Going To University

Moving away from home for the first time is a major transition in and of itself, but when you add in the prospect of going to university, then that transition can seem overwhelming. However, for young those young people from our community that also want to stay connected to their Judaism, there are organisations that can help to make the whole thing less daunting.

AJ6

The Association of Jewish Sixth Formers (AJ6) was founded more than quarter of a century ago by a group of sixth formers who wanted to help educate Jewish students about the problems which could arise whilst living on campus. AJ6 works with fifth and sixth formers and is made up of Jews from all streams and beliefs, and now gets involved in many areas beyond the school / university transition.

Specifically in relation to the move to university, though, they have collated information on everything you need to know about university life and also run a host of other events to help prepare you, the Jewish sixth former, for life on campus. These events include the very popular Campus Visits programme which provide you with the chance to understand how Jewish life works at a specific university and meet the local J-S0C president.

For more information on AJ6 click here.

UJS

The other organisation with a focus on university life for Jewish students is UJS (the Union of Jewish Students). They point out that you will have many decisions to make when starting at university including what clubs and societies to join, what pub to drink at, how long to stay in bed in the morning and what kind of Jewish connection you want to maintain. As they put it, you need to decide if you want to go to a University with 10 Jewish students, or 1000 Jewish students: if you want to be able to just attend the odd Jewish social event, or participate in a variety of social, educational, cultural and political activities. The choice is up to you.

In fact, being Jewish at University is not a challenge - it’s an opportunity. University provides you with the chance to explore Judaism for everything it has to offer unlike any other opportunity you will have during your lifetime, so they encourage you take advantage of it, as your time at University is short.

Many campuses have a Jewish Society (J-Soc) and these provide a multitude of opportunities to find out more about your Jewish heritage during your time at University and meet Jewish students not only from your own University, but from across the entire country and even around the world.

For more informaton on the UJS click here.