Rutgers University-New Brunswick Top Questions

Most classes at Rutgers are huge. I still have lecture halls full of hundreds of people for my Psych classes, but that's partly because it's such a popular major. As such, getting to know professors is hard. Most have office hours and will meet with you, but you have to assert yourself or else you'll go unnoticed. Rutgers is like a micro-system of the real world, so we have everything here. Academics range from lazy frat boys who never study to premed students who live in the library. We're a research university, and if you're looking for a challenging school, you won't be lacking competition. Again, if you're motivated, you can do anything here.

Rutgers is huge. There are great professors and not so great professors, so your experience in the classes will vary not so much on the subject material, but rather the professor themselves. Talk to students, and use websites like this one, to find the right professor for you.

The thing about Rutgers is that professors don't have to know your name if you don't want them to, but at the same time they are for the most part very approachable and willing to help if you need it. My favorite class was probably Molecular Biology/Biochemistry, where I had a very passionate and dedicated professor who made daily connections to every day life from the world of biochemistry. My least favorite class was by far Calculus I, because I unfortunately got a very bad professor (which is a bit uncommon, I must say; I've generally liked all my other professors) Student studying time really depends on what major you take; science majors tend to do a lot more studying than liberal arts majors. Class participation is very important for many professors, despite the sometimes large class sizes. Rutgers students overall are very intelligent and down-to-earth people; they're smart but not intellectually "snooty" or "snobbish" Students within science programs are generally the most competitive. The most unique class I've taken is my psychology class, which is more of a therapy session than a class. My major, Cell Biology and Neuroscience, has many dedicated and well-trained scientists, all of whom currently conduct research within the field, enabling them to be extremely knowledgeable and make connections within the classroom. Rutgers academic requirements are manageable, but must not be taken lightly; many students do not graduate on time because they make poor decisions in what classes to take and/or have to re-take classes because they failed them. Learning is both for its own sake and job seeking; there is a nice balance at Rutgers.

Here at Rutgers, it can be hard for a professor to know your name. Most introductory classes are lecture halls, so you may find it impossible to be recognized by aprofessor. However, once you've gotten into your major, the classes shrink and become far more intimate than those of your freshmen year. My favorite class here at Rutgers was my News Writing and Reporting class. My professor was so much, always had something interesting to say, and I always left the class feeling like I really learned something. I think students use study time as a social hour. Quite often you'll find students sitting in the student center, libraries, or lounges "studying" but socializing as well. Sometimes studying gets done, sometimes none gets done at all. Most are usually cramming but it's all a part of the fun of college life and having a jam packed schedule. Being that the population is so vast, there are so many different types of students. I don't think Rutgers carries an unintelligent population. The student body is diverse, eclectic, and well-rounded.

The first couple years, most people just get thrown into huge introductory lecture classes that range from 75-300 people. No, the professor usually doesn't get to know your name and no, its not totally necessary to go to class. Depending on what major you're in, most courses for upperclassmen are a lot smaller, which is nice if you're actually trying to interact with your professor. Apparently, we have an awesome philosophy program here--"awesome" meaning "best in the nation." Other than that, the medical and pharmacy programs are pretty renowned but they're also turbo-competitive and they tend to, uh, suck out your soul. I've seen it happen. Those students seem to work non-stop, but other majors (like mine, journalism...pfft) can be much more laid back. There are definitely a few interesting (read: batshit insane) professors here, but it's good to mix it up a little.

Without attending office hours there is no chance a professor will remember your name, which makes acquiring letters of recommendation a tricky task. Most classes are based on a curve which designates a certain percentage of students to receive A's down to F's, which makes classes very competitive. Of course I can only speak for the science classes. This is no community college. The chemistry department is known for having a tremendous fail rate. From my experience, the professors are extremely knowledgeable on their respective areas of study and are willing to hold office hours for students who are feeling unsure. If you are having doubts about your ability to keep pace in such a competitive atmosphere it is vital that you attend office hours weekly. It has saved my grade more than a couple times. For biology you are required to complete an internship before graduation. This turned out to be one of the greatest things I did at Rutgers since it provided me with some extra resume material.

Academics at Rutgers differs by major. Within my major (Journalism and Media Studies) the professors are great. Everyone knows everyone's name. The classes are interesting and you learn a lot. I have taken classes outside of my major and it just is not the same. I am not going to name names, but man, there are some bad professors out there. My favorite class I have ever taken is Science and Health Journalism. I am not a huge fan of those topics, but the professor was excellent. We didn't learn anything about science or health. We learned how to write. It just so happened science and health were the topics. The professor, Bruce Reynolds, didn't read out of a book. He didn't have reading assignments that students would forget as soon as the exam was over. He taught us about what it is like to be in a newsroom, and that is something I will use forever. He was more of a manager than a professor. Yes, he was teaching us. But if you had a question about something he didn't answer it like a professor, he answered like a boss. He told you the right way to do things, not the way the book says. The most unique class I have ever taken I am currently enrolled in. The Comic. Attendance is not mandatory, but I wouldn't miss it for anything. Every class is a laugh riot. The first assignment was to write three jokes. The professor spent the next three classes reading the jokes people wrote down. The class itself is not really a useful class, but it is one of the my favorites. In the journalism department most of the faculty and staff have worked in the field. They make classes interesting and use real world experience to help you. The professors are easily approachable and make themselves readily available to students. The internship program is second-to-none. I get emails almost everyday about available internships and landed one last semester with MSG Network in New York City.

My professors usually know my name because I am very talkative in class. I love all of the classes I'm taking at the moment, but my favorite would be "Patterns in Civilization: Love in Japan in Europe." We read ancient love stories and write journal entries about our own love lives. It is the most unique course I've taken. I don't think class participation is as common as it could be, even though we are graded on it. In my Eagleton class, students are jumping to speak and in other classes the teacher has to call on students for them to speak up. I find that students frequently have intellectual conversations outside of class. That's the only reason why I am still in a boring internship at the Attorney General's office. My co-workers are enjoyable company.

If the class is larger than 50 people then no, probably not. Professors don't know who I am. However, if they're smaller, they have to take attendance. Supposidly. My favorite class has been Media. My least favorite has been News Reporting. It all blatantly depends on the professor. Science majors live to study. I, however, live to live. Class participation is a bigger deal in the smaller classes. We went through this already. Once, I did actually overhear two students having the most intellectual conversation ever. And I mean, ever. Sober, mind you. In the competitive fields, yes. Biology and lab and such tend to make students a little intense. I have yet to take something unique. I belong to the School of Communication. I'm a Journalism major and I'd prefer not to spend time with professors outside of class unless if that guarantees an A. I suppose I feel fine about Rutger's academic requirements strictly because of the fact that I've never examined another school's academic requirements. We focus a little more on jobs, I feel, but that also depends on the major. Philosophy majors probably care about learning a little more than Engineering majors who are bound to make money.

When you first arrive to RU as a freshman, professors most certainly do not know your name. This is because the chance of you being in a class with 400 other names is more than likely. Introduction courses are frequently held in massive lecture halls with many many other students. I personally never found this to be either a particularly good or bad thing but it does tend to discourage some students from speaking up or asking questions amongst so many peers. As classes get more specific to one's major they get much smaller, more interesting, and more engaging.