Which is silly!

Then maybe it’s time to go to the boys and talk to them.
My boys aren’t up to bais medrash yet, curious what the prices are and how the prices compare between Israel/outside of Israel.