In choosing a college, religion can be a draw

Matt Amalfitano was the only Jewish student in his high-school graduating class of 300 in Hagerstown, Md.

So for the College sophomore, the strong Jewish community at Penn was a significant factor in his decision to enroll.

"I was hoping to go somewhere that I would be able to find a Jewish community," Amalfitano - whose dad is Catholic and mother is Jewish - wrote in an e-mail.

Like Amalfitano, many religious students consider spiritual life on campus before deciding to enroll. Realizing this, many religious groups at Penn reach out to high-school seniors of similar beliefs.

College sophomore Alok Choksi, a board member of the Hindu Students Council, knew that Penn had a thriving Hindu population before arriving here.

"It definitely does make a difference" in prospective freshmen's decision to come to Penn, Choksi said.

Even students who don't intend to be involved in religious life on campus can end up taking part - and reaching out to pre-freshmen of the same faith.

Danish Munir, a Wharton and Engineering senior, has been a practicing Muslim since childhood. He said his parents cautioned him not to get too involved in Muslim organizations at Penn for fear of hostility and bias.

But Munir said he has "found complete freedom" at Penn, and is now a board member of the Muslim Students Association. The MSA, he said, has recently begun reaching out to pre-freshmen, educating them about MSA activities and the community.

As a result, Munir said, many students know about MSA before they come to campus.

The Orthodox Community at Penn, a group within Hillel - the foundation for campus Jewish life - organizes a "prefrosh" weekend retreat for about 40 to 50 high-school seniors each fall.

The retreat's purpose is to "expose Orthodox Jewish students to Jewish life on campus," said Engineering junior Michael Friedmann.

The experience is also "to make it less daunting for the religious kids who are worried about going to a secular college" and to show them "that there can be a positive religious environment on campus," he said.

Choksi said the Hindu Student Council regularly updates its Web site and uses social resources like Facebook to initiate contact with and encourage future freshmen to join the community.

Students say that once they arrive at Penn, there are plenty of spiritual resources.

College sophomore Conor Turley, who is a member of the Mormon church, took two years off after high school before matriculating at Penn to do missionary work.

Turley said that before coming to Penn, he made sure that there was a church accessible from the campus.

"Religion is a huge part of my life," he said.

For Ayelet Menche, a freshman in the College, the strong Orthodox Jewish community at Penn was a deciding factor, and she said she appreciates the Jewish presence on campus.

"It is nice to have a place where I can always go," she said.

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