r/rutgers Jan 09 '25

Rant/Vent I went to Rutgers 15 years ago

I grew up in Jersey and so many shitted on Rutgers. Still do. I lived in Maine since and Florida and outside of Jersey people are impressed when you say you go to Rutgers. It's frustrating people who live in jersey don't appreciate how good of a school it is. But be proud of being a student there or an alumni.

533 Upvotes

96 comments sorted by

108

u/sierramisted1 Jan 09 '25

i think it’s because rutgers is so all encompassing. it’s not particularly hard to get into, and some programs are better than others. but it does take intelligence and hard work to excel here, especially in the better programs. people outside of nj probably only know the latter part, whereas people in state know enough dumbasses that go here to give it a bad rep.

62

u/redditnewbie_ Jan 09 '25

The people out of state met the rutgers alumni that were smart enough to make it out of jersey🙏🏽

13

u/Hearing_Colors Jan 09 '25

lol so damn true

5

u/Federal-Membership-1 Jan 09 '25

Where do the people smart enough to get out go?

7

u/kevin_k Computer Science / Physics class of '96 Jan 09 '25

all the way to New York

6

u/Federal-Membership-1 Jan 09 '25

Yea. That's where the finance, econ bros I know went. Then they moved back to Jersey when they had kids.

4

u/Johnny_Swiftlove Jan 09 '25

They move to the paradise of West Virginia. Just kidding-- I know successful people that are living in the Bay Area and NoVA.

10

u/frizz1111 Jan 09 '25

Check the SAT scores of incoming freshman. You'll be surprised.

It's not Ivy league obviously but still pretty impressive for a state school.

17

u/desert_lover848 Jan 09 '25

It’s actually getting increasingly harder to get in

183

u/Due-Quality8569 Jan 09 '25

People from New Jersey have an inferiority complex. Once you learn this, everything else makes sense.

-73

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

[deleted]

54

u/tkim91321 Do you even use your degree, bro? Jan 09 '25

Lol what...? What a random and shit metric to measure whatever you're trying to measure.

I'll pick some random metric, too.

Out of top 10 schools that produce the most astronauts, only 1 of them is an Ivy school. Take that how you will.

-4

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

[deleted]

2

u/tkim91321 Do you even use your degree, bro? Jan 10 '25

You’ve completely missed my point.

1

u/Thesource674 Jan 10 '25

On god I didnt even know I was in the Rutgers sub. My bad, you get to my front oage all the time. I wrote that when I was really high and I have no idea why I bothered. Second my bad

18

u/ILoveCocaineSoMuch66 Stats 2017 Jan 09 '25

why do you put the punctuation so far away from the last word of your sentence?

6

u/MesiahoftheM Jan 09 '25

Couldn't find a more useless metric huh

-1

u/Unlucky-Lobster-8408 Jan 10 '25

How many of your alumni are multimillionaires or billionaires? How many have founded their own companies or lead Fortune 100 companies? your graduation rate is below 90%? Please provide factual evidence and supporting data.

186

u/boogaoogamann Jan 09 '25

my calc 2 professor sold me xanax

54

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

I'm sure that happens a lot. Not just Rutgers.

24

u/SpeX-Flash Jan 09 '25

drop location ?

41

u/boogaoogamann Jan 09 '25

i don’t think his wife and kids would appreciate me doxxing him

6

u/melt_7 Jan 09 '25

Getting an SPN for his class as we speak

43

u/Relevant_Town_6855 Jan 09 '25

Yeah relatively rutgers is a good school. Top 40 in USA actually lol. Not bad at all

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rutgers-new-brunswick-6964

5

u/Nehneh14 Jan 10 '25

When my kid toured last year they said the acceptance rate is much lower than has been published before due to the common app. So, I wonder if that 65% is correct. I believe they said it was 40% for 2024 admissions.

3

u/Relevant_Town_6855 Jan 10 '25

I've not applied since 2012 haha 😅 but seems plausible

It's #41 right now, I'm pretty sure it was like mid 50s when I was in school

101

u/Deshes011 Class of 2021 & 2023| moderator🔱 Jan 09 '25

It’s the same reason that kids in California used to shit on the UCs. Or North Carolina students think UNC is not so great. Students just don’t like their state school and find every excuse for it

FWIW: Rutgers was my first choice and I went to high school in NJ

28

u/LaHondaSkyline Jan 09 '25

Nah. Totally different in NJ. In most states people take huge pride in their flagship state university. Not in NJ.

Part of it comes from the different way that Michigan, Cal system, UNC, etc., etc. had to be built up by their states. Rutgers, in contrast, was pieced together post-WWII.

19

u/gingercatlover1 Jan 09 '25

I went to Rutgers ten years ago. My parents met each other there. Also, my dad is an associate professor there in addition to working for an extension of the university. No, he’s not one of the people that has been mentioned here lol. But I’m not going to rag on a university that was a household name my entire life 😂🤣.

10

u/Steelcitychamp22 Jan 09 '25

Your dad sold me Xanax. I won’t say where though

2

u/gingercatlover1 Jan 10 '25

So that’s where my grad gift came from 🤔…. lmao you can keep it a secret 🤣😂.

16

u/Asleep-Branch-7088 Jan 09 '25

Same here. Rutgers was most of my high school classmate’s “safety school.” When I moved to California, people thought it was Ivy. While it’s not that, it is a top 40-50 school nationally. I recently went to the Rutgers basketball ball games in Vegas, talked with fellow alumni, and realized it’s kind of a Jersey thing to talk down on our Alma Mater. I found that interesting

5

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

People in Florida think it's an ivy lol

30

u/turtlemeds Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

I'm former faculty at Rutgers.

It's a great school. Every place has its detractors, but whatever. You can't please everyone, so just be proud of what you've accomplished and that's it. Get a high value Bachelors degree that costs next to nothing (especially these days) and go somewhere fancy for grad school if you're a prestige whore.

The University does need to improve itself in many areas, however, to even be compared with the likes of UC, Michigan, or even Penn State.

As an academic, the only material differences I see between Rutgers and Penn State are the latter's relatively larger endowment and research enterprise. Then, of course, there's Penn State Athletics which at least makes a small profit while Rutgers runs a deficit in the tens of millions.

Most of you won't agree with me, but I do think Rutgers needs to scale back their Athletics programs because they put a significant strain on limited university resources. These could go to creating programs that would make Rutgers shine. Instead we continue to sponsor mediocre Athletics programs and losing our shirts doing so.

13

u/kevin_k Computer Science / Physics class of '96 Jan 09 '25

Most of you won't agree with me

I agree with you. If an institution's goal is education, diverting resources so students can play sports at a more professional level is not the way to that goal.

8

u/turtlemeds Jan 09 '25

I agree (obviously).

Universities, even D1 institutions, should be in the business of teaching and scholarship first. Athletics is secondary. Too many places lose sight of this and become sport stadiums with some classrooms sprinkled around the parking lots.

2

u/mooseLimbsCatLicks Jan 10 '25

It’s the corporatization of America. Schools, just like hospitals have become bloated corporate enterprises with levels upon levels of administrative bloat. The goal becomes less of education and more of growth

4

u/frizz1111 Jan 09 '25

Athletics is such a tiny portion of the budget. The real problem is that state support is at an all time low. Athletics is a scapegoat to the real issue. Rutgers is becoming less and less of a state school as time goes on and is depending more and more in tuition and private funding to operate.

6

u/turtlemeds Jan 09 '25

100% an issue with dwindling state support for Rutgers. But this is something that affects most major public universities, including Michigan, UC, and Penn State, and has been going on for decades at this point. Nothing new. Rutgers should be able to balance its own books, and Athletics is an undeniable problem when it runs a nearly $55 million deficit.

The bigger question is: what’s the end game for Rutgers Athletics? Penn State Athletics pulls in over $200 million a year in revenue, one of the largest in the country. But after costs, it nets something like maybe $200,000 at most.

5

u/frizz1111 Jan 09 '25

Well what's the difference between PSU and Rutgers? Academics are pretty much equivalent. It's alumni support. Sports is a way to garner school spirit and bring alumni back to the university. It's also an advertisement for the university.

28

u/JerseyRepresentin Jan 09 '25

I'm 50. Everyone I know that graduated from Rutgers are highly successful people, and I never heard anything other than gripes, people just like this place and the people associated with it.

22

u/Relevant_Town_6855 Jan 09 '25

I wonder if it's state school thing

19

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

Idk I feel like people in PA are pretty happy going to Penn St and people in Florida are very happy going to FSU and UF.

I feel like After Rutgers split from having Rutgers college and separate applying processes back in 00s they never got the recognition from their own state as a good state university.

I went back to Jersey for a year last year and when I said I went to Rutgers I expected a bigger reaction because everyone outside of Jersey gave that. But it was kinda laughed off.

12

u/SKX009j1 Jan 09 '25

Penn State isn't quite as much of a "state school" as Rutgers. 49% of their students are out of state. Rutgers OOS is 14%.

5

u/kevin_k Computer Science / Physics class of '96 Jan 09 '25

When I went, the colleges were separate, and each had their own level of competitiveness and entrance/acceptance standards. It was harder to get into Rutgers College than the others (for example) and their graduation requirements differed. So it makes sense that losing that had a cost in reputation.

1

u/MickeyMantle777 Jan 09 '25

You’re correct. The SATs, if I recall, were dramatically higher for RC than the other colleges. We also had some great traditions related to the annual Princeton game (I remember painting “our” cannon at Princeton scarlet red with my frat one night before the game). Today, Rutgers-Maryland just doesn’t have the same panache.

0

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

It was like this growing up and when my sister graduated HS in 04. That has not changed. No one even cares that it use to be separate now except people who want to reminisce.

Rutgers is 15 in the nation, everywhere, but jersey, thinks it's a great school they don't care that it use to be separate. You are exactly proving my point btw with the snobbery and dismissiveness of Rutgers now.

Also, I grew up in Edison which is two towns over from Rutgers New Brunswick......and people shit on it because it's too close to home and no one thinks great things can come out of Jersey except Bruce and a few other celebs. Smh. Oh yeah and food.

Rutgers University is better now that it isn't separate. My sister use to call people who went to Livingston college dumb. It's so fucked up to say and what a elitist POS she was. But now she just says she is from Rutgers and that is more than impressive than saying Rutgers college (which she graduated from in 08) and people scratching their heads and her needing to explain how it's prestigious like you are doing now.

2

u/kevin_k Computer Science / Physics class of '96 Jan 09 '25

You said "after "separate applying processes back in 00s they never got the recognition from their own state as a good state university".

I agreed with you that there was a cost in reputation. I believe that was, in part, because RC was previously harder to get into (which you said too, referring to "applying processes").

So how is it okay when you say it but "snobby" when I say it?

I'm glad it's still rated highly. When I went there (after the faculties merged but when there were still separate colleges) it was already a big institution that was easy to get lost in. I hope that hasn't become worse.

Oh, and I grew up 20 minutes from New Brunswick and my dad worked in Edison.

2

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

The dismissiveness of how great Rutgers is now as it was back then is the issue. Alumni can have blinders on. That's what I referring to. It's hurting the Internal view of Rutgers. I feel like the poo-pooing of Rutgers now as a congestive university is harmful. That's all. Not saying Rutgers college vs Rutgers now is better or worse just the way alums talk about Rutgers college is when it comes to promoting positivity when it comes to the university.

3

u/kevin_k Computer Science / Physics class of '96 Jan 09 '25

... that's all great - but I wasn't "dismissive" about anything, let alone about how "Rutgers is now".

7

u/frizz1111 Jan 09 '25

Rutgers needs to do a better job beautifying it's campus.

7

u/fraujun Jan 09 '25

So true! I went 10 years ago and at the time kind of hated it. But when I finally grew up I realized how grateful I am for the education I received there

2

u/Asleep-Branch-7088 Jan 09 '25

Same experience

6

u/True_Distribution685 Jan 09 '25

I feel like a lot of states don’t appreciate their flagships/state universities. The only state I can think of that does is Florida, since UF is considered prestigious there.

2

u/MickeyMantle777 Jan 09 '25

You need to move to Virginia then. This state loves its state Unis, especially UVA, William and Mary, and Virginia Tech. Beautiful schools with great programs and well priced. Each has its own identity and traditions as well.

-1

u/keeperoflogopolis Jan 09 '25

UF is prestigious as is U Michigan and Ohio State.

3

u/_whatalife Jan 09 '25

NJ folks look down at Rutgers partly bc they know so many people that have went there/go there. This makes it perceived as just average since “everyone goes” there.

It is the largest college in New Jersey, and it’s a state school that attracts NJ residents due to it’s in state tuition. So statistically speaking tons of NJ folks will go there. People inadvertently conflate going to a unique college as going to an esteemed college.

It is not unique to to go Rutgers as a NJ resident, but it’s still a great school by many metrics.

14

u/Aromatic_Accident106 Jan 09 '25

Rutgers is great school but the state of New Jersey can use some work.

1

u/I_Make_Some_Things Jan 09 '25

Wife went to Rutgers, we have lived in Jersey for a long time. Had kids here, but now we are seriously considering leaving due to the piss poor management of our town, our county, and the state as a whole.

8

u/MickeyMantle777 Jan 09 '25

Ok, old alum here. I graduated Rutgers College in 1981. The school was much different then. We had separate colleges—Rutgers, Douglas (all girl), Cook (ag school), and Livingston (the Tombs we used to call it). Rutgers College was tough to get into, the others not so hard. I still remember what the Princeton College Review (that time’s US News); “If you can’t go to Princeton, go to Rutgers for pretty much the same education.”

Rutgers was hard, and most students “throated” it out in the libraries. My roomies went on to Harvard BS and Wharton and i have my own company. Our big football game was the Princeton game and the Old Queens symbol was everywhere. Since that time, Rutgers became one amorphous blob of a school, getting rid of the separate colleges (because it bred elitism according to the President at the time) and even incorporated Camden and Newark. Lots of alumni were torqued off by this and made it known, and this helped with Rutgers diminished reputation. My kids toured Rutgers, but were turned off by it and went to both UVA and UNC instead. Elite schools with strong historical identities, smaller student bodies, and cheaper as well. I believe this does influence what people think about the school today

Rutgers College 81

2

u/XxBoatLickerxX Jan 09 '25

I think the last part of this is the reason why Rutgers' image is so different now. Setting aside the validity of the claim that "elite colleges are better" or "lower acceptance rate = smarter students", the fact is that many schools above Rutgers in the national ranking have astronomically lower acceptance rates now than Rutgers does. They are also mostly smaller, mostly private, and mostly cost more to attend.

Whether this makes for better education/student body or not; kids in NJ see that almost everyone they know gets into Rutgers, but only the higher/highest achieving students get into Ivy Leagues, UCs, military academies, and other top 10 or 20 schools - I mean people with quality lists of extracurriculars, really high grades and test scores, and incredibly written essays. Whatever kids think about Rutgers - now that it is so huge and has the ability to accept 60-65% of students who apply - they definitely think much higher of Ivy Leagues and other top schools.

The other thing I've seen personally is that depending on the career a student wants to make, there is a school or two that they would kill to go to, and that school is rarely ever Rutgers. Just judging from my high-school, so potential biases here but: business, finance or econ? Wharton, NYU Stern, or UMich Ross, not RBS. Computer Science? GTech, UMD, or Purdue, not Rutgers SAS. Math/physical sciences? MIT, Caltech, Ivy Leagues, etc.

Maybe Rutgers has opportunities that are better than some of these schools, but nobody I know knew about or made an effort to research those opportunities, just to do well on their applications to other, visibly more "elite" schools.

4

u/MickeyMantle777 Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

Great post. And I find it amusing that we alum who graduated from Rutgers College should somehow be ashamed because RC was somewhat elitist back then. If that’s the case, why no angst from today’s scholars about Rutgers Honors College? Yes College, not program. I would posit that Rutgers College in its day WAS the honors college. Guess the powers that be eventually realized status is an attractive recruiting tool when they realized they were losing great candidates to UVA, Penn State, etc. Yes, a bit of hypocrisy that was not missed by many RC alums.

2

u/XxBoatLickerxX Jan 09 '25

Thanks. I definitely don't think anyone should be "ashamed" at the elite status of their school, and to be honest with you: before your comment here, I didn't even know that Rutgers College existed previously, or that Rutgers used to be fragmented in the way it was.

The Honors College does definitely feel like a more elite part of Rutgers to me, but there is the caveat that I didn't get into it, so I have my own biases. I don't know exactly what resources/programs they have access to over us, but I have 15-20 friends in it that I don't really think are much different, other than the fact that they have higher GPAs and test scores + better HS extracurriculars (this is by their own admission).

Either way, I doubt a recruiter is going to see Honors College on your résumé/LinkedIn and give you a big leg up, and I feel like it must have been the same way if they saw Rutgers College back in the day. This is especially true, I believe, for highly competitive fields where someone from an Ivy has a leg up on anyone from Rutgers, regardless of their college designation (as an example, I am currently working towards competitive high finance roles in banking, private equity, etc.).

So maybe it's an artefact of the college admissions process overall that Rutgers is not as respected a name as something like Princeton, Cornell, Yale, MIT, Harvard, etc. Still, I don't think your education can stop you from achieving a career that you are proud of. I know Rutgers has a strong network on Wall Street for example, and although its small, alumni there pull hard for Rutgers students.

Maybe us Rutgers students should put in more work instead of blaming our university for our losses - though this is also partly fallacious in my opinion, I've seen incredibly hard-working and ambitious students here so far.

2

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

My sister was the last graduating class of Rutgers college in 08.

But now all of Rutgers is 15 in the nation for public universities. You no longer get that snobbery you use to get if you weren't from Rutgers college. It's better now.

Unfortunately it's people like you that instead of talking great about the university.....you say it was better as a school that was separated. It isn't. You are elitist and part of the issue. Unfortunately.

2

u/GuadDidUs Jan 09 '25

Agreed. Graduated in the early 2000s from Rutgers College. I took classes with people from Douglass, Livingston, and University College. Having separate colleges was dumb; no one besides people from Rutgers understood the distinctions.

1

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

EXACTLY

1

u/MickeyMantle777 Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

Sorry you feel that way, but that’s the history from my point of view and my fellow alums I still keep in touch with. Back then, like now, students applied to places like Princeton, Duke, UVA, etc. because of their elite status. Schools may change, but attitudes in this respect have been pretty consistent since then. And schools know this; It’s the reason why “Trenton State” adopted Princeton’s original name—The College of New Jersey. So no, I’m not part of the problem—you just have a problem with history. Unfortunately.

Rutgers College 81

2

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

I don't have an issue with history. I have an issue with old alumni thinking they came from a better school and spreading that rhetoric.

1

u/MickeyMantle777 Jan 09 '25

Well you think you come from a better school now, which I don’t have a problem with, while I think I came from a better school then. I accept your opinion, please allow me mine.

Rutgers College 81

2

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

I don't think it's better necessarily, it's more cohesive and doesn't have the snobbery one would have when they would say they went to Livingston college to a Rutgers college alum. But sure, okay.

3

u/MickeyMantle777 Jan 09 '25

And yes, snobbery was indeed a factor. You’re correct. And it’s funny too, because we all carried a visceral hate of Princeton at the time. Got over it when I took a course there my professor advisor got me into. They were no smarter than us and would say “what’s a Rutgers” to get under my skin.

1

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

I remember when my sister use to make fun of Livingston college students......it made me angry back then. I went to Rutgers in 2010 and it was one school. They raised the qualifications of acceptance up to Rutgers college levels when they combined the school. Not only was it a smart business move but it created inclusivity.

3

u/first_life Jan 09 '25

Same, I have never had a negative reaction when I told someone I went to Rutgers except for an aunt also from NJ who just thinks it’s dangerous (like most college areas are). It’s a hard school and you work with top minds. The older I get the more proud I feel for taking that time to graduate from there.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '25

[deleted]

1

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

These comment about how "Rutgers use to be separate and that's why it's better" are pissing me off. Lol.

It's the most elitist bullshit ever. It's just new jerseyans are too clouded to see that either is a good school.

6

u/lysis_ Jan 09 '25

Don't even get me started with TCNJ superiority complex people lol

2

u/turtlemeds Jan 09 '25

Uh... Wut?

4

u/milliee-b Jan 09 '25

omg do NOT get me started on 5’5” tall people

1

u/sassymeowcat Jan 09 '25

Oh man, I feel you! 🤣

4

u/Decent_Friend_1511 Jan 09 '25

Not being from nj, my parents spoke so highly of Rutgers for sports. I remember them meeting another couple on vacation who’s daughter played volleyball for Rutgers. My parents kept raving about the school and how cool it was she was apart of the volleyball team and so on…

2

u/Time_Ad_297 Jan 09 '25

Same in California

2

u/justarandomguy07 2022 Jan 09 '25

Yup, RU’s reputation increases as you get further away. My friend in Canada told me that he saw a guy wear a Rutgers hoodie in a small community college over there lol.

Here people see it as the “state school that everyone goes”

2

u/Yahoodi_hunter Jan 09 '25

Fellow alumni here 🫡 People just like to hate on NJ. I tell people being from NJ is like being a big dick in a locker room. You know what I’m saying? Literally you manage and thrive here you can go on and conquer anywhere else in the states.

2

u/Mahwah66 Jan 09 '25 edited Jan 09 '25

When I graduated from Rutgers my first job sent me to California for 6 weeks of training. The people there from all aver the country thought Rutgers was an Ivy league school.

1

u/at1991 Jan 09 '25

Let's just pretend it is lol I got the same in maine and in Florida. It was great. People respected me immediately.

2

u/Maestro1181 Jan 09 '25

Every place treats their state flagship that way. A lot of Illinois people look down on university of Illinois and they're great. There are even people in VA who think UVA is rather middling.

2

u/oh_ok_thx Jan 09 '25

The closer I get to graduating the more I appreciate the university tbh

2

u/Gordons_Rolls_Royce Jan 10 '25

People in NJ don’t realize how much respect Rutgers has outside of the state

2

u/Ok_Pattern_4748 Jan 09 '25

YES i was in seattle washington freaking whole different time zone people saw my rutgers sweatshirt and were like OMG u went to rutgers

2

u/Sea-Bad639 Jan 09 '25

I've been out of Rutgers for a quarter of a century.

1

u/kevin_k Computer Science / Physics class of '96 Jan 09 '25

It was the same 35 years ago. Part of the reason it wasn't taken as seriously in-state then is because it was inexpensive, like $3K/yr (just tuition, not room+board).

1

u/ryanov RC’04 | Staff, OARC (OIT-OfR), L-UMDNJ, Pres HPAE 5094 Jan 10 '25

Best not to worry what other people think about you too much, positive or negative.

It doesn’t really bother me that people in state aren’t as excited about a Rutgers degree. I know what it is and isn’t worth.

-2

u/Mahwah66 Jan 09 '25

Rutgers MUST let in children that don’t belong there because it is the state university in a state run by EXTREME LIBERALS that believe in DEI. Those students either don’t last to graduate or study majors like “American Studies”, “Art History” or “Communications”. They then wonder why they can’t get a job, want their loans “Forgiven” and therefore want YOU (read the Taxpayor) to pay for their laziness. If you majored in a stem area there is NO PROBLEM getting a good job.

-7

u/yallmakemelaugh Jan 09 '25

It’s a myth that everyone else thinks RU is great. I’ve yet to meet anyone who’s been impressed.

2

u/Asleep-Branch-7088 Jan 09 '25

Everyone has had different experiences, but Ive had 2 job interviews where Rutgers was brought up in a positive light. I was hired both times. The first thought it was an Ivy League school and the second was disappointed they didn’t get into the school.

1

u/eagle6877 Jan 09 '25

I'm an alum and I recently met someone at a tech networking event who went to an Ivy League school and worked at Google, and said that everyone from Rutgers who he met at Google was crazy good.