Anonymous wrote:This is another reason why the US News rankings for publics are bunk: Rutgers with its 66% acceptance rate is not BC, Tufts, or BU, though it is ranked essentially the same. Not. Even. Close.

Actually, it's closer than you think. It's a good solid option with easy access to New York, a nice campus in New Brunswick, and a lot going for it. BU and BC have risen way in estimation over the past ten to twenty years, and that is great for them, but Rutgers is what it has always been: a strong Research University that is underrated by most people. If you are comparing them just on admission rates, you are comparing in large part their marketing prowess. In that regard, Rutgers performs pretty poorly.

Anonymous wrote:This is another reason why the US News rankings for publics are bunk: Rutgers with its 66% acceptance rate is not BC, Tufts, or BU, though it is ranked essentially the same. Not. Even. Close.

First, after having finally started using common app, Rutgers' applications increased by ~60% so its admit rate is likely to be closer to 45% this year. Second, as I told my daughter, who was admitted to Rutgers yesterday, the top 6000 kids at Rutgers are at least as talented and accomplished as the 6000 kids who make up Tufts student body and as the top 6000 at BC and BU. NJ has one of the highest NMS cutoffs and is chock-a-block with very smart students. Many of them attend Rutgers for various reasons, including its cost. It is always the most popular destination for graduates of our (top 5 in the state) high school.

That said, the campus (spread out, maybe not so aesthetically pleasing) is probably a bit of a problem that helps to keep it from being mentioned in the same breath as the top state schools in the country.

Grease trucks, nom nom!

Anonymous wrote:This is another reason why the US News rankings for publics are bunk: Rutgers with its 66% acceptance rate is not BC, Tufts, or BU, though it is ranked essentially the same. Not. Even. Close.

How is this helpful? Do you think the kids walking around Rutgers paying a fraction of the kids walking around those schools and having a Big 10 experience at their in state flagship R1 school are sad every single day they're not up in Boston? Just stop it. So snobby.

This is another reason why the US News rankings for publics are bunk: Rutgers with its 66% acceptance rate is not BC, Tufts, or BU, though it is ranked essentially the same. Not. Even. Close.

Anonymous wrote:People in New Jersey don’t even even attend Rutgers.

Wrong

Anonymous wrote:People in New Jersey don’t even even attend Rutgers.

This could not be further from the truth.

Also less than 20% out of state students.

NJ resident here. Rutgers is the single most popular school kids go to from our public high school every year. Admissions decisions for EA came out yesterday and it was quite dramatic with the 66% increase in applicants since Rutgers joined the common app this year. Lots of kids who expected to get in and attend were waitlisted/denied. Rutgers is a great, solid option.

Anonymous wrote:Usnews has Rutgers noted as #12, but it is almost never brought up on DCUM as a suggestion when people are looking for larger or state schools.

Why?

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public

It's listed as #15 among public Us in your link btw. It's one of those schools that has been helped by the change in the USNWR rankings, so it's more recently moved up in the rankings. It doesn't have the kind of rah-rah campus life college town charm that a lot of people who are looking for a big public university want. But good school for education purposes.

If I were a NJ resident, Rutgers would be a no brainer.

IDK, but for me, the campus is really disjointed. My niece went there, in state. She was able to get a good paying job right out of college, and got great merit aid.

People in New Jersey don’t even even attend Rutgers.

As my fifteen year old would say, "because New Jersey."

Usnews has Rutgers noted as #12, but it is almost never brought up on DCUM as a suggestion when people are looking for larger or state schools.

Why?

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/top-public