Ma’ayanot’s College Guidance team, Director Ms. Leebie Mallin and Ms. Cara Levine, exemplify Ma’ayanot’s values of recognizing and respecting each student’s uniqueness, helping her achieve her goals, and guiding her to the best environment to achieve and flourish. Their partnership with Ma’ayanot students and their families begins even before students enroll, with their packed open house sessions, and continues with sharing information about financing college with 9th and 10th grade parents, a first meeting with individual sophomore students and parents, and informing juniors and parents through a College Fair and a Jewish Life on Campus evening, with current Orthodox students on each campus sharing their experiences. Seniors receive individual and group guidance on applications, essays and interviews.

Ma’ayanot College Guidance sees a core part of their mission “to educate students and parents about Jewish life on campus, including Israel climate, so they can make informed choices,” said Ms. Mallin. Ms. Mallin and Ms. Levine are constantly innovating, visiting additional U.S. campuses and reaching out to alumnae, in order to provide the best range of options for students and meet their changing needs. Because of the dynamism of the college guidance department, in the summer of 2024, Ms. Mallin toured Israel colleges as well, which led to a unique opportunity for Ma’ayanot students.

Ma’ayanot is proud to announce a new program that complements and enhances the robust college guidance that Ma’ayanot provides for American colleges. Ma’ayanot is the only school in the tri-state area to offer, in partnership with the Tzemach Dovid Foundation and JLIC, an opportunity in which 11th and 12th grade students will receive one-to-one support to apply to college in Israel. Even before the current explosion of anti-semitism on U.S. campuses, many Ma’ayanot students chose to attend college in Israel, and this partnership will enable students to start their seminary year feeling secure that all options will remain open to them. Ma’ayanot College Guidance’s care for each student and her family gives students the tools to flourish academically, spiritually, emotionally and professionally wherever they take their next steps.