Rutgers University-New Brunswick Top Questions

My major is professional physics at Rutgers. It has many professors who graduated from elite universities and top notch researchers. Rutgers offers more than $700 million in research funds, and many research opportunities are available to students. Rutgers also require a core curriculum for arts & science students so we can explore the many different tastes of the world and history.

Courses are challenging, transferring into the SEBS Landscape Architect program this past fall has had its late nights. Looking back in just 6 months I have developed relationships with professors and students, skills that seemed impossible and an entire new language. Overall the challenges have been met because I have also been given tools and guidance in order to succeed.

Very Diverse

The academics are generally extremely interesting, yet intensive. As an english major, the majority of my classes have less then 30 people in the class, allowing all of my professors to know me by name, which allows for a personal relationship, and advice during office hours. The students aren't competitive with each other at all, we just attempt to help each other learn new things by asking questions and pointing out things that someone else might not notice. There is a variety and range of classes in the english department that i've taken ranging from Black Writers in the 1960's to creative writing to a class based on Charles Dickens and George Eliot. I haven't enjoyed all of the required classes i've had to take, specifically the classes in which the readings are in middle english. I did have a class last semester, medieval drama which I was skeptical about, but ended up with a great professor, Sarah Novacich who made the class interesting and even fun.

As I have said before the academics at Rutgers is outstanding. Unfortunately, due to our label as a state school, our academic level is underestimated by many prospective students and current freshman. The harsh reality is that many freshman focus too much on the social aspect of college and forget that professors aren't going to be able to memorize your name when you're just 1 out of 300 students in a lecture hall. You need to make a name for yourself and connect with the professors any way you can. By doing that and taking advantage of study groups and networking with such a large class size, you'll be able to excel in the work heavy courses. There is definitely a sense of competitiveness in most of the introductory science and math courses as the university is siad to use these classes to "weed out" the unmotivated kids. In my Introduction to Sociology course, the professor told the class about an interesting label for our university. Rutgers is a "Research I" university which means that all members of staff are actively performing their own research in their respective fields. I tok advantage of this by doing a year of research in the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center on campus under the School of Psychology graduate students. This was an amazing experience that not only looks fantastic on a resume for post undergraduate studies, but lets your immerse yourself into the field of your choice and see what goes on behind the scenes. The Rutgers environment is definitely geared towards the career world with many emails weekly detailing seminars and places to connect with employment opportunities. Class participation is always present, but in my opinion promotes much more intellectual discussions in the smaller classes.

I have been in a few different types of classes at Rutgers. There are big lectures, small recitations, and in between classes of maybe 20 students. No matter the size of the class, if you participate in class or see your professor at office hours, he or she will know your name. At this school, it is all about personal determination to make yourself known. Professors and TAs are there to help you, but as with any college, no matter what the class size, it is your responsibility to ask questions and voice your opinions. Class participation is common and often factored into final grades. The most unique class I have taken at Rutgers was a philosophy class called "Eating Right: The Ethics of Food Choices and Food Policy" taught by professor Andy Egan. The class consisted of two weekly lectures of about 200 students, and one weekly recitation led by a TA. The lectures were fascinating and often featured guest speakers. We read recently published books by prominent and controversial authors. The conversations held in my recitation were engaging. Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences offers "Signature Courses" each semester that are designed by Rutgers professors to provoke the curiosity and interest of Rutgers students, while filling requirements too. The School of Arts and Sciences has a foundational core curriculum that all students must complete in addition to at least one major and one minor. These requirements will provide graduates with a liberal arts base and a diverse body of knowledge, and keeps them busy at the same time. Students are at an advantage if they know what they wish to major in early, but for those who are unsure, the liberal arts requirements are a great place to start the first few semesters. It is no lie that taking a class for a requirement might spur a passion or interest. I took Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies my first semester of freshman year to fulfill a requirement, and the class was so inspiring that I continued to take WGS classes, and I am working toward a WGS minor in addition to my English major.

Class sizes are large, especially for introductory-level classes, but that is to be expected. As one goes farther along one's major, one will see familiar faces and shrinking class sizes. If one participates and goes to a professor's office hours, they will know who you are. Studying seems to be contingent on what classes one takes. For instance, a roommate of mine does biology/chemistry, and he studies so often that seeing him becomes a rare occurrence. On the other hand, majors such as mine (political science) require that I read and understand concepts, along with utilizing my critical thinking abilities. Class participation is also contingent on the class. If a professor encourages participation, then it is more likely to happen. If a professor simply lectures for an hour and twenty minutes, then students are less likely to participate. Intellectual conversations is dependent on who is talking. If the people discussing aren't in the same field of study, then typically conversations won't be deeply intellectual, unless there is an interest in one's field of study. My most unique class was probably my political science seminar this past semester, European Union Law & Politics. Instead of a lecture, we had what could be described as round-table discussions about the formation of the EU, its legal foundations and its current predicaments. I liked that it encouraged participation from every student, and that it was interesting. At Rutgers, unfortunately there is no international relations department, so all classes that would otherwise be dedicated to international relations are fitted under political science. The major itself has many interesting classes, and if I had more time, I'd honestly take more of them. I personally don't spend time with professors outside of class, but that's mostly because I don't do research with them. The school's academic requirements are decently high, though Rutgers has a very high acceptance rate. What is more important to look at is the amount of students who continue on to their second and third years at Rutgers. The education (at least in political science) is geared towards giving information on the field of politics and international relations historically, theoretically, and pragmatically.

The academics at Rutgers are unique. As a freshman, most classes are in giant lecture halls that hold about five hundred students at a time. These giant lectures are mainly for introductory courses. I would be lying if I said that students weren't just a number in these classes, however, if students want to talk to their professors or get involved, it is greatly welcomed. Professors always stay after class to answer questions students may have, or even just to chat about related topics. As you walk through campus, you will undoubtedly hear students discussing or debating about current events or topics discussed in their courses. As students progress through semesters, they will notice that their classes shrink drastically in size, dropping from four or five hundred to under thirty. This is because as students get farther into their majors, classes become more specific and individualized. For example, as an English major, instead of Introduction to Creative Writing, I have moved on to classes dedicated to single authors, such as Henry James, in a class of twelve students. My favorite class was a course called, Creative Non-fiction. In this course I practiced writing non-fiction articles and stories on topics of my choice, an idea in which I am extremely interested. I make use of office hours with professors; it is at these times where I can meet with a professor one-on-one and discuss my assignments, issues in the course, or even material outside of the course that is related to what we are discussing in class. As for the academic requirements, each school at Rutgers has different graduation requirements. Students are set on a path to graduate within four years, and this goal is very do-able. The average semester includes five courses, or a total of roughly fifteen credits. Internships are a requirement for most majors, so while most of your college career you are focusing on education, the later years focus heavily on getting a job in the real world. There is a very healthy balance between education and experience.

Most of the professors know my name. My favorite class through out the 3 years i have been here was Social Informatics. The professor always had good topics to discuss and the projects were fun and interactive. My least favorite class right now is Networking and Internet Technology. Students that are in my class always tend to study when necessary. Class Participation is always common, especially in my major. Our discussions about the impact of technology and social media on the society are always thought provoking and intellectual. We sometimes leave the class discussing about the same thing, but we quickly switch over to recent events, parties, and talks of movies. Students are fairly competitive. It mainly depends on the class. The most unique class i have taken is Social Informatics. It was the one class i always looked forward to go to. I am an Information Technology major. The ITI major places emphasis on the evaluation, implementation, use, and management of information technologies for a wide range of organizations and corporations, as well as the social and organizational aspects of information and communication technologies. I don't usually speak to the professors outside of class unless it's a question about an upcoming test or a project. The school's academic requirements are not easy and not too difficult. They keep the students busy and striving to excel. I think the education at the school is geared at getting a job, and learning for it's own sake. Learning and having a thought of your own will better help you in finding a job. It set you apart from the others

Academics at Rutgers are almost as varied as the students. Rutgers offers over 100 undergraduate degree programs, and is a great school for a variety of different majors. I personally, am coming to Rutgers as valedictorian of my high school to become a Philosophy major. Rutgers is consistently one of the top 2 or 3 Philosophy programs in the nation, along with NYU and Princeton. Students in Rutgers are generally a pretty good mix between those that are committed and those who are just there for the ride. The best classes are those in your major at a higher level. That's where deeper discussion emerges. Unfortunately, there are a lot of large lecture classes where it may be difficult to pay attention, but those classes are generally 101 level, and as you advance, things only get better. The majority of my classes are about 20-25 people large, with engaging professors that make the material interesting.