I’m having trouble deciding between committing to Rutgers or TCNJ, The College of New Jersey. Both have my major, both gave me around the same amount of financial aid. I would enjoy going to either college, but then the social aspect comes in. I have heard everywhere that TCNJ is either boring or a suitcase school. Rutgers, on the other hand supposedly provides a great social life which I want. I know college is obviously about learning, but since I will be living there I wouldn’t want to be bored out of my mind. Even someone who attends TCNJ at the moment told me that it’s very boring and she hates it, and that you have to choose between your school work or a social life. I would like to hear other’s opinions on the social life aspect of TCNJ compared to Rutgers or just in general. Is there really nothing to do there. I already have a couple friends that I know will be attending TCNJ so I know I won’t be lonely, but I want us to have things to do other than go to the mall.
Do you want to graduate from college in 4 years? Rutgers might not be the best choice. They tend to limit sections of pre-req courses which screws you over. If you miss the fall pre-req you can’t take the class for a whole year (you’d think this wouldn’t be the case in a big Uni, but not true from what I hear 
Do you want to ride on buses all the time? Have classes that are in huge 300+ student auditoriums? Have classes that are a long bus ride away and end at midnight? Rutgers could work for you - and that is great!
TCNJ is not going to have huge auditorium size classes. It isn’t going to have huge frat houses, enormous parties etc. It is what you make of it. If you need to be entertained, Rutgers would probably be a better fit.
You can get to Hamilton or Trenton train and into NYC. You can get to West Trenton train station and into Philly easily from TCNJ. There are concerts, plays other stuff on campus, but it isn’t just “the mall”. Princeton is also an easy car ride away, Rider is right up the road. You’d have to do a little homework to start to find these places, but they are there.
Is TCNJ boring? In a word - NO. See above. There are events on campus all the time. Any school will be boring if that’s what you decide to make it.
TCNJ is widely considered one of the most happy campus in the Nation. Super high freshman retention of over 95%.
The school is large enough for diversity and small enough to be a community. A real community. There is plenty to keep you occupied but like any school it is up to the student to participate. And btw that goes triple for a place as huge and spread out as Rutgers. having said that, TCNJ is also easily the more academically challenging . So yes, students do work/study hard and are like minded for the most part to be successful. Personally, I only heard positives remarks from alumni and current students. Can’t say same for Rutgers.
TCNJ is incredibly boring if you are a social person and you don’t join Greek Life. If you want to go to parties after freshman year you definitely have to join a frat or sorority. Other than that, the school is great. So it really just depends on the social life that you want. If you want parties every weekend and no commitment to doing other greek life activities, you should probably go to Rutgers! They’re both really good schools when it comes to academics either way.
My daughter was a freshman last year and loved TCNJ. She took a bus trip right from campus to NYC with her friends, she participated in a poetry club and read original poetry in front of a live audience for the first time, she went to spin and body toning classes at the campus gym several times a week, and she saw The Main, Ke$ha, and BJ Novak live on stage right on campus during the school year, for dirt cheap too.
There are plenty of social opportunities available. College is what you make of it. Saying that you have to choose between your school work or a social life is ridiculous. I would question the person that said it. Both of those things exists at every college (and in life too). You need to have balance and there’s plenty of both at TCNJ.
son attends TCNJ and is not in a frat , but is invited to parties just about every weekend. The key is to be involved
Many clubs and sports teams . Also helps to live with other students who are active. He has several house mates that are in frats and several that are not, but all are invited. just like how you perform academically , socially its what YOU make of the opportunities.