monseygirl
Yes – Hadar has uniform – It’s blue shirts (I think light blue but I’m not sure – when I was there we just had to wear any button-down) and blue pleated skirts. Many girls wore black and “got away with it”. I remember hearing the rumors before I was applying but I knew a few girls older than me that I really admired and figured I don’t mind turning out like them if that’s what a Rebetzin is. Also – while I was waiting for my interview and looking around at the other girls I got reassured that it wouldn’t be suppppper yeshivish. I was thinking – I can’t imagine all these girls coming out next year like Rebetzins…
I don’t know about not going to relatives on Shabbos. You aren’t allowed to go to certain areas because of security reasons and I think you can get permission if you are going to family.
I remember waiting the whole year for Mrs. Orenstien to say something really controversial in Hashkafa so I’d understand where all the rumors came from at least. We asked the madricha and she said – oh just wait till she talks about tznius.
I asked why – does she say to “close your top button” or you have to wear long sleeves and not 3/4s or something?
She said – no she just tells you what needs to be covered and how it’s not just about clothing and inches. Now, I’d been hearing the same thing throughout school – especially high school so I didn’t find anything new – I think the madricha came from a school that never mentioned tznius, so I didn’t see where she was being controversial…
It’s a big school so we did feel sometimes like there were 2 Hadars and you couldn’t manage to know everyone but I personally am the type that even if I wasn’t friends with everyone – I could shmooze with anyone and now if I meet anyone from my year I really feel a connection. With staff – if you want to be I think you can get close to some of them (not all) but I was not the type to so I can’t tell you for sure.