Heya there,
Thanks OneOfMany for answering much more eloquently than I could have 🙂
I want to add:
1) They told us the first day of seminary, the #1 rule in BYMR is use your common sense. Mrs. Rosenblum (she is a Rebbetzin, but most girls refer to her as Mrs.) picks girls she knows she can trust. It’s just that kind of environment. And yeah, it’s pretty “geshmak!”
2) There isn’t any busy work. In fact, there is barely any homework, except for a few weekly things (ex: Navi hachanah and quiz, parsha hachanah and quiz) and every so often a teacher will give an assignment. There are long-term reports, however, as OOM explained, but then it’s really just about you managing your time properly – everyone has their own system.
3) In general, BY sems give all three meals, or at least lunch and supper. Anyone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but the ones I know for sure in your range that don’t give all three are Michlala and Darchei Binah.
4) I honestly don’t think you need to worry about the textual skills now. Everyone came in on different levels, from the girls who were reading sefarim on the plane to those who had never read beyond a Rashi, and even that was with major help from teachers. Even the girls with the better textual skills had a lot to learn and everyone came out of the year saying that they really honed their skills. If you are able to read a meforash, even if it’s not perfectly, yet you are serious and excited to learn and put in effort, you’ll do great.
I’d rather not say where I applied, but to add to OOM’s list, girls also applied to BJJ, Bnos Chava, and Mesores Rochel. Many who decided on BYMR did so because they wanted the smaller, warmer, more out of town, serious learning, while not compromising on the BY environment (note that this is not all, but a majority picked BYMR for these reasons).
Hatzlacha with your decision! Just remember that sending in an application is not a commitment!!!