The process of deciding what students will do after High School is both nerve-wracking and exciting. Some students decide to take a gap year in Israel while others proceed to college right after high school. The decision takes time, so the Junior students recently received their Israel Advisors. The Junior girls were selected into two groups, Ms. Rahimzadeh or Ms. Senders, and the boys into three groups, Rabbi Schiowitz, Rabbi Gober, and Rabbi Schimmel. Juniors will soon have their first meeting. On Monday, May 10, the Ramaz Israel Guidance Office will begin the Israel advisory process with the Junior grade and will be explaining the variety of different opportunities available. Junior Grade parents will also attend a zoom introduction to the gap-year process on Wednesday, May 12 at 8pm. While the application process may seem the same for boys and girls even though they apply to separate Seminaries or Yeshivas, the application deadlines differ by a month. Why do the girls need to apply almost a month before the boys? 

This past year, the application deadline for around twenty Seminaries on the Joint Seminary Application was December 24th. However, the deadline for the Joint Yeshiva Application, which organizes the applications for around twenty Yeshivas, was January 15th. 

Ms. Senders explained that a possible reason for this phenomenon pertains to the organization of the Seminaries as compared to the Yeshivas. Seminaries are more efficient and would rather have the applications in sooner rather than later. Julia Feit ’22 believes that the Seminaries and Yeshivas should have their applications due at the same time. Julia Feit ’22 said, “Imagine if colleges had different application deadlines for boys and girls. That wouldn’t be fair or make any sense.” Jordan Mittler ’22 also thought that the difference in application deadlines was compelling and could not think of a reason why gender should matter. Jordan Mittler ’22 said, “I’m sure there is an explanation that I am unaware of. I think that a gap year program in Israel is as meaningful no matter what gender.” The unique deadlines for boys and girls is an interesting occurrence and certainly sparks curiosity among Ramaz students, whether or not they plan to take a gap year in Israel themselves.