<p>If you read the following three articles, you might get a feel for why many NJ residents are not enamored with their state flagship university.</p>
<p>Office</a> of Media Relations</p>
<p>ESPN</a> - Rutgers invests in football but cuts other sports - College Football</p>
<p>Dropping</a> a Few Sports at Rutgers, and Putting Pressure on Trenton - New York Times</p>
<p>Harvard has classes with over 300 for many intro level classes.</p>
<p>Not saying 300+ is bad, but it is not what we want for our children.</p>
<p>Rutgers had too many sports. It could not successfully compete in most of them. It decided to put its athletic dollars where it could be successful and make some money. And since when did NJ residents give a hoot about most of the sports at Rutgers? As a matter of fact since when did they give a hoot about Rutgers? What the University has achieved it has done in spite of the state, not because of it. Based on its selection for membership in the Association of American Universities, it is considered by its peers to be among this country's premier research universities.</p>
<p>RU has the same problems as many large universities - large classes, little interaction with Profs, easy to fall through the cracks, poor advising, difficulty with registration - hard to get classes (esp now with so many being dropped due to budget cuts) so may not graduate in 4 yrs without summer school. </p>
<p>But what most kids from our HS who attend RU complain about is how much time is wasted and how inconveinent it is getting bused from one campus to another. Friends are scattered all over, so have to plan to get together. Some say many classmates aren't adequately prepared for college level work, so top kids don't feel challenged. Definitely more interest in partying than academics. Kids are more interested in finding an "easy" class than an intellectually stimulating one... </p>
<p>My brother and his wife attended as did many of my friends and none of their children applied to RU. My SIL liked Douglass, but it's not possible to live and take all your classes on one particular campus... </p>
<p>On the plus side, I would think no one would "outgrow" RU, as some kids complain about small LACs. For those who enjoy attending sporting events, there are strong teams and lots of school spirit. I have taken my daughter to many women's bball games there. The RU students we know enjoy their football games - certainly the tailgating.</p>
<p>For NJ residents, it seems expensive for a state school, when compared to other states' universities. To keep the always escalating RU tuition from climbing above a 10% increase, RU keeps increasing required Fees - which are over $2000 per year (both my kids pay less than $500/yr at their colleges). Compare RU tuition & Fees of $10,614 for NJ residents to other states. UF costs FL residents $3257/yr. U Michigan costs MI residents $5000-5500/yr depending on major. UNC costs NC residents $5340/yr.</p>
<p>Pay more taxes. You'll get a cheaper school.</p>
<p>O please. Taking buses? You can't exist here on the Madison campus without taking buses.</p>
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Pay more taxes. You'll get a cheaper school.
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<p>LOL...You obviously know nothing about New Jersey....</p>
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O please. Taking buses? You can't exist here on the Madison campus without taking buses
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<p>LOL again....You obviously have never been on the Rutgers campus(es). At least the UW-Madison campus (for the most part) is all connected.</p>
<p>I'm a graduate of Rutgers and I lived in NJ until I moved to DC in my late 20s. </p>
<p>All the education tax money goes to the public schools--k-12. Little goes to Rutgers.</p>
<p>From the Office of Media Relations- July 14, 2006</p>
<p>"For tens of thousands of New Jersey citizens who attend Rutgers, the impact will be that they will spend more time and money to complete their educations; many others will not be in a position to attend the university under any circumstances, Chairman Gamper added. </p>
<p>Preliminary budget plans developed over the spring will be finalized based on the budget adopted today. These plans include spending cuts in all programs across the universitys campuses. </p>
<p>An estimated 800 courses and course sections will be eliminated in the upcoming academic year, forcing many students to take more time to graduate. </p>
<p>As many as 750 employees and positions will be eliminated: 250 through layoffs and non-reappointments of staff, faculty and teaching assistants; 400 through non-reappointments of part-time lecturers; and 100 other staff positions cut through attrition. </p>
<p>Approximately 100 faculty searches will be called off. </p>
<p>Senior administrators will forgo salary increases with the savings dedicated to student financial assistance. </p>
<p>More than $12 million will be cut from non-salary expenditures, ranging from library collections to building maintenance. </p>
<p>Service hours at university libraries will be reduced. </p>
<p>The Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick will eliminate the Department of Business Environment and International Business. </p>
<p>Enrollments have been suspended for the coming year in the Ph.D. program in Industrial Relations and Human Resources in New Brunswick/Piscataway. </p>
<p>Repairs of computer network outages will take longer at night and on weekends times when many students rely most on their computers...."</p>
<p>Our son ENJOYS having his classes and friends spread out over several campuses. He lives on Cook campus and likes visiting one of his HS friends who lives on College Ave. He found his previous school's campus too confining. And while I'm certain he doesn't ENJOY the buses, he's told us that they run frequently and have plenty of capacity. </p>
<p>I agree with Jerzgrlmom, RU is expensive for a state school. But is it surprising that MOST New Jersey state school are 10K for tuition alone when it's half that in other states? The cost of living in NJ (at least housing) is so much more than other states.</p>
<p>Look, I'm not a paid endorser for RU, just a satisfied parent. RU is a great choice for some kids who want a big, noisy, busy campus, and a reasonably affordable education, especially performing arts, pharmacy, sciences in general, philosophy. </p>
<p>We were ready to find fault with many aspects of RU (huge classes, impersonal advising, difficulty getting into classes, housing problems, etc etc)and in 2 years it just hasn't happened.
Just seems that it's a good fit for our son. He'd love to live in NYC so to him the 'large' New Brunswick campus is tame I guess!
Clearly, some of the supposed negatives of RU actually appeal to some kids!</p>
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What the University has achieved it has done in spite of the state, not because of it. Based on its selection for membership in the Association of American Universities, it is considered by its peers to be among this country's premier research universities.
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<p>I totally agree with this statement. It is a premier research university. No arguments there.</p>
<p>It is just unfortunate that so many cuts were made on the academic front in 2006 that affected students, while pouring millions of dollars into the football program at the same time. </p>
<p>The cuts in the six sports just kind of hit home because S knew alot of the kids who were affected by their elimination.</p>
<p>Our local "university," the University of Southern Maine, is threatening to eliminate something like a dozen majors, including Economics, Chemistry, and Physics!</p>
<p>tsdad-
If you went to high school in the 50s and moved out of NJ in your late 20s, that means you probably have not lived in NJ for probably at least 30 years. You wouldn't believe the increases in taxes (state income tax, real estate taxes, etc.) that the average resident has incurred in those 30 plus years.</p>
<p>musicmom, I'm glad your son likes RU. He sounds like the type of student who will take advantage of the positives and luckily, doesn't mind the negatives. Some of it boils down to big school/small school and I personally don't think one is better than the other - depends on the student's preferences.</p>
<p>I think if RU had been designed as an attractive, centralized large campus (like UNC or UVA), it would avoid the problems associated with what happens when you try to combine several smaller schools after the fact. RU will never have the campus look or feel of these other schools. It's proximity to NYC and the jersey shore and Philadelphia is great. Students also have access to many internships and employment opportunities upon graduation.</p>
<p>But, some people tout RU as a superior institution, just below an IVY, often citing how it was asked to be part of that group. Come on! There is no comparison. Perhaps there was then, who knows? RU does not have the financial resources to compete on those terms. Many people would say RU is not equal academically to the top state schools in the country. The entrance requirements certainly aren't in the same ballpark. It is a good state school with a now nationally recognized football team. And I say that as someone who chose to attend several state schools over higher ranked schools. To each their own but represent it for what it is.</p>
<p>Karp, I agree. Our lifestyle has been impacted by that too.</p>
<p>Buses, are not the problem. My son rides the bus at his OOS U. too. Apparently waiting in lines, not getting on the bus and waiting for another to show up creates a problem for some at RU. I have heard that classes are missed. I haven't tried it, so it is only an opinion from a third party. Perhaps it is a wonderful system. It is a system, however, that is too big for my kids. I would say the same about Wisconsin. I believe that my kids would do better at Beloit or Lawrance than at Madison. I think that my own kids would be better served at a student focused college where the emphasis is on teaching the undergraduate, rather than at a research focused institution.</p>
<p>karp4170- I should mention in NJ that State taxes as a % of gross income are lower than most other States.</p>
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I should mention in NJ that State taxes as a % of gross income are lower than most other States.
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<p>really depends on your tax bracket...maybe at the very low end....but not at the higher end....compared to the state I relocated from....my state income taxes are more than twice what I used to pay...my real estate taxes are more than 4 times what I used to pay....the only positive thing I have to say is that the k-12 schools are much better.....</p>
<p>Individual</a> Income Tax Rates-2007</p>
<p>NJ has some of the lowest personal exemptons of all the states...If you do all the calculations I believe you find that it is not one of the lowest....</p>
<p>karp- Governing Magazine looked at all States using sales tax, income tax, personal property taxes, gas tax etc and based on these taxes as a % of the average family gross income NJ was lowest. The big impact in NJ comes from local propery taxes to fund the local school system but local property taxes have nothing to do with funding Rutgers.
By the way I agree NJ taxes are to high and the tax system is a disgrace but it will not be fixed until there is an honest discussion of the cause. It is not waste and abuse although waste and abuse needs to be fought- it is we want a lot of government- even the conservatives- they just do not want the other guys programs.</p>
<p>tom1944-
I misunderstood your post....I thought you were talking just about state income taxes, not all taxes.</p>
<p>Typical NJ inferiority complex. NJ is no good. Rutgers is in NJ. Rutgers is no good.</p>
<p>As we said to each other more years ago than I'll admit to: "The further away you get from NJ, the better school Rutgers becomes."</p>