I got into both Rutgers NB and TCNJ for the spring semester and intend on transferring after 2 or 3 semesters. I am wondering which school would be better to transfer from.
Rutgers is a great, brand name state school and if it turns out I like it, a degree from there won’t look bad. There are also many more options in terms of clubs and classes. However, it might be too big for me. It might be harder to get LORs from teachers in huge classes. The research isn’t really a plus because I am an English major. In terms of student life, I am afraid I will be unsatisfied/ intimidated by how big the campus is and unsatisfied with the cleanliness and quality of dorms compared to TCNJ.
On the other hand, TCNJ is really small which I love. I think it would be easier to form relationships with profs in 20 person classes. Their max amount of classes is 4 a semester which is nice. And I think it would be easier to get leadership positions in clubs because these clubs are smaller. However, it is not really well known. If I don’t get in anywhere nice next year, then I don’t know how a degree from here will look. PLUS maybe a well known, high ranking school like Rutgers would be more appealing to T20s…
OK, sorry for rambling but I really want the opinions of total strangers. THANKS!!! <3
I think you are more likely to excel in the environment where you are happiest and it sounds like that is TCNJ. I think TCNJ is a little underrated. The kids from our high school who go there seem to really like it.
Assuming you are not transferring within NJ (where NJ Transfer applies), I would think you will have an easier time transferring Rutgers course work to a new school than TCNJ classes- certainly the likelihood that the classes have been evaluated by the receiving school is greater.
I have graduates from both, I wouldn’t base it on dorms, they both have old crappy freshman dorms! My 18 year old just took a medical withdrawal from Rutgers, it was too much (he also phoned in his senior year of remote high school). At Rutgers he only had one in person class. Both of my graduates were business majors with no intention of transferring, both secured employment before graduation. There is no hand holding at Rutgers, my daughter told me you could be dead for weeks and no one would know.
For an English major, TCNJ would offer a better freshman-sophomore education. In terms of transferring, itsvery well-respected. If both cost the same, I’d pick Tcnj.
Where do you intend to transfer? Princeton? Kenyon?