I am a 22 year old girl now in the middle of the “wonderful” world of shidduchim. And, yes, the seminary that you go to does make a difference in the “parsha.” Unfortunatly, the seminary that I went to does not have the best name and so I am not having the easiest time.
Nevertheless, I WOULDN’T TRADE IN MY SEMINARY YEAR FOR ANYTHING. Call it a luxary, call it a nessesity and it doesn’t make a difference. For some girls it is a luxary for some girls it is a necessity. My friends who attended seminary in NY, are much more lax about dressing tzniusly, hang out with the opposite sex, etc. My friends who went to secular colleges (dorm) are not religious anymore (not suprising). So you have to look at the options. The majority of high schools are not giving girls enough meaning in their lives.
It used to be enough to be Frum, your kids would be frum almost automatically. If you are not inspired, do not know why your doing what your doing, there is a good chance your kids wont be frum. That is what seminary did for me – provided with me with tools and resources to find meaning in what I’m doing.
My only complaint is that seminary was not “brainwashing” enough. They barely talked to us about kollel, shidduchim, etc. I feel like I was not given enough guidance in this area.
p.s. most high schools cost (especially in the NY area) just as much as seminary but in seminary you are getting dorms, food, tiyulim, shabbatonim, famous teachers and speakers, etc. why does e/o think seminary is such a money making schemes but they don’t say this about jewish high schools?