The Ramapo College of New Jersey

Date: Jan 10 2005
Major: Perfomance Arts (This Major's Salary over time)
February starts my second semester at Ramapo. I transfered in from Orlando (though I'm a Jersey girl born and raised). My first semester was awesome, way more than I expected. I came in looking to make friends, join an organization, have good roommates, and feel like I actually belonged to the school. I felt all of these things. The campus itself is small and cozy. You can't get lost except maybe in the academic building but it's all connected so you're bond to find your way soon. The teachers are friendly and approachable. They really care about students. I mean of course you'll have one or two you don't like but for the most part they're all pretty nice and easy to reach as far as email and office hours. As for the students, the campus isn't very diversified. There's a small percentage of minority and international students while the rest are Caucasian. Rarely do you see people of different races mingling together. It's sad but it's a reality unfortunately. I love everyone from any background so I chill with whomever I get along with, simple as that. There are others who share my few and you'll notice them right away. Frats are barely recognized on our campus because there aren't that many and they're kind of corny to be honest. Sororities are more abundant. Most of the sorority chicks I have encountered are snobby and rude. This goes mainly for the caucasian ones. There are definitely some racists on Ramapo's campus so you just have to pick and choose who you speak to. There are a few minority based sororities and frats and they're very friendly and cool to get along with. I belong to Alpha Phi Omega which is a co-ed community service frat and I love it. The people I met are wonderful and open-minded. The dorms at Ramapo are quite large and pretty nice. The apartments known as CPA are a bit rough looking on the outside but inside they're ok. The Village is very nice but very expensive. The food is edible. Most people complain about the food but I think it's better than most schools. There's plenty of choices for every person. I'm not too sure how good our library is I have yet to use it. I do know that computers are very accessible on campus. There's a computer lab that stays open 24 hours 5 days a week and it's tons of fun to hang out in with your friends. The technology on campus is up to date. As for the surrounding area? There's tons to do! We're about 15 minutes from NY so there's plenty of nightclubs and restaurants and shopping plazas. We have a campus shuttle that runs through the malls and plazas everyday at reasonable times. You're likely to meet someone with a car though so you can hang out with them and explore the city. We're also about 2 hours from Philadelphia so thats also somewhere to go. Our sports is Division 3 so if you're an athlete don't come here cause the school isn't very big on athletes. The Gay/Bi/Lesbian community is small but very active on campus so they're easy to spot. They're very social and some of them are good friends of mine. Overall, I'd rate Ramapo a 6 out of 10. Like every school it has its bad and good things but if you're looking for a small school (about 6000 ppl) with great faculty and staff, nice atmosphere, and nice dorms, try Ramapo.