The classes here can be pretty hard, depending on which ones you take, but it is worth it because you learn a lot from it. In fact, I wish I could take more classes than I'll ever have room to in my four years here.
Most of the professors here have the highest degree possible in their field, so they really know what they're teaching. Not all of them are the best at conveying their wealth of knowledge to you, but if you're willing to put in the extra time to understand the material, they're willing to put in the extra time to help you.
Also, this is a liberal arts school, so you'll be require to take a little of everything. That has its pros and cons. It's good because it makes you well-rounded and exposes you to new things that you might not have voluntarily chosen to study on your own. It's bad because sometimes it means you have to take a class in something you know you don't like, but high school usually does that anyway, so it's nothing new.
Also, this is a four-credit school, so instead of taking 5 3-credit classes each semester, you'll be taking 4 4-credit ones. What this means is you'll get to take less classes overall, compared to a three-credit school, but you'll cover more material in the classes you do take.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
The campus has a pretty balanced and diverse community, in terms of gender, ethnicity, and religions, which helps keep things interesting.
There are usually plenty of fun events taking place on campus.
The people here are really nice and friendly, so even if there isn't an interesting event taking place, you'll still find something fun to do with the plenty of friends you'll have here, even if it's off campus (there's a highway nearby with plenty of restaurants, stores, and a movie theater on it).
The campus is fairly small, so it's not uncommon to run into familiar faces on the way to class or at the dining hall.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
The school is a public one, so it's sticker cost is certainly better than that of a private school. With financial aid and scholarships taken into consideration, it becomes and even better deal.
Also, considering the quality of the education and social environment you'll have by coming here, it is definitely a great deal. Sure, you could get just as good of an educational or social experience (or maybe a better one) elsewhere, but I can guarantee you that it'll cost a lot more.
This may not be the best school out there, but it's a very good one, especially when you take the price into consideration.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
--Aim for scores greater than or equal to 600 in each section of the SATs
--Aim for a class rank in the top 15% of your class
--Stay or Get involved in a variety of extracurricular activities (sports, music, theater, clubs, honor societies etc)
--Take AP tests where you can, and aim for scores greater than or equal to 4, if you do
--Volunteer work is always a plus (but is not necessary)
--If you're not sure what you want to specifically major in, at least decide on a vague/general field (ex: science, engineering, education, music, social sciences, nursing, art, etc) because you'll have to at least know that when applying (ex: you want to major in some kind of science, but don't know which specific kind, so you'll apply as an Open Option Science major)
--Double majoring is possible here
--Having up to three minors is possible here
--You can study abroad for as long as a full year here
--You will be exposed to internship opportunities here
--You will have research opportunities here
--There is an honors program here
--It is possible to change majors here, and you can still graduate on time depending on how/when you do it
--You do have the opportunity to take certain classes pass-fail
--You do have the opportunity to retake classes you did poorly in
--You can bring in AP credit, as well as transfer credit from other schools, here
--If looking to take classes at an NJ community college and transfer them here, refer to NJTransfer.com (it's usually easier to do that than to bring credits in from other four-year schools)
--Once you figure out exactly what you want to do, PLAN AHEAD AND CONSULT YOUR ADVISER
Which types of students will excel at your college?
--NJ residents (just because it's cheapest for them, since it's a public NJ school)
--Students interested in becoming teachers (Education majors)
--Students looking for a small, cozy, quiet campus atmosphere
--Students who intend to spend a lot of time working in the library (we have a REALLY good one)
--Students looking for a diverse/cultural campus
--Students interested in being very socially involved and making plenty of friends
--Students looking to stay involved in a variety of extracurricular activities/clubs
--Intelligent and hardworking students looking get a good education
--Students looking to save money on their college decision
--Students looking for smaller classroom sizes (ones more similar to high school)
--Students who prefer a liberal arts curriculum to a professional-oriented one (in other words, students who like variety and well-roundedness over focusing solely on a specific field of study)
The classes here can be pretty hard, depending on which ones you take, but it is worth it because you learn a lot from it. In fact, I wish I could take more classes than I'll ever have room to in my four years here. Most of the professors here have the highest degree possible in their field, so they really know what they're teaching. Not all of them are the best at conveying their wealth of knowledge to you, but if you're willing to put in the extra time to understand the material, they're willing to put in the extra time to help you. Also, this is a liberal arts school, so you'll be require to take a little of everything. That has its pros and cons. It's good because it makes you well-rounded and exposes you to new things that you might not have voluntarily chosen to study on your own. It's bad because sometimes it means you have to take a class in something you know you don't like, but high school usually does that anyway, so it's nothing new. Also, this is a four-credit school, so instead of taking 5 3-credit classes each semester, you'll be taking 4 4-credit ones. What this means is you'll get to take less classes overall, compared to a three-credit school, but you'll cover more material in the classes you do take.
The campus has a pretty balanced and diverse community, in terms of gender, ethnicity, and religions, which helps keep things interesting. There are usually plenty of fun events taking place on campus. The people here are really nice and friendly, so even if there isn't an interesting event taking place, you'll still find something fun to do with the plenty of friends you'll have here, even if it's off campus (there's a highway nearby with plenty of restaurants, stores, and a movie theater on it). The campus is fairly small, so it's not uncommon to run into familiar faces on the way to class or at the dining hall.
The school is a public one, so it's sticker cost is certainly better than that of a private school. With financial aid and scholarships taken into consideration, it becomes and even better deal. Also, considering the quality of the education and social environment you'll have by coming here, it is definitely a great deal. Sure, you could get just as good of an educational or social experience (or maybe a better one) elsewhere, but I can guarantee you that it'll cost a lot more. This may not be the best school out there, but it's a very good one, especially when you take the price into consideration.
--Aim for scores greater than or equal to 600 in each section of the SATs --Aim for a class rank in the top 15% of your class --Stay or Get involved in a variety of extracurricular activities (sports, music, theater, clubs, honor societies etc) --Take AP tests where you can, and aim for scores greater than or equal to 4, if you do --Volunteer work is always a plus (but is not necessary) --If you're not sure what you want to specifically major in, at least decide on a vague/general field (ex: science, engineering, education, music, social sciences, nursing, art, etc) because you'll have to at least know that when applying (ex: you want to major in some kind of science, but don't know which specific kind, so you'll apply as an Open Option Science major) --Double majoring is possible here --Having up to three minors is possible here --You can study abroad for as long as a full year here --You will be exposed to internship opportunities here --You will have research opportunities here --There is an honors program here --It is possible to change majors here, and you can still graduate on time depending on how/when you do it --You do have the opportunity to take certain classes pass-fail --You do have the opportunity to retake classes you did poorly in --You can bring in AP credit, as well as transfer credit from other schools, here --If looking to take classes at an NJ community college and transfer them here, refer to NJTransfer.com (it's usually easier to do that than to bring credits in from other four-year schools) --Once you figure out exactly what you want to do, PLAN AHEAD AND CONSULT YOUR ADVISER
--NJ residents (just because it's cheapest for them, since it's a public NJ school) --Students interested in becoming teachers (Education majors) --Students looking for a small, cozy, quiet campus atmosphere --Students who intend to spend a lot of time working in the library (we have a REALLY good one) --Students looking for a diverse/cultural campus --Students interested in being very socially involved and making plenty of friends --Students looking to stay involved in a variety of extracurricular activities/clubs --Intelligent and hardworking students looking get a good education --Students looking to save money on their college decision --Students looking for smaller classroom sizes (ones more similar to high school) --Students who prefer a liberal arts curriculum to a professional-oriented one (in other words, students who like variety and well-roundedness over focusing solely on a specific field of study)