New Jersey Universities HELP!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So I am a transfer student from California. Applied to a few schools in NJ and I've narrowed it down to two. I have been accepted to Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University.. Problem here is that I have no clue which to go to. </p>

<p>I've been accepted into SAS at Rutgers New Brunswick and I want to do Communications... but scholarships are limited, especially since I am from out of state... it will be mostly FAFSA and student loans pulling me through. I've also heard from everyone and their Mom that Rutgers is a good school and decently ranked among other great schools.</p>

<p>Fairleigh Dickinson University- Teaneck-- Very interested in their B.A. Communications with M.A. in broadcasting program... They are willing to give some hefty scholarships also... However I have been attempting to do research and it was mostly negative feedback from students on the school, but otherwise research for me has been pretty unsuccessful. I know that FDU is not as highly ranked and is a small private school.</p>

<p>My finances are definitely a worry, but I don't want to have a useless education, even if its practically free. </p>

<p>Any feedback will be helpful!!! Thanks!</p>

2

<p>So I’m a transfer student from California going into a New Jersey University. I’ve narrowed down to two. Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Problem is… I don’t know which to go to since I’m not from the area.</p>

<p>Rutgers- I have been accepted into SAS and plan on Communications as my major. Scholarships are limited, especially because I’m out of state, and will be pulled through with FAFSA and my student loans. So this for me = Expensive. I’ve heard from everyone and their Mom that it is a good school and nationally ranked decently. </p>

<p>Fairleigh Dickinson- Teaneck- I am very interested in their Communications B.A./ Major in Broadcasting M.A. program. They are also offering me some hefty scholarships which would take care of a great deal of my tuition. However I have not been able to find much research on the school. The few student reviews I have found had negative tendencies with financial aid horror stories. I know that it is a small private school with a relatively low national rank.</p>

<p>Financial means are definitely an issue for me since I will be funding myself. However, I don’t want a useless degree, even if it was practically free. </p>

<p>Any info on these colleges would help!</p>

3

<p>If money were not an issue, I’d say Rutgers. But if you’re funding yourself, definitely go to Fairleigh Dickinson. It’s not the best school in the world, but it’s reasonable, and if you’re a serious student, you will find the opportunities there that make it a great place. Furthermore, it’s not far from New York and you can find many interesting internships. One of the smartest people I know went to Fairleigh Dickinson.</p>

4

<p>If money is an issue, why would you even consider these out of state schools?</p>

<p>Have you received your FA package?</p>

<p>how are you going to pay for this? You can’t get loans big enough.</p>

5

<p>My son went to FDU. It actually is a pretty good school with small classes and very nice facilities, particularly the workout facilities, and very nice campus.In fact, my son really liked FDU. I would defintely take FDU over Rutgers especially if it were substantially cheaper than Rutgers. This is also particularly true since NJ is having BIG financial problems and has cut a lot of budget out of Rutgers,which will affect the quality of education there. In fact, I would probably take FDU over Rutgers if it were about the same price.</p>

<p>Also, FDU offers a LOT of tutoring and aid if you seek it out. This can be a great resource for students. In fact, FDU has more of a nurturing environment than I have seen at many schools IF you seek out their resources.</p>

<p>We have also found the administration very helpful, which is contrary to some posts by students. They also have a great study abroad program in England and at Univeristyof Monaco,which my son took advanage of. </p>

<p>FDU is also in a great area, Madison NJ, which is safe, upper scale, good restaurants etc. Don’t forget to get the pizza at the Firehouse restaurant. Moreover, their cafeteria at the school is actually one of the better eateries that I have experienced in college food, which probably isn’t saying much.</p>

<p>Having said all that, however, FDU has its problems too.The main complaint by some students is that there are a lot of kids who leave on weekends leaving the school fairly empty. This wasn’t a problem for my son since he could get his work done without distraction,but you do need to understand this. If that will be a problem for you then don’t go there. However, even on the weekends, there are still a number of people around.</p>

<p>Secondly, not all dorms are equal there. The upperclass dorms are very nice. In fact, they have some newer dorms that rivaled anything that I have seen. Sadlly, the freshmen dorms are a hole! However, they are great for meeting people ,which would be their main benefit. Just make sure that you are put in “the village” when you transfer unless meeting people is your central focus. </p>

<p>If you are outgoing, you can still have a good social life. There are a number of cute girls/guys, and my son had no problem filing up his dance card.</p>

<p>Finally, if money is an issue, why are you going out of state at all? Why not stay in California? It has to be cheaper there.</p>

<p>If you have any other questions , feel free to post them.</p>

6

<p>Well I’m going to say it now, you’re going to have to go to the school which is the cheapest. I have no idea why you would go to school out of state and not leave any in-state options so that you can be safe financially. Rutgers is the better school but if you have to take out loans for college, you definitely need to go to the cheaper school.</p>

7

<p>Well I’m going to say it now, you’re going to have to go to the school which is the cheapest. I have no idea why you would go to school out of state and not leave any in-state options so that you can be safe financially. Rutgers is the better school but if you have to take out loans for college, you definitely need to go to the cheaper school.</p>

8

<p>I chose to leave California for personal reasons. However, my in state options were not much better. Most of the schools are over crowded because of the massive budget cuts and taking priority to freshman over transfers. I don’t have the best G.P.A. (3.0) and the few schools I did apply to, did not accept me. However I’m 24 and I have great credit. So this makes me independent from my parents for taxes and able to pull out some crazy loans that I never thought possible. I never used a day of FAFSA money so I expect to get at least a little something from them.</p>

9

<p>You don’t ‘get’ money from FAFSA, that is only a government formula to determine your need. It also determines eligibility for subsidized loans, work study, pell grants, but as I understand it it’s up to the college to grant them to you.
If its going to cost you the same to stay in CA or to come to Rutgers/FDU…stay in CA. If its less money then maybe FDU because at Rutgers you will probably find similar problems as in the CA system (maybe not as bad).</p>

10

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I feel like I should warn you that you are about to go over a cliff. How much will you have to borrow each year for each of those schools? Have you figured out how much you will owe at the end and how large the monthly payments will be?</p>

11

<p>I would probably pick Rutgers…but yeah, definitely go to the cheaper option in this economy.</p>