First of all, I would like to thank all those people who went out of their way to answer some of the questions on my previous blog. Your answers really mean a lot to me and to the rest of the students who are looking forward to attending school in Israel. After reading some of your responses, my fellow peers and I truly felt a sense of comfort and relief. We now understand that not only do we have the ability of attending Hebrew University, but we also have the capability of succeeding and developing in all parts of student life. Nevertheless, my friends and I are fully aware that university life is very different to high school, in the sense that the workload and material being covered is very different and challenging My question this week for the students of Hebrew U. is: What kind of workload should us new students expect once we begin university? What are the classes like? What are the professors like? Once again, thanks so much for your time and I hope to hear from you guys soon!

Lehitraot, David

My name is David and I am a Jewish High School student in Vancouver British Colombia Canada. Currently, I am 17 years old and I am in grade 11 at the local Jewish High School, King David High School. For the past 14 years, I have had the utmost privilege of attending two wonderful Jewish schools, primary and senior, and my overall education experience has been very nourishing and fulfilling. However, as the school years fly by, I must take into consideration that these simple times are coming to a close very quickly and I must start planning for the future. Once we enter the final year of High School, the primary concern for most students is their post-secondary education. Questions such as: What am I going to do once I graduate? Where am I going to go? Should I just stay at home and get a job? Should I travel abroad and study elsewhere? Etc.

Although it is still far in the distance, I cannot ignore the importance of properly selecting a university right for me and programs that will help shape me into the person that I wish to become. Attending Jewish schools all my life, I think it is appropriate to consider the option of moving to Israel and attending a school like the Hebrew University. Nevertheless, as of now, I am pretty much clueless about the university selection process and what life is like actually on campus in a different country like Israel. For an English speaking Canadian citizen, the university process looks interesting yet intimidating, but attending school in a foreign country in a foreign language looks especially daunting. My question to the students of the Hebrew University is: What is required of a foreign student in order to get into a school like Hebrew U.? And what should a English speaking Canadian student like myself expect to encounter while living in Israel?

Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you guys soon!

Lehitraot,

David

And part of it could be to bond with other students who happen to be Jewish from around the world. On the one hand this is Jewish continuity…people come and they meet Jewish friends from all over the world, and they (with their roommates) bond – this is a relationship they have and enjoy for the rest of their lives. But if there is a student who is not Jewish I do not want to make him/her feel unwelcome, because this is absolutely not the case. Remember, all the students live together, which is a wonderful blend – I always make this joke “Welcome to Babylon” because if you go into the dormitories in this brand new facility, top of the line in all standards with anywhere else in the world, you hear Arabic, and you hear Hebrew, and you hear Spanish, and English and German…it’s a mish-mash of languages like you can’t believe!

And everybody lives together, so you could have a roommate who is Jewish, or non-Jewish and it’s just fantastic. So if you really want to get an international experience and become a citizen of the world, spend a day at the Student Village. It’s funny – we have this game when we walk down at English Bay, let’s see how long it will take before we hear English! You hear Iranian and you hear all the languages in the world (laughs).

The university is happy to receive requests, and if somebody has a specific request the university will do its utmost to accommodate – so if somebody wanted, for example, to share a room with someone who keeps kosher, it’s like any good hotel – they will try their best to help them – it all depends on the request and the demand.

Q: What are some of the reasons that might prevent people from going to HU?

A: They might hear of Israel as a place of conflict – most of the news coming out is negative news about the Arab/Israeli conflict and the conflict Israel has with some of its neighbors. When they sit in beautiful British Columbia and they need to decide whether they’d like to go and spend a semester in Sydney, Berlin or in Jerusalem they might say – because they are also subject to the influences of their peer groups and family – that unless they do not have a relative in Israel, or has not yet visited the country to see with their own eyes its richness, the feel, and be able to test the reality, that they might say they’re afraid of going.

Also, some lack of geographic knowledge…sometimes you hear about unrest in Iran, or about the Gulf area and people will ask about its impact in Israel, and because there is this lack of understanding about the distances, they don’t realize that it has nothing to do with our region in Israel at all. But this is very natural, you know, I think it is very normal that someone has this hesitation and then they need to figure out how they want to deal with it. I’m an Israeli so I may not be that objective in their eyes, but I come and go on a regular basis, so I can only share my own experience.

Do you have any other thoughts about spending a year studying in Jerusalem? Do you agree or disagree with Dina? Let us know!

Jason: What are the top 5 reasons a student considering an academic stint at HU might ask you before they go?

Dina: They will want to know if they get a credit at their home university; they will want to know the cost of the program; they will want to know the courses that are available and whether these would be part of the stream at their home university, or maybe they will use that time for their intellect and choose courses that are from completely different disciplines than their major discipline in which they are taking their degree.They will probably also want to know some logistics about the program, where they are going to study, the dormitories – they will also want to know if there are other students from their home city, or from their country – in this case how many other Canadians are going? So if I have to limit myself to 5 reasons, I think these are the key ones.

Once they satisfy themselves with the information they receive as to the content of the program, the courses that are available, the areas of interest… then we move onto the logistics. Part of the logistics is the finance, “how do we finance our travel; do you have scholarships available?” which, if not #1, is in the top 3 questions…because once they trigger that they want to go, they have the interest, they have to work out how to fund it.

Jason: What motivates people in the first instance to consider HU?

Dina: I think the #1 motivation is to be part of a world-renowned university that was established by some of the intellectual giants of the last century Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Martin Buber. It is the only Israeli university in the international top 100; they want to be part of this outstanding institution, and by spending a semester there or a year, they do just that. Another motivation could be to spend some time outside their natural environment of their home university where they spend 4 years… and so it’s the excitement, the adventure, the sheer adventure of spending a semester overseas. Israel can also be a bouncing board for students to discover other countries in the area; they can travel to Greece; they can go to visit Egypt, Jordan, and elsewhere.

And part of it could be to bond with other students who happen to be Jewish from around the world. On the one hand this is Jewish continuity…people come and they meet Jewish friends from all over the world, and they (with their roommates) bond – this is a relationship they have and enjoy for the rest of their lives. But if there is a student who is not Jewish I do not want to make him/her feel unwelcome, because this is absolutely not the case. Remember, all the students live together, which is a wonderful blend – I always make this joke “Welcome to Babylon” because if you go into the dormitories in this brand new facility, top of the line in all standards with anywhere else in the world, you hear Arabic, and you hear Hebrew, and you hear Spanish, and English and German…it’s a mish-mash of languages like you can’t believe!

And everybody lives together, so you could have a roommate who is Jewish, or non-Jewish and it’s just fantastic. So if you really want to get an international experience and become a citizen of the world, spend a day at the Student Village. It’s funny – we have this game when we walk down at English Bay in Vancouver, let’s see how long it will take before we hear English! You hear all the languages in the world! (laughs).

The university is happy to receive requests, and if somebody has a specific request the university will do its utmost to accommodate – so if somebody wanted, for example, to share a room with someone who keeps kosher, it’s like any good hotel – they will try their best to help them – it all depends on the request and the demand.

To be continued…

Ask Dina a Question: Don’t be shy! Dina is an HU alumnus, a Sabra and is extremely knowledgeable about HU (most things, actually). Submit your question here and she will publish your question and response in next month’s blog.