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I'm considering applying to Villanova and Boston College for law school. I am Jewish, however, and fear sticking out like a sore thumb. I know that both universities lack undergraduate Jewish populations. Is this the case for their law schools as well?

I am starting BC Law in the Fall and am Protestant. I have heard from the people around when I toured and alums that I know that the religious element is as intense as one chooses to make it. So I can't imagine one would have to feel like he or she sticks out. I feel totally fine going as a Protestant.

In fact, in the acceptance packed I got the different types of scholarships were listed. And one was available specifically to a Jewish applicant in the name of a Jewish Alum's legacy.

I don't know any hard numbers, but I found this: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/svp/st_org/hil ... /faqs.html

Not sure how comfortable you would feel, especially if you are pretty religious. But for the record, I did see 2 student wearing yarmulkes during my visit to BC, and they do indeed have a Jewish student organization, though I'm not sure how big or active it is. I'm guessing you are just brainstorming about your school list, but if you are looking at BC, look at BU as well. They have the biggest Hillil house and organization you will ever see (separate services for reform, conservative, orthodox; kosher dining hall, etc).

I'm not religious in the slightest. I am, however, a very strong secular/cultural Jew. Please understand it isn't religious and/or ethnic intimidation I fear. Rather, I grew up in a ~25% Jewish suburb, and am attending a ~10% Jewish university. I'm not ready to be one of a handful of my kind on campus.

HeavenWood wrote:I'm not religious in the slightest. I am, however, a very strong secular/cultural Jew. Please understand it isn't religious and/or ethnic intimidation I fear. Rather, I grew up in a ~25% Jewish suburb, and am attending a ~10% Jewish university. I'm not ready to be one of a handful of my kind on campus.

Then I would probably steer clear of schools like BC and Villanova. Like you, I am not too religious, but I knew I would be more comfortable in a more diverse environment that had a fair number of students from every religion and background. Schools like BC and Villanova will have very few Jews there. There are a ton of non-religious affiliated schools, so its not like you are limiting your options.

It's difficult to say. My UG is Catholic and I am agnostic. Yea sometimes you can feel the pressure, but thats partially from the courses we are required to take and the fact that some classes are taught by priests. But that will not be the case in law school. You won't be forced to take any course relating to religion, you won't be taught by priests, and I feel that in the city, you will be able to connect with faith groups outside of campus. You won't be alone, so if you have your heart set on BC or Nova, I say go for it. I don't think you will be ostracized for your beliefs, and you will have the opportunity to interact with people outside of the school.

Good luck!

Grow up.

It may be more comforting if you think in terms of Boston & Philadelphia, although I doubt that you would have any problem at either law school. However, I'm Catholic so I may not fully appreciate your concerns.

bk187 wrote:Grow up.

Would you tell that to an African-American, Latino, or Asian who prefers strength in numbers?

I'm not paranoid about anti-Semitism, and I have as many gentile as Jewish friends. Still, I would feel out-of-place at a law school where I'm one of only a few. Is that so immature?

HeavenWood wrote:

bk187 wrote:Grow up.

Would you tell that to an African-American, Latino, or Asian who prefers strength in numbers?

I'm not paranoid about anti-Semitism, and I have as many gentile as Jewish friends. Still, I would feel out-of-place at a law school where I'm one of only a few. Is that so immature?

Yes it is.

EDIT: If your desire stemmed from a legitimate fear of discrimination or racism I could understand it, though would still advice you to branch out. They're all human beings, this whole "my own kind" nonsense is quite ridiculous.

I am an agnostic and will be attending BC this fall. The religious aspect of the school is not chauvinistic in the slightest.

BK: To put it civilly, we can agree to disagree. Just know that being Jewish can be quite complicated.

Meanwhile, if anyone has anything constructive to add, I'm all ears.

At BC you'll have 1 or 2 Priest profs - otherwise, I know very little about the religious aspects. Have you looked at BU? Same caliber, but not religiously affiliated at all.

Jews in law school? What's next Jews in medical school? You are bound to be totally unrepresented there. Perhaps you should consider another trade like law enforcement or something blue collar...

Get over it. There is probably a sizable Jewish population at both schools, probably less than at most law schools in the N.E though. I have heard that Nova does push religion in both there UG and law school. So if you are really concerned about this, I would avoid that school. HTH

OP: As an African American applying to law school I have had the same thoughts of being a little fish in a big pond. I have attending majority Af-Am schools for the past 10 years so I am concerned about not being able to relate to my classmates or find like-minded people BUT I will not let that turn me off from going to a great school that will offer me tremendous opportunities.

I understand that being Af-Am and being Jewish may not be comparable but I don't think you should base your law school decisions on something like this especially since both of these schools are in metropolitan cities.

OP: Don't worry, it's law school. I am going to Villanova as a minority and no religious affiliation. Am I nervous? Yes. But I guess I don't care that much because I am going anyways.

HeavenWood wrote:I'm considering applying to Villanova and Boston College for law school. I am Jewish, however, and fear sticking out like a sore thumb. I know that both universities lack undergraduate Jewish populations. Is this the case for their law schools as well?

I grew up as a Catholic as a predominantly (culturally, and at times, religiously) Jewish area (~50% of my high school. Catholics made up ~5-10%)

You won't stick out like a sore thumb. Don't preach and intend on converting anyone, and people will probably see your Judaism as a positive. They'll ask questions and be curious about your background and differences in culture.

And seriously, as someone earlier in the thread said, "Grow up." You will likely not be in an environment where 25%+ of the population is Jewish. The U.S. as a whole has an approximately 2.2% Jewish population. If you're worried about other cultural aspects, find a school that has a Hillel House where you can find an outlet for the culturally Jewish side of yourself.

Both 'Nova and BC have a Hillel house. Just FYI. A quick google search will get you more info:

http://www.students.villanova.edu/hillel/history.htm

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/svp/st_org/hillel/index.htm

Don't let this be something that makes you choose a different school.

I'd be shocked if there aren't a large amount of Jews at those law schools... or for that matter, any other law school in America.

HeavenWood wrote:

bk187 wrote:Grow up.

Would you tell that to an African-American, Latino, or Asian who prefers strength in numbers?

Yes. I'm Asian, and if I wanted to not "stick out" I'd pretty much have to move to Edison, NJ and work in a restaurant.

I mean, seriously, are you expecting passion plays and blood pogroms? Hell, I'm still trying to figure out how a secular Jew would even stand out there?

I thought all Jews became doctors and lawyers...


... just kidding. I'm Jewish too (which has been pretty lonely in the military, and I have definitely been proselytized to), so I feel ya! I wouldn't mind going to a school where there seems to be a "significant" Jewish population, but as much as I would like to avoid the Jesuit schools, there are some good ones!

I'm sure we could suck it up (being the only Jew) if it meant going to a great law school

It might be more useful to ask this quesiton in the c/o 2013 Villanova and BC threads....or heck, just going through the school website and looking at the organizations and contacting a Jewish organization on there (if they have one).

From current Villanova students, religious affiliation isn't something talked about there. I seriously doubt anyone is going to care. I'm not religious, and I'm going there. You're white, so you'll fit in at Vanillanova no matter what.

There's crosses on the wall and a chapel (I think that's what it is), but that's about as far as that vibe went.

From what I have heard, there are few if any BC law professors that are actually priests, and a significant portion of the student body is actually Jewish. I found this very interesting and very different from the undergraduate program. While religiously affiliated, the Jesuit schools (GULC, Fordham, BC) are not at all like the pure catholic schools (ND).

Informative wrote:From what I have heard, there are few if any BC law professors that are actually priests, and a significant portion of the student body is actually Jewish. I found this very interesting and very different from the undergraduate program. While religiously affiliated, the Jesuit schools (GULC, Fordham, BC) are not at all like the pure catholic schools (ND).

There definitely are. Some even teach 1L classes.

This is not unusual. The entirety of LMU is theoretically run by a priest, but priests as professors are relatively rare even in the UG school. LLS is on an entirely different campus, and while there is a nominal Jesuit affiliation the faculty includes plenty of Jewish professors and the school is basically secular. LMU classrooms do have discreet little crucifixes on the wall--I don't think it's like that at LLS. I don't doubt that there will also be plenty of Jewish students, given the size of the community in L.A.. Boston is about 7% Jewish, and children in 60% of Boston interfaith families are raised Jewish according to 2006 numbers so I doubt you're going to feel alone anywhere.

But if you're that worried about it, go to Brandeis.