DS is a rising senior and we have Rutgers on our list. He is interested in CS. We live in MA.
So far we have only visited Umass Amherst, Northeastern and BU. We plan on visit more schools. I read a couple of posts that seem to not be very favorable of Rutgers campus. If you have visited, what is your impression? Curious to hear what it is like. Thanks.
Hello! I know this isn’t answering your question, but I wanted to ask what you thought of Umass Amherst. I wish I lived in MA (or closer to it) so I could go on a quick visit!!
DS and I both like Umass Amherst and it is his first choice.
Rutgers campus is a little unique as it’s not one cohesive campus (like UMass or Penn State etc), instead it’s split into 5 individual campuses throughout New Brunswick and Piscataway; these cities have that former industrial urban feel similar to a lot of smaller cities in Massachusetts (for reference). As such the cities themselves can be a little gritty in terms of aesthetics but each area does have its own charm and downtown New Brunswick where College Ave is located has cafes, restaurants etc that are accessible to the students. And, there’s still plenty of green space at each campus. I think it’s one of those places that you should definitely visit if you have questions due to its unique nature. Your tour will take you via bus to see the various campuses and give your son son an idea of what it’s like. I personally like the College Ave, Douglass and Cook campuses best but each of the 5 has their own perks. Growing up in NJ with loads of friends who attended RU and having toured it myself and again with kids, I have to say it gets a worse wrap than it deserves. I know MANY current and recent Rutgers grads and honestly they all seem to love it, some even after being hesitent to go there due to the unique campus situation. There are lots of very proud Rutgers students and they seem to have a nice balance of academics and activities. I personally feel Rutgers is an excellent education and there seems to be a lot of school spirit.
Thank you SO much for such a thoughtful reply! We will definitely visit! 
@MomtoAndrew2018 aww you’re so welcome! If you have any specific questions please message me. Happy to help. It’s a daunting process! My younger D is also a rising Senior :).
Am a CS major 2.5 years in, and love everything about the school. The campus has many unique campus options based on your personal style, and our CS faculty is top notch. One of the better decisions of my life was coming here.
Adding on, reviews of visits are meaningless. The campuses are so large that it’s nearly impossible to get a real feel for how it is to live there unless you do. The impression I got from tours were nowhere near as favorable as when I actually lived there. It’s like being able to choose between a city, countryside, suburb, etc, all with a quick bus ride or walk.
If it were me, if I were in state in MA, I’d choose U Mass Amherst over Rutgers in a heartbeat. It’s a great school (I got my degree there and was very happy with my experience), but I don’t think it’s worth the out of state tuition compared to U Mass Amherst.
As mentioned up thread, the campus is large and a bit clunky but once a student chooses a major, their classes tend to be clustered in a particular area and there is less bus travel involved, if any.
Access to Manhattan and Philly was another great perk.
If S can get into UMass Amherst we would be thrilled! It is our TOP choice out of the long list of the schools we are thinking. It is getting so competitive with each passing year I fear S may not get in. Rutger has a mixed review but academics are solid. If UMass does not work out for S then we really have no choice but to look OOS.
I was curious and checked the costs at Rutgers. Roughly 45K for OOS, which is less that I had imagined. The location is good for internships and jobs.
That is so good to hear about the internship and jobs. Yeah, I ran NPC and it is actually more affordable than many other OOS schools!
My son will be a freshman in Sept. (also CS). we visited a few schools and he narrowed it down to UMass and Rutgers. In the end, although Rutgers is larger, the campus had a smaller feel because of the 4 separate campuses. I suggest that you set up a visit/tour with the CS department directly as they really seem to have a great CS community. We didn’t get the same impression at UMass.