At most other colleges, the term “true freshman” doesn’t exist. At Yeshiva University, though, true freshmen live among many other students who have spent a year or more in Israel. A small population in comparison to the significantly larger sophomore, junior, and senior classes, true freshmen experience different setbacks than the average Stern/YC student, but also benefit in some surprising ways.
One of the clear advantages is that true freshmen are able to take courses at a more normal pace than the students who attend seminary or yeshiva in Israel, because they have eight semesters to take the classes they need for their majors as opposed to the six semesters post-Israel students have.
“There is a reason that almost everyone in the secular world goes directly to college after high school,” said Casya Klafter, SCW ‘19. “I mean, college is four years for a reason.” Klafter is a psychology major and true freshman who is currently in her second semester on campus.
But this advantage is somewhat hindered by Stern College’s CORE policy, which mandates six semesters of “CORE”—three Judaic studies classes per semester—for students who have not gone to Israel for a year of studies after high school.
“I will be on CORE for the rest of my life,” said Racheli Shafier, SCW ‘19, a true freshman from Monsey, NY, uttering a common (sarcastic) refrain of true freshmen. “This means that I have to be careful about choosing non-CORE classes, because I’m pretty limited. Taking CORE forever is also a pro though, because I love Judaics, and now I have to take them.”
Another point in favor of the true freshman is time for major exploration. “You have the advantage of having extra time to make certain decisions and taking things more slowly, because you’re starting the whole process younger,” said Rivky Wigder, SCW ‘19. Four full years of college allows students who aren’t yet certain of their majors to explore their options and take different classes in order to determine what they are truly interested in.
According to Ronit Stukalov, SCW ‘19, of Providence, Rhode Island, “It’s nice to have one extra year to explore the majors a little more, rather than rush into it after seminary. This way, I am able to feel around everything that YU has to offer. It’s a lot of pressure, jumping into things in sophomore year with so many credits to complete and so little time to complete them.”
True freshmen, unlike students who have attended school in Israel, tend to come to Yeshiva University knowing fewer people and experience more desire to become involved and befriend other students because of this. Many true freshmen, who are housed on the same floors in the dorms and who meet each other through class-specific YU events, become very close friends.
“The friends of true freshman year were like a community,” said Lauren Steciak, SCW ‘17, from Syracuse, NY. “We all stuck together. Even though we came from different backgrounds, we came to an environment where it was ‘normal’ to go to Israel and we had the shared experience of not going to Israel.”
Additionally, each year there is a Birthright trip for YC/Stern students that did not attend seminary or yeshiva. “Birthright was the whole year in Israel that I skipped—plus more—squeezed into ten days of touring and learning about Israel,” said Wigder. This free trip to Israel with other Modern Orthodox students, many of whom are Yeshiva University students, proves a life-changing experience for many students, as Wigder stated: “I came out of YC/Stern Birthright with a more tangible understanding of what Israel is as a place and as a part of Jewish identity.”
Not everything about being a true freshman is easy or beneficial. Firstly, there’s the age difference between true freshmen and students who have gone to Israel. Some true freshmen come to YU and are still minors; this makes signing loans or going on trips that require waivers to be filled out difficult and frustrating.
On one hand, said Yosef Friedlander, YC ‘19, “I have had no problems making friends with the countless students who are older than me, and most don’t realize my age unless I reveal it to them.” Conversely, though, Stukalov explained: “Everyone thinks you’re really young, and sometimes it feels condescending or as though you aren’t being taken seriously. But also, you are really young. True freshmen are the youngest students on campus, and sometimes when the people around you are talking about shidduchim and their rapidly-approaching careers, it feels irrelevant and overwhelming.”
Another thing that can be hard for true freshmen is creating relationships with the students who have gone to Israel for the year, because many of them have already found a group of yeshiva/seminary friends they are comfortable with. This can be difficult for students who want to branch out and create friendships with other people.
Possibly one of the largest drawbacks of being a true freshman is the fact that true freshmen are register last for classes, at which point many classes have reached their maximum capacity. Jordan Silver, SCW ‘19, from Orlando, Florida, said that “we’re lower on the totem pole, so our selection of classes decreases.” Klafter expanded upon this: “You have dead last pick for classes. By the time you actually get to register, your schedule will look completely different from your first draft. It is also very likely that your schedule will be extremely quirky. Also, you will not get into the highly desired classes.”
All hope is not lost, though. “You will probably be forced to sign up for some classes you probably wouldn’t have signed up for if you weren’t closed out of everything else. You might discover something you love!” Klafter said optimistically.
At the end of the day, being a true freshman is what one makes of it. Klafter said that she is glad of her decision because “we have an extra year to meet new people, get involved, learn new things, be in NYC and experience everything else college consists of,” which Steciak echoed: “I think that it was a rewarding experience because I got to experience college from the beginning like a normal college student.”
“All new students who are contemplating going to Yeshiva University should follow their gut,” advised Friedlander. “If they feel Israel, then they will fit into the classic cycle of Yeshiva University. For those who don’t feel the gap year: welcome to the club! That was my decision, and I don’t regret it in the slightest.”