<p>Princeton University is a superb college and the crowning jewel in NJ. Why don't we have more great colleges in NJ? The Princeton connection struck me once again while reading the latest rankings in the Princeton Review. New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has: the number 1 rank for both least happy students and professors get low marks; the number 2 ranking for least accessible professors; number 6 for least beautiful campus; and number 7 for college town not so great. Rider University is ranked #11 for students study the least, #13 for least beautiful campus, and #18 for dorms like dungeons. Rutgers - our state university - is ranked #6 for professors get low marks, #7 for least accessible professors, and #17 for long lines and red tape. Stevens Institute of Technology is #10 for least accessible professors and #17 for professors get low marks (but SIT also get #9 for easiest campus to get around and #12 for great college town). Drew shows up with a #15 for is it food?</p>
<p>Is it any wonder our best and brightest students run to PA, CT, NY, MA and any number of other states. What can we do about this?</p>
<p>Actually rutgers is the 64th best university in the country. And in truth the Princeton review college rankings are bs survey responses. You can’t say that we lose our brightest to other states because plenty of smart students go to nj schools. Plus nj has one of the highest amounts of students going to college in the country say our schools can’t satisfy everyone.</p>
<p>Yes, the Princeton Review input is subjective. Nonetheless, I believe there is something of value in these rankings.</p>
<p>My S went to a private high school. Every graduating student goes to college somewhere. Over the last five years, only 8.2% went to a college in NJ (and more than half of them went to Princeton). I would expect a much higher number if our students had the options available in many surrounding states.</p>
<p>New Jersey has consistently been one of the highest exporters of college students as well
as one of the lowest importers of college students from other states. The net result of
calculating the difference between importing and exporting is called net migration. New
Jersey’s net migration is one of the lowest (as represented by the highest negative
number) in the country, and this has been the case for decades.</p>
<p>The National Center for Education Statistics also provides some fascinating information on this subject (e.g., [Estimated</a> rate of 2007-08 high school graduates attending degree-granting institutions, by state: 2008](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/tables/dt10_211.asp]Estimated”>Estimated rate of 2007-08 high school graduates attending degree-granting institutions, by state: 2008)). In the academic year 2007-2008, NJ graduated 108,334 students (public and private high schools combined). 71.1% enrolled in a college; 41.4% enrolled in a college in NJ. In MA, 74.7% enrolled in a college; 50.6% enrolled in MA. In PA, 63.9% enrolled in college with 52.5% enrolling in a PA college. For NY, the numbers were 74.2% and 59.8%. CT was different (and somewhat similar to NJ) with 74.2% enrolling in college and only 37.4% selecting a college in CT. Shouldn’t the number of graduating students attending colleges in NJ be higher?</p>
<p>One of the best things about NJ is the proximity to other states. The ability to go to college in MD, DE, CT, PA, or NY and still be within driving distance of home opens up many options that kids who live larger states like NC or VA or SC don’t have. Not being able to get home regularly is a dealbreaker for some kids and families. So, that could be one reason why NJ doesn’t have as developed or prestigious of a state uni system as other states.</p>
<p>I agree though–there’s not much to choose from. I keep trying to get myself psyched fo my daughter to apply to Rutgers at some point (we have while before she will be a senior) but I just can’t get enthused about the school. I’ve been there, know lots of adults who’ve attended and loved it. Maybe it will be for her, but it doesn’t wow me.</p>
<p>Rowan seems like it’s up and coming. They’ve had a big investment of dollars from a private donor and I like that they’re broadening their graduate schools and trying to make the area surrounding campus more enjoyable and keep kids on campus. </p>
<p>I just think ultimately, we’re a tiny state with big financial problems and a very diverse population. I’m not sure that NJ will ever be able to offer the kind of opportunities that a NC or VA can. As far as what we can do to improve it–Drew and Princeton and Rider are all private, so that’s tough to impact. The state budget is a mess–I doubt Christie is going to start pouring money into the state universities to improve them, he seems focused on cutting huge amounts. From what I can tell, my daughter could go to a PA state school like West Chester University in PA for roughly the same amount as attending Rutgers or Rowan. So if the fit is better, why would I keep her here?</p>
<p>I agree with all of your points. But I still think we have to have more choices in NJ. Princeton is superb by any standard so there is no need to talk about it. The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a state school that has been steadily improving. Personally, I wish it was a bit less structured (e.g., switching majors) but it is providing a great value option. Drew has been slowly but steadily improving for a long time. I would like to see it make a major jump up. Rutgers seems to bounce forward and back without a clearcut pattern of improvement. But what about the rest of our schools? I think a student should look far and wide for the best fit. I just wish there were more options right here in NJ. But as you state in your comments, he had options that were close by and selected a LAC in PA.</p>
<p>I am the OP. I am not at all trolling to stir up controversy. I live in NJ. Like so many other posters, my S is now enrolled as a freshman at an out of state college. I attended college in NJ. Why is this? My initial goal is to solict opinions about the NJ schools. Hopefully useful information will come from these discussions. I am very supportive of the NJ colleges and would like to see them shift the export/import balance of incoming students.</p>
<p>I stand corrected. And I actually meant to post this on the other similar thread you started. So if I understand it, you are just trying to get a general discussion going about NJ colleges, because you are trying to understand why so many NJ residents don’t attend college in their own home state, and you are not seeking advice on where your child should attend school (which is why most people post here- to give or receive advice on school selection).</p>
<p>Yes. With respect to other states, NJ has: an extremely high per capita income; extremely high population density; low unemployment rate; significant number of graduating high school seniors each year; good to very good measured test performance on things like the SATs; etc. It would seem, to me at least, that this is a very fertile field for the development of a number of excellent colleges and not just Princeton. Nonetheless, NJ exports a huge percentage of each year’s graduates to other colleges all over the U.S.</p>