So I’ve gotten into the 10 schools I applied to but so far the only ones that seem affordable are Montclair, Rowan, Rugters-Camden, Albright, and Point Park. I also got accepted to ithaca, lesley, marymount manhattan, arcadia, and temple. they all gave me a lot of aid but it’s still too much for me to afford. I got into Rowan through the Rowan select program but i’m not that into it because it’s so close to where i’m from. Then there’s Rutgers-Camden (that would give me full tuition) but it’s in the city I’ve lived in my entire life and I don’t want to stay here. So the best option out of all of those seems to be Montclair for me, although they’re not that selective, but I don’t really care because the proximity to NYC is great and that’s where I really wanted to be. I really really wanted to go to Temple but i can’t afford $20k a year Albright gave me a lot of financial aid & I liked it when I visited it but the location seems kind of in the middle of nowhere which worries me bc I wanna intern in NYC eventually.
Anyway, back to the original topic, i just wanted some information about montclair from someone who goes there or went there or anybody elses input. Every review site I’ve been on says that montclair is a huge commuter school, that it’s dead on the weekends, and the academics are a joke which worries me because i’m gonna live there all 4 years most likely, it’s 2 hours away from me, and I don’t want my classes to be too easy. I took all AP and honors class in high school and have a 3.7 gpa so I don’t want to feel like I worked hard for nothing you know? So what do you guys think about Montclair?
Montclair is pretty good. It’s in a large suburb. Their academics are decent but Rowan & Rutgers Camden are better academically.
It’s a large school so I don’t think the commuter status will be a huge issue. If you applied to the honors college I think housing is guaranteed. Otherwise it’s only guaranteed for freshman. The location & social life at Montclair is great though.
Here’s the school’s ranking:
Academics- Rowan/RCamden
Location- Montclair. Montclair is in a large suburb & there’s a lot to do on campus. If you want to steer far away from the city Rowan is key, as it is in a boring rural/suburb & is close to Philly. RCam is is Camden which is plain awful. Camden has high crime & is a poorer area. MSU is close to NYC while Rowan & RCam are close to Philly.
Campus Life-Montclair. Montclair is more diverse than Rowan & has plenty of school spirit/stuff to do. Rowan is okay though, as it’s NJ’s 3rd largest school(behind Rutgers NB & Montclair)
Value- RCam no doubt. Especially when it’s full tuition
Overall it’s a draw.
If location/campus life>academics= go to Montclair
If you want a middle ground= Rowan
If price/value>location/campus life= go to RCam
If you somehow can afford 20k= Temple
Is it possible to attend Rutgers-Camden for a year, do well, and then transfer to the New Brunswick or Newark campuses that would put you within striking distance of those NYC internships?
Location: Montclair is in a beautiful suburb. Rowan is in the middle of nowhere, and Camden is the most dangerous city in America! Not the ideal college experience.
I’ve visited Montclair, the campus is lovely. It’s close to NYC, and in a convenient location. The campus seemed to have a lot going on, even though there is a high commuter population.
I don’t think classes are a “joke” at Montclair. I’ve heard it’s a great school, but I’ve also heard there are some students who “shouldn’t be there”, since it became SAT-optional. If you’re in the honors program, I think you’ll be fine.
I would choose Temple, if it somehow became affordable. I’m in the same situation, with T, M, & few other schools
@ASJackson923 thanks for all the info! i might stick to Montclair then. RCam’s location doesn’t bother me though because I’ve lived in camden my whole life and it’s not that bad. I just wanna be farther away because I’m bored of it all, so Montclair it is. The area RUC is in is highly protected too. It’s between those two for now, but Montclair is higher on my list.
@mamaedefamilia that works too, but I’d rather go to the same school all four years. I forgot to mention I’m on the waiting list for RU-NB so thats still a possibility, but I’m not counting on it.
@happy1 i completely forgot about that, it would definitely make more sense to do internships in the summer when you’re not in school.
@newjerseygirl98 maybe we’ll see each other at montclair! i would definitely pick temple if it was affordable. P.S. people that have never lived in camden overexaggerate it a lot, I’ve lived here my whole life and have always been safe, & so are all my friends from here. I feel like sheltered people from the suburbs are always afraid of cities no matter what. Most of the people I’ve met here are friendlier than rich people from the suburbs. The only reason I don’t want to go to college here is bc I don’t wanna be close to home, not bc it’s “dangerous” and I’m scared. Just wanted to let that out, I feel like Camden gets put down a lot more than it should, I’m sure Newark is way worse. But thanks for your response!
Definitely! I’m from a town that’s kind of bad, too, I agree poor people are friendlier. Newark is more of a city than Camden, I know what you mean. I feel like Camden looks more abandoned than dangerous, haha. You’re welcome. good luck!
Yeah. A lot of my friends didn’t apply to Montclair because they said “dumb kids go there.” Probably because of the test-optional policy. Which in reality it’s not, & it’s just as good as Kean & WP.
How much (if anything) can your parents afford?
Can you list net cost for Montclair, Albright, Temple, Rowan?
To find net cost, add (tuition+fees+R/B) - (grants, scholarships) =
Did you get your state grants, SEOG, Pell, Perkins, and Stafford?
Did you get into Temple Honors? Montclair Honors?
You could always call or email your rep; indicate your EFC is (… zero… 5K…) and Temple is your first choice, but you received your FA package and it’d cost you 20K to attend: is there a way for someone to review your financial documentation, or perhaps you could check it and resubmit for reassessment as you may have made a mistake leading to that number which is quite high. Indicate you’re from Camden, first generation in college (if applicable), lower income family, … AP classes, … Honors classes, 3.7 GPA, … class rank and you’d commit to Temple in a heartbeat if it were affordable for your family.
< that allows them to ‘reassess’ >
It’s an email but it should look and read like a professional letter. INdent your paragraphs, check your spelling. Start with “Dear Ms…/Mr…”, give your name, applicant for Fall 2016, admitted, etc. Close with “Thank you very much. Sincerely, …”<- your name.
Since you live in South Jersey, it’s Ms.Koruba: ckoruba@temple.edu
Personally, I’d go with Rowan because of Rowan Select. It’s a good transition program and it gives you an opportunity to make friends and experience college over the summer, so that when other freshmen arrive on campus you’re already “at home”. In addition, Rowan has better academics in STEM - do you know what you’d like to major in?
Do you get any “bridge” programs for the other universities?
I’m not a first gen college student, but Albright would be 2k with loans, Temple would be 20k with loans, and according to the net price calculator Montclair would be about 7k/Rowan would be about 11k. I think my family can afford 5k a year but it could be higher than that, depending on plans and stuff like that. But my EFC is 2k. I don’t think I’m low income but I have a single mom who makes a (lower) middle class salary, so that’s probably why they didn’t give me that much money. I don’t get any bridge programs for any other universities. & I’m not majoring in STEM. I applied undecided to most of my schools but I’m leaning towards something in communications or the arts.
Low income has two meanings : one for Pell grants (look at the thresholds) and one compared to the overall population applying to the college (at some colleges, 75k is the threshold for low income even though it’s solidly middle class everywhere else).
First gen means your mom didn’t graduate from a four year college.
Look into Albright… Something’s not right. Did they by any chance package parent plus loan in your financial aid ?
Yeah I know, my mom graduated college. They didn’t give me any parent plus loans, just perkins and the direct unsubsidized/subsidized loan. They gave me a lot of merit aid and grants too which is why the cost is so low. I got a pell grant too though, so does that mean I’m low income?
Well, for colleges, yes. In real life it means you’re lower middle class.
Look at Albright carefully then. They really want you to attend! And it’s not in the middle of nowhere just an impression due to living in a densely populated area.
Rowan is better for stem than the fields that interest you, but it’s pretty good for communication.
My daughter goes to Montclair. She loves it, loves the proximity to New York City for both internships and for a fun night out.
Montclair also has activities going on and is not so much a commuter school like everyone is always making it out to be (they have beautiful brand new housing, a gorgeous new science center and business hall), if that helps. The campus is beautiful with breathtaking views of the city and mountains.
The only complaint my daughter has is that the campus is pretty dry (I like that!) so it’s a known fact that everyone takes a train and goes to either Rutgers Newark or NJIT to party (especially on Thursday nights).
It’s great for us too, she can take a bus or train home. No need for mom and dad to drive an hour or more to pick her up!
We also toured Rowan, did NOT like the fact that there was nothing going on campus at the time and that there is nothing around to see or do, that you need a car to go anywhere otherwise you are stuck on campus. The dorms were disgusting and borderline health hazard (at least the freshman dorm we toured on OPEN HOUSE day). The gym looked like high school.
Albright gave me a lot of financial aid & I liked it when I visited it but the location seems kind of in the middle of nowhere which worries me bc I wanna intern in NYC eventually.
i might stick to Montclair then. RCam’s location doesn’t bother me though because I’ve lived in camden my whole life and it’s not that bad. I just wanna be farther away because I’m bored of it all, so Montclair it is. The area RUC is in is highly protected too. It’s between those two for now, but Montclair is higher on my list.
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