<p>I’ve heard some mixed reviews about how Rutgers is as a whole, from class sizes to social atmosphere, so I just have a few questions and I’d be thankful to have anyone with more knowledge than I do answer them!</p>
<li><p>How is the school for undergraduates? I know some of their departments are well regarded, but how are the classes? Are there any discussion based classes, or is it more lecturing? Are the classes rigorous, not only in difficulty, but in actual learning? Are the professors interested in the undergraduates, or do they tend to ignore their students? Also, as a more personal note, I’m interested in philosophy and I know Rutgers is well regarded for its graduate program in that field, does anyone know how that department is for undergraduates?</p></li>
<li><p>What do students do outside of the class? I’ve heard it’s a somewhat big party school, but is there stuff for non-partiers to do, and are there(as I’d guess) a decent amount of non-partying type people? Is there discussion of academic material in class/out of class? Are students generally decent to each other, is the school too big to have an atmosphere of consistent type, or is there an air of competition/idiocy/malevolence?</p></li>
<li><p>How is scheduling? I’ve heard a true horror story of someone withdrawing from one state school(don’t remember which) because she was stuck with paying a full semester/year’s tuition for basket weaving, and no core courses, and while I’d hope this doesn’t happen too often, do most students get into the classes they’d prefer?</p></li>
<li><p>How is New Brunswick? I’ve heard (again) mixed comments on the city as a whole, and would like to know how the college interacts with it.</p></li>
<li><p>How is graduate school/law school placement? Do many students attend top law/med/graduate schools? And how is advising in those regards?</p></li>
<li><p>How is the honors program? Does it change the overall vibe of the school, or is it just a name on a degree? </p></li>
<li><p>Finally(for now), do current students feel it was worthwhile going there, (I guess I’d like personal anecdotes, but transfer/dropout rates work too I suppose)?</p></li>
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<p>Thanks! I hope this topic doesn’t seem to harsh, but I’ve heard some nice things about Rutgers and state schools in general, and also not so nice ones.</p>
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<li><p>Rutgers is such a large school that you will find all sorts of classes. Often times classes have sections that are taught by different professors which changes "difficulty." As expected from a large public school, first year classes tend to be large and rely on lectures. There are seminars that you can take in subjects that interest you..this allows for a more discussion based environment. From my experience, if you want to get a good grade, you need to study constantly. This method ensures that learning(as opposed to temporary memorization) takes place. The professors are hit or miss. There are so many of them that they don't all fall under the umbrella of "caring about undergraduates." For the most part, they are very accessible and helpful. Regarding the philosophy dept, I personally have not taken a philosophy class but the reputation of the grad dept certainly speaks for itself. I'm not sure if you are aware of the Leiter Reports(<a href="http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/philosophy_updates/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/philosophy_updates/index.html</a>) but it tracks the comings and goings of philosophy dept's across the country, I find it very interesting to read. Other than that, I can't help much with the philosophy dept, I'm sure however that the success of the grad dept has to somewhat translate into the undergrad dept.</p></li>
<li><p>Students can do whatever they want. It's such a large place. There are loads of athletic facilities(and FOOTBALL GAMES), parties all the time, large malls nearby, and NYC 45 minutes away via a train station located steps from campus. As for parties, yes there are a lot but there are many many people who don't ever attend them. The demographic of the student body runs the gamet so you can always find people who have similar interests as you. Students are generally nice..if you need directions almost everyone will help..certain majors are competitive but students still help each other(engineering!).</p></li>
<li><p>Scheduling is simple. It's staggered so students with more credits get first dibs at classes. But most freshman classes are large so as a freshman you won't have to worry about not getting something.</p></li>
<li><p>The college is a large part of the city. You will find Rutgers banners lining the major streets of the city and the block R in almost every store in the area. It's not that large of a city at all but it has a bit of everything. If you want a huge city NYC is very close. NB, like all decent sized cities, has its good parts(closer to campus) and its bad parts. Recently the real estate $ in the area has skyrocketed in the area between College Ave and Cook Campus. It has 2 major hospitals(Robert Wood Johnson..a level 1 trauma center, and St. Peter's).</p></li>
<li><p>Placement is good if you have the grades. Rutgers certainly is a respectable name but no school will get you into grad/med/law school just because of its name. Students who place into upper echelon schools have spectacular grades. This is the same at every university. Princeton grads won't automatically go to top grad schools just cause their diploma says Princeton. Advising is available but sometimes hard to get. You have to be a go-getter to get something you want at a school with so many students. No one is going to reach out and see if you need help.</p></li>
<li><p>The honors program does change the feel of school a bit but still allows you to interact with the rest of the student body. Certain classes get smaller and you have more access to pursue personal projects/research.</p></li>
<li><p>I was down to Rutgers, UCSD, and McGill. I'm a junior now, I've formed great friendships, I have all of my classes in the newest and one of the largest BME buildings in the country, and I have no loans. I'm happy. For grad school though? I will not be going to Rutgers. Not because I don't like it but because I've spent my whole life in this area, it's time to move on.</p></li>
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<p>..edit..that took a long ass time..please tell me it helped somewhat.</p>
<p>Actually, I just want to thank you again, that was one of the best posts I've read(at least to me) and was very thorough. Thanks for spending your time on it!</p>
<p>Edit: Actually, I have another question: What are the most popular majors at Rutgers?</p>
<p>^ Pharmacy (which you got to apply separately), Engineering (same), Criminal Justice, Psychology, Philosophy, Communications, Biology.</p>
<p>As for for your second question it kinda depends. Rutgers requires you major and minor. So basically if you take a few extra classes that minor could turn into a double major. Unless your pharm or Engineering.</p>