By: Ramses Gonzalez-Garcia
Why does everyone here at DHS want to go to Rutgers University so badly? It has definitely been the most popular choice for our students for a long time now. If you were to attend Rutgers at this moment, you would most likely encounter someone you attended high school with. I asked 10 seniors what their top university choice was and 5 of them stated that Rutgers was their number one pick, with 2 others picking HCCC, and the remaining students picking out of state universities. It was honestly surprising to me that local schools like NJCU and St.Peters University are not as considered an option for many of our seniors. Why do so many students see Rutgers as their academic goal? Well there are many factors that can answer that question.
1.The Price Point: Rutgers is a relatively affordable university for in-state students compared to out of state students. As an off campus NJ student total tuition and fees are $17,239 compared to the average out of state commuter at $36,001. This is a large amount of money but it’s still relatively obtainable compared to other options and out of state universities.
2. Its Location: Rutgers has 3 campuses, one in Newark, Camden and the other one in New Brunswick. This gives potential candidates different options on where they want to study depending on their preferences. If you want something close to home and easily accessible, the Newark campus is perfect for you. However if you’re looking for something farther apart while still remaining within driving distance from your family, the New Brunswick campus is what you’re looking for. You get the best of both worlds.
3. Sense of Familiarity: Since Rutgers has always been a very popular option for DHS students, then a lot of your friends and people you know will likely want to attend just like you. Starting college while not knowing anybody can be hard for many people. Receiving comfort knowing that you will have people that you for sure know, going into college is something that can really help you.
Although a lot of us may say that college would be an opportunity for us to be independent or leave home, the popularity of universities like Rutgers within our school shows otherwise. If you would be interested to learn more about Rutgers, representativeness of the institution will be present at DHS on October 20th.