Something I haven't really discussed here yet...

is learning. The learning here is the reason that most of the people here choose it over other colleges, and I've been neglecting that. Not so much the actual doing of the learning, (though I have been spending time writing a blog occasionally instead,) but rather I haven't discussed the learning here. Partially it's because I still haven't found a shiur I'm really happy with. So I guess I'll start with talking about the "Derech haLimud" and what it's like learning here.

First, despite not being YU, the influence of haRav Soleveitchik is felt heavily here, and so there is a distinct Brisker leaning in at least two of the shiurim, that is, Rav Bronspigel's and Rav Soleveitchik's shiurim. Though I personally am not as interested in this type of learning, I am reliably informed by others who were in Brisker shiurim in yeshiva that they are excellent examples of this format. Rav Shmuelevitz's shiur is Mirer-style Lumdus, and is a bit slower paced than Rav Bronspigel's shiur, which moves very fast (at the pace of up to two daf a week.)

The Shiurim are between 10 to 40 guys, and the rebbeim know everyone in the shiur well, and take time to ensure the talmidim are learning well. At the same time, the talmidim are expected to monitor themselves - no one will stop a talmid from sleeping in, and you need to be able to wake yourself up, or convince your roommate to help.

The Beis Medrash is fairly full during morning seder, and even though it takes until 9:45 or 10 until there are no seats left, there is a Kol Torah there from the time daf yomi starts before shacharis until lunch time, and the rebbeim stay nearby to answer question and discuss issue in the gemara. There as a Shoel U'Mayshiv who helps guys, and most of the yeshiva is usually on one of a couple of sugyot, so there is almost always someone available to discuss the sugya.

The minyanim are about average for a yeshiva, not particularly long, with some people wanting it both longer or shorter. There is only one minyan for shacharis, at 7:45, which is fairly late, but no one complains about the extra sleep. The rest of the schedule is fairly standard, with only one other major point:

Afternoon seder. We have classes then, at least for part of the time. (Since we can take no more than 5 classes, everyone has at least 1 free period every other day.) It's important to be doing work for classes, but at the same time, very few people here spend all of their free time working on class work, and the computer lab is usually pretty full. However, the fact that there is officially no seder then (for people not learning in kollel) means that no one goes to the beis midrash. I'm as guilty as anyone - or more so, given the amount of free time I waste - but because there is nothing going on then, no none shows up. I'm not sure, but a couple of shiurim on mussar or something following the class schedule, for people who have a free period at the same time every other day, could really help this. Then again, other people probably spend time on school work, and are there for all of seder every day, so I shouldn't complain much that they aren't in the beis midrash in the afternoons.