<p>The difference between programs is negligible, the only important thing is that you do well</p>
<p>As regards academic reputation, there is this:
[Rutgers</a> Academic Gains Seen Buoyed by Big Ten Payment - Bloomberg](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>
<p>Quite happy about this, actually. Rutgers’s move to reunite with UMDNJ and be a part of Big Ten are enough evidence that Dr. Barchi is actually doing something for the good of our school…unlike Richard McCormick.</p>
<p>I’ve always wondered why New Jersey has so few state universities that are known throughout the country. You basically have Rutgers and NJIT and then a bunch of private schools. You would think that the 11th most populous state would have several more options for public schooling at the post-secondary level.</p>
<p>actually RU is 30th in the country… and is one of the top research schools in the world.
its world rank is 40th. just a quick fact check.</p>
<p>Its Comp - Sci and engineering programs are extremely well ranked.
(i am a comp sci / pre med major ) </p>
<p>Rutgers is what you make of it. so work hard and you’ll be fine…and most of the lazy kids will fail out anyway.</p>
<p>Good4Y0u, can you tell me more about the comp sci program; I’m going to apply this fall.</p>
<p>The thing about Rutgers is that it’s very easy to get in from NJ, and most of its students are mediocre. That’s why it so underrated.
It has amazing opportunities and is an excellent school for really good students. The school is more or less well known around the globe (probably more than Cornell and Brown o_0). Its undergrad philosophy department is ranked in the top 3 of the world.</p>
<p>It’s an excellent school for studious people. But it also lets not-so-studious get by which is why it ends up looking more mediocre. Another reason it doesn’t look that great to NJ students is because it seems like so many people go there lol. It looks like another version of HS (not true probably, but that’s the first impression).</p>
<p>I agree with Mwallemmd, in my opinion for the stats of student population in general, the credentials of RUs Honors College students are no less than TCNJs - if not better, and I have observed for the last couple of years, Rutgers provides better scholarship than TCNJ, this combines with the merger of UMDNJ on July 1 can only make Rutgers better reputation for the years to come; as a matter of fact, I have seen some articles discussing this issue recently, and the perspectives are all positive, so keep faith, put effort, and wish for the best outcome.</p>
<p>Rutgers might be easy to get into but to do well and eventually get a degree is not that easy. A good GPA from there will go a long way and companies recognize that. Son (rising Sr) recently completed an internship (the company recruited at Rutgers) with a Big 4 firm and has just received an offer for after graduation next year. He would be exactly in the same position had he gone to NYU, Lehigh or any other expensive private school but what got him in the door was the high GPA. I doubt the company would have hired him if they viewed Rutgers as mediocre - and he was not the only one from Rutgers who was hired.</p>
<p>please let me know anything you know about the engineering department at Rutgers. my son is considering attending Rutgers. Any input will be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>If I were to hazard a guess, it’s because they give so many NJ resident kids the benefit of the doubt and accept them, and people tend to devalue that which is more easily achieved.</p>
<p>Stats for the year 2011-2012 show the 25-75 percentiles as:</p>
<p>SAT</p>
<p>Verbal: 520 and 630
Math: 560 and 680
Writing: 530 and 640</p>
<p>GPA 3.4-3.68.</p>
<p>The former sister school of UVA also has this reputation problem. Easy to get into, hard to graduate from, but a bargain education-wise and gives kids with meh-to-good high school records a second chance to show their stuff.</p>
<p>I would suggest to those prospective applicants to take as many APs as you can. Rutgers accepts AP score 4 or 5 for course credits, starting from the 2nd semester of freshman year, whoever accumulates more credits has higher priority date for registration, it’s a huge difference since major classes close very soon. No wonder a lot of students couldn’t finish their study in four years.</p>
<p>After growing up in NJ near Rutgers, have many friends who graduated from Rutgers, and have known many kids applying to Rutgers from NJ, here is what I have heard through the years. This is a lay person’s handwriting, based on the buzz overheard, not from factual statistics, etc. which I do not know about or follow. This is just what I hear, not necessarily my opinion. I did not attend Rutgers. I have many friends and colleagues who have attended and/or graduated from RU.</p>
<p>The Good:
–Well known university. You will get a job in state or out of state if you graduate from RU</p>
<p>–Excellent education. RU may accept a variety of students w/high & low stats, but everyone around here knows you better work to get your education. You cannot graduate if you don’t figure out how to get good grades. Kids with lower stats get help they need and figure it out…and get great jobs. Kids with higher stats get great opportunities for research, medical positions, and a stellar education.</p>
<p>–Affordable…sort of. Some people in NJ have the opportunity to make a decent wage, however, the costs of living in NJ is ridiculously high (IMO). RU is affordable at least, even though it is much higher to attend in-state than other states (I think). I think the cost is $15K plus room/board if living on campus, but at least NJians have a chance to graduate without debt. Some kids don’t like Rutgers but end up attending because of costs. It is easier to get into Rutgers than TCNJ which is same price (people think this but not sure if it is true…again, I dont know stats). It is on par in difficulty with getting accepted to Montclair (people think).</p>
<p>–The diversity is amazing. The variety of majors, nationalities, family lives, etc. is fun, exciting, and really helps you to grow as an individual. </p>
<p>–The grease trucks. Not sure if they are still there, but they are iconic. My first date w/my hubby was there and we enjoyed the classic gyros. Many years ago. Fun!</p>
<p>–The history. Very interesting. </p>
<p>–Mason Gross–Awesome reputation.</p>
<p>The Bad
–The “RU Screw” Everyone knows this phrase and gear up for it if they attend RU. You are basically treated like a number and no one cares (as a collective) about helping you. You have to really fight for yourself. I’ve heard countless stories over the years of people getting screwed because they weren’t informed of one small thing and have to take extra classes or do not get into the programs they set out to do. Everyone needs to advocate for themselves at every college, but there is so much red tape that even the very organized can get screwed or lost. People attending know this and accept it…they just try to be as vigilant and straight forward as possible. </p>
<p>–Too big. NJians are used to crowds, but after growing up in crowds, it is nice to go to a smaller instate or out of state college and get a breath of fresh air. Less institutional.</p>
<p>–NJ has a bunch of other good schools–they may not be as well known out of state, but many kids would rather go to another NJ school for reason above and other reasons. The private colleges will give money to help it be comparable to public NJ U’s. Well thought of schools (again just talk, not stats) around NJ is: Montclair, Ramapo, Rider, TCNJ, Monmouth, Stockton, NJIT (not counting Ivy of course). There are probably more…these are the ones that pop up immediately.</p>
<p>–New Brunswick–the area is not known to be that great. However, obviously many people look past this and learn where to go.</p>
<p>–The bus system–It is good in that it gets you where you need to go. It’s bad because everyone knows they are overcrowded and not on time. You might not be able to get onto the bus when you need. (I am sure not all are overcrowded or late. Just the buzz word.) If you are a commuter, you have to allow hours extra time to plan your route.</p>
<p>–Commuter traffic–Route 18 and Route 1 are very crowded during rush hour. If you are a young driver, this can be daunting…added to bus system above. </p>
<p>–The partying–Partying is at every school, but parents do drive up to pick up their kids in the early afternoon and see college students stumbling around drunk from partying all night. Not a pretty sight.</p>
<p>–“Everyone goes there. I don’t want to apply” Kids say this all the time. </p>
<p>There may be more, but that is off the top of my head.</p>