Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey -- New Brunswick

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Criminal Justice
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Male

Summary

I’m in Greek life.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public high school in Phillipsburg, NJ with a graduating class of 400 people. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Criminal Justice
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m in Greek life.
What impact has Greek life had on your experience?
Pretty big. It allows you to meet a bunch of new people that have the same interest as you.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your classes?
There is usually a midterm and a final. On a week to week basis, we have readings.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
In general, Rutgers has small class sizes so it allows you to know the professors. [The student to faculty ratio is 16 to 1.]
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s mostly individual work.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re really accessible whenever. If not in person, they’ll respond over email pretty quickly. They have office hours or they’ll be willing to meet you if you’re not free during that time.
What has been your favorite part of Rutgers academically?
The class sizes. It helps you learn better when they’re smaller. There aren’t big lecture halls with 300 people. [About 60% of classes have 29 students or less.]
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m happy with my choice. I picked my major because my dad was also a criminal justice major.

Reasons to Attend

1) There are a lot of diverse people to meet, so there’s going to be someone there with similar interests at you.
2) The school spirit. You’ll walk around and people will have on Rutgers stuff.
3) It’s a great place to be for sports.
4) The academics are good so you get a good education while having fun at school.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The busses and the spread-out campuses.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Lynton South Tower with one roommate
Sophomore: Off-campus in a house with one roommate
How is going to school close to your hometown?
I like it a lot. I always wanted to go far, but now I don’t because you can come home whenever you need something.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The safety is good. There’s always security walking or driving around, so there isn’t much that happens.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I like going out with friends mostly to fraternity parties. They usually happen on Fridays and Saturdays. We go to both our own and other fraternities for parties.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It’s big. I think that’s where a lot of the students go who are under 21 instead of the bars. Most fraternities require a ratio, so you need multiple girls with you to get in.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
A few times we’ve gone to the movie theater on campus. Most people are up for hanging out whenever.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
They are the main people who do social stuff. No one has parties if the fraternities aren’t having parties. Sometimes the campus can be slower moving, but there are still people out. A lot of my closest friends are in other fraternities.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m happy with it and there’s nothing I would change with it.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met most of my friends either in my hall freshman year or through the fraternity. I rushed the spring of my freshman year.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Rutgers?
It’s outgoing and there are always people out and about going to parties, bars, or just hanging out with friends.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s pretty much the same. Rutgers has a lot of people from different races and ethnicities. No one really discriminates and people go out with whoever. It’s common to see diverse groups of friends. [The undergraduate population is 26% Asian, 7% African American, 12% Latino, 38% White, and about 9% international students.]
How would you describe the student body?
It’s very diverse. We get a lot of people from overseas and all around the country.
How do you like the size of Rutgers in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 36,000] students?
I always thought it was going to be too big, but once I got there it’s not as big as you think because the campus is so spread out. Once I started to meet people through Greek life, I started knowing a lot of people. It always feels big, but you’re not misplaced. You can walk down the street and probably see a bunch of people that you know.

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
It’s pretty easy to work with the office. It takes a few minutes, but it’s relatively good. Their responses are fast.