Should my daughter seriously consider TCNJ?

Colleges and Universities A-Z The College of New Jersey
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My DD was accepted OOS into the business program at TCNJ with $8000 in merit aid. That makes the cost just slightly more than our in-state flagship public U. She would like to go out of state for school but she is concerned that TCNJ is boring and that it will be a suitcase school and dead on the weekends. And she knows that virtually everyone will be from just one state. She does prefer the rah rah rah of a bigger university with D1 sports teams and wants to join a sorority. I realize that this is a smaller, medium-sized college with D3 sports and not the exact experience she says she is looking for. However, I feel obligated, given the significantly reduced COA for TCNJ compared to other OOS publics, to seriously consider it. I also have a hard time entirely trusting my 17 year old dd to make a mature well thought out decision when so much money is at stake. Yes, I would like to avoid paying what I consider to be ridiculously high tuition for college so I am giving her a nudge to more strongly consider TCNJ. She is only allowed to consider her in-state flagship and other OOS publics because of insane cost (IMHO) of private universities. TCNJ seems to have a very good reputation academically although one downside I see is that its reputation is more local/regional.

She visited TCNJ but on a cold, rainy day. She was a bit meh about it and didn’t like some of the surrounding area (which others have commented on) but I think she might reconsider if she visits on a better day weather-wise. Maybe wishful thinking but we are going to visit again in April.

Anyone with recommendations about TCNJ, especially if you have attended or are presently attending? Pluses and minuses? Is it “boring?” Is my daughter’s roommate or her suite mates likely to say “adios” most Friday afternoons only to return on Monday morning? That is something I know would be a big problem for her- a big turn-off. She is very social and looking forward to making new friends in college and that environment would make it difficult for her.

Yes I am trying to nudge her a little bit to consider TCNJ but if she won’t be happy there then it’s a no-go. Like every parent I want her to finish her four years wherever she goes and feel good about it.

She was accepted as a business major (accounting vs finance) but is now considering dental school. She’s not sure what she wants to do. She has been accepted to UDel, USouth Carolina, UAlabama, SUNY Geneseo but only one gave her a small amount of merit aid. We don’t qualify for need-based FA. Still waiting to hear from TAMU, Vtech, and FSU.

Thanks for your comments and advice.

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One thing to seriously consider if she is not sure about what she wants to study is if she will have room in her schedule to get the pre-reqs for dental school or be able to change majors at TCNJ in order to get them.

TCNJ has a very high freshman retention rate and that is considered a good indicator of happiness.

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My DD is majoring in psychology but is also taking premed classes…she will be taking a gap year after college as she is spacing out her pre-med classes. If she ends up at TCNJ and wants to take pre-dent…make sure she signs up for courses as soon as she is notified she can so the bio and chem classes aren’t filled up.

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TCNJ was also in the top 12-13 of happiest campuses in the country but I forgot which list that was. Anyway Son attends as biz major and really likes it. I can tell you he had several very well known LAC to choose from but decided
to attend TCNJ. We were surprised at his choice. Fast forward to today, he has done extremely well, loves the school,
has been very involved and used it for all it has to offer. I have to admit , pleasantly surprised at all the opportunity he has gotten , like several top (and I mean top nyc) internships. It is NOT a suitcase school and there are sororities to join. It most closely resembles a new England NESCAC school . It is unique in its focus on undergrad curriculum . I suspect if it was more of a research facility it would rank way higher , even though top 4 regional is pretty good. Buisiness week ranks the B-school in the top 34 in the country.

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@bopper My D was accepted to TCNJ as a psychology major. It’s good to know there will be space in her schedule to take chemistry classes. Thanks!

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OP: The two things that stick out to me in your post are that your daughter does not seem very interested in the atmosphere at TCNJ and that she’s not sure what she wants to study. Those would give me serious pause. The former indicates “fit”, which is underrated IMO in decision making. If she wants a rah rah big school feel, she won’t get that at TCNJ. Regarding her uncertainty about majors, I believe it is more difficult to switch majors at TCNJ than it would be at a state school. If the costs are about the same, then she should attend where she feels comfortable and has better opportunities for academic change IMO. If you convince your daughter into attending a school she’s not excited about, you may find yourself dealing with an unhappy child a year from now who wants to transfer to another school.

Suitcase school? Not really. Other threads on CC have covered the topic.
Boring? Well, that depends on the student.

Please don’t think I’m bashing TCNJ - far from it. My daughter attends TCNJ and it’s her dream school. But she’s 100% sure of what she wants to study (teaching) and she’s felt at home on campus from her first visit. I’m just trying to be honest and not blindly recommend TCNJ just because my daughter goes there.

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Thank you for the replies. I’m aware of the possibility my D may want to transfer if she does not like the school which is why I won’t have her go to TCNJ unless she tells me she likes it enough to attend after we visit again next month.

D applied as a business major with knowledge that business school is strong. Is the school known for strength in sciences as well, including areas of pre-requisite classes (bio, chem, etc) for pre-dental? Does anyone know if there is a pre-dental advisory committee at TCNJ?

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Will be interested if your daughter ends up attending. My son applied to Nursing and was admitted OOS. We have had many family members (Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins…) attend TCNJ. A few of them are there now and love it, but they are commuters which really has given us pause.

TCNJ is trying to increase their OOS students (hence fee waiver) but at this point we think it will not be his choice. While I echo all those above who quote the high retention rate, happiness factor and high praise it gets from US News and the like we are concerned with the commuter feel as well as the very high amount of in state kids there still (and we have lots of close family members in NJ). Its hard enough to go away to school, harder still when the majority are within an hour or so drive of home. Additionally we were put off by them asking for further proof of my son’s interest as he had to write three more essays (once acceptance package came) to try to earn scholarship money since he was an OOS student. UPitt and UVM were two state schools he applied to as well and they did not single him out as an OOS student to need to write more essays to earn merit money - they awarded it to him once accepted. It seems while TCNJ wants to increase their presence of OOS kids they still single them out as OOS by making them “dance” a bit more for the money.

One other thing was that we are from New England in an area of highly educated people who send their kids nationwide to great schools - majority of them were not aware of TCNJ - as my son and his siblings would like to settle in the Boston area name recognition would help!
Maybe in 10-20 years when they have increased the amount of kids it would be a great choice but right now we are going elsewhere. Good Luck!

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I think we are going elsewhere too. The commuter school issue which you raised is a big deal to my daughter. Also, as you alluded the reputation is very regional, seems to be tristate area only although I’m sure employers and recruiters know of TCNJ in a wider area. We live in NE and I’ve mentioned the name to several people and none have heard of it. Since my daughter is thinking she may want to live farther south she has decided to go with a school that has a little more of a national reputation. It’s a shame because TCNJ looks like a great school and they gave us a lot of merit aid. So of course I tried my best to convince my daughter to like it but doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. We’re going to stop by the campus one more time during a trip up the atlantic coast looking at colleges next week before she makes her final decision.
Good luck to your son as well.

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ok , two things to consider. first, TCNJ has a great and I mean great reputation. Those involved in education certainly know of it. And just happens that the tri state area is extremely affluent nationally so that holds a lot of weight. Two-
and I want to make this 100% clear it is NOT a suitcase school period. Over 95% of freshman live on campus! It also has one of the highest four year graduation rate in the nation ! in fact our S is graduating in 3 1/2 years. Do yourself a real favor and focus on what information is out there from independent sources and not friends and family. also keep in mind it is entirely unique in so much as the focus is squarely on undergraduate education programs . That is unique, so much so that if it did more grad and research based things (things that do not benefit undergrads) it would certainly rank even higher that it already does. If you’re looking for a great undergraduate education/ undergraduate experience
this should be considered.

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Regarding TCNJ’s reputation, I have an anecdote to offer: a coworker’s daughter is graduating TCNJ with a degree in math this year. She has been accepted to several PhD programs, including her top choice with full funding and stipend, at schools across the country. I mean multiple schools far, far away from New Jersey.

I realize it’s just one data point, but I think it illustrates that, at least in academia, a TCNJ degree carries a lot of weight.

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My niece graduated from TCNJ with a degree in chemistry and is now attending Johns Hopkins Medical School.

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@stones3 I hear what you’re saying about TCNJ not being a suitcase school but students just living on campus doesn’t really mean it’s not a suitcase school. New Jersey is a small state and TCNJ is right in the middle. All NJ students will probably be within one hour or 1.5 hours from home which means that many kids will be going home on the weekends for various reasons. Maybe not every weekend but of because of proximity it just seems likely that it will happen often. If her roommate and other people in her group are going home every other or every third weekend that’s an issue for my daughter and I think many potential OOS students which I believe is probably a reason why TCNJ has had trouble attracting OOS students. This is one area where I think my daughter has a legitimate concern.

Part of the issue with my dd is that she also wants the “big school” experience with D1 sports, big school spirit, sorority, etc. She was concerned that the surrounding town area was not that attractive (in her opinion). My wife brought her to the campus tour last fall so I can’t give her my opinion.

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Every state school in N.J. is a “suitcase” school whatever that means. Lots of students go home on the weekend, and so what? Given the high cost of college and the importance of picking a major that will offer job opportunities, whether lots of students go home or not shouldn’t be a factor in deciding where to go. People overlook the fact of the large percentage of students who fail to finish college or take beyond 4 years to graduate. As a person with advanced degrees and a professional occupation who works with many people who go to “prestigious” colleges as well as state schools, I’ve come to the firm position that unless you are very rich and want to burn money, or very poor and get huge aid, the most important thing for a high school senior and parents is to 1) choose a major offering real opportunity for employment and 2)Limiting debt. It is far more difficult to make it in this country now than 25-30 years ago. So rather than being concerned about “suitcase” factors, focus on what matters

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Sorority??

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@NPKR01: I have argued on CC against the perception that TCNJ is a suitcase school. I can speak from personal experience, which is to say, what I see among my daughter and her friends. For the most part, they don’t want to go “home” during the weekends. TCNJ is their home. Of course, this depends very much on the individual student and their relationship with their parents. Every school will have some homesick students, but that usually gets resolved one way or another by the end of the first year. My daughter’s a sophomore and her network of friends at school is everything to her. She does not want to leave on weekends or holidays. Besides, all of her hometown friends are also away at school and she wouldn’t have much to come home to except for my wife and I and that’s NOT how she wants to spend a weekend!

But, it sounds like you and your daughter have already made up your mind about TCNJ. You are right. If your daughter wants a big school D1 experience, she will not get that at TCNJ, which has a more quaint LAC feel.

Finding the right fit is very important. I wish your daughter all the best in her choice.

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npk- listen I can only tell you our actual experience. For our S he has not come home and more or less than if he were further away. In fact our D several states away has ventured home just as often

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The question is why wouldn’t you consider? It’s been ranked as the number 1 public school in the NE for over 15 years. It also has one of the highest (top 5) in the nation graduation rates for a public university.

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@NPKR01 - It sounds from your original post as if you have kind of already answered your own question. Considering your daughter’s preferences, the only thing drawing TCNJ under consideration is the merit aid and a bit of uncertainty as to your daughter’s decision making.

First off, even with merit aid, TCNJ remains more expensive than your flagship state school. Not knowing from which State you hail makes it tough to compare, but unless your flagship is way below the grade, it is probably higher-ranked than TCNJ which does not even make USNWR’s top National Universities.

Second, since there really cannot be more than anecdotal commentary on school characteristics relating to “suitcase” schools, I will add my two cents that my niece indeed found this to be the case at TCNJ. She said that, at least among her immediate peers, the school basically emptied out on the weekends. This is probably in large part due to another issue recognized by your daughter which is the overwhelming percentage of the student body from in-state. This does not even get to the social and intellectual limitations of a student body comprised of 80-85% in-state students.

If your daughter is looking for “rah-rah” at a bigger university with D1 sports and an active Greek life, can’t imagine why TCNJ would even make the list (other than for your aforementioned concerns).

As a parent, I get your obligation to the economics. Truly. As for trust, obviously don’t know your daughter, but she sounds pretty levelheaded in expressing her preferences, and pretty accurate in stating her concerns. I’m already inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt.

A decent public school (filtered by you) will give your daughter all she wants, at a reasonable cost, with far more resources and almost certainly more than the limited regional cachet at TCNJ. No one I know outside of the NY Tristate area has even heard of TCNJ. Even within the region its significance is related to specific areas of business and accounting, feeding into applicable NYC firms. Should your daughter choose to return to the Midwest, South or wherever it is that you are from, not so sure TCNJ is her ticket to a job in Detroit, St. Louis or Atlanta.

Weather is weather. Your daughter will live in NJ from fall through at least 4-5 months of winter weather. Even the few nice fall days in September and spring days (should they ever come) in April, will not compensate for Northeastern snow, sleet, and cold if this is an issue for her.

The circumstance that your daughter is uncertain as to her major, ices it for me. Can see (although would not recommend) attending TCNJ if the price is right as a business major. Dental? Not so much. Actually, not at all! TCNJ has nowhere close to the resources of a large state flagship such as South Carolina or Alabama, which also fully fit the bill when it comes to weather, social life, Greek life, rah-rah, D1, and just about everything on your daughter’s list.

You sound like a great (and thorough) parent. Your daughter, intelligent and well spoken. Go with your instinct and give your daughter the benefit of the doubt. Good luck!

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@BrooklynRye: Much of what you say is not factual, but opinion and heresay and only serves to perpetual a false perfection of TCNJ. A couple examples:

  • "...it is probably higher-ranked than TCNJ which does not even make USNWR’s top National Universities." I assume you are referring to the US News rankings, which uses the term "National Universities" in it's ranking system. Of course TCNJ is not highly ranked as a National University, you nitwit. US News does not classify it that way, as it does with state flagships. Would you draw the same conclusion about Williams College, which is also not ranked as a National University by US News? In other rankings where TCNJ is listed among state universities, it typically does well.
  • "No one I know outside of the NY Tristate area has even heard of TCNJ." So what? As I mentioned in a previous post, I know a graduating TCNJ senior that got fully funded PhD offers from several out of state schools, including her top choice school. Some of these schools are several time zones away. So, someone besides your friends thinks highly of a TCNJ degree.

I myself recommended that OP’s daughter go to a D1 school because of other factors, so I am not a shameless TCNJ shill. But, your post unnecessarily bashes TCNJ and you need to check your facts.