<p>from ur experiences, what are the positives and negatives of rutgers NB. wishd u had gone somewhere else? having a great time at rutgers?</p>
<p>hopefully there will be some reviews here which can be of help to others. </p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Alright. I just finished my freshman year at rutgers and i decided to go to rutgers over NYU and some other places primarily for money reasons. After the first year, I LOVE rutgers.</p>
<p>positives-
the diversity of people. from potheads to skaters, to surfers to geeks to everything. Rutgers has everything. </p>
<p>the football- football is sort of a religion at rutgers. you cant stay away from it especially with all the free football shirts they give out. </p>
<p>the classes- classes are huge, but the huger ones are generally easier. you can take smaller classes too if you really want to. </p>
<p>the parties- i’ll be honest. the parties are average at best and they’re pretty much the same everywhere but you just get used to them to a point where you begin to love em. </p>
<p>the opportunities- there’s so much you can do in this place but you have to look. you gotta search yourself for everything such as requirements, job opportunities, clubs, and other stuff as no one tells you what to do. </p>
<p>cons:</p>
<p>the ru screw which i havent experienced yet but im sure i will soon. </p>
<p>im sure there are more but i can’t really think of any which i’m sure people will add to.</p>
<p>btw one thing i recommend is getting into the honors program. the constant emails i get from the honors deans informing me of stuff and scholarships have helped me a lot. and the fact that there are much fewer students per honors dean is very useful i learned.</p>
<p>Positives:
- Good reputation and academics
- Diverse in terms of ethncity, style, personality (although one con I have is that some groups tend to stick to one another, but there are your share of people who hang out with just about anyone!)
- Many clubs and activities
- Plethora of academic resources
- “RU RAH RAH, RU RAH RAH Hoo Rah Hoo Rah Rutgers Rah” (school spirit – I love it, especially since I’m in band so football takes over my life in the fall
) - 4 diverse campuses with different feels and atmosphere (My favorites are Douglass and Busch)
- Frequent campus buses to take you to class. So if you happen to miss that “A” bus from Busch to College Avenue, don’t worry. The next one should come in 7 minutes or less.
- Dining hall food and take out! The best dining halls are Busch and Neilson on Cook/Douglass. Take out comes in handy when you don’t feel like sitting down in the cafeteria and just want something to eat back at your dorm.
- Location! We have many places to eat around here and a couple of hot spots for hanging out. And you’re somewhat in the middle between New York City and Philadelphia if you want to get away. You have the buses to take you to Menlo Park Mall or Woodbridge Mall. Local cabs if you feel kind of skeptical after arriving from the house party 15 minutes away and it’s 3am and you’re inebriated</p>
<p>Negatives:
- 40,000+ undergraduates and graduate students.
- large lecture halls
- Weekends get booooring sometimes, especially if you’re like me and not really into frat and basement parties (I like small parties with close friends instead). Look for a group of friends so you guys can entertain each other.
- Crowded buses at certain locations and time of day (I’m used to it now, though and don’t mind)
- Playing the run-around game with housing, financial aid, etc. They suck sometimes -_-
- ^ Which makes me lead to… The RU Screeeeew. I had it happened to me a couple of times. I couldn’t avoid it >.<</p>
<p>**
A couple of tips:**
- Avoid any buses headed to College Avenue anytime after 9:30pm on Thursday-Sunday. TRUST ME o.O
- Even though the buses pass frequently, if you plan on going to another campus (especially Cook/Douglass to the two Piscataway campuses), make sure you leave your dorm 30 minutes before your class. Sometimes you have to let a bus go if it is crowded. The best place to catch any bus is at the student centers (Red Oak Lane stop for Douglass). The bus empties out at the student centers. Also, the bus drivers are running on a schedule, so it is not uncommon for them to wait at a stop for a minute or two because they are being monitored for being at a specific stop at a certain time.
- Look for spots on campus before midterms and finals. The libraries do get crowded. If you have a good group of friends, you guys should rotate and save spots for one another. Finals it gets CRAZY. Especially when you have kids with Adderall running through their systems. Sometimes they bring pillows and blankets to the library.
- Unless your major is Engineering, Pharmacy, or Math, take any math class (Precalculus, calculus) that you need for a requirement OUTSIDE of Rutgers, especially if your math skills stink. Listen to me!!! Save yourself (and your GPA) while you can.
- Even though lecture halls can seem scary and intimidating, don’t fear meeting with a teacher during office hours if you feel you are struggling, have a question in regards to your exam results, or need clarification.
- Join a club or two, an intramural sport, a frat/sorority. Anything that interest you, even if you never imagined yourself doing it. Like swing club, even though you never danced before. Or working for the radio station. Or doing ultimate Frisbee. It’ll keep you sane, busy, and you’ll have friends.
- Don’t walk on George Street or other parts of the College Avenue campus that stray further from campus really late at night. Even if you are with two other people at 3am – just don’t. You might get jumped, beat up, and then mugged. =</p>
<p>*** At times, I did wish I went somewhere else, but it wasn’t because of Rutgers personally. I had a difficult time last semester and went through a bit of a depression and anxiety. It is a good school, but I wanted to be closer to home because after a while, the large population was overwhelming me. I’m attending Rutgers still for my third year. I will be living on Douglass to get away from the busyness of College Avenue. (Just a side note to your other question)</p>
<p>Phew…I wrote a freakin’ chapter. I hope this helps! I’ll post anything else if I think about it.</p>
<p>NBfan and Mushaboom thanks alot - hopefully this well help others as well. I was thinking between Purdue and rutgers but even though rutgers can boast about their diversity, I think purdue has much more of it - more international students and MUCh more out of state students as well…though many ppl say rutgers can give u amazing education and is underated…</p>