Rutgers-Newark Class of 2015 Forum

[mrtoren]

Admitted nearly a month ago. I thought I would start this thread for those of us who want to begin discussing classes, housing, etc.

[sbmr12]

Thanks for starting the thread! I've been checking periodically to see if anyone had created one yet.

I was admitted last cycle and deferred, but plan on starting Fall 2012. I'm also an out-of-stater (Texas) and am looking for housing. When I went to visit this fall, my student tour guide told me that Bloomfield is a good place to be if you want to be close to school, but not living in Newark.

I'm pretty open about living arrangements (# of roomates, gender, etc.) so if you're interested in living just outside of Newark, let me know

[neeko]

I'm 99% sure I will be going here in the fall. Moving in from Texas.

[allmodcons]

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[neeko]

I'm looking at Weehawken, is anyone else willing to go out that direction? I have a dog and a cat though

[mrtoren]

.

[neeko]

Those actually look nice. If I didn't have animals, I would be in. Where did you find those at?

[mrtoren]

Those actually look nice. If I didn't have animals, I would be in. Where did you find those at?

Just browsing around. Each of the local universities has a student housing page and each of those housing pages have off-campus recommendations. Seton Hall also recommended the Union Building (http://www.unionbuilding.com/index.html) and Eleven80 (http://eleven80rentals.com/), but I believe both surpass the $1200/month per room mark for multiple bedroom apartments. To me, that's outrageous. I want to stay as close to, if not under, $1000/month per room as possible.

[Bigbub75]

The Colonade is a dump! Stay away. One eleven is very nice and very close to school. I live in East Orange, which is the hood, but my building is nice, and I drive so it's all good.

BTW - I am a 2LE at RU- Newark. Feel free to ask any questions.


Edit: One Eleven = Eleven 80. lol

[mrtoren]

The Colonade is a dump! Stay away. One eleven is very nice and very close to school. I live in East Orange, which is the hood, but my building is nice, and I drive so it's all good.

BTW - I am a 2LE at RU- Newark. Feel free to ask any questions.

One eleven? Eleven80? It looks fantastic if you're willing to mortgage not one, but two houses on a legal education. Ironbound looks like a fairly decent area at a decent price depending on the apartment location. However, it sounds like University Centre might be the safe bet for the first year.

[Bigbub75]

University Center is not bad, but it's not much better than the newer High rise dorms on campus. Also I don't think you have to be a student to live at University Center, so It may operate more like a rooming house. 1000 will give you a lot of options if you are flexible. I pay $975 for a condo in a building with undergound parking stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer in my unit and a gym.

[neeko]

University Center is not bad, but it's not much better than the newer High rise dorms on campus. Also I don't think you have to be a student to live at University Center, so It may operate more like a rooming house. 1000 will give you a lot of options if you are flexible. I pay $975 for a condo in a building with undergound parking stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer in my unit and a gym.

How long does it take you to drive in from out there and how is the traffic?

[Bigbub75]

University Center is not bad, but it's not much better than the newer High rise dorms on campus. Also I don't think you have to be a student to live at University Center, so It may operate more like a rooming house. 1000 will give you a lot of options if you are flexible. I pay $975 for a condo in a building with undergound parking stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer in my unit and a gym.

How long does it take you to drive in from out there and how is the traffic?

7 min no traffic 15 with traffic. Found it on Craigslist through a realtor's listing. Like I said it's in the hood, but I feel very safe. I drive right in to my building and go straight up to my apartment. There are a lot of options, you just have to look around. For someone moving from out of state this can be tough. My first place last year was a total dump, but this place is wonderful. So it's a toss up. Using a realtor, cost $500 but took a lot of stress out of the hunt.

[mrtoren]

University Center is not bad, but it's not much better than the newer High rise dorms on campus. Also I don't think you have to be a student to live at University Center, so It may operate more like a rooming house. 1000 will give you a lot of options if you are flexible. I pay $975 for a condo in a building with undergound parking stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer in my unit and a gym.

On-campus housing for grad students is split between University Square and the Talbott Apartments, right? University Square sounds pretty nice, but I would assume that its operated like a dorm (little/no alcohol, no parties, floor meetings, RA dictators, visitors must sign in, etc). As for Talbott Apartments, I've heard nothing but bad things. They're supposedly old, run-down, nasty places to live. University Square also costs the same as University Centre with twice the amount of red tape and half the amenities. Talbott is...Talbott.

Beyond University Centre, are there any other decent places to live near the campus in that price range? I'm coming from the suburbs of Chicago so I do not plan to bring my car for the first year..if at all. I want to stay fairly close to the school.

EDIT: Are you in a fairly large building in East Orange? Is there public trans out there? Any nearby buildings you would recommend? It seems like there are a lot of student-orient apartment complexes out that way after sifting through Garden State Apartments' recommendations (Twin Oaks, The Vista, Lenox on the Park, The Twin Gardens, The Edge..) .

[Bigbub75]

University Center is not bad, but it's not much better than the newer High rise dorms on campus. Also I don't think you have to be a student to live at University Center, so It may operate more like a rooming house. 1000 will give you a lot of options if you are flexible. I pay $975 for a condo in a building with undergound parking stainless steel appliances, washer/dryer in my unit and a gym.

On-campus housing for grad students is split between University Square and the Talbott Apartments, right? University Square sounds pretty nice, but I would assume that its operated like a dorm (little/no alcohol, no parties, floor meetings, RA dictators, visitors must sign in, etc). As for Talbott Apartments, I've heard nothing but bad things. They're supposedly old, run-down, nasty places to live. University Square also costs the same as University Centre with twice the amount of red tape and half the amenities. Talbott is...Talbott.

Beyond University Centre, are there any other decent places to live near the campus in that price range? I'm coming from the suburbs of Chicago so I do not plan to bring my car for the first year..if at all. I want to stay fairly close to the school.

EDIT: Are you in a fairly large building in East Orange? Is there public trans out there? Any nearby buildings you would recommend? It seems like there are a lot of student-orient apartment complexes out that way after sifting through Garden State Apartments' recommendations (Twin Oaks, The Vista, Lenox on the Park, The Twin Gardens, The Edge..) .

Lenox on the park is a the worst. that's where I lived last year. Rats, prostitutes, etc. Stay away at all cost. That's the thing that is tricky about the area, everything looks nice on the internet, but it really is hit or miss. Harrison has a lot of decent places and it is really not to far either but you would need a car. University Square is the new dorm. Undergrads so live in the building but grad students are housed on the same floor together. It's really close to campus though. one block from the law school. University Centre is a good 10-15 min walk to campus. Undergrads from NJIT and RU-Newark make up the majority of this building. Talbots is a dump because it's old, but it's close to campus.

I live in a condo, but the complex is called Empire View ( I actually have a view of NYC from my window) the train is down the street but to be honest I wouldn't want to live here if I didn't have a car, even though I have utilized the train on several occasions. If I were moving from out of state and didn't have time to do an extensive search and check out the neighborhoods I would stay in 1) university square, 2nd would be university centre. Also on the housing website you will see some listings on there, a few are pretty close and convenient. Society Hill in Newark is close to school. Normally there are a few students who live there with roommates and pay about $600 per person. Once you get to town you will be able to get a lay of the land. The area near the school is not that bad, but we do have the occasional mugging. I would want to be as close to campus as possible if I didn't have a car. I am frequently at the law school till 3am or later and would not want to have to walk far that late at night alone. The closest and nicest location is University Square, followed by University Centre. Both are good choices for the first semester. By the second semester, because there are so many options close by and reasonably priced, you will probably want to move.

[dntburntheday]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know when the next acceptance cycle is for Rutgers-Newark? Hoping I will be joining you in the fall... part time (as I have a full time job that I'd like to keep).

Do they send an e-mail, mail, or online status checker only?

I am life time Jersey native with major ties to Rutgers. I got my B.A. in Biology there, finishing my masters in Genetics in the spring, and I am currently a full-time employee for the Genetics Department on Busch Campus in Piscataway. So if anyone has any questions about Rutgers, its operating procedures (because they can be ULTRA confusing), or anything else, please feel free to ask.

[neeko]

How much of the ghetto is East Orange? Like can I walk my dog without getting mugged? I keep seeing all these cheap places there that look decent.

[marc519]

Hey all I will be attending as well for Fall 2012, I got a nice scholarship so I am considering living in NYC around Murray hill/chelsea and commuting to Rutgers Newark from Penn-Station and then the light rail to Washington Street. Does anyone think this is a dumb idea, disregarding the financials.

[mrtoren]

Hey all I will be attending as well for Fall 2012, I got a nice scholarship so I am considering living in NYC around Murray hill/chelsea and commuting to Rutgers Newark from Penn-Station and then the light rail to Washington Street. Does anyone think this is a dumb idea, disregarding the financials.

Depends on your reason for disregarding the financial difference. Sounds dumb right now.

[marc519]

The financials are not important because my scholarship allows living in the city to still be cheaper than i expected to pay. Although it's true that I could save further by living in Newark, I prefer NYC and have several friends in the areas i am looking at. My concern is over the commute, though only about 30 minutes, and if it will be a hassle.

[mrtoren]

The financials are not important because my scholarship allows living in the city to still be cheaper than i expected to pay. Although it's true that I could save further by living in Newark, I prefer NYC and have several friends in the areas i am looking at. My concern is over the commute, though only about 30 minutes, and if it will be a hassle.

Difficult to say, it depends on your mindset. That 30 minute commute each way could be viewed as your daily decompression time or it could be an obstacle that eats up your spare time. Keep in mind that the commute could also prevent you easily attending study sessions or group meetings. Worst case scenario, you could always move from one to the other after the first semester.

[neeko]

Hey all I will be attending as well for Fall 2012, I got a nice scholarship so I am considering living in NYC around Murray hill/chelsea and commuting to Rutgers Newark from Penn-Station and then the light rail to Washington Street. Does anyone think this is a dumb idea, disregarding the financials.

Are you an NJ resident now?

[Bigbub75]

@neeko: East Orange is hit or miss. But If you want to walk you dog or do things like that you may just want to stick to the burbs. I think you would be safe at day, but after the sun goes down, not so much.

@marc519: It's a reverse commute so it' shouldn't be bad. But it will more than likely take longer than 30 min. The light rail runs every 15 min or so, so if you miss it you may have to wait. Also the light rail is a few blocks from the school, so walking there in bad weather can really suck. RU does offer a shuttle from Penn Station though. As an aside, one of my classmates lived in NYC first semester and moved to NJ the second semester. You won't really have time to "enjoy" NYC or hang out with your friends so it's really hard to justify the extra time spent commuting and extra money wasted.

[iceicebaby]

Guys and gals... check out http://www.zillow.com/ ... it's a really good apartment finder and found me a sick large, 1 bedroom loft in Hoboken for less than $2000/month (that's less than $1000 each for me and my girlfriend, granted, so there are obvious trade-offs). I'm sure you can use the same search for the surrounding areas when you decide what area you want to be.

[Jante05]

Anyone in This forum commuting from ny to nj?