Communicated
Seminary. Worth the hype? Worth the money? What is the student getting for all that money?
At this point that they are going to seminary, the young women are mature thinkers and they can use all the contextual knowledge that they learned all through high school in new and innovative ways to truly make it their own. They can make personal connections to the concepts and work to see how they might integrate it into their own lives. They just need support as they work through all that. And for that, in a seminary, they have access to teachers, guest lecturers, dorm mothers and counselors, and their peers.
Seminary is that gap year – the year between the authority of high school and the autonomy of adult life. In high school, there are rewards and discipline measures that provide the incentive and framework to do what is right. But that doesn’t happen in adult life. There are no disciplinary actions, demerits or prizes. There are no attendance sheets and tests. And no reminders from well-meaning staff. It is just the person’s intrinsic motivation that guides their decisions. A huge jump, a huge difference.
Young adults need to gradually move from that authority and extrinsic motivation to that autonomy. With guidance and support when they falter. They need opportunities to practice and hone their thought processes and see the results of their decisions. They need to be surrounded and supported by people who care to help them work through their situations so that they better understand the possibilities and the consequence of different directions. They need experiences to widen their understanding of the world – to see the same situation through various perspectives.
In other words, they need to be in a setting that proactively provides the context so that they can become more experienced in perspectives seeking, communication, collaboration, creative problem solving, priority and time management. Within the Torah and Chasidic lens.
The best seminary programs are developed by looking at what the young people say they want and need. And from the perspectives of the adults who see how and what the young people of today are struggling with and seeking. That is how Machon Bina was built.
The program at Machon Bina, the newest seminary in the arena is all about preparing the students for the full spectrum of adult life as a frum woman, wife, mother, shlucha or whatever else Hashem has planned.
That is the mindsets, heartsets and skills both for Torah and chasidus and for adulting (yes, that’s a real word; it’s about doing the duties and responsibilities that are expected of adults). It is about having experiences and being experienced in all those.
It is not only the important mindsets and worldviews learned from sichos and maamerim and tanach. It is not only the farbrengens about the life of a Chabad chasid. It is not only Bayit Yehudi classes about married and family life. It is also about priority management and collaboration. And working through equally viable choices. And trying new things. And holding fast to one’s own identity. And pivoting and adapting when life throws its inevitable curveballs. plans fall through. Real life stuff. As a Chabad woman, wife, adult or wherever Hashem’s plans take her.
That is what the student will get in a seminary program that is fully immersive – a well developed context for personal development in all the facets of life. All. The. Facets. One that supports a girl in developing mindsets, heartsets, tools, skills, personal direction and some good memories- that’s worth every penny.
I beg to differ in the real world the time you show up at work is very much noted. You are not asked what you want to do rather told what needs to be done. If you don’t like the job you are free to quit. The same should hold true for seminary does not live up to your expection leave.
I think the point is that people should make good decisions from within themselves and not only for teachers and bosses. in some cases, there may very well be some external motivation. but in much of real life, there is not. there just is the person themselves motivating or not motivating them. and that’s what a good year at a good seminary can do.
I was not in this seminary as this opened after my times, but I agree to every word about seminary in general. I don’t like when people say that Seminary is just a hype and waste of time. Seminary is what shaped me as a person and was the basis of who I turned out to be as an adult. It’s the most important year in a girl’s life and so essential for the in-between high school-adult life. It was worth every penny my parents didn’t have and I’m forever grateful I went to Seminary! (I was in MSY btw)
You don’t like when people say that seminary is just a hype and waste of time? Count yourself lucky that you had such a wonderful experience, but everyone is entitled to their opinions.
I went to seminary, thought it was a waste of a year, and wish it hadn’t been so hyped up.
One of my DIL’s didn’t. There is no difference in their maturity level, their ability to run a functional, Chassidishe home & raise good kids. I agree, Seminary is a valuable experience, but the cost (even before clothes, travel & other expenses) is outrageous. There doesn’t seem to be any solution to this problem, but surely someone more astute than I can make sem affordable for everyone? I thought it was hard to send all my kids to camp, but this is a whole different nightmare for most parents. Peer & social pressure to be accepted is only stage 1.… Read more »
Preparing a child for “LIFE”, should start as soon as a child is born. The girls are going to school since they’re three years old. What are they doing all that time? Especially the last four years of high school. For many girls its a $25,000.00 vacation that parents go into debt for. Its a private enterprise. Very few who run these places do it in the name of Chinuch. It should be made more affordable for those who wish to go.
There are much better ways to make money than to run a seminary/ yeshiva. The students require full attention all the time. they have needs and complaints. there are a million details to attend to. noone chooses this if they dont truly care about the students. And crunch the numbers – honestly – noone is getting rich off of running a seminary. That said, it would be awesome for all if there was a way for post high school programs to be more affordable. all that said, it doesn’t take away from the value of a seminary growth experience. If… Read more »
you can lean more about the Machon Bina program
http://bit.ly/MachonBinaCentralPage
or https://www.instagram.com/machonbina/
Let me guess who wrote this article? ah! Yes! a Seminary. This is advertising plain and simple. What seminary would write that Seminary is not necessary? that it may be a waste of time and Money? and this whole “you must go to seminary if you want to find a good shidduch or to create a chassidish home” is all hype to keep the applications coming (which cost non-refundable money). What do they teach in the last year of High School? You must go to Seminary. What do they farbreng about in the last year in high school? You must… Read more »
As a high school teacher for many years, I have seen a dramatic difference in my students who’ve gone on to seminary vs. those who haven’t-even if they’ve gone on Shlichus rather than straight to college. The girls who’ve invested (and whose parents have invested) in this year of immersion in Kodesh are grounded and so much more focused on what their goals should be and how to achieve them, B’Simcha. This is true even-or especially-of the “older girls” who haven’t been Zocheh to meet their Zivug yet; their Simchas HaChaim even in a trying situation is still evident. When… Read more »
Seminary has minimal bearings on who you are as a person, that choice lies within the individual themselves. If someone wants to be Frum and Chassidish they will be, and if not, they won’t. Someone at this stage is mature enough to make that decision regardless of where they spent the year. Both from personal experience and friends there is only a change in those who choose to be different. Machon Bina while they may claim to prepare girls for the real world, they fail to accept those that need this the most. Seminaries, while having a rejection system due… Read more »