<p>My daughter, an in-state B+ student, with not many honors or AP courses, was accepted at Rutgers NB for fall/2010. We are pondering how difficult the academics are nowadays??? Daughter wants to maintain at least a 3.0 average, hopefully higher...but how difficult will this be with a major in pyschology, given she studies for her B+'s now at her well regarded NJ high school. I'm wondering about this for a couple of reasons....I have read some things suggesting Rutgers is relatively easy to get into but HARDER TO GRADUATE from....Rutgers is LARGE, and back when I was there, some profs were not the easiest to talk to or, at times, UNDERSTAND, and there wasn't much support in the form of learning centers, etc....Rutgers does get some pretty bright students, even though there is a range. What's everyone's thoughts on this???</p>
<p>It is quite a popular major here among school of arts and sciences students! I’m minoring in it. While the academics can be a bit challenging, it is not as hard as people make it out to be. I believe when most people are referring to how hard it is to graduate, they are talking about students majoring in pharmacy, engineering, etc.</p>
<p>Her first semester she might find daunting if she isn’t familiar with college work. But you can always redeem yourself after the first semester when you have a better grasp of how college work is. I think your daughter will be able to complete a major in psychology with at least a 3.0 and above. Heck! I’d say at least a 3.4 and above. </p>
<p>Like any other major, in the psychology major, you might come across a few teachers who current and former students might deem as difficult – in terms of how they present the material or how hard their tests are (especially if it is poorly worded or doesn’t cover anything in lecture). Often, when choosing classes, I use ratemyprofessor online. Don’t take the reviews of teachers too seriously. There could be bitter students and teachers’ pet submitting a rating. The ones with like 50 reviews that state almost the same (like how the teacher is not approachable or how they are disorganized) are the ones that I tend to take more seriously.</p>
<p>To succeed in a psych course, it takes a lot of memorization and READING. If your daughter wasn’t one who used to spend at least 4 hours (or more) a week in the library, then she should be aware that she will be expected to do that in college if she wants to maintain a good GPA. Also, the tests won’t always be based on lecture. In most cases, teachers will base most test questions on assigned readings. It’s “assigned” for a reason. If a teacher says to read a certain chapter by a certain date, make sure you do just that. You don’t want to fall behind in class or find yourself at 7pm on the night before the midterm trying to learn 4 chapters worth of information. It doesn’t work! Take notes. Know definitions, but also be able to apply concepts to them.</p>
<p>Rutgers is large, but your daughter shouldn’t feel intimidated. After a semester, it doesn’t seem too big or intimidating. She should try to take advantage of the resources available to her at the school. I suggest she takes advantage of at least ONE research opportunity around your sophomore or junior years. My social psychology professor told us last year that professors undertaking research labs really REALLY love when undergraduates get involved and help them out. You get to know a teacher better while also getting to understand a field of study better:</p>
<p>[Undergraduate</a> Programs: Research Laboratories](<a href=“http://psych.rutgers.edu/undergrad/research_opps.html]Undergraduate”>http://psych.rutgers.edu/undergrad/research_opps.html)</p>
<p>And if by the end of junior year she has a 3.4 GPA for the psych major, she has the opportunity of writing an honors thesis through the departmental honors program.</p>
<p>Sorry this was long, but I hope it helps a bit =)</p>