BNOS CHAVA INTERVIEW!!!!!!

I don’t remember much about my interview, but one question that Rabbi Geisler commonly asks is what you want to work on during your year in seminary. He told us that that tells him what the girl’s strength is, since human nature is that a person wants to work on what’s easy for them. So if you say you want to work on tefila, or tznius, or whatever, he’ll understand from that that you excel in the area.

Otherwise, I think it was pretty comfortable and nonthreatening. Relax. Hatzlacha.

Oooh, good luck. Not to scare you or anything, but Rabbi Geisler takes great pride in making girls squirm at their interviews. (And no, that’s not my opinion, that’s the truth – he told us himself before he went to America when I was in seminary. We all told our “horror stories” and he was very pleased with himself.)

He will most likely pick out a long meforash for you to read, and you will most likely stumble over it and not understand it. DON’T WORRY! That’s what happens! Just don’t pretend to know what you’re talking about if you really don’t – just say, “I don’t understand this part. What does it mean?” I had to read two complicated meforshim and could barely make heads or tails of them (because they were hard, and because I was nervous), and he had to explain it all to me. Very uncomfortable.

He also wanted to know my SAT scores and what the breakdown was, he asked about my family and my school life, he asked about my favorite subjects and extracurricular activities, he asked why I wanted to go to Bnos Chava, and no, he did NOT ask what kind of animal or fruit I’d want to be or anything ridiculous like that. (But he has done it – it’s not just urban legend! So be prepared, but stay normal – don’t say “I’d like to be a bird to I can sing shira to Hashem,” say what you really think – “I’d like to be a cheetah because they can run fast” or whatever.)

Be prepared for him to question your answers and make you feel uncomfortable. IT DOES NOT MATTER. I walked out of that interview feeling like I’d NEVER get in, and guess what – I did! And I didn’t even have to get pushed in! There’s nothing to be afraid of, even if you feel that the interview went horribly. Just be yourself and be honest. Worse comes to worst – you won’t get in! And it’s not the end of the world!

hey im applying there too and my interview’s in 2 weeks im starting 2 get nervous, does any1 know what rambans he asks? like is there a few that he generally asks or is it one on the parsha…??

QT101 (and all other applicants)

Keep in mind, the bocher you will eventualy date, when thru NONE of this grief to get into bais medrash (not in the USA or in EY).

Nor did his parents shell out $10,000-$12,000 for the year.

I would not know bnos chavah from bnos on shabbos for 8 year olds, but to put someone with your credentials trhu this? They are messing with your head. If you fudge this sem, there are 10 more to pick from, and in the final analysis, you still come back to the states to face an uphill battle in the job / shidduch market.

Don’t play into the fear factor. Remember, you’re grades thru HS prove you’re a winner. Don’t be treated like a shmatteh.

$16k? All the more reason to stop being treated like a rag. Were I to put out the word that I’m ready to hand out a $16k donation to a yeshiva, I’d get my picture in the paper, be asked to join the board of various orginaizations, my Mrs would be hostess of the next 10 tea parties in the BP area, ect.

And here, you have bright girls who are paying top $, and get the run-around during an interview?

Gosh, does this system need an overhaul.

thanks for all your comments but the bottom line is we are all pawns. if u dont go to a good seminary you don’t get a shidduch…! however, i would appreciate if people who went through the interview process could please enlighten me as to what exactly does he ask? and for those who went to bnos chava, what are the pros and cons of this seminary?

qt101, first of all, get it out of your head that “good” seminary = shidduch. Many many people who don’t go to seminary get shidduchim, and many who do go, unfortunately, don’t get shidduchim. Do what you can but your life does not hinge on this one year. Relax!

No interviewer asks the same questions to everyone. You and your friends will compare afterwards and see that they are all different. Some seminaries will have two or three meforshim preprinted for the girls to read, but not Rabbi Geisler. He picks and you read from a Chumash. He may grill you for half an hour, and he may ask you nothing. See my above post for a general idea of the types of questions he’ll probably ask, but you never know.

As for pros and cons, it’s been many years since I went, and I hear that there have been lots of changes. New aim habayit (is that true, anyone?), a few different teachers, and apparently Mrs. Tarshish opened her own seminary, so I’m sure her classes (which were my favorite, incidentally) have been reduced drastically. The medrash report (if it still exists?) was hard but worth it. The classes were (mostly) great. The seminary is a big one if you’re not comfortable with that, and one big con is that you are in two dorm buildings, so you may be separated from your friends. But overall it was a great experience – keep in mind, though, that every year is different and it is, to a large extent, what you make it.

Good luck!

bein hasdorim: thanx!! what you said is so true!

Do yourself a favor:

Don’t mention college.

Just say you want to live in EY and support your husband in Kollel by being a Gannenet.

Basicly, act like you are already a product of their seminary.

qt101, like I said, it’s been many years since I was there, but even then BC had a “jappy” reputation. I was nervous because I knew a lot of girls (from camp) who were going and were indeed jappy, not my type at all, and even ended up with a classic jap for a roommate. But you know what? The seminary is not jappy. Yes, there are japs. You’ll have them in every seminary. In BC, like the other seminaries, there are japs, but they are not the overwhelming majority. Just don’t make friends with them if you don’t care for that! It is a big seminary, and you’re bound to find at least a few friends who are your type.

But again, every year is different, and every seminary is different. I don’t know what it’s like there now, but it’s highly unlikely that you won’t find at least 3 girls who you like and can be friends with.

Good luck!

“for some reason the guys wanna go out with girls who have been to ‘Bnos Chava’ “

Perhaps. But in just as many cases, the boys want to go out with girls whose daddy’s have the $$$ to send their kids to BC.

Just as well. They’ll soon find out that the BC grad and Daddy are tough cookies and not one to mess with.

1 day, you are correct. as one who went to top seminary, while a good sem is a nice addition to the resume, in reality, long term is not so significant.

A mench, good person, good middos, common goals. will be a great spouse, friend, mother. Will help you build iyh your beautiful empire of a good jewish home you will be happy with and proud of.

Stay focused.

Hatzlacha!

Give me a break.

A girl is a girl; they are all the same.

I’ve read a thousand resumes and the only difference is the phone number.

“I’ve read a thousand resumes and the only difference is the phone number.”

that’s kinda harsh Popa you have to treat people as people and not as a number, maybe you can’t learn enough about someone from a resume but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t more there that meets the eye

thnx so his rambans are pretty random? and omg he asks the most random questions! im getting nervous!!

just wondering, why do seminaries want u coming in like a product of their sem. how can they change u then.