I’m a GSC (now Rowan) communications alumnus back in the '70s when tuition & books cost $600/semester. Had a nice career. It’s not a high-paying major to start, so any debt will greatly restrict your opportunities when you get out. It’s a terrible feeling to turn down a job you have a passion for and learn your craft to accept a less-interesting job that pays more bills.
For your considered majors, either college would be good. Both have good track records. Neither would give you an edge over the other. Comes down to finances and “feel”. Pick the affordable one where you can visualize yourself getting involved and succeeding.
Both colleges have the club sports you desire. My daughter played both varsity soccer and LAX at Rowan, but moved to club lacrosse after freshman year to have more time for other things. She enjoyed it. The advantage there goes to Rowan. Bigger school, more resident students, so not as much scrambling to field a team. Club game scheduling is flexible. They play each other as well as D-1 club teams. Besides on-campus stuff, there is an indoor/outdoor training center (field hockey/LAX/soccer/basketball) and an ice rink (where club ice hockey plays) in Pitman, one town over.
I’ve been to many, many college campuses over the years. I’d worry more if there was no construction going on. Construction = Investment. TCNJ is now playing catch-up to the major investment and political commitment at Rowan, particularly in STEM majors. Next project: a new hospital down the road, at the Rt. 322/55 exit. If you hate cranes, go to TCNJ (which has its own construction) or another school looking for investment.
It’s also good to keep in mind the different Missions: TCNJ’s is to continue to do what’s it’s been successfully doing for decades: Providing a high-quality college education to young men and women. Until 1992, Glassboro State (now Rowan) was just another state college, like Ramapo, Paterson, Montclair, Kean, Stockton, etc. But Henry Rowan’s $100 million donation in 1992 changed the game - it was the largest gift ever given to a public college IN HISTORY (they’ve added to it, too) ! The mission changed from being just another college to being an economic engine for the entire state and region, and serve neglected but growing markets.
That remarkable gift has forced everyone else to step-up its game. Rutgers has been forced to keep promises. University of Medicine & Dentistry, a political hack-haven, was closed down, with the spoils going to Rutgers & Rowan & Camden. Rutgers engineering school has had to step-up. Stockton is expanding into AC. And TCNJ needed to add a STEM program (not its strength) to compete. Rowan’s gift has also drawn other large donations, such as the Rohrer’s gift to the business school. I see where Ric Edelman, a former classmate and radio station colleague of mine before he went into finance, just donated $25 million. The other state colleges have been pretty much left in the dust.
TCNJ is a very good school, for decades listed as a top “value” college in America. Rowan is on the list, too, but lower. But the rankings (and I’m not a big believer in them) are deceiving. TCNJ is much smaller, so it’s more selective. Rowan will accept students who couldn’t get into TCNJ, but as the father of a boy that chose Rowan over Ivies for engineering (he got a “ride” during the Great Recession), Rowan’s top students can compete with most.
Let’s put it this way (simplified): With its engineering and now medical programs, Rowan will get more A students than TCNJ. TCNJ caters to the B/B+ students. Rowan will also get the B/B+ students, but also more B- students and transfers (from Rowan’s newly-formed network of community colleges in Gloucester and Burlington counties) who selected Rowan over a Rutgers satellite campus or Rutgers-NB.
TCNJ is still primarily a commuter college. Less diverse. It is far more common to see TCNJ students at Rowan and Rutgers on weekends for the “college life” than vice versa. You’ll know people at all three. The intramural programs (co-ed sports & games) are far more advanced at Rowan. For a getaway, there are regular trips to the Shore (AC & Wildwood mostly), Philly, NYC, and DC at Rowan. Not as much at TCNJ.
TCNJ has a pretty campus with greenery and dark brick facades. Rowan’s are more modern (although the communications department is now in a refurbished dark brick building near the Barnes & Noble downtown). But the insides of the buildings are where you’ll spend more time and Rowan’s facilities are excellent. Both campuses are walkable. Both have a small-school feel. Both have a direct and open-door link to your professors. Might be a good idea for you and Dad to visit RateMyProfessors. Check out the ones who you are likely to take at each school in your possible majors. My kids say that the ratings are reliable but, like anything else, should be accepted with a grain of salt.
If you present yourself well and act reliably, you’ll be able to find a job at/near Rowan. The area is booming and easily commutable. There’s the Deptford Mall area and Washington Twp./Cross Keys within 15 minutes and, of course, the college and town itself.
It is a tough choice, and they are two different places and both good choices. You can’t lose. Good luck!
I completely agree with you on the debt stuff though. I have several friends with juniors and I’m trying politely to help them. A few are getting it, a few are still hung up on Name Brand.