Just A Few Questions

<p>I am currently a senior in the college selection process and I got a pretty decent offer from Seton Hall. I just had a few questions:</p>

<p>I would like to eventually work for an urban real estate development firm, I'm not entirely sure what majors that would require me to pursue but I assumed it would be something in business or urban planning/studies. Can anyone comment on the strengths or rigor of these majors at Seton Hall?</p>

<p>I have visited New York City once before but I never ventured into the New Jersey side so I am not familiar with the area Seron Hall is located in. I do have some concerns about the safety outside of the campus as I am sure on campus is already very much safe. Do the surrounding neighborhoods pose any problems to students? I would generally stay pretty close to campus or the train station.</p>

<p>I would be coming from the Midwest and want to make sure there are plenty of people that don't just leave campus on the weekends. How is the social life for out-of-state students?</p>

<p>Any reply or answer would be helpful, thanks.</p>

<p>@KansasCity123‌ my D was also accepted with a scholarship that would bring the costs more in line with in state tuition. We went and did the tour a couple of weeks ago. The campus is nice and the people seemed very nice. The campus is gated and the area of South Orange seemed cute, although not a ‘college town’. We ventured a little in the opposite direction and I will say the campus is VERY close to some sketchy areas. The campus is on the far side of South Orange, and only a block or so away is the next town which is not great.
We asked about people who leave campus and we were told about 50% leave on the weekends. Either home or to NYC.
The biggest thing we didn’t like was the point system for housing. As a freshman you get a dorm, but in order to be high on the housing list for subsequent years, you have to earn enough points. My D isn’t a big club joiner, bUT you get points for joining clubs as well as for grades, volunteering etc…
The campus seems pretty conservative. But it is a Catholic university so I guess that makes sense.
My D hasn’t decided as she’s waiting to hear from her #1 choice. </p>

@KansasCity123‌ Certain majors here at SHU are more rigorous than others. Honestly a science major is the hardest, followed then by Computer Science and Mathematics(I myself am Math and Compsci double). If you can select the best teachers you will do well without any issue. The surrounding neighborhood is not a problem generally. If you go toward the Village, you are safe. It is a well known fact that people should not venture to other places besides the village by foot. Reaching the station is never a problem as I myself love to go to NYC. There is a social life for out-of-state students, and the community itself is accepting of new people etc. Keep in mind however, if your major to obtain the job you want is not offered, do not attend.

@Rock910 I have a couple questions for you if you don’t mind. I am really interested in Seton Hall and have been accepted for CS. How do you like your CS professors and do you think they preparing you well for a future job? Also how is the social life and life on the weekends (If you are there). From reviews I have read everyone says that it is a suitcase school and there is nothing to do on the weekends… Is this true?

I am the parent of a current SHU student from out of state.

The school is a suitcase school although they are trying to change that by offering big merit aid to OOS students they want. In fact the school wouldn’t have been on his radar without the money and the program. He is a business major who got into one of their small programs where they give you all kinds of perks.

He is generally happy there. The classes are small and the teachers are accessible. The campus is nice and compact. It’s a good school and it does deliver on internships. It has a very loyal alumni base and they take care of their own it seems to me.

The campus does empty out on weekends but there are lots of kids who stay as they are not close to home. The one thing I think the school is lacking in are the campus options for housing and food. The housing is OK they have one really nice dorm the rest are so so. The food is another story. It is not very good and the hours and options are limited. I think most kids move off campus by the end of sophomore year at the latest it is a cheaper and a better option.

Overall it’s a good school that is far more academically strong than the stats might lead you to believe. It also has delivered on what is most important to us the education has been very good and the atmosphere on campus is very friendly and welcoming.

The town of South Orange is pretty nice and kids from school walk down there all the time. Yes the area around campus on the other side gets sketchy after a few blocks but it seems like a lot of the areas down there in the NY metro area are like that.

It’s also very easy to get into Manhattan about a half hour train ride from the South Orange station.

My son turned down some very good schools to go to SHU due to price and location and program. He would make the same choice if that helps you at all.

Hi Maggiepie, thanks you for your post, My Daughter and I visited the open house last week. I was impressed with the Students and the Teachers. The Campus is a bit smaller than I expected but seemed very nice. I am a bit concerned about having things to do on the weekend, she loved running into NYC via the train so I think she is looking forward to that, but I am hoping that they do things in groups rather than individually. I’m a bit nervous about the thought of having my Daughter running into NYC by herself, maybe when she has lived there a few years. I am hoping that the Internships and the Ulum with make this a good choice for her.

I share the same concerns about weekend life on campus. We live in Massachusetts, so my son would be spending almost all his weekends on campus. Just looking at numbers though, if there are 1200 freshman, even if two-thirds leave on weekends, there will still be over 400 kids on campus, so it really can’t be that lonely. Really hoping to get a current OOS student’s opinion.

Food I’ve been told was very good and we enjoyed eating there ourselves. it was far superior to most of the campus dining we’ve seen (TCNJ was by far the worst, Rutgers was the only one we liked better). they have so many options daily. Talking to students who go there, they do stay on weekends at more of a 75% rate per most of the kids we’ve spoken with and there’s plenty to do with all the clubs and activities offered. NY is a stones throw away and great for entertainment. The campus there is safer than Rutgers and very few problems happen there, you just don’t go to the right when you leave campus but it’s beautiful the towns to the left. The business school has a higher job placement record than every school we’ve looked at and it is superior to Rutgers and TCNJ, UDel, Rowan, Penn State and Binghamton business schools. Their Alumni program is AMAZING and that’s putting it lightly and they hire and get internships. Best bang for the buck with the great scholarships offered. We didn’t realize all the great things until we started looking and asking… we work on Wall St and spoke with recruiters who gave praise to SHU… everything we loved so far… My son got into most of the schools and it’s honestly most likely SHU (hopefully he gets honors program as that’s his goal and will be the decision maker for him). Go Pirates!

oh and when kids do come home that we know, they often bring their out of state friends with them for home cooking and to just hang out. I’ve met some really great students from all over recently as we’ve done in depth investigations… All we are finding is positive and direct from students, alumni, recruiters, so much better than we were expecting. Alumni is amazing, did you see the number of scholarships they have sponsored by alumni? You don’t see that at most schools, especially ones this size.

School Size 9,627
Undergraduate Students 5,817
Graduate Students 3,810
Full-time Students vs Part-time Students 92% vs 8%
Percent Out-of-state 30%
Number of International Students –
Average Typical Undergraduate Credits 30
Primary language of Instruction English
Enrollment Concentration Traditional

http://www.collegeview.com/schools/seton-hall-university/figures?siteId=41

30% are out of state students and there are kids from every state… say about 1450 a class year, so 450 are OOS alone for each class, then add the NJ kids who stay, Note only 85% of students are full timers so the perception of a suitcase school could be in relation that 15% of kids don’t live on campus and only 50% of students live on campus as many choose to live in nearby towns in safe neighborhoods when they are upperclass. I think the suitcase comments are overstated… it’s just people don’t live on campus. I’ve been told repeatedly there’s tons to do on campus.

completely disagree with assessment of TCNJ from food to business school placement. TCNJ is in fact the highest rated Business program in the entire state of NJ and is ranked 63# nationally by Bloomberg. Further , accounting is ranked #20 nationally.

@stones3 TCNJ doesn’t even offer 5 year master in acctg program that every business school does. TCNJ job placement is worse by fact then others. As a person whom works in NYC, TCNJ has actually poor ranking amongst banks, accounting firms and advertising firm recruiters we spoke with. We know a few who graduated who were still looking for jobs 8 months after graduating and 2 a year later and 2 were from TCNJ honors programs… Sorry. And my son did not like the food and dining hall at TCNJ the older one is dingy and he visited there multiple times and actually brought food or took his friends out as he said he wouldn’t go there because the food was just bad. He has a number of friends there who criticize the food and how the school at TCNJ gives you your first years classes. I posted facts on 6 month out of business school actual job placement which is almost impossible to get from TCNJ as they don’t advertise it… And graduation in 4 years is really sort of useless these days as most kids do masters in 5 years. Why don’t you post their 6 month placement record from the business school?
Graduates of the Stillman School have a 95% employment rate within 6 months of graduation, which is 30 points higher than the national average. And Seton Hall is rated top 25 in the nation for students who get the highest paying jobs for the smallest investment. 100% of Stillman graduates applying to graduate school are offered admission. I believe accounting was 100%. TCNJ hasn’t updated it’s business programs and is falling behind now. These are from large firms in NYC, not small like JPM, GS, PWC, E&Y, BAC

Really ,“most kids are getting their masters in five years”? REally , on what planet? Please provide hard audited stats for that statement.

FACTS-U.S. News ranks TCNJ #1 for 2015

The College of New Jersey once again is the top public college in U.S. News and World Report’s list of Regional Universities (North).

TCNJ remains a Princeton Review “Best Value” for 2015

The College of New Jersey remains a top contender in the search for affordable education with its induction in the Princeton Review’s Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Best Value Colleges and What It Takes to Get In–2015 Edition.

TCNJ featured in 2016 Fiske Guide to Colleges

The College of New Jersey has again been selected as one of the best and most interesting schools in the 2016 updated edition of the bestselling college guide book, Fiske Guide to Colleges.

Money Magazine’s Best Colleges 2015-2016

Money Magazine’s college ranking considers quality, affordability and outcomes. Among 736 colleges and universities nationally, Money ranks TCNJ 71.

Money Magazine’s 25 Public Colleges Where Students Graduate the Fastest

TCNJ ranks #6 and is the only New Jersey school on the list.

Kiplinger’s ranks TCNJ #1 Best Value Public College in New Jersey

The College of New Jersey is ranked 31st nationally in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s list of the best values in public higher education. TCNJ is regarded as an even better value for out-of-state students, ranking 21st nationally in that category.

BloombergBusiness ranks TCNJ #63 on top undergraduate business programs

Princeton Review names TCNJ one of America’s most environmentally-responsible colleges

The College of New Jersey is one of the most environmentally-responsible colleges in the United States and Canada, according to The Princeton Review.

more FACT- The College of New Jersey’s School of Business continues to be ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek among the top 100 undergraduate business programs in the nation in 2014. This year TCNJ’s School of Business placed #63 in the country, and ranks as the number one undergraduate business school in New Jersey, according to the Bloomberg Businessweek Survey of Best Undergraduate Business Schools.

MORE FACT about employment-

Top 25 employers of Class of ’14:

Cintas
CIT
Eisner Amper
Enterprise
Johnson and Johnson
CohnReznick
Klatzkin & Co., LLP
Mercadien
Munich Reinsurance America, Inc
ParenteBeard
Wilkin & Guttenplan
Withum Smith & Brown
State Street Corporation
Horvath & Giacin
Deloitte
Bloomberg
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
TowersWatson
International Planning Alliance
Ernst & Young
KPMG
CBIZ Valuation Group, LLC
Bank of America
News America
Chubb

Results of the class of 2014 TCNJ One-Year Out Survey, conducted by the TCNJ Career Center, can be viewed here.

Click here to view statistics about The College of New Jersey at a Glance.

as far as food more FACTS-

Chef Carl Ruiz is no stranger to creating a kitchen.

A restaurant consultant who has helped celebrity chefs craft their brands, his own restaurant—Marie’s Italian Specialties, in Chatham, New Jersey—has been featured on The Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” Most recently, he won the grand prize on Guy’s Grocery Games, in which 16 of the best chefs from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives were pitted against each other.

But he had yet to tackle the college crowd. Until now.

Ruiz is the culinary spark behind TCNJ’s homegrown restaurant, Traditions, which officially opens on Monday, Feb. 29. Not only did he develop the menu and recipes, but also he spent a week on campus training the kitchen staff to prep and plate his creations.

Located on the first floor of Brower Student Center, Traditions will pick up where The Rat left off, mingling menu favorites from days gone by—like the classic Rathskellar Buffalo chicken wrap—with new items that are sure to become cravings. Chicken and waffles, anyone?

On the menu, you’ll also find things like Irish nachos, an onion-ring stack (Muha’s favorite), Green Goddess salad, roasted chicken dinner, housemade chips, and a deconstructed S’more trendily served in a Mason jar.

Chef Carl’s favorite part of the menu? “Try the schmear on the French toast,” he says. “It’s like a Ferrari.”

Just trust him.

Add new restaurants at the 120 million dollar Campus Town plus newly renovated campus options which are just flat out terrific!

Sorry just the actual facts.

TCNJ=Trenton State College with a good marketing campaign.

hahah. FACTS see posts #12-#14. Fact it’s the second highest rated school in all of NJ. FACT.

oh and just to bring you up to date Trenton State was over TWENTY years ago. And just like now, back then it was one of the top teachers schools in the entire country.

That doesn’t say a whole lot