<p>I'm deciding where I want to go to college next fall and I really don't know. Rutgers will be really cheap since it's in state but I feel like it's just going to be a "whatever" 4 years. I don't really know what I'm talking about ahhaa but i just have a weird feeling about Rutgers. Are you happy with going to Rutgers? All of the people from my high school who have gone on to Rutgers seems like extremely typical people from New Jersey and I feel like that is what the student body at Rutgers is made up of. </p>
<p>Please tell me more about Rutgers and how great it is(?????)</p>
<p>Should I go here over the University of Pittsburgh?</p>
<p>go visit. 6000 freshmen, mainly from NJ. If you don’t like the NJ people then leave. Pittsburgh is smaller, but it’s in an area considered “urban” while collegeboard lists Rutgers as “suburban”. You’ll have to go and see for yourself. Rutgers is huge, you are bound to meet people you like unless you hide in your room. Pitt will run you an extra 10k per year for out of state tuition. If you are paying the bill then I suggest Rutgers. Maybe you should consider other schools. U of Del is similar price to Pitt but is closer, and not urban. I’ve heard most people who visit really like it.</p>
<p>I have a brother who had went to Rutgers, and being a NJ resident, I have tons of friends who go there… though I also know people from NYC and Florida who go there too. I haven’t heard a single person who has said it’s “boring”.
Rutgers is a very big school, so of course there would be activities every single day. The train station is not too far away, so you can take the train to places like NYC or down the shore. Another thing about Rutgers, it’s VERY diverse… yeah a large sum is from NJ, but you’ll get to see different cultures mingle and interact with each other.
I don’t know much about UPitt, but if you want to spend more money just to get away from typical NJ people, then why not. UPitt is also a great school.</p>
<p>Rutgers is a great party school, and the off campus housing is plenty and it offers a large array of freedoms that you will only find at a state college, it is within spitting range of New York City and not that far from Philadelphia it’s in the center and if you can get a fake ID the bars in New Brunswick aren’t that bad. Realistically though this shouldn’t be your criterion upon which you choose a school.</p>
<p>While everybody should be able to live a college experience at least once in their lives, you’re not going to college to party. You’re going there to learn. I see many people fail out of school and waste money because they get caught up with the “experience.” But do check it out. Only you will know if it’s boring because everyone has a different idea of what boring is. I am a nontraditional commuter at the Newark Campus(got into New Brunswick as well, but the commute is too long) , and it is very lively during the day when there are classes. Check out all the campuses, see what you like or don’t like and make a decision.</p>
<p>OH MY GOD! I walked in with the same mentality and dreaded it so much after graduation and even all through the summer going into the semester. All I can say is, it’s a make or break school. </p>
<p>For me, I absolutely loved it. Everything about it. I never liked the concept of getting around by buses and having such big classes and dealing with having classes on another campus, but after you deal with your first week of being a newbie- it’s so great. Take advantages of the bus system. You’re going to hate it some of the time because they never manage to be on time and get really crowded, but like I said, it’s going to be some getting used to and it can start to be fun. Classes on another campus make you gain responsibility and time management. And it helps you meet new people and not always be stuck on the same campus day to day.</p>
<p>Do not underestimate the work because IT WILL pile up. Professors kind of suck depending on what your major is. Don’t bash on other majors and you’ll be around a lot of ethnic people.</p>
<p>Party life is always good, if you have the right connections. Get a good group of girl friends in your dorm who can ratio you into parties because basically all of college ave parties are ratios (3:1), well frats at least. Thursday and Friday nights are HUGE most of the time then the weekends are kind of dry. Mostly everything is free if you look in the right places. BE ACTIVE. Take advantage of discovering other campuses.</p>
<p>College ave- City life feel. Be careful where you are at night though because it is in New Brunswick and next to some bad neighborhoods. It’s always crowded. If you’re broke, DO NOT bring money with you when you go there the nights you go out- you WILL get the drunk munchies post partying and spend an incredible amount of money at the Grease Trucks. Spare yourself the stomach virus and don’t bother going to Brower dining hall. Obviously where all the parties are. Be careful if you’re there after 2am cause the buses randomly stop running around then and they never let you know. Take extra time between 4pm-7pm to get to class because of after-work traffic.
Busch- BIG, BIG, VERY BIG campus. You’ll hear and see the large population of asians on Busch. It’s funny and even the asians know it’s true. If you don’t have a science class, then you’ll probably never have to be there. It’s very to itself. The medical school and most of the smarty-pants are there.
Cook/Douglass- Okay there’s a lot to say about this campus just because it’s so weird. It’s walking distance to College Ave but don’t walk there or back at night. Not safe. No one really knows the difference from Cook or Douglass aside from the fact that Douglass is the “women’s college” which is different now. It smells like horse **** because of the horses. Cook is pretty cool, if you live there expect to be really close with your floor mates. <strong><em>TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DCC AND CCC</em></strong> You can use your swipes on candy and non-dining hall food. Take extra time between 4pm-7pm to get to class because of after-work traffic.
Livingston- You’ll hear that it’s ****ty and it kind of is but it’s getting better. If you don’t live there then take time to go to the dining hall because it’s greatness. I live in the quads and from experience- I love livingston because it’s so to itself while being in a big environment. It’s small but yet spread out. They don’t really care about what you do there because people can’t drive through campus so don’t be surprised if you see people hookah-ing in the circle.</p>
<p>Going to the city by train is a bit pricey so when they have buses going up, go! They’re only a dollar. Easton Ave will be your escape from the dining halls.</p>
<p>The only solid advice I can give is that there is never nothing to do, even on a dry night. This may be a bit bias because I go there but I really did walk into Rutgers ****ed off that it was going to suck. Keep an open mind because there’s seriously so much to love about the school once you get to know it. Even the first few weeks of being there, it’s a real experience learning your way around. If you’re “whatever” about it still after reading this and actually living through it… transfer. But I really think you will like, if not- love, Rutgers.</p>
<p>D1 feared seeing people from her HS at Rutgers, which was her primary reason Jr year for not considering it. In October of Sr year she realized it was one of the best schools in the country for her major (pre-vet/equine), so she applied and was accepted in less than a week. One and she was done, plus she received decent merit aid.</p>
<p>Fast forward a year - she occasionally sees some she knows from HS, either randomly on a bus or in the dining hall. It’s a very large school, so the chances of seeing people you know from HS is rare. Yes, it’s mostly NJ residents, but they are from all over the state and very diverse.</p>
<p>Rutgers is the opposite of “whatever”, it has just about everything you could ever want. Each campus has a different vibe and every day there are activities like football games, concerts, guest lecturers, comedy shows, and free food and giveaways. We have over 400 clubs and organizations to get involved in. My biggest challenge here is time management- finding the hours to do my schoolwork when there is so much else I’m involved in. There are also excellent research opportunities for undergraduate students. Rutgers is an AAU school, a distinction only awarded to the top 61 research universities in the country (schools like Princeton, Yale, Harvard etc.). If you’re concerned about academics, I was just excepted into a phD program with my degree in English from Rutgers. I also studied abroad, and Rutgers has a ton of affordable programs to choose from.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a question of ‘boring’. Rutgers is certainly not boring, there are lots of things to get involved in, and -most- of the professors my son has had (and that I had) were pretty good.</p>
<p>The blessing and curse of Rutgers is its size. You really have to ask yourself if you think you would be happy at a huge (not large) school. Things are great when you don’t have any problems but if you have problems with housing, getting a certain class, or the bus system, your complaints may go unanswered. </p>
<p>They simply don’t have time to address every issue on an individual basis. “The needs of many outweigh the needs of a few”. Sometimes you may be successful getting your issue resolved, and sometimes you won’t, no matter what you do. It’s a crapshoot. </p>
<p>If you are motivated, organized and willing to advocate for yourself, Rutgers can be a great experience. But if you are not comfortable with the culture of hugeness, you may be out of luck.</p>