I got accepted to Rutgers Business School at NB and I’m 95% sure that’s where I am going but I have some questions about the dorms at NB. Last time I went, I went on a campus tour via a tour bus. It was cool but not very informative on the dorms. I’m going to Open House for Admitted Students in April but I don’t know if I’ll be able to tour all the dorms when I go so I’m hoping any current or recently graduated Rutgers students can help me. Here are my questions.
- Does Rutgers offer suite-style dorms for incoming freshman? If so, at which campuses?
- Which campus/dorm/hall would you consider to be the best one to live at?
- How hard and stiff are Rutgers beds?
- If you lived on campus at Rutgers freshman year, can you please share your experience?
Thank you!
Hi, freshman at Rutgers here so I know quite a bit about this process.
- Yes and No. BEST hall on the Busch campus are suite-style but they are designed for a specific LLC. Otherwise, getting suites as a freshman is borderline impossible.
- I am living on Livingston this year and I love it to death. Livi has the business school on it so the majority of your classes would be there. Livingston has the Quads and the Towers. Towers have the better location, Quads have the better communal feel in my opinion. College Ave isn't bad to live on but expect partying. However, it's close to downtown if you like going off campus. Busch is pretty eh. Cook/Douglass isn't bad either.
- I don't have any problem with the Rutgers beds. I mean they're not amazing but they do the job just fine.
- I love living on campus this year. Living on Livingston is great for me because most of my classes are here and Livi has the best dining hall. The Quads are also very close to the gym. But each campus has their pros and cons. College Ave has the best library and overall location. Busch has the best gym. C/D has the best scenery and air conditioning in some dorms. They all have their pros and cons. You really can't go wrong no matter where you live.
@prestico23 Hello! Thanks a lot. You were very informative 
I’m glad you love living on campus. I’m pretty sure that will be me next September.
Another set of questions, if you don’t mind.
How does the whole deciding where you get to live process work? Like do I get to choose which campus I want to live at and which hall or is it determined by the school?
I’m thinking of living on Livingston because if I’m going to be a student at the Business School, then Livingston would be the most convenient? Do you suggest the Quads or the Tower?
Again, thank you so much! Are you an IS or OOS student?
Once you enroll, there’s a housing application which you fill out in which you rank your choice of campuses in order of preference and fill out a survey about your personality and habits so that they can match you with a roommate. You can’t pick the actual dorm you want to live in (unless it’s a special living learning community). If you know you want to go to Rutgers, it’s better to get that housing application in earlier as the later you wait, the less likely you will be to get the campus you want. In general, though, most freshmen get put on Livingston.
Also, good decision for choosing to live on campus. Being able to make friends and socialize with people from Day 1 of college can go a long way in making your career both successful and fun. I still live and work with a lot of the people I met freshman year through my dorm.
@Rhetorical13 omg thank you so much. I understand this all better now. I want to be 100% sure before I put down the deposit but I most likely will be going to Rutgers. Still waiting for other decisions so that’s why I’m not completely sure.
I hope I make a lot friends. Rutgers is so big that I’m sure I’ll have no trouble fitting in.
How was your experiences so far? What year are you?
I’m a senior now in engineering. My experience has been amazing. I lived on Busch for two years and then off campus for two. Living on campus is definitely great when you first enter college. Lots of people to meet, much less responsibilities associated with living on your own. You learn how to deal with a roommate and start to develop time management skills (if you don’t have them already). It’s definitely the way to go as a freshman. I eventually moved off campus to save money and that has also been a great experience as well. Getting to deal with some of the real life issues like cooking for yourself, dealing with landlords, adhering to the laws and regulations of a city, and such while still having the support of my parents has definitely helped me mature and gotten me ready for the real world after college. It definitely has its downsides, but I’m happy I did it. I know people who lived on campus all four years and also enjoyed it, so you can’t go wrong.
Specific to Rutgers, living on campus gives you so many opportunities. If you don’t like the feel of a big college, you can stick to the people mostly within your dorm or campus, but if you really want to meet a ton of people, you have access to five campuses all with distinct vibes. You can go to club meetings late at night and still feel safe coming home. The dining halls are all pretty solid and its swipe once for all you can eat, no need to worry about paying for specific items like other colleges. The meal plans are definitely more expensive than cooking for yourself, but the convenience is definitely something to be considered and the rates are comparable to or better than other colleges. Obviously proximity to classes also helps, being able to roll out of bed in your pajamas for an 8:40am big lecture class makes life a lot easier!
And honestly, if Livi is your top choice, don’t feel pressured to submit your app early as you will more than likely get placed there anyway. Consider your options and choose what works best for you. If you do end up choosing Rutgers though, it’s definitely a solid option for the money and you will more than likely find things which you will love. My philosophy is that Rutgers has something for everyone, it’s just a matter of finding it. And beyond college, as long as you put in the work and make yourself stand out, you can pretty much do what you want regardless of where you got your undergraduate degree.
@Rhetorical13 thank you. I really hope that Rutgers will be the school for me but I’m still open to other schools. UConn right now is my very close, second choice school, if I don’t attend Rutgers.
But I guess I should thoroughly visit each school before making my final decision.
I agree with you when you say Rutgers has something for everyone. I feel like college will be how you make it and I want to make college the best 4 years ever because I couldn’t do that in high school.
I like Rutgers because it’s a great school, it’s in state so cheaper tuition overall, and it’s far enough to dorm but close enough to visit home on the weekends.
But overall, I think I’m just being indecisive because that’s how I usually am lol.
are you instate or oos?
Instate. It’s basically like 85% instate here. I didn’t consider it at the time, but it is nice being able to have your parents drop something off or like go home for doctor’s appointments when you have to.
Thanks for the insight. I was accepted to SAS and SEBS for biology/premed. I accepted SEBS because I went to their open house and their guidance and program for medical school is amazing. The CD campus was nice but I definitely do not want to live there. I am very social and want to be in the middle of everything and so is my buddy from highschool. He accepted SEBS for animal science (vet) and we put in our housing apps and requested each other. We got our apps in right away as soon as it opened and requested College Ave. We really want to live in Clothier. Heard thats the best hall. So you’re sayin we are gonna be placed on Livingston no matter what? WTH? why do they ask you what your choice is then if they put all freshman on Livi??