Selecting the Right School for You: Advice for Jewish High School Students and Families
It’s that time of year again. And I don’t mean tax season, Passover, or the NFL draft. I’m referring to college decision time. Millions of prospective college students and their families will be making a final decision on where to attend school ahead of College Decision Day on May 1st, as part of the “regular decision” admissions process.
While students and their families always need to consider a multitude of factors in making their decisions, for prospective Jewish students, this period has required the additional and often sensitive consideration of where they will feel welcomed and free to express their Jewish identities.
As the world’s largest Jewish college organization, we have more than 100 years of unmatched expertise when it comes to understanding, supporting, and growing Jewish life on campus. With that expertise, I want to offer the following framework for prospective Jewish students and their families as they make their college decisions.
Find the Fit – Beware of any resource advocating a “one-size-fits-all” assessment of what Jewish life and experience will be like at a given campus. As with the many other factors you’ll consider in choosing a college or university, you’ll want to find a school that fits your Jewish life needs, interests, and personality. Finding this fit has always been a priority for traditionally observant Jewish students looking for schools offering kosher food and regular prayer services. Applying this “fit filter” is equally important when evaluating the campus climate for Jewish students, even in (and especially in) this sometimes fraught period.
Fortunately, even the campuses with the highest volume and intensity of antisemitic incidents and issues impacting Jewish students often offer robust Jewish life opportunities. Even at schools like Columbia and Barnard with very public and well-documented instances of antisemitism, many Jewish students speak to the incredibly strong, well-resourced Hillel serving more than 1,200 Jewish undergraduates students there, complemented by extensive Jewish and Israel clubs and academic offerings. This very prominent example underscores that you need to look at the complete Jewish life offerings and experiences on a campus and honestly assess how you’ll both draw on the positives and navigate any negatives.
Factor in the Full Story – At Hillel, we have addressed thousands of issues of discrimination, bias, harassment and worse directed toward Jewish students across hundreds of campuses during the past 18 months. We are working tirelessly to both support individual students impacted by these issues and to improve the underlying campus climate for Jewish students at the schools involved.
While it’s of course relevant to consider specific incidents that have occurred at a school you’re considering, it’s unwise to just factor in the “headline” (especially as headlines grow in relation to government actions being pursued in the name of addressing campus antisemitism). Instead, critical questions should be considered: Was the issue in question an isolated incident involving one or a small group of students violating campus policies, or is there a pervasive culture of intimidation translating into repeated incidents? How has the university responded to issues — with clear enforcement of their policies in a way that ensures a safe environment for Jewish students and all students, or with equivocation and inaction? And, what has the actual student experience been in relation to incidents on the campus?
Often the best, and only, way to really evaluate that experience is by talking to Jewish students at the campus, or with Hillel or other Jewish life professionals who are interacting with a broad cross-section of Jewish students there. As a case in point, I recently attended a beautiful “Shabbat at the Shoe” celebration at The Ohio State University (OSU). Hundreds of Jewish students were joined by senior members of the OSU administration, including President Ted Carter, Administrators Chris Kabourek, Dr. Melissa Shrivers and Dr. Rabi Bellamkonda, Jewish faculty, and supportive community members. Our Hillel at OSU is excellent, and Jewish students who regularly participate in Hillel programs shared with me the great experiences they’ve had on campus, even during the past 18 months.
Has OSU been free from issues impacting Jewish students? Absolutely not. At the same time, the university has been fast, firm, and fair in addressing those issues, ranging from removing encampments that violated university rules to addressing cases of individual student misconduct, and in fostering an overall healthy campus climate for Jewish students, and all students.
Forecast the Future – Four years ago, none of us could have imagined what the state of Jewish life on campus would be today. And there’s no reason to believe Jewish life on campus will look the same four years from now. If you’re a big college football fan, you could look at the commitment of the school to their football program and their success in recruiting to assess the likely trajectory of the football team over the following four years. And you can apply a similar approach to predicting the trajectory for Jewish life. Is the school investing resources to address issues impacting Jewish students (like Title VI compliance officers)? Does the school value having faith-based organizations, such as Hillel, serving students? Does the leadership of the school articulate and act on these values?
Arizona State University was not always considered a leading destination for Jewish students. Flash forward to 2025 and ASU features a large and growing Jewish student population; a university administration that stands up and shows up for the Jewish student community; and a great Hillel known for its success in student engagement and programmatic innovation.
By applying the guidance above, we’re confident that all prospective Jewish students can find schools that will fit their needs and interests, including when it comes to engaging in joyful, meaningful, and positive Jewish life experiences and communities. At the same time, Hillel remains deeply committed to ensuring that all colleges and universities return to and remain places where Jewish students and all students can thrive, learn, and express their identities free of fear or discrimination.
Adam Lehman is the President and CEO of Hillel International