Office of Admissions Phone: (212) 678-8817 Fax: (212) 678-8947 Email: rabschool@jtsa.edu www.jtsa.edu/rabbinical/admissions
The Jewish Theological Seminary Admission to is open to members of the Jewish faith as understood by the Conservative Movement. The mitzvot should guide the lives of all candidates for The Rabbinical School; these include, for both men and women, traditional observance of Shabbat and festivals, regular daily prayer with tallit and tefillin, observance of kashrut, study of Torah, and performance of acts of gemilut hasadim. Rabbinical students are expected to refrain from romantic relationships with non-jews. For guidance on these matters, see JTS Rabbinical School Religious Identity and Observance or speak with one of the deans or the director of Admissions. Questions? Email or call the JTS Office of Admissions. Email: rabschool@jtsa.edu Phone: (212) 678-8817 Please visit our website at www.jtsa.edu/rabbinical/admissions Important Dates Applications from Israel must be postmarked by December 4. All other applications must be postmarked by December 31. Preliminary discussions must be completed by December 5. Financial aid applications must be postmarked by March 1. Housing applications must be postmarked by March 31. Applicant s Checklist Application for admission: original and seven copies Application fee of $65 Preliminary interviews completed Admissions essays: eight copies Three letters of recommendation Official transcripts sent by all academic institutions GRE scores sent (Rabbinical School Code 2347) Writing samples Application Instructions Preliminary Discussions All applicants are required to have a preliminary discussion with the director of Admissions of. This should be scheduled as early as possible in the application process. Application Eight copies of the completed applications and admissions essays should be submitted to the Office of Admissions together with a $65 application fee. The check or money order should be made payable to. Letters of Recommendation Please submit three letters of recommendation (with one accompanying reference form for each letter) on your behalf. It is desirable, if possible, to submit at least one academic and one rabbinic reference. You can submit up to four letters for your file. One copy of the reference form is enclosed. You can obtain additional recommendation forms by photocopying the enclosed form or downloading the form from the JTS website at www.jtsa.edu/rabbinical/admissions/rsrecommendation.pdf. Official Transcripts Request that all academic institutions you have attended send your transcripts to the Office of Admissions at The Rabbinical School. Applicants who are currently in a degree program must arrange for midyear and final transcripts to be sent. Transcripts from foreign universities must be accompanied by a translation and key to the grading system. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Applicants are required to take the GRE. If you have not taken the GRE, please schedule your test date by calling 1 (800) GRE-CALL (1 (800) 473-2255) or visiting their website at www.gre.org. The Rabbinical School s GRE code is 2347. You should submit your scores by the application deadline (see below). GRE scores are acceptable within five years of application. (LSAT, TOEFL, and GMAT scores may be accepted in place of GRE scores only with approval of the dean.) Writing Sample Submit one copy of a research paper, a chapter of a paper, or other writing sample (no more than fifteen pages) written no earlier than your undergraduate career that reflects your expository writing ability and academic competency. Interviews Upon review of the completed application and documents, candidates will be assigned an interview date with the Admissions Committee and will be notified of that date by the Office of Admissions. Prior to the interview, applicants are required to take a Hebrew Placement Exam. Candidates may also be asked to meet with a mental health professional as part of their admissions processs. All documents must be submitted in English or an official English translation must be provided. Please submit original foreign language documents along with the translation. All application documents should be sent to: Office of Admissions Students Applying from Israel: Preliminary discussions for interested candidates in Israel may be conducted either by telephone or in person with the dean or director of Admissions during their autumn visits to Jerusalem. Applicants intending to interview in Israel are required to send all admissions documents to in New York (preferably by registered or overnight mail for tracking purposes). Upon review of the applications, the Office of Admissions will inform applicants in Israel about their candidacy for the admissions interview. To Students Currently or Previously Enrolled in Any JTS Program Applicants who are/were enrolled in other JTS programs are required to submit the $65 application fee and a letter of reference from the dean of the school in which they are/were enrolled. In addition, students must request that interoffice copies of any JTS transcripts be sent by the registrar to The Rabbinical School Office of Admissions.
Part I of Personal Information I am applying for fall of (year): Name (Print name in full as you want it to appear on all official records) Last Name First Name Middle Name Full Hebrew name when called to the Torah (Please write in Hebrew) Phone Number Cell Phone Number Email Address Male ( ) ( ) Social Security Number Female Present Mailing Address Number and Street City State County (NY State residents only) Zip Code Valid until Date Permanent Address Number and Street City State Zip Code Preferred method of contact is Phone Email Date of Birth Month / Day / Year Phone Cell Place of Birth City State Mail Country Citizenship Native language, if other than English Parent One Last Name First Name Middle Name Occupation Parent One s Address Number and Street City State Zip Code Phone Number ( ) Parent Two Last Name First Name Middle Occupation Parent Two s Address Number and Street City State Zip Code Phone Number ( ) Name of your rabbi and congregation Email Address Address Number and Street City State Zip Code Phone Number ( ) Application Information To what other graduate institutions are you applying? Have you applied for a fellowship from any other source? If Yes, please indicate the type of fellowship for which you Yes have applied. How did you hear about? List any members of the JTS faculty, student body, or alumni who are acquainted with you to whom we can turn for evaluation of your candidacy. List names of individuals you have asked for recommendations. 1. 2. 3. of PAGE 1 OF 5
General Education College Attended Location Major Dates Attended Degree Awarded Other Cumulative College Grade Point Average GRE Scores Verbal Quantitative Analytical/Writing Date you took (or intend to take) GRE Other Scores LSAT GMAT TOEFL Jewish Education Elementary School Secondary Level High School College Adult Education Summer Camp and Youth Group Other (Use additional sheets if necessary) Applicants to are expected to have taken two years of college-level Hebrew or the equivalent. All applicants will be contacted to take a Hebrew proficiency exam. List institutions and dates associated with your study of Hebrew. Please rate your Hebrew proficiency. Activities/ Employment List extracurricular activities including any positions of leadership, communal activities, and previous employment experience. A resume may be submitted. PAGE 2 OF 5 of
Honors and Publications List academic honors, community service, awards, and publications and briefly describe if necessary. A resume may be submitted. Other Signature Have you ever been dismissed, suspended from, asked, or advised to withdraw or chosen to withdraw from any academic institution? Do you have any issues you would like to bring to our attention that may impact your ability to Yes complete the intensive courses required in? Yes Have you ever been terminated from employment or resigned under pressure from an employer? Yes Have you ever been hospitalized, been in a residential treatment program, or received medical treatment for psychological, mental, or emotional issues? If you answer yes, please provide a description on a separate sheet of paper. In addition, please provide a Yes report from the treating physician that addresses whether your condition pertains to your ability to participate fully in program and to serve as a rabbi for a religious community. Have you ever been convicted of, or pled guilty to, any crime (including a felony or misdemeanor)? Yes If you answered any of the previous questions affirmatively, explain fully on a separate sheet of paper. An affirmative answer on any of these questions is not an automatic bar to admission to. I certify that the information and answers given by me on this application and on all supplementary pages are complete and accurate. I understand that if it is determined that any of my responses are inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or contain omissions or partial responses, I may be denied admission, or it may be grounds for withdrawal of an offer of admission and/or subsequent dismissal from the program. Signature Date An application fee of $65 payable to must accompany this application. All application documents should be sent to: Office of Admissions Financial Aid The Office of Financial Aid of makes every effort to assist students in achieving their educational goals. We encourage all applicants to complete the financial aid forms to ensure that they receive needand merit-based aid if they qualify. You may request a financial aid application packet by contacting the Financial Aid Office. All forms with instructions will be sent to you in December and should be completed by March 1. You should not wait for your acceptance to apply for financial aid. Email: financialaid@jtsa.edu Phone: (212) 678-8007 of PAGE 3 OF 5
Admissions Essays Application Part II Admissions Essays Your decision to become a rabbi requires introspection and the definition of goals. We respect this process greatly, and appreciate that standardized test scores and transcripts provide only limited perspectives of a candidate's qualifications for the rabbinate. For this reason we have prepared a series of questions that will allow us to get to know you better and to understand your journey. We ask that you address all facets of these questions, though you may focus on some subjects more fully than others. Your responses should reflect your distinctive experiences and beliefs rather than attempt to conform to an assumed ideal. Finally, we would like to learn through the essays how the books on 's Reading List have enriched your thinking. Please respond with essays of approximately 750 1000 words each, a total maximum of twenty pages. Please include your name at the top of each page and number the pages. Please submit eight collated and stapled copies to the Office of Admissions along with your application by December 31. Essay Questions for Applicants to 1. Biography: Please reflect on your spiritual autobiography from childhood until this point. What people, schools, and experiences have had the greatest impact on your Jewish identity? Which Jewish communities and ideologies have you explored? What is your experience of Israel and what roles do the Land of Israel and the Jewish State play in your life? What is the role of culture (i.e., art, music, literature, dance, etc.) in your Jewish and spiritual expression? What books, both on and off our reading list, have stimulated your intellectual and spiritual growth? 2. Practice: Please describe your current experience of the mitzvot, including study (Talmud Torah), ethics (e.g., gemilut hasadim) and the realms of ritual (e.g., kashrut, Shabbat, tefillah). Does a specific mitzvah have particular significance in your life? Which and why? Are there other spiritual or ethical disciplines that you follow? Give an example of a prayer or practice with which you struggle, and how you would counsel someone in a similar situation. 3. Faith: How do you experience the Divine? What do you believe about the nature of Torah as revealed in word and deed, and how does this affect your religious action? How do you relate to the concepts of obligation (chiyuv) and choseness ('am segulah)? How do the destruction of European Jewry and the birth of Israel affect your religious landscape? What would a redeemed world look like? 4. Covenant: What do you consider to be the primary religious challenges facing Am Yisrael in the coming years? Describe an initiative that you think would allow us to address these challenges. 5. Rabbinate: Who are your rabbinic role models and mentors? What have you learned from them? Why have you chosen to apply to rabbinical school, and what makes JTS the best fit for you? What makes for a good rabbi? Please include a text from Torah or tefillah that has shaped your vision. PAGE 4 OF 5 of
Letter of Recommendation Application Part III To Be Completed by Applicant A. Letters of recommendation should either be sent directly to the Office of Admissions or they may be submitted with your application in a separate envelope with the signature of the person writing the recommendation across the sealed flap. Please copy for additional references. Applicant Name Reference Name Reference Address Please return this form to: Office of Admissions Phone Title Phone Email Address Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment), which gives students the right to inspect and review their educational records, students may waive their right to see specific confidential statements and letters of evaluation. I hereby (please check one): I waive do not waive my rights of access to this document should I matriculate at JTS. Signature Date To Be Completed by Reference B. Please write a candid and concise letter with your appraisal of the applicant's character, leadership potential, and intellectual motivation. Does the rabbinate seem like an appropriate choice for his/her character, personality, interests, and commitment to Jewish life and practice? Please note that a description of strengths and weaknesses will be more helpful to the Admissions Committee than a uniformly positive assessment. Recommendation I strongly recommend with no reservation. I recommend with minor reservation. (Please explain.) I recommend with substantial reservation. (Please explain.) I do not recommend this candidate for admission. (Please explain.) Signature Date Name of Applicant of PAGE 5 OF 5
Office of Admissions Phone: (212) 678-8817 Fax: (212) 678-8947 Email: rabschool@jtsa.edu www.jtsa.edu/rabbinical/admissions