<p>So I live in New Jersey and currently go to community college. I have alot of friends who go to Rutgers (At least 50 kids from my graduating class went to Rutgers). My Sister also graduated from there. I've been up there a few times, but not lately. I plan on visiting both soon.</p>
<p>BUT my problem is I will transfer after this year. I've been in Jersey for 20 years and honestly just want to get out of here. I want a change of scenery, a fresh start. Delaware was a school I found that looked pretty good. What is your impression of the school? It seems nice, I've never been there though? What do you think is a better school between Rutgers & UD? Rutgers is ranked higher in the rankings but the gap isn't so big so maybe they are on the same level?</p>
<p>A couple notes:
-I'm not a party guy
-I would like a place in a nice city, with things to do
-Nice weather would be preferred (I know what I'm getting with Jersey weather.)</p>
<p>Both RU and UD are Flagship State Universities, are National Research Universities, although RU is much larger than UD. Both schools are identified by most listings as “Public Ivies” and are academically on a par with one another. If you apply yourself you can get an excellent quality education at either of them. However, with you being a NJ resident, it would cost about another 15K per year to attend UD.</p>
<p>If cost is not a significant factor for you, or if you dislike staying in NJ to an extreme, I can provide you at least with some input regarding similarities and differences between the schools from my perspective. I completed my undergrad degree at RU-NB, teach some courses at RU, and my D obtained her BSN in 2010 from UD (she elected not to attend RU). I therefore feel I am in a reasonable position to compare the schools.</p>
<p>First of all RU is a huge school spread out over a relatively large area with multiple campuses in New Brunswick/Piscataway. Depending on your classes there is a fairly good possibility you will be spending at least some time waiting and riding busses. UD is a medium sized school (about 16,000 undergrads) but the way it is laid out it feels much smaller. Most classrooms at UD are within walking distances from the dorms (but there is a campus bus system as well). RU is about 85% in-state NJ students. UD is unique among all Flagship State Universities in that 2/3rds of the students are from OOS (which gives UD a slightly greater feel of being a private university as compared to most state universities where the overwhelming majority of students are from in-state). I have eaten at the RU Commons (and most other RU dining halls) as well as in the dining halls at UD and IMHO the food is a tad better at UD. IMHO the on-campus, and especially the off-campus, housing opportunities are superior at UD. </p>
<p>RU (Division 1 FBS) is big into football and with RU joining the Big 10 in all sports in 2014 the interest is likely to escalate even further. UD football (Division 1 FCS) is at a lesser level but is still big at the school (UD went to the championship game in 2 of the last 7 years). UD competes at Division 1 in other sports and seems to be elevating its status in other sports (UD woman’s basketball was in the NCAA’s “Sweet Sixteen” last year). So there is a high level of sports interest at both schools which would also depend on your interests. Both schools have multiple opportunities for other social/athletic/academic activities so you should never get bored at either school unless you choose to not avail yourself of all the opportunities. Both schools have active Greek communities.</p>
<p>Newark, Delaware is a typical suburban town whereas New Brunwick is more of a “small” city. Main Street in Newark literally runs thru the heart of the campus and has multiple eateries and shops. IMHO it is logistically and variety wise much better than George Street in NB (and probably is safer, especially at night). UD’s location is also very convenient for NJ students. In fact if you live south of Camden in NJ it actually is faster getting to UD as compared to driving to NB. Its location gives students from NJ a feeling of actually being away at college but offers the convenience of being relatively close should one need to return home. UD is about 45 minutes from Philly and a little more than an hour to Baltimore. The weather is essentually the same as in NB. I would recommend that you visit UD. It does have one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. </p>
<p>So you might ask why my D choose to attend UD rather than RU. There were a number of reasons (these were her perspectives). First of all the on-site nursing facilities at UD appeared to be superior to RU. Secondly she wanted to attend a large school with all the amenities that a large school has to offer but she also wanted a school where she would not just get lost in the crowd. She also felt that the students at UD seemed to be genuinely happy to be there, were friendly, and she perceived a sense of </p>