The College of New Jersey

Date: Feb 13 2011
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
I am currently a freshman at TCNJ and I honestly can not say enough positive things about this college. I went on this website a lot last year when I was deciding which college I wanted to attend. In the fall of my senior year I applied to 11 schools. Two of them were in state (I'm from New Jersey) and the rest were out of state. They ranged from Louisiana to Massachusetts. I had no idea where I wanted to spend my college years. I got into the majority of the schools I applied to. Didn't get into one of my reach schools. Advice to seniors: if you don't get into your reaches, it just wasn't meant to be. Don't be heart broken because the school probably wouldn't have been right for you anyway.

Accepting admission at TCNJ was honestly the smartest decision I have ever made. I do not regret my decision AT ALL and that is the greatest feeling in the world to know you made the right choice.

I was looking at the two negative reviews below me from freshman. I honestly have no idea where these students are coming from. It doesn't seem to me like they were at the same school as me. There is ALWAYS something to do on campus. Honestly, I was afraid that being in Ewing, New Jersey would be terrible. I was afraid that I would be bored and feel secluded. I have not yet felt one of those things. I go to Philadelphia all the time with my friends to go out to eat and walk around/go to clubs. It's not too expensive and is a great way to spend a Saturday. NYC is a little farther and more expensive, but CUB (student activities organization) sponsors a lot of events to go into the city for a really cheap price. So don't be afraid that there isn't a lot going on. There ALWAYS IS. That's something that a lot of incoming freshman/high school seniors are worried about. They are always playing movies in the student center, hosting concerts, having speakers come talk, and paying for comedians to perform. I honestly am never bored on the weekends…which brings me to my next point.

A lot of you are worried that tcnj is a suitcase school and everyone goes home on the weekends. NO NO NO. That is so wrong. I always have friends to hang out with on my floor and in other dorms. Yes, some people do go home for family events/birthdays, but let me ask you this question: Don't students at every university do that? It's so nice to be an hour away from home. If my parents want to come visit or take me out to dinner, they can. I love it. And my parents don't come to visit that often. Maybe once a month. I would say most people are from New Jersey, but I have met people from NY, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and even Texas. I know there are international students here too. I met a guy from Italy at orientation. It's actually really nice that most people are from NJ because I can actually hang out with them in the summers and over break. If you go to a college where the students are from all over the US, you never see them during the summer or breaks and lose connections.

And it's true…Students at TCNJ are happy! I know TCNJ was rated one of the happiest colleges. It is so true. The custodial staff, cafeteria workers etc are so nice. I have made random friends in the laundry room and in the elevators at the library (LIBRARY IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!).

6,000 is the perfect size for a college. I see people I know all around campus and I love it. It's nice seeing familiar faces. At Rutgers, this is not true at all. Not to knock Rutgers or anything, but it's huge.

My classes this semester are absolutely amazing. My professors give a lot of work, but it is all relevant and I see myself becoming a better student. I feel more intelligent and motivated to do my work. I am not a language person at all, but my Spanish professor is head of the department and she is absolutely amazing! She convinced me to go abroad junior year.

Ok..on to the freshman experience at TCNJ. I live in Travers which is connected to Wolfe. All of the freshman live in either Travers, Wolfe, or Cromwell (mostly honors). I would suggest living in the towers (Travers or Wolfe) because they are connected by a large lounge and it is so easy to hang out with your friends in the other dorm. The rooms aren't luxurious, I won't lie to you. But they are certainly up to par for me. The desk is spacious and I have a ton of room for my clothes/storage. Most people have refrigerators, microwaves and tv's in their rooms.

Freshman year at TCNJ has been amazing for me. My floor is absolutely amazing. We eat together on weekdays, go out together on weekends, or just watch movies in someone's room.

I feel like a lot of people think TCNJ is a lame school and has no parties. Honestly, that is so false. There are frat/sports parties all the time. You can go out as much or as little as you want. Some people on my floor don't go out and some go out 3 times a week. It all depends. Come take a tour of the freshman dorms. They have murals everywhere! Our mural is amazing.

Don't be worried about making friends at TCNJ. TCNJ is a friendly place. Everyone is looking for more friends. I have friends that I have met in class, my sports team etc.

I'm also going to give a shout out to the WILL program (Women in Leadership and Learning Program) for the women looking at TCNJ. What an amazing program. I definitely suggest putting an application for it when you accept admission. Great group of women and looks great on any resume. At the end of senior year, you receive a women and gender studies minor. It really has opened my eyes to the history of women and just how many amazing, intelligent women there are at TCNJ.

There is a club for everyone. There are intramurals, theatre groups, a cappella, business clubs etc. Everything under the sun. TCNJ wants you to be involved and have a good time. I'll add in that there is a weekly bingo game that is baller. Tons of free gift certificates. I won $25 bucks to Macys.

The food. I would say it is actually pretty good, but it does get boring after a month or two. We do have a lot of selection, more than other colleges. I tend to get delivery with my floor once in a while. Great sushi places/pizza places around here. The library cafe is great (bagels galore) and the student center has good food too. T-dubs is open 6 pm to 2 am and is located in the basement of Travers Wolfe (hello freshman fifteen).

My only complaint is that the gym definitely needs some work. I'm not sure about the athlete gym because I'm not on a legit sports team, but the regular gym is just too small. It's very crowded and the machines don't always work. But they are doing a 200,000 dollar renovation and it should be done by summer! A lot of basketball courts for anyone who likes to play, same with raquetball. Swimming pool is really nice too.

I know I have ranted on for a while, but I really want to let any senior looking at TCNJ to know that they are making a great choice by choosing TCNJ. TCNJ is so diverse. I have met people of every skin color and culture. And don't be worried about the typical Jersey guidos. I have only seen one on campus before. We are not typical Jersey. We are the brightest, most ambitious community of students. I guess Princeton is good too, but I wear my TCNJ apparel with pride. I am proud to be a TCNJ student and I know I will succeed in the future because of my undergraduate institution.

Please come visit! Don't let your friends who are going to private, out of state universities make you feel like TCNJ is a step below because IT IS NOT! While they are paying 50,000 for an education you are paying half of that and experiencing the same thing. By coming to TCNJ, you are making an excellent choice.