It’s that time of year. Applications printed, decisions made, emotions in turmoil. An easy time? Not at all, but hey, it’s all part of the adventure called seminary. But how do you know what to do, what to think and what steps to take to make this THE YEAR you want it to be? You ask seminary teachers and post sem girls, of course! Who else? They are the address for the latest info on all things seminary. They’ve been there, done that. When you get the scoop from those on the inside, you know you’ve heard all you need to hear. And we’ve made it easy for you by doing all the legwork for you. Read on…

Dear (Not So) Little Sister

Rifky Gossman

Congratulations! It’s finally your time.

I’m excited for what the year ahead holds for you. The seminary experience is a privilege. It’s an opportunity to build relationships with friends, mechanchos, the families you will be fortunate to meet and most fundamentally, a chance to nurture the relationship within yourself.

If I had an older sister, I’d want her to give me the alef-beis of the seminary experience. Lucky for you, I am that older sister. So, here goes!

Alef: Aim high, sis, but stay “normal.” K? You’re entitled to one-and-a-half months of post-sem girl cloud time; after that, I’m throwing out the blouses and clogs. Literally.

Beis: Be easy going. Roommates may not seem ideal, Shabbos plans on a beach in Netanya may turn out to be a nice family that lives in a hut, and hot water is relative.

Gimmel: Throughout seminary, I was under the misconception that when in Geula, calories don’t count. A package of glazed pecans, ice coffee, pizza with that “sauce,” but you know what? It was worth it. Enjoy every spiritual munch.

Dalet: Dress how you want in seminary. Buy those 25-shekel “stretchy skirts,” but don’t even think of coming off the plane in them. They are not flattering, and Ma will have conniptions.

Hei: Always bring a hostess gift, even if that gift consists of a 15-shekel prepackaged shoko cake you bought from the makolet in Tachanah Merkazit. It’s not about what you bring but rather the gesture, and the kids will ask for it anyway.

Vuv: If your roommate’s third cousin is getting married, go dance at the vedding. One of my greatest endorphin-releasing chavayas was getting all dressed up with sem friends and being mesamei'ach the kallah. After all, when in Israel, vee are all mishpachah! Just don’t skip class for it…

Zayin: Zilch. Don’t take along anything valuable that you will intensely regret if it gets lost, broken or eaten 😉

Ches: It’s all part of the chavayah 🙂 When opportunities come your way, grab them by the horns. Even after coming home, I started to look at everything as an opportunity in the chavayah of life. It keeps things in perspective.

Tes: Tiyulim! Enjoy every sweaty, skirt-soaked, shoko-drink-filled moment 🙂

Yud: Yomim Tovim: fish and guests tend to go bad after three days. When you find yourself zocheh to stay in one place for all three days as opposed to Vagabonds R Us, appreciate it!