MTA talmidim have the unique opportunity to get a head start on their college education by taking courses at Yeshiva University free of charge during senior year (and in some cases as underclassmen). The yeshiva’s late afternoon program for seniors mirrors the college schedule and allows for more choice and seamless integration between college and high school courses. Seniors are highly motivated in their YU courses and perform extremely well. This year, 62 talmidim took a total of 49 courses at YU during the fall and spring semesters and earned on average a 3.7 GPA. “I have been fortunate to do an orientation session each term for MTA students wishing to take Yeshiva College and Syms classes,” shared YU Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Director of Wilf Campus Academic Advising Fred Sugarman. “The students are excited for this opportunity. Additionally, they ask very detailed and intelligent questions about the college opportunities and how they plan to navigate this work. My final delight is in the fact that YC faculty have remarked that they have observed no difference between their YC and MTA students—MTA students are that well prepared and smart.”

Seniors have a wide variety of YU courses to choose from, including Biology Principals (a pre-med gateway course), American Constitutional Law, Architectural Design, Media and Society and Differential Geometry (a graduate level course), among many others. “I chose to take YU courses because I want to go into a medical field and they offered a first year biology course,” said senior Meir Ness of Passaic. “The course was a great insight into how my college experience will be and it was also an excellent opportunity to learn my favorite subject at a higher level. I am grateful that MTA offers this unique opportunity to get a head start on my college education.”

Since MTA talmidim utilize YU’s facilities, like the Glueck Beis Medrash and Mendel Gottesman Library, they are already familiar with the campus which makes navigating their college courses quick and easy. “At MTA we have the exclusive opportunity to share a campus with YU, which is extremely beneficial in terms of being part of a greater community and getting to know and develop relationships with YU students, as well as having the ability to take YU classes,” said senior Noam Schechter of Spring Valley. “Taking college classes as a high school Senior is really helping to prepare me for the future by giving me a chance to experience and adapt to a college setting and learn at a higher level.” Being part of the YU campus and community offers MTA talmidim an enriched high school experience as well as opportunities to elevate their learning. “Providing our talmidim with the opportunity to take college courses is a win for everyone,” said MTA Director of College Guidance Murray Sragow. “It’s a win for YU, because it allows the university to demonstrate how serious its courses and its students are. Historically, a high percentage of our seniors who have taken YU courses have been impressed and go on to attend YU. It’s a win for our yeshiva, because it illustrates our unique ability to enable our talmidim to rise as high as their talent and work ethic will take them. Most importantly, it’s a win for our talmidim. They can experience what college is like and gain an understanding of the workload college courses demand before they become full time college students. MTA graduates perform exceptionally well in college, and I believe this early exposure is a contributing factor.”