<p>I am a senior in HS and am heavily considering Rutgers because they have a 6 year pharmacy program, allowing me to complete all my schooling 2 years earlier than normal. However, i am from Chicago, IL. and I know that less than 10% of students there are from out of NJ. I just want to know, truthfully (dont worry it wont bother me, i need to know haha) - if OOS students are somehow shunned or looked at differently because they arent from NJ like everyone else.</p>
<p>Not at all. I went to Monmouth and know a ton of people who went to Rutgers and they have OOS friends. It doesn’t matter where you’re from; you won’t be judged based on that.</p>
<p>Any time you go to a school, or any situation where a large number of people have a number of degrees of association with each other and you don’t, it’s more of a challenge socially. My son goes to an OOS public that has a lot of OOSers, but still percentage wise, many more from in state and a large core of kids who live within an hour of the school. Many of those kids knew each other or within minutes in converstaion found people and situations they mutually knew. </p>
<p>In our situation, even going instate, would have resulted in a similar scenario, because my kids went to private school and we live in an area that does not tend to have a lot of kids going to the state schools. When my one son went the state school, he might as well have gone to some OOS ones; would have known more kids at some of them.</p>
<p>Rutgers is a huge school with a very diverse student body and I’m sure you will fit in just fine. If you get accepted to the pharmacy school and that’s what you really want to do, then don’t let the OOS thing influence your decision. Visit the school, ask questions and chat with current students to get as much information as possible.</p>
<p>My son is an out of state student, his freshman year was a little difficult because so many of the Freshman kids after the bloom wore off the football games - Mid October, started going home on the weekends. There were many times when there were only 2 to 4 kids left in a dorming hall. This tapered off as they progressed through there years on campus. He is now very happy at Rutgers and probably will reside in New Jersey or New York after graduating.</p>
<p>New jersey has a little of everything; people from different incomes, religions, values, lifestyles, rural, city, beach, farms, old houses, new houses, apartments, slums, mansions, rock, classical, rap, country, kosher, vegan, pork ribs, heavy, skinny, flea-market, saks, prissy, sloppy, sexy, prudish, snobby, friendly, rude, pushy, gentile, accents, no accents, tenth generation, new immigrant…you name it, we got it. They all converge on rutgers. I have yet to meet anyone who goes or went to rutgers who didn’t like the atmosphere. My d’s childhood friend came from Naperville and within a week had enough new friends that my d rarely saw her. </p>
<p>No one will even know if you’re from out of state unless you tell them then they will probably forget because it’s simply not going to be as important to them as it will be to you.</p>
<p>What about commuter students?</p>
<p>Commuter is tougher since so many friendships form in dorms and because the campuses and classes are so spread out. Tough to “bump” into someone frequently, which is how new friendships usually develop. How flexible are your parents? How flexible are you? Ideally, you could either keep up with old friends going to rutgers and living in dorms, or make new friends in classes, then start spending time with them in dorms just hanging out. My D said her dorm was very “open” in that people from all over hung around, even spent the night on floors, sofas or unused beds, weekdays and weekends. What I’m not clear on is whether your ID will get you into a dorm to casually see if any of your friends are around. </p>
<p>Also, there are endless frat parties where everyone is welcome and, even if frats aren’t your thing, for at least a couple of months, everyone goes to meet people. Just please, don’t get stupid drunk.</p>
<p>After a while you’ll figure things out and be fine.</p>
<p>Btw, i checked. Your student id will get you into dorms.</p>
<p>And a lot of the people who casually hung around the dorms were commuters</p>