Mesivtas | Imamother

amother

Slategray

Tue, Oct 17 2017, 10:53 pm

amother wrote:

My son loves to learn. He is extremely motivated and bright. He's also a very aidel, quieter boy, very yeshivish, not at all fancy, or into gashmius..

sounds like he would be happy in Beis Hamedrash and Mesivta of Baltimore, also known as Rav Schlanger's Yeshiva.
It is a very yeshivish place, for motivated, good learners, it is being renovated right now.
my sons have friends who are there, they are wonderful boys.
the general studies is not emphasized there if that makes a difference to you.

It is quite small, I belive they take about 20-25 boys in each grade.

doctorima

Tue, Oct 17 2017, 10:57 pm

How important are secular studies to you? The "top" yeshiva is Riverdale, which is very hard to get into and emphasizes kodesh much more than secular studies. Other similar options are Philly, Long Beach, and Passaic. If you want a smaller place, Roosevelt in Monsey is worth looking into.

Have you discussed options with DS's principal and Rebbe, who know him best and will be consulted as references by any school to which you apply? There's also somebody in Lakewood named Rabbi Binyamin Strauss who is an expert in all the mesivtas and meets with boys and their families to help them figure out what would the best fit for them. He doesn't charge and it could help give you a lot of clarity.

Mommyg8

Tue, Oct 17 2017, 11:31 pm

These are all good options. Sometimes the best person to speak to is your son's Rebbe. I know it's still early on in the year, so he doesn't know him yet, but you have time to decide on a yeshiva, in any case. You might want to start with preparations (I know he's bright, but some of these yeshivos have a lot of bright boys applying, so you might need a little extra review before the examinations), and I would apply to more than one yeshiva. And when he goes down for the farher, you can take a look around and see if this yeshiva is what you are looking for.

doctorima

Wed, Oct 18 2017, 9:47 am

I suppose it depends on your definition of being able to support himself and his family. The graduates of these schools are generally not homeless and unemployed, but if you specifically want him to be in a college-prep environment, these schools are not known for that. You could then look into places like Ohavei in Riverdale, Yesodei in Queens, Shaarei Torah in Monsey, and Heichal in Teaneck, but understand that they attract a different crowd than the schools mentioned earlier, and the emphasis on learning will not be with the same intensity.

mommyhood

Wed, Oct 18 2017, 9:58 am

amother wrote:

I do want my son to also be able to support himself and his family IyH when he grows up. Will any of the above mesivtas put him in on a track where he'll be able to?

The English in these schools is pretty minimal. He'll walk out with a high school diploma but he will be seriously discouraged from having any sort of long term plan other than learning. I don't think any of them will allow him to take college courses while in Beis Medrash. The schools doctorima listed would allow college courses (Yesodei even offers Touro credits in 12th grade) but as she said it's a different crowd and they're not looked at as having the same level shiur as the schools you originally listed.

amother

Ecru

Wed, Oct 18 2017, 10:06 am

Think about Shaar Hatorah in Queens. It's good for self-motivated bochrim, and there's little to no focus on gashmius. They're not college prep, but they respect their limudei chol program, and the boys take regents. And many of their bochrim go on to careers later on.

amother

Blush

Wed, Oct 18 2017, 10:52 am

Bais Hamedrash & Mesivta of Baltimore ("R' Slanger's") does not emphasize limudai chol, but boys who stay there through Bais Medrash (3 years post high school) earn a BTL. It is an accredited institution. Most of the boys who go there, including my high-school aged son, could not care less about college or see themselves ever leaving kollel. As a parent more grounded in reality, I feel somewhat reassured that he will eventually leave with a degree which can be a stepping stone to a job or being accepted into a Master's program.

doctorima

Thu, Oct 19 2017, 9:52 pm

Ohr Naftali has a great reputation and very dedicated staff and Rebbeim, but the level of learning there is not the same as in Riverdale or Philly. Springfield has a very yeshivish reputation. Long Beach is comparable to Riverdale and Philly. Many schools will require him to dorm, and even if they don't, he may have no choice if they're not within reasonable commuting distance.

From your questions, it seems like you would really benefit from going with your son to meet with Rabbi Binyomin Strauss in Lakewood, who specializes in advising on appropriate mesivtas and can help you narrow your choices down - no charge.

amother

Ecru

Thu, Oct 19 2017, 10:07 pm

If he doesn't go in Passaic, he can go to Riverdale or Monsey to commute. Tachlis, more mesivta boys from Passaic dorm than those who don't. FYI, even in Passaic, they reach a point where they dorm. But when they dorm (wherever, within the TriState area), they come home for Shabbos, and in some schools, for a night during the week.

My son did not ideally want to dorm, and we didn't want him to, but in the end, we did it anyway to get the right school. I know people who compromise on the limudei chol to keep their kids home.

Many Passaic parents looking for a combo of kodesh and chol for motivated boys look at Yesodei in Queens (part of Landers, a bit outside the yeshivish olem in reputation but very good learning, and boys from all three schools go there) and Shaar HaTorah in Queens (more in the yeshivish world- don't advocate college but don't go against). They have different cultures. Both these schools have the advantage of having beis medrash programs. I don't know the programs you just asked about well. Some people send to Ner, but then he's more away.

amother

Powderblue

Thu, Oct 19 2017, 10:20 pm

amother wrote:

Darchei in far rockaway is also an option if you want both. They have real English, offer APs. Just to be prepared, Yeshiva ketana (I'm assuming that's where your son is) will strongly discourage you from any of these schools if they're recommending the schools like philly and Long Beach. They'll want you to send to a top learning schools English isn't a factor for them for HS.

doctorima

Thu, Oct 19 2017, 10:59 pm

If you want him to be able to live at home and commute, Ohavei in Riverdale would be a good option. You could also look into Yeshiva of South Monsey (Rabbi Lieff?), though you'd need to confirm that they'll let you commute.

However, these schools and the ones that you mentioned are all across the spectrum, so I'd strongly recommend that you decide what's most important to you, then meet with your son's Rebbe and Rabbi Strauss in Lakewood to determine which schools would be the best fit for him and you.