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Hillel Asks the Experts: Top Tips for Making the Most of Your College Search

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October 24, 2025

����vlogl’s Virtual College Prep Series is back, ready to support a new cohort of students and families through their college search and preparation journey! This month, the series returned with “Make the Most Out of Your College Search,” focusing on how Jewish students and their families can strategically and effectively find the right fit for their college experience.

����vlogl wants you to know that Jewish student life is thriving on college campuses, across North America, and around the world. Over the past three years, more than 200,000 Jewish students and young adults have been engaging in Hillel programs and relationships, from Shabbat meals and activities to holiday celebrations to leadership programs to community service opportunities. 

“We are seeing record numbers of Jewish students walking through our doors to be a part of vibrant and thriving Jewish student communities,” said Adam Lehman, ����vlogl president and CEO, in his welcome to participants. “The opportunities are truly extensive, and can be an amazing source of community, new friendship, and growth for your Jewish student.”

Hillel is here to offer as many resources as possible to help prospective Jewish students and their families as they go through the exciting but sometimes daunting college search process. Here are five top takeaways from this Virtual College Prep session, shared by our community of experts!

1. When it comes to starting your college list, begin with the most limiting factors.

“When we think about college, we associate that with education, obviously,” said Eric Karlan, co-founder of , a college prep organization that has served students in 41 states and 20 countries. “But when we say things like, ‘I want to study biology’ or ‘I want to study economics,’ those aren’t very limiting factors… there are hundreds, thousands of universities all across the country [that meet those criteria].”

Instead, Karlan suggests, start with “superficial” factors — things that are unrelated to prestige or academics, but instead represent requirements that will actually help narrow down your potential list. For example, that could be wanting to be at a school of no more than 10,000 students, or a school that’s within a three-hour drive of home. 

For Jewish students, limiting factors might also be about the size of the campus Jewish population, or the types of resources available for Jewish community members, such as kosher food, regular services, or opportunities to study abroad in Israel. He also recommends thinking about your own individual sense of what will make for a meaningful college experience.

“And then we get to a point where we can narrow things down, where you can say, okay, there are thousands of schools, but now we have it down to 100, and then 50, and then 10 to 15 schools…” Karlan explained. 

2. Be open to unexpected possibilities in your search.

At ����vlogl, we spend a lot of time looking at the data of where Jewish students are choosing to enroll. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a growing trend of Jewish students attending schools that have historically had smaller Jewish populations, and might not traditionally be campuses that Jewish families think of when it comes to a thriving Jewish experience.

“The whole landscape has changed, especially for Jewish students… Come into this process open-minded, and don’t dismiss any schools based on reputation [or] headlines.” Karlan said, particularly noting a shift toward Jewish students attending schools in the Southeastern United States.

Part of that open-mindedness, Karlan explained, is making sure to go beyond headlines about campus environments or misconceptions about a particular geographic area. ����vlogl resources like the College Decision Hub and can give more in-depth information about what a particular school offers and how its students experience the campus environment. But when it comes to getting the full picture, everyone in the session agreed that one resource stands out: conversations with students, staff, and faculty on each campus.

“The best source for finding out about Jewish life on campus is to actually talk to the students,” said Sarah Fried, ����vlogl’s chief external affairs officer. 

3. By the end of a college visit, you should be able to identify what makes that school unique from other options on your list.

Visiting a college campus is one of the most effective ways to see what sets a particular school apart — and that means gaining a clearer understanding of the factors that are most important to you, and paying attention to things that might surprise you.

In addition to reaching out to the department where you might want to major before you visit, Karlan also suggests reaching out to Hillel to get a sense of the Jewish community, find out if you can attend a Friday night service, and talk to current Jewish students or recent alumni. 

College visits also give students a chance to see the many different forms that a “thriving Jewish community” can take. Naomi Lamb, CEO at The Ohio State University Hillel, and Charles Cohen, executive director of , both spoke about what life is like in their organizations — and while each represents communities with vibrant Jewish life, they’re very different,

OSU Hillel offers a campus hub for all things Jewish, including a kosher restaurant, a fitness center, programming and learning spaces, and even a bagel cafe. In contrast, Metro Chicago Hillel connects multiple campuses across the city, offering students a “choose your own adventure” approach where they can spend time attending any or all of the different schools’ programming.

Hillel’s goal is to make sure every Jewish student can find the right Jewish home away from home — and the best way to make sure you find the right fit is to stop in and say hello.

4. Consider the type of environment you’ll want in challenging times, too.

October 7, 2023 was a turning point for colleges and universities everywhere, as Jewish students found themselves suddenly experiencing unprecedented levels of antisemitism, exclusion, and even physical violence. Ariela Moel, co-chair of the ����vlogl Student Cabinet and a student leader at University of Southern California, described the way that her community came together in the wake of the October 7th attacks, and offered her an entry point into coalition-building and involvement in the broader culture shift on campus.

“I discovered my voice under pressure, and saw my community shift from a social circle to more of a civil society on campus.” she said. “I made it my mission for the rest of my collegiate career to start building dialogue spaces, start learning  to disagree cleanly in a way that’s respectful, and Hillel really guided me through that.”

Moel’s advice for prospective students is to expand the types of questions they ask as they consider their college experience. For example, what happens on campus when there are difficult situations? What kinds of communities emerge during times of conflict? Does campus leadership defend open inquiry and safety?

She also encouraged prospective students to learn about how a college community can continue to be supportive after graduation by asking questions like: What are alumni networks like? Are they engaged and well-connected? Will they answer an email or help you get a foot in the door?

“My bottom line would be to choose a place that will have your back on the worst week of your college career and also will still sharpen you on the best week,” she advised.

5. Finally, for parents and families: Let your students take the lead on defining their own meaningful Jewish college experience.

One of the most common questions ����vlogl and campus staff hear from families of prospective Jewish students is, “How do I get my student to go to Hillel?” 

The answer is simple: You can’t. It’s up to your student to make their own Jewish experience. But ultimately, that’s a good thing.

“Hillel is a huge organization that offers many, many different opportunities to engage, and that can look many different ways for every Jewish student,” Lamb said. “We want to tap into whatever their unique identity is… and then where and how can they potentially connect with Hillel as it relates to something that is important to them…”

Along the same lines, Cohen encourages families to have open conversations about Jewish life and identity not right before a student is applying for college, but as soon as students are able to start discovering Jewish identity and community for themselves. “For the students we serve, it’s about finding their own way,” he said.

Good luck to all prospective students and families — and if you have any questions, Hillel is always here to help!