<p>Any current info on the character and quality of residential undergrad life at two NJ state schools - Richard Stockton and Montclair? Are they suitcase colleges, are most of the kids who do stay in the dorms from the surrounding counties, is the food tolerable, is there much to do on the weekend if you're not much of a partier, etc? Food service at both seems to skew toward fast food, which to me is meant more for commuters who are just grabbing lunch -- not a strong point if you live there.</p>
<p>Stockton has 7500 undergrads. College Board considers it a residential campus, with three-quarters of the freshmen living on campus. Montclair is NJ's second-largest state school, after Rutgers, with about 15,000 undergrads. 5,000 live in the dorms, which is not the majority, but still plenty of people for a true residential community, if they do stick around on the weekends and form a community.</p>
<p>From Montclair, you can take mass transit into NYC. It's a commuting suburb/"bedroom community" of Manhattan. It's also located in an economically thriving part of northern NJ, so employment connections should be available. Stockton is essentially in the rural woods, inland of Atlantic City. I wonder if Stockton's marine science program is its greatest strength. They do have a nice auxiliary facility on the bay, for that department. They also seem to be growing in the hospitality program, which makes sense in that region, and have taken over the nearby Seaview Resort, a lovely old place where some significant golf tournaments are played. Seaview was a Marriott property before the takeover.</p>
<p>Fieldsports–I would say that every school in NJ with the exception of Princeton is to some extent a suitcase school, simply because it’s a small state, so a good-sized percentage can get home fairly quickly. I live near Montclair and know a lot of students who go there. Also, I’ve attended various conferences and events there. I’d say that many go home most weekends, but many come from the mid to south end of the state and so many stay. There appears to be a lot of activities on the weekends, so someone’s sticking around. As far as food, there are a lot of fast-food based options. I know there are cafeterias but haven’t had much experience with them. The school also has a Jersey-style Diner on campus, which is a neat choice to go to.</p>
<p>The school is indeed close to NYC and also to all the resources of North Jersey. My impression is that internships and employment connections are very good.Some of the particular strengths of the college are education and performing arts, but it’s in the process of building new business and bio sciences buildings, and they don’t skimp on facilities. I think it’s a nice alternative to Rutgers for a big school with a sense of campus (everything’s much closer together than at RU), and it’s a very pretty campus. The views of NYC are phenomenal.</p>
<p>I don’t know as much about Stockton. I believe it’s environmental (not just marine) offerings are very strong. I have heard it’s a nice campus and I would indeed expect that students are more likely on campus there. Many students from my northern NJ hometown go down there and they definitely stay most weekends, as it’s 2 hours from here.</p>
<p>My admin’s daughter started college at Montclair, largely because of its performing arts program. She definitely found it to be a suitcase school, and – being a South Jersey girl – she transferred to Rowan at the end of her first year so that she, too, could go home for the weekend when she felt like it.</p>