5 Reasons Why I Chose To Go To Rutgers University

If you're thinking about going to school at Rutgers University, then these are the reasons why I chose to spend my four years there, and absolutely loved it.

For most people, Rutgers starts out as a school they are tentative about, whether it be because of the size, the distance, or the new experience of college itself. It can be hard living away from home for the first time and attempting to be an adult. But why go to a school as big as this one? Why go to a school like Rutgers? I went through the same questioning when choosing a school. In fact, I almost didn’t apply to Rutgers at all because I was too scared of the size. Now that I am enrolled, Rutgers has my heart and I couldn’t imagine going to school anywhere else. Here are 5 reasons that I have for going to Rutgers University, some chosen before I officially enrolled, and some that came after being at Rutgers for a semester now.

1. School spirit is unmatched

Although not all of our sports teams are the absolute best (I’m looking at you, football), the school spirit at the games and around the campus is incredible. On game day, you’ll see hundreds of people dressed in scarlet walking around campus, even those who do not attend currently. There’s no words to describe the energy present during the RU RAH RAH chant when the football team scores a touchdown or the legendary “Third Down Chant.” No matter where you are in the stadium, every student stops what they are doing and throws their hand in the air when you hear the bells. The spirit here is what makes people want to transfer, or at least visit you all the time. There’s really nothing quite like the school spirit at Rutgers, and I can tell you personally that it was the school spirit that originally drew my attention to Rutgers, and it makes my college experience all the more better.

2. High quality professors

Rutgers may not seem like a top school, especially if you are from New Jersey and everyone and their brother goes to a Rutgers, but at Rutgers New Brunswick the acceptance rate is typically competitive. They want to produce the best students, teachers, musicians, business-people in not only the state, but the country and even the world, and the professors here are reflective of that. There are professors who are published poets, published writers, and who participate in numerous studies that produce significant results within their field. These professors have connections in the real world and are often well known in their field as well. Rutgers University has one of the top three philosophy faculties in the English-speaking world. Yeah, you read that right, in the world. Last semester, I had a professor who used to teach at Yale and now teaches at Rutgers, and one who taught classes at Rutgers and Columbia in the same semester. They are prime examples that professors here are held to similar caliber as top tier schools across the country, and having this upper hand as far as professors is a huge plus of going to school at the Rut.

3. So. Many. Opportunities.

At a school of more 40,000 students, 8,000 faculty members, and 14,000 staff members, you could say that there are thousands of chances to make connections. These professors and students have valuable relationships with people who run internships, interview for jobs, assist in careers, and have lots and lots of experiences to help you find the correct path in life. Networking is a simple task at Rutgers, because there are thousands of people to make connections with. There are hundreds of clubs or teams to join and things to be apart of. Not only that, but there are opportunities to discover new things about yourself as well as grow as a person. The sky is really the limit at Rutgers.

4. You get a chance to really grow up

Speaking of opportunities, the most important one is the opportunity to grow up. Going to a school as large as Rutgers University, you are forced to learn how to do things for yourself. At any college, you can expect to do your own laundry, buy your own books, keep your own room clean, you know the deal. But at schools smaller than Rutgers, clubs are thrown at you and academics come with the support of one on one instruction from a professor. At Rutgers, however, the lectures can be upwards of 250 students, meaning that extra help is something that students have to seek out. It forces you to grow up and learn how to do more for yourself faster than at a smaller university, and it is something I was really looking for at a school.

5. People/Experiences/Diversity

I chose to come to Rutgers University for the people. At a school so large, I have had the chance to meet so many new people who come from so many different backgrounds and ethnicities. I came for the experience that others are able to give me, and for the diversity that is embedded in Rutgers. Never before have I been able to hear so many different stories, learn about so many experiences, or meet so many amazing people before. Without the diversity that Rutgers advertises and works so hard to maintain, I would not have been afforded the experiences and knowledge gained from meeting so many new and different types of people.