By Aliza Flug, Layout Editor and Social Media Manager
When I first came to Yeshiva University, I was overwhelmed by the vast options of majors and surely thought that one would relate to any career choice I would make. I soon learned that I was very wrong.
After deciding to pursue a career in architecture, I realized that not only does Stern College for Women not have an architecture degree, but it is also lacking degrees in other areas such as engineering. I had been told that the only option for pre-architecture students at Stern would be to major in art with an emphasis in architecture. Little did I know that this “emphasis” would not even show up on my degree and that this option isn’t available for students at Yeshiva College. Unlike Stern, however, an architecture minor is available on the Wilf campus which gives students the option to major in another subject and combine that with an architecture minor.
Although it is not the most popular major, the art department is my favorite part of Stern. This department has extremely talented and knowledgeable teachers, a variety of class offerings, and an option to take courses at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), which can count towards the major. Though I am confident that the art department at Stern will provide me with many of the necessary tools I will need for graduate school as I pursue my career, there is definitely a lot that it is missing in terms of architecture.
Learning how to use certain computer programs like AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, and Rhino are crucial steps in the process of becoming an architect. Unfortunately, Stern does not have any classes that teach those programs and even FIT offers a very limited number of computer-based architectural design classes. FIT doesn’t have an architecture major either and only offers architecture classes that are relevant to their interior design major. For these reasons, I fear that I will be falling behind my classmates’ capabilities in graduate school.
In addition to the art department, the main reason I decided to stay in Stern is because of the warm and welcoming community. Coming into Stern as a true freshman, I didn’t have many friends, as most of them were either in high school or seminary. I anxiously entered this big, new environment, but was fortunately welcomed by the Stern community. Being an out-of-towner who stays in for Shabbat almost every week, I found my chevra (group of friends) at Stern. I also became involved in extracurricular activities such as an assistant costume designer for the Stern College Dramatics Society’s fall play. This introduced me to a circle of creative, like-minded people who now make up my best friends at Stern, and it allowed me to express my creativity in ways I was never able to before. Later, I joined the YU Observer team and also became vice president of the Crafting Club. Opportunities like these encourage me to stay in Stern because they are some of the best parts of what this school has to offer. I strongly encourage every student to get involved in whatever extracurriculars interest them too.
When I first decided to stay on campus for Shabbat, I was worried that I would not enjoy it at Stern. This was my first experience being away from home for an extended period of time, and as a homebody, I was worried that spending Shabbat with many girls often would overwhelm me.
To be completely honest, I was not so happy, nor did I enjoy Shabbat the first few weeks that I stayed in. However, I soon realized that Shabbat on campus is a really beautiful experience. In addition to having a minyan on campus almost every week, the school offers three Shabbat meals, as well as shiurim and onegs. During my high school years, I would often spend Shabat bored and lonely. I am very grateful that in Stern I was able to shift my mindset and go from dreading the arrival of Shabbat to counting down the hours until Shabbat starts.
The programming on Shabbat is just one of many examples of how the Office of Torah and Spiritual Life at Stern puts in the work to provide a variety of opportunities for its students. There are two campus couples who enhance the Shabbat programming, give shiurim, and offer spiritual guidance. In addition to that, there is a group of student ambassadors who are dedicated to enhancing spiritual life on campus.
After October 7, my gratitude for YU increased not only because of the lack of antisemitism on campus, but also because the school has offered its students so much since then. The Office of Torah and Spiritual Life has organized learning opportunities, tehillim gatherings, and given chizzuk (encouragement) for the zechut (merit) of Eretz Yisrael. I would never have had experiences like these in a different school and I am extremely thankful to YU for hosting events like the gathering that was held recently to mourn and daven for the hostages that were murdered.
Overall, Stern’s programming, community, and avira (environment) have left a strong impact on me and helped foster my Jewish identity and connection. Though I know it may cause difficulties in my career path later on, I am happy with my decision to stay in Stern. The classes I am missing may certainly make it harder to get into the more competitive graduate schools, and I will most likely need to attend graduate school for an extra year or year and a half. Either way, I feel that extra time spent at graduate school is worth the positive experiences I am grateful to have at Stern. I know that this may not be the best decision for others, but after giving it a lot of thought, I am confident that Stern was the right choice for me.
Photo Caption: Student architectural models in the SCW art studio
Photo Credit: Dalya Eichler