Getting in to lakewood school

amother

Khaki

Mon, Apr 04 2016, 7:31 am

I heard lakewood schools are hard to get in to. We moved to toms river almost 2 years ago. We applied to 2 schools ( ytt & kol torah) and still did not hear anything from them. What do people do in this situations?

Chayalle

Mon, Apr 04 2016, 8:43 am

I don't know much about boys schools but 2 schools sounds like really few to have applied to. Call the Vaad but you may need to consider more options.

L K

Mon, Apr 04 2016, 9:35 am

I would call the schools directly to find out whether they have gotten the applications altogether.

Plus of course make sure that whatever rules a school may have in place correspond to your family's current standards.
Eg (Not that this is your case but just example) if a school is known to accept exclusively people with purple dyed hair and your fam dyes their hair orange- it's prob not gonna pay to apply. Or if a school has a no tv rule and you do have a tv.

Anyways, hatzlacha and you should get into a school that is right for you and your kid.

amother

Cerise

Mon, Apr 04 2016, 10:03 am

I don't know about YTT but kol Torah usually responds right away. Its not a good sign if they didn't get back to you. Hatzlacha!

amother

Papaya

Mon, Apr 03 2017, 10:08 pm

This post is worrying me too because I need to apply my son this coming year. We moved from Brooklyn to Toms River and dont fit the exact Lakewood prototype. I plan on applying to YTT, Tashbar and Kol Torah. Are these schools difficult to get into?
Please let me know what happens.

amother

Lime

Mon, Apr 03 2017, 10:32 pm

I dont know that you just apply and sit back and wait in lakewood... theres just so many kids coming you really need to work to secure your spot! gluck! those sounds like sensible choices though

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Apr 03 2017, 10:42 pm

Scary situation. They desperately need to open more schools. Especially schools for those not fitting or conforming to what Lakewood used to be. People are flocking here but don't realize that Lakewood has a school problem even without so many new people. There aren't even enough slots for those that fit the prototype they are looking for.

amother

Navy

Tue, Apr 04 2017, 12:04 am

For some reason tons of kids switched from kol torah to ytt. Therefore alot of ytt classes are at capacity. I assume that means kol torah has more space. Unless OP is applying to ytt for primary.

amother

Burgundy

Tue, Apr 04 2017, 11:59 am

amother wrote:

Why "they" and not you or we?

amother

Blonde

Tue, Apr 04 2017, 12:31 pm

Shouldn't the people moving to Lakewood from OOT contribute to the infrastructure?
Newlyweds in Lakewood are asked to contribute large sums to the mikva. Do people do that when they move to town?
People who live in Lakewood started schools to suit their needs and hashkafa. They don't need new schools with a different hashkafa and acceptance criteria.
If the schools don't suit the needs of those moving to town - who should be creating the schools?

amother

Papaya

Tue, Apr 04 2017, 12:41 pm

There is definitely not enough schooling in Lakewood area for the less yeshivish crowd. Is anything in the works to open up more english minded/working parent schools?

amother

Blonde

Tue, Apr 04 2017, 1:27 pm

I think while kol torah and YTT are less 'yeshivish' they are still very torahdik schools and still want their parent body to represent how they see themselves.
They aren't looking to fill their slots with families that don't fit their overall image.
There is a need for a school that has a loose acceptance criteria and is willing to look the other way, I don't think YTT and Kol Torah are those schools or want to be those schools.
Working parents can get into existing schools (DH and I work) as long as they fit the image of the school. I don't think its so much a matter of working\not working - as an overall lifestyle.

ETA: If you want to improve your chances to get into school - find out the schools dress code for mothers and start following it. Especially when you go pick up your 4 year old from playgroup. The schools do ask the morahs.

amother

Blonde

Tue, Apr 04 2017, 2:06 pm

YTT and Kol Torah are largely working families.
I would think:
No TV
No Movies
Mother Tzninius - sheitel not very very long (I don't think they expect above the shoulders at all), cover knees, elbows collar bone, clothes not too tight.
Father dress - my DH wears black jeans and colored shirts and wears a hat for davening. I didn't find that a problem. But did hear they would like to hear a father wears a hat when appropriate.

My sister in law is a 4 year old morah and when the schools ask about parents she answers honestly because she said she wants them to take her seriously with all her students in the future.

amother

Blonde

Tue, Apr 04 2017, 3:11 pm

Also other hints to help get into school:
- Network - find someone who sends to the school you would like and ask them to put in a good word for you
- Money -show you will help support the school and offer extra money or offer to pay extra tuition over X number of years (we actually placed an ad in the journal of the school we wanted to get into for 2 years before applying)
- Have your rav call for you

Very few people get into school right away without putting in additional effort.