Rutgers - Newark and Seton Hall

[PaddyWack]

I'm currently deciding between the two.   Seton Hall has given me a scholarship putting it on equal footing, financially, with Rutgers, so now it's a toss up, pending decisons from other schools.  So far I'm 3/3 with 3 pending.

Is anyone here an attending student that can perhaps comment on either school?  I live quite far, so I may not be able to visit the campus until after a decision.  I'm interested in atmosphere, opportunities, professors, and things of that sort.  Thanks.

[rider06]

I'm currently deciding between the two.   Seton Hall has given me a scholarship putting it on equal footing, financially, with Rutgers, so now it's a toss up, pending decisons from other schools.  So far I'm 3/3 with 3 pending.

Is anyone here an attending student that can perhaps comment on either school?  I live quite far, so I may not be able to visit the campus until after a decision.  I'm interested in atmosphere, opportunities, professors, and things of that sort.  Thanks.

I visited Rutgers-Newark but not yet Seton Hall.  I was recently rejected at Rutgers but accepted at Seton Hall...

Having visited the rutgers campus, I can say that the building is very nice...you will not be dissappointed in that respect.  I also sat in on a conlaw class, and the professor was impressive, and was willing to talk to us to answer questions.

About newark...well it depends on where you're coming from.  Downtown newark is relatively safe, and when I visited the campus at night, there were still students around, so you won't be alone.  Just don't stray to far into the unknown because newark can get dicey once you leave the heavily populated areas at night.

Seton hall is more convenient in terms of transportation.  It is 20 minutes by train to NYC, and the station is one block from seton hall...very convenient if you want to avoid driving to newark.  Most people say that you shouldn't live in newark and they are right.  There are many very nice and cheaper areas right outside newark that make much more sense.

You should definitely visit both before making a decision though.

[mschuell]

I'm currently deciding between the two.   Seton Hall has given me a scholarship putting it on equal footing, financially, with Rutgers, so now it's a toss up, pending decisons from other schools.  So far I'm 3/3 with 3 pending.

Is anyone here an attending student that can perhaps comment on either school?  I live quite far, so I may not be able to visit the campus until after a decision.  I'm interested in atmosphere, opportunities, professors, and things of that sort.  Thanks.

I'm a 1L just starting 2nd semester at Seton Hall.

Getting to and from the school is very easy- its literally a 2 block walk from Penn Station, and the area immediately surrounding the school and train station is fine.

The building is great- basically a huge atrium with natural light.

Professors so far are very good- The 3 I had last semester and the 3 I have now are very good teachers as well as obviously being extremely intelligent.

Classmates are generally very nice and the atmosphere is not incredibly competitive.

Legal Writing Program is IMO the only aspect I am not impressed with, though it sounds like that is a common complaint throughout the country.

Can't tell you about career stuff since all I have done up to this point is send in a few resumes for summer jobs.  I can tell you SHU has a good rep in NJ according to everyone I have talked to.

PM me if you have any more questions.

I know Rutgers is a very good school..I would definitely suggest visiting both and just seeing which you feel more comfortable with.

[laur0212]

I'm currently a 1L at Rutgers-Newark.  Here are my impressions so far, and hopefully they'll help you in your decision.

Professors are wonderful.  They're eager to help, want to get to know you personally (which you really want to do if you ever want to get a recommendation), and aren't that boring most of the time.  Last semester I had great professors, and while my Civ Pro prof is sometimes less than captivating, I can't complain about any of them.

The building is gorgeous, which tons of space for you to study, tons of study rooms, wireless internet access throughout the building and outside on the back patio, and a good but expensive cafe. 

Legal Resarch and Writing is a female dog, but its a useful female dog.  My LRW prof is wonderful.  She routinely holds conferences, will read outlines and rough drafts of your memos and briefs, and will talk to you about LITERALLY anything.  I'm not sure what the rest of the LRW profs are like, but mine is great.

Rutgers-Newark campus is actually pretty nice.  Not in the lots of greenery kind of way, but everything is pretty much right there for you.  Parking sucks though, especially if you get to school after like 11:30 or 12- but trust me, that won't be an issue your first semester or two.

My biggest pet peeve at the moment is that while apparently the professors are supposed to have one week per 30 students to grade our exams, I didn't get my fist grade until a week and a half ago, and although I now have 3 grades, I'm still waiitng on Torts.

Please feel free to PM me if you're interested in hearing more, or have any specific questions.  I'd be happy to help (b/c it keeps my mind off of studying).  Good luck!

[PaddyWack]

Thanks for the replies.  See you at Rutgers in the fall!