New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ

                                                                           Sophomore architecture contest photo

NJIT is on 45 acres, a few square blocks, in the University Heights section of Newark, NJ.  There is a light rail station next to campus which goes to Newark Penn Station. There is a limited amount of green space on campus.


NJIT is the only NJ state college with an architecture program.  It is also strong in engineering and the sciences.  The college has an  Honors college that offers enrichment, a significant scholarship, its own housing floor, and its own space on campus.  There is an engineering class that Freshman can take to help them decide on an engineering major.  Clubs that have to do with your major and internships (e.g., with at&t or PSE&G) are popular.

Housing is limited and there are many commuters. Students who want housing seem to get it. Freshmen have a choice between long hall building with the bathroom in the hall or a building with 2 room suites with a private bathroom for each suite. There is an Electrical Engineering floor and an Honors floor.  Upper classmen can live in those buildings or in apartment style buildings. There seems to be a strong safety focus on campus. I wouldn’t want to stray far from campus alone after dark.


I think a NJ student who wants to study science, engineering, or architecture but wants a school smaller than Rutgers with a multi-ethnic group, doesn't mind that the school is only one quarter female, and is not too interested in social life would be happy here. A student we met in the dorm said he went to class, studied, ate and slept.

Check out my business Facebook page for additional photos of NJIT.  If you are an NJIT student, add your comments to this blog.

Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA

Bucknell University has a beautiful campus in the Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania. It is a three-hour drive from Somerset County, N.J., not far from I-80 in the small college town of Lewisburg.

With colleges in Arts and Sciences, in Management, and in Engineering, this private university has more than 60 majors for the 3500 undergraduate students. Classes are small and professors spend three hours a week in office hours. There are few colleges that primarily award bachelor’s degrees in the liberal arts that also have strong engineering programs. Bucknell University is one of them. The employment and graduate school information of recent Bucknell graduates is encouraging.

Bucknell students are involved in over 200 organizations, including Division I Athletics; club sports; academic organizations; arts and entertainment; Greek life; leadership groups; multicultural groups; music, dance and theatre; publications; religious organizations; service organizations and political groups. Freshmen can participate in theme-based housing options, where hallmates take a seminar together and have opportunities to travel together. Forty-five percent of students study abroad.

On of my son’s best friends attended Bucknell (like his father) and studied accounting.  He got a great education and had a great time.

What did you think of Bucknell University, when you visited?

Penn State

Penn State is a university with campuses all over Pennsylvania.  Sixty percent of students start in a campus other than University Park, and then transfer after two years to the main campus in University Park, which is shown here.

The school is huge, with a plethora of colleges and majors.  Those students who are undecided can join the Division of Undergraduate Studies, which helps them sample different majors. 

Those who are at the top of the class may be part of the Schreyer Honors College which has smaller Honors classes, priority registration, special housing, a thesis, and a travel grant.
 
Penn State students have a great enthusiasm for their University and their Division I sports teams. In addition to being well-known for their academics and sports teams, they are also well-known for their job placement services.

Penn State likes to admit out-of-state students and it is not more difficult to be accepted if you are an out-of-state resident. Students can apply to start their Freshman year in the Summer or in the Fall.

University of Washington

While I was in Seattle visiting my son, I toured the University of Washington, more fondly known as UDub.  If you are looking for a large public university in a major city, with strong research funding and a beautiful campus, this might be the university for you.

Cheap College Travel in the Northeast - Updated

Here's an update on the Bolt Bus for New Jerseyans.  The Bolt Bus now leaves from Newark Penn Station.  If you are taking the Bolt Bus to visit colleges in Boston, there is no longer any need to go into Manhattan to catch the bus.  This should save you both time and money!

Last summer I wrote:

Need a cheap way to visit an out of town college or to get to and from college without a car? Consider the Bolt Bus which serves locations including New York, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

If you book early enough you may qualify for the $1 fare. If you take eight trips you get one free! The bus fare includes wireless internet.

If its slow by car because of inclement weather or holiday traffic, it will also be slow by bus.

Fairleigh Dickinson University, College at Florham, Madison, NJ

Fairleigh Dickinson’s Madison campus has about 2500 students on over 175 acres and offers Bachelors degrees and some combined Bachelors/Masters in liberal arts, business, allied health, and hospitality management. The average class size is between 25 and 30 students. There is a study abroad program on Fairleigh Dickinson’s own campus in Wroxton, England (75 miles outside of London).

The school has over 80% of students living on campus and freshmen are guaranteed housing. Students are involved in Division III athletics, non-residential Greek life, over 40 clubs/organizations, and alternative break programs in the US and abroad. Students can get to NYC easily by taking the train which is close to campus.

The Honors program requires a GPA of 3.0 or higher and over 1100 on the CR and Math sections of the SAT.

As the Regional Center for Colleges with Learning Disabilities, there is an extensive program for 25 –30 students each year on the Madison campus at no extra charge.

The college is need blind with 92% of students receiving an average of $19,700 in aid. Merit scholarships of between $3500 and $24000 are available based on SAT scores. Students can get an Alumni grant of $1000 by getting an alumni, trustee or faculty member to sign; children of alumni get a $1500 grant.
 
 
If you've visited or attended the Madison campus lately, share your observations.

Amherst College, Amherst, MA

Amherst College

Amherst College is a very selective, small Liberal Arts College with no core curriculum or distribution requirements except for the Freshman seminar. This makes it possible to do a double or even triple major. Students at Amherst can take advantage of classes in the five-college consortium that Amherst does not offer.

Students live on campus all four years.  Freshman have their own housing. About half the students travel abroad. This Division III college is a school of student-athletes, with a majority of students in Division III, club or intramural sports. There are no fraternities or sororities. 

While there is no merit-aid at Amherst College, need based aid packages are provided without loans.  The college will pay students to work at an NGO or non-profit over the summer.

If you attended or visited Amherst recently, what are your impressions?

Amherst College