Why is Rutgers so despised?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Why is Rutgers so despised?</p>

<p>Meaning that so many New Jersey residents who can attend at in-state cost refuse to even apply there, even though it is a perfectly good school and perfectly good for their majors.</p>

2

<p>Rutgers is despised? I think that is putting it too strongly. I think that a lot of kids just want to get out of Dodge. And, in general, as has been pointed out numerous times, in the northeastern part of the country, the state U is less likely to be seen as the go-to destination and more likely to be seen as the fallback position.</p>

3

<p>More Calimero Complex threads?</p>

4

<p>Rutgers is one of the best state Us I came across. However, being shunned by so many people (and even being on a list of public Ivies I saw a while back) it could have been more selective were it elsewhere in the country.</p>

5

<p>Rutgers has a couple of issue for In State students - </p>

<ol>
<li> It is not inexpensive. Many privates in PA are just as cheap after merit. Merit at Rutgers has been cut in the last decade as cost rises. The above average kids no longer get merit. Tippy top do still get it.</li>
<li> With Princeton, Penn, Columbia, NYU all fairly close to Rutgers, it is easy for the tippy top students to fell that Rutgers is a step down. I mean this as perceived prestige by high school students, not that the education is truly a step down.</li>
<li> Rutgers is not a pretty campus.</li>
<li> Rutgers has administrative red tape issues. Nothing horrid for a school its size, but enough that the high school at my son’s school are well aware of it before applying.</li>
<li> Rutgers has no outstanding sports teams. Again, this doesn’t reflect the education, but some kids would just rather be at a school with strong sports teams to watch.</li>
</ol>

6

<p>RU is like Oakland—there is no there there. Mulitple adjacent or near adjacent campuses without any intregration other than a hated bus system. Poor architecture design even for a state U. Overall state neglect tempered by hostility.</p>

7

<p>It is worth noting that Rutgers currently has a nationally ranked football team while Cal, Michigan, UNC, and UVA do not. Why doesn’t RU have the same school spirit as UNC for instance?</p>

8

<p>My daughter is a senior at Rutgers and I can definitely say that there is plenty of school spirit. She and her friends absolutely love Rutgers and cherish their memories and experiences they have had there. I can’t imagine that she could have gotten a better education in her major. Although I have heard of some people experiencing red tape issues, she hasn’t had any problems.</p>

9

<p>I am from NJ and I think the consensus among everyone I know is that we want to go somewhere different. New Jersey is boring, bland, ugly, etc.</p>

10

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<p>[Rutgers</a> Athletics: Short on Expectations, Big on Deficits - NJ Today](<a href=“NJ Spotlight News - News, Issues and Insight for New Jersey”>NJ Spotlight News - News, Issues and Insight for New Jersey)</p>

11

<p>Having attended Rutgers, as a NJ Resident, I found it to be too much of a party school. Not enough students focused on academics, campus isn’t very nice, funding cuts are problematic (for example, when I was there psychology professors couldn’t make exams over 3 pages, because that would cost too much and would not fit within the department’s printing budget).</p>

12

<p>I think leaving your home state is a big thing with many students. Unless you are in California or Texas where you can be 5 or 6 hours away and still be in your same home state (and probably get a totally different look), leaving your state is a big thing with college-bound kids.</p>

13

<p>Yes, In NJ going “away” to school was both common and expected. You felt sorry for those who had to stay instate. That is changing now.</p>

14

<p>It’s a party school first.</p>

15

<p>I wouldn’t say it’s despised but some people don’t think it’s that good because it’s 1) a state school 2) has a high acceptance rate 3) some “average” students get in so its not considered as “top” as it should be</p>

<p>it has great resources for top students, its just that all the students aren’t like that. personally, I don’t think that makes much of a difference. it doesn’t harm anyone. </p>

<p>a sparsely known fact: rutgers was asked to join the ivy league
honestly, it has the best undergrad philosophy department in the country…</p>

16

<p>How does Rutgers have the best undergrad philosophy department in the country? NYU is higher ranked for philosophy, has smaller average class sizes, more well-known faculty members, etc.?</p>

17

<p>Rutgers was asked to join the Ivy League before it was nationalized (a.k.a. 1956)… or prior to the Ivy League proper, to join what is today known as Princeton.</p>

18

<p>Not sure why someone said Rutgers’ sports aren’t as good so people decide to go to other schools for sports</p>

<p>The only NCAAF teams with a better tradition/history than Rutgers in the Northeast are Penn St, BC, and Pitt</p>

19

<p>In my opinion, New Jersey does not offer that many great schools. If you think about it, Princeton is without a doubt the #1 school in NJ. But then if we look at the contending #2 schools, there is no clear standout…besides…obviously…Rutgers. </p>

<p>Every “slightly above average” kid in NJ think that Rutgers is their perfect match school and most of them who apply to Rutgers gets in anyways, corroborating the idea that Rutgers is a filled (not entirely though) with just average students. Your average high caliber student living in NJ sees this and automatically looks down upon it.</p>

20

<p>

Dubious… Other than playing the the first game against Princeton, their footall history is one of mediocrity. They played in no bowl games until 1978. Better in recent years, where they have played in 6 bowls since 2005.</p>

<p>Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Penn and Army have much better histories, each winning multiple national championships.</p>