Rutgers University-New Brunswick Top Questions

I wish I had known how big the school was before attending. I believe I would have done much better in a smaller community.

The workload of the courses that are required for my major

Rutgers University is synonymous with Big 10 Athletics, yet Big 10 Academics are equally important. As we enter the University's 250th Anniversary, a Rutgers degree has withstood the test of time. I took Advanced Placement classes while in high school but I wish I was more prepared for the intensity of Rutgers academics. I excelled in high school and expected to the same in college. I quickly learned that I needed to put more effort into my academics than I did in high school, which was challenging. Note-taking and studying are strengthened with tutoring and attendance at Rutgers.

I wish I would have known two things before attending Rutgers University. The first thing is how fast pace the school system is and the second is the challange I would have to face of prioritizing. It was difficult for me to try to make new friends, join new clubs, and still get my work done.

I wish I had come to Rutgers University knowing exacly what I wanted to major in, so that I could just jump in and no exactly what my plan was, but that's often not the case, plans change and you just have to keep looking for yourself. Luckily, Rutgers University has many opportunities for people to explore.

If I had known how important keeping up with my Sakai resources for classes was, I would have certainly done better. I wish I knew how much more independant I would have to be. Many tasks had to be accomplished by me singularly and I suddenly had more responsibility. For example, this was a factor when I started to do my work study job. Lastly, I wish I knew how hard I really had to try. People comforted me a lot, before this school year and said I would do fine, but I let my guard down too much.

I wish I had known about financial aid more before I came to this school. I hear a lot of the phrase "RU Screw" and it turns out that it is absolutely correct. The university promises more financial aid than you will receive and you will most likely need to take out loans.

I wish I had known that the large campus made it hard to stay around the people/classes/locations you want to be, and the overpopulation made getting housing an unnecessary struggle. I wish I had known that scholarships and financial aid were difficult to come by.

I wish I had known how big it was. It takes a long time to get to class sometimes because of traffic.

I wish I would have known exactly how large the campus is. Three campuses with several thousand students make the school seem too big.

I wish I had known how the size and student population affected my experience.

I wish I knew more about the type of teaching styles I will see while in college. I learned that leactures are absolutely worthless and a lot of studying is dependent on you. The teachers will never spoon feed you answers but they will help only if you specifically ask for it. They will not go out of their way to help those who are struggling.

I wish I had known where exactely important offices like the financial aid and advising office are located so that I didn't have to walk around the area for so long without having a clue about where I was going. Maps of the entire compus around the area could be a good idea to solve this issue. Also, I wish I had known that Rutgers has offices in both New Brunswick and Piscataway and that if new students go there for some information but without a car, they have to walk that big distance between those two campuses.

I wish I knew how to become more involved with social and interactive activities. Usually when school starts I get so focused on work and doing well, I forget to relax and have fun once in a while.

I wish I had known how important it was to take every available opportunity in looking ahead towards my future and career. Focusing on schoolwork was a challenge in itself but I wish I had taken the time and effort to look forward towards the future, beyond my college graduation. It is extremely vital to take steps towards finding a job and a successful career, well before graduation time comes around, whether that be talking with an academic advisor, or attending job fairs, internships, externships, etc. It's so important to get a headstart when it comes to the future.

I wish I knew that Rutgers can be a huge distraction if you let it. It takes a lot to focus when it comes to Rutgers and its nightlife.

I wish I knew that sometimes being a commuter is tough!

I feel that there is no reason to wish to have known anything about this school before I got here. I say that because I feel I would have been taking away from the great experiences that I have had the opportunity to take part in if I had known more about the school. Coming to Rutgers University with and open-mind and a positive attitude helped me to reach out and get invovled on campus in ways I might not have I know a little more.

The amount of international students are enrolled. It is a very diversed environment to be in.

The buses are very hectic on weekends and sometimes impair your ability to go out.

Throughout my academic life preceding college, I comprehended information relatively easily because subjects were built upon for years. Studying was never much of a necessity. In college, however, not only is the coursework more challenging, but it is mainly on subject matter that I have never learned about before. Studying became essential to my success overnight. Unfortunately, I initially did not know how to study well. I wish I knew how to study efficiently prior to college so that I did not have to waste so much time figuring out which techniques are the most effective for me.

How poorly implemented the housing selection process is. Too many students get screwed over by Rutgers housing.

Time management. There is so much to do here, you really have to learn time management. Rutgers-NB has over 400 clubs and organizations, so there is a lot to get involved in. Being in college, it is really the first time you are on your own. It's good to have fun, but you also have to remember that you are here to learn first.

I can honestly say that their is nothing i wish i knew about Rutgers before enrolling. They bombarded my mail box with information about clubs, activities, and other ways to get involved in the school.

I wish had I know about more scholarship opportunities for minority students.

That joining cultural groups/clubs were such a good experience.

There is time for fun but when it comes down to it at Rutgers you have to focus. They rightfully expect the best and if you make it into Rutgers you can be the best.

I wish I had known the entire financial aid process because, even now, its still very confusing.

Before I came to Rutgers Universy, I wish I knew more about living in America. While I am an American citizen, and even though I was born in New Jersey, I have lived overseas for 13 years, and came back to America to go to collge. I wish that I had been better prepared for culture shock. Having lived in Japan, England, Qatar and Turkey, getting used to being an American again has been very interesting. I had to re-learn how to drive on the opposite side of the road and get used to everyone around me speaking English!

I wish that I had known exactly how much Rutgers has to offer because possibilities here seem to be limitless. If I had known this earlier, I would have done more research on specific organizations and majors within the college itself. When I entered Rutgers, as a freshman, I felt so overwhelmed because I lacked direction and was bombarded with numerous choices. Had I realized earlier that I could do research as an undergraduate, join an E-board in at least one of the university's hundreds of organizations, or double major and minor, I would have planned more carefully.

I wish I had better self study habits before coming to Rutgers. Since most of the classes are very large, a good amount of class material is inevitably self-taught because often professors are hard to understand, inaccessible, or go through material very quickly in lecture.

There is not much that I wish I had known before I came to this school, but I would say that anything I was not sure about or had difficulty with the staff at Rutgers is always available and ready to assist any student that has a question or concern. Rutgers has its own phone operating service that students can call 24 hours to ask various questions through out all five campuses.

While there is a lot that you need to know to be successful at a school like Rutgers, there is nothing specific that I would say I wished I had known before attending the school. The most important things are easiest to learn as you go. There are a couple of things that could have been helpful though. The first is that to make your schedule it is really easiest to talk to an advisor rather than doing it yourself. The second thing that I would say you really need to know is how to get around the campus.

That this school has alot of to do with, who you know, more than what you know. I wish i had known more people, so i would know the 411 on professors and classes before i took them.

One cannot see into the future and neither can I. When my sister attended Rutgers five years ago, it was not the same school as it is now. Rutgers has made a lot of changes, some good and some changing traditions that it has been known for. I suppose I would have like to have known that it was going to change its housing plans for on campus housing, to make it harder to sign back to an apartment. I also would have liked to know the changes being down to buildings that did not have problems.

I came into school with a long held vision of EXACTLY what I wanted to study and found when I came to school that I did not really enjoy that course of study as much as I had thought I would. It was difficult for me to adjust mentally to doing something different than I had originally planned. As such I wish that I had known to keep a more open mind about exploring options in college than I had had when I arrived. In the end I feel that I eventually made the right choice about my path.

Before I went to Rutgers I was given advice and many more warnings. Being young and excited, I forgot most of it, some by accident, the rest because I didn?t care to remember. Rutgers is a great - diverse and large. I didn?t realize how many social learning opportunities I would encounter there. I learned about the world around me, other people and myself. I wish someone had told me to be a sponge. There is so much to soak up and learn outside of the classroom and each one of those experiences has made my life much richer.

Before I came to Rutgers I wish that I had, had a better focus as far as what career I planned to pursue following my matriculation at this university. I came in without a true focus and I believe that it hurt me a lot in the end.

I wish I had known to start a college fund before high school. Being an out of state student, tuition and travel expenses combined with housing and meal plan costs are higher than in-state students, but I never imagined my fees would be as high as they are when I applied for college. Had I known to start a fund for myself earlier in life, I believe it would have helped my current financial situation tremendously.

Wish I new better study techniques, but I aqcuired them over time.

I wish someone would have told me right away to get prepared for the GREs to get into graduate school!

How they wanted me to study and how much. You never know untill your first semester and you've got all C's.

Nothing. This school is amazing.

How it felt like to be a small fish in a big sea.

Before attending this school, I wish I had known the importance of studying ahead. High school teachers of mine would mention over and over again how important it is to get a head start on reading and take high school serious. I didn't meet with college professors like some of my high school classmates did, and I didn't reseach careers and look into courses. I now regret doing so because my college experience would have been a bit less stressful had I done so.

That the availability of dorming after your freshman year is hard to get especially if living on College Ave.

I wish I had known that Rutgers was as stingy as it was and wasn't going to help me pay for school

I wish I known how friendly the teachers really are, and that when they say they don't mind getting emails and answering questions, that they really mean it. Every student should take advantage of help from their professors.

I wish that I would know about more clubs and be more involved on campus. I became more involved my second year. Also I wish I would know that there are places that can help with academic advising and career services.

That the area is boring. That, even though we own a new jersey home, we wouldn't get state tuition. That housing is very unorganized and would screw me over.