Rutgers Newark Forum

[lovaholic]

For those still waiting, Dean Walton mentioned last night that this cycle is extremely competitive, FWIW.

Ahh...don't say that! Sucks to wait. I've been complete since 1/29.

[lovaholic]

In today via email

Congrats! Do you remember/know if there is something after "Current Status: File complete. " on the status checker?

[JOThompson]

Congrats on the acceptance.

Also, I don't believe my status checker immediately updated when I received my email decision.

[ostaka]

In today via email

Congrats! Do you remember/know if there is something after "Current Status: File complete. " on the status checker?

No, I got the email first and when I logged on to the status checker it stated "Decision rendered" and then down at the requirements block my information changed to " seat deposit received" and undergraduate transcript received"

[kartal]

If this is true I am in serious trouble. I intended on going to Rutgers with the promise of in-state tuition. Considering the fact that my financial aid initial offer only covers enough for in-state tuition, I would have to borrow a lot in private funds, and that is a scary thought considering what I owe already. Has anyone contacted the Newark admissions office yet? I seriously hope this is not true!!!

For those of you who are still in doubt, here is my source of this bad news:

Nancy Ruber
Rutgers - Camden Law School Admissions Office
(856) 225-6375

[kartal]

I have the e-mail for the Financial Aid person if anyone has residency questions. I'm sure she's aware of it IF there is a change (everyone who went Monday was already a resident). Plus, Camden and Newark may have different policies.

Sorry but they cannot have different policies. They belong to the same university. This is not even the university-defined rule. It is the state law that is now being enforced across the board from the university's so-to-speak main office in New Brunswick.

I would like to hear the Rutgers - Newark's response but I would not count on what they say now. I would personally not trust if they tell yes we grant in-state at 1L.

[keg411]

I have the e-mail for the Financial Aid person if anyone has residency questions. I'm sure she's aware of it IF there is a change (everyone who went Monday was already a resident). Plus, Camden and Newark may have different policies.

Sorry but they cannot have different policies. They belong to the same university. This is not even the university-defined rule. It is the state law that is now being enforced across the board from the university's so-to-speak main office in New Brunswick.

I would like to hear the Rutgers - Newark's response but I would not count on what they say now. I would personally not trust if they tell yes we grant in-state at 1L.

I was just offering help. I don't know either way and the schools have totally different governing bodies and often times, even within the same state, residency rules are different. I haven't read anything about this crackdown, but I'm a NJ resident, so whatever Rutgers-Camden and Rutgers-Newark want to do with their residency policies doesn't affect me in any way, shape or form. I figure the best way to find out residency regarding Rutgers-Newark would be to talk to the financial aid people at Rutgers-Newark and not Rutgers-Camden.

[Burger in a can]

I have the e-mail for the Financial Aid person if anyone has residency questions. I'm sure she's aware of it IF there is a change (everyone who went Monday was already a resident). Plus, Camden and Newark may have different policies.

Sorry but they cannot have different policies. They belong to the same university. This is not even the university-defined rule. It is the state law that is now being enforced across the board from the university's so-to-speak main office in New Brunswick.

I would like to hear the Rutgers - Newark's response but I would not count on what they say now. I would personally not trust if they tell yes we grant in-state at 1L.

I am going to talk to them about it directly. But you're probably right-I shouldn't take their word for it--- I'm better off trusting some anecdotes about an entirely different law school's tuition practices from an anonymous online forum poster.

[MSRP]

Accepted to part time program. 3.42, 158

[badpixie]

For those still waiting, Dean Walton mentioned last night that this cycle is extremely competitive, FWIW.

*sigh* I wonder if it is too late to start throwing applications out to some more schools just in case...

[Compaq1984]

For those still waiting, Dean Walton mentioned last night that this cycle is extremely competitive, FWIW.

*sigh* I wonder if it is too late to start throwing applications out to some more schools just in case...

Take that for what its worth... Every Dean in America would likely say the same thing ITE... Its not exactly breaking news that applications will be higher than ever...

[bjf]

Congrats MSRP!

Badpixie: I've been wondering the same thing...

[badpixie]

Accepted to part time program. 3.42, 158

Congrats!!

[keg411]

Scholarship update: 8k renewable with a 3.0. Will have to check RU-N's curve to see how bad/good that is.

[Compaq1984]

"held" for further review...

WTF, do they even have a WL or is this it?

[Rutgers1L_10]

Congrats to all the people with recent acceptances!

I try to swing by this site just to see if I can help any of you out or answer some FAQs.
If you have any specific question feel free to PM me.

I'm not sure what to make of the "new development" with New Brunswick cracking down on the law schools use of the residency requirement. The rules are written by the New Jersey Board of Regents and are "interpreted" by the schools. I do know that other public schools (Indiana-Bloomington for example) ran into an issue where they were prohibited from giving student in-state tuition. But they aren't allowed to give it to any student new or returning, that wasn't a resident prior to starting school. So far Rutgers isn't doing anything illegal, for lack of a better word. They interpret what they believe to be an appropriate way to give in-state residency. I'm sure that they recognize that it's a way to get students that would otherwise choose schools that can afford to give more money. If you have more in-state students you can afford to give out more relevant scholarship money. Rutgers' biggest detriment is that it's not a large public attached to it's parent institute. They don't have a ton of money and they try to ration it the best they can. I hope for their sake (and most of yours) that there is not a new policy prohibiting 1Ls from getting in-state. The current policy is super easy.

As far as living. People live all over from Hoboken, Jersey city, North Bergen, The "Oranges", and NYC. It really depends on your needs and your finances. Hoboken is as expensive as NYC. Hoboken is a very fun place to live. It's just one "strip" of restaurants, bars and shops for about 2 miles and then apartments located on a couple of blocks. I know a lot of people that lived there for a semester, and moved to cheaper places. I don't know anyone that can afford to live alone. My personal opinion is that it's not worth the money, Especially since it's very accessible from the PATH and NJ transit if you just want to hang out there on weekends. But that's just my opinion

The library is nothing amazing. It's 3 floor of legal books and tables. There's a computer lab and two legal-research computer labs for Lexis and Westlaw research. If you've seen books in your own library you've seen this one. I can't say anyone needs a special trip to the school just to look at a library. You won't be impressed because there won't be anything unexpected.
The bigger news is that they just implemented a new ID policy. Everyone must show ID to enter the law school. Most law students don't mind that policy necessarily, but rather wish the school would implement a law students only policy in the library. No offense to those of you that are still undergrads, but undergrads ruin the library with their noise and their nonsense.

As far as jobs--don't expect Rutgers or career services to bend over backwards for you. I don't know of too many schools that "place" their students anywhere. Getting a job is your job. You have to go out and apply and stay on top of deadlines, and get your paperwork together early. The people that are the most successful are the ones that are proactive. I will say that I started sending apps out for summer associate positions Dec 1 (which is the first day 1Ls can apply) and I sent a bunch over Christmas break and I was sending them out through the end of February. I got a number of callbacks and I accepted a paid gig in NYC for the summer. I'll be working near at least 2-3 other folks that secured jobs in NYC because that's where people wanted to go. I also know people that secured sweet gigs in Jersey because that's where they wanted. I know some people that will be working in DC, some will be working with local government, public interest and everything in between. Your job search is what you make it. You won't be barred from applying to any job just because you attend Rutgers. Nobody is going to shred your application just because you go to school in New Jersey. If you sit around waiting for employers to invite you to lunch and hire you then you're delusional. But, if you've got the grades and the credentials you can apply anywhere you want. Anybody that tells you that Rutgers doesn't place in NYC is EXACTLY right. Rutgers will not mail out your application and drive you to your interview. You've got to do that yourself. It is true that higher ranked schools around the country may have more contacts in general, but if you've psyched yourself out that you somehow can't get a job then you probably won't. Just keep this in mind--you need to be on top of your legal career from DAY 1!! Rutgers puts you smack dab in the middle of the NYC/NJ legal market. If you drag your feet you'll sink to the bottom. If you bring your "A" game you can fight your way to the top.

I hope you guys hear back from your outstanding applications soon. I know this process can be nerve wrecking.
Hit me up with any ?s if you have them.

[kartal]

I hope you guys hear back from your outstanding applications soon. I know this process can be nerve wrecking. Hit me up with any ?s if you have them.

I have couple questions here:

1. What are the sectionn sizes at 1L?

2. Does the faculty lean more liberal or conservative? How about the student body?

3. Do you see your law school as a cut-throat (very competitive) school or not so?

4. Why are you glad you chose your law school over some of the other options that you had? What were your other options?

Thanks in advance.

[keg411]

Hi again, Rutgers_1L. Sounds like your 1L job search went super well . If I end up at Rutgers, I'm finding you and picking your brain about this job search thing because you sound like you know what you're doing.

[Rutgers1L_10]

I hope you guys hear back from your outstanding applications soon. I know this process can be nerve wrecking. Hit me up with any ?s if you have them.

I have couple questions here:

1. What are the sectionn sizes at 1L?
The 1L class is about 180-190 people depending on the year. There are 6 tracks. I,II,III are early they start at 8:30 IV,V,VI are late and start at 9:55 (during the fall only, everyone starts at the same time this spring). There are 30-35 people in each track. Each track will have a class that is just their track only. I think last semester everyone's contracts class was their "small section" class. It's a nice opportunity to get to speak up in class, it's usually more laid back and the professors have a party at their home and invite your track over. The other 3 classes will be a combination of either two or three (so 60-90 people) tracks. CORRECTION: Legal Research and writing is split by track but only 1/2 your track will be in the same LRW so about 15 will have one prof and 15 from your track will have another prof. LRW is the smallest class you have and it's the only course that is for 2 semesters.

2. Does the faculty lean more liberal or conservative? How about the student body?
I'm obviously going to have to generalize, but I would say liberal. But Rutgers as a school has a strong history of diversity, and political movement, and involvement in the Newark community. Most of the faculty at Rutgers are there because they appreciate the environment and because they recognize what a great opportunity it is to teach in that type of a school. Majority of the faculty are Harvard/Yale/Mich/Penn types so they run the gamut of personal background, experiences, and political view. But there are some very conservative types. But no matter where the prof leans they highly encourage an opinion from anyone. They value a discussion between people who may disagree politically more than 60 or 90 students all saying the same thing.


3. Do you see your law school as a cut-throat (very competitive) school or not so?
Cut-throat? No! But I guess that could really depend on your social circle. I think it's more internal than external. If you feel like you're in a cut throat environment it may be that you're making it that way. Or maybe you are the cut throat one, and since you're out to get everyone you automatically feel like they must be out to get you too. Kind of self-fulfilling. Cut Throat is the last adjective I'd use to describe RU.

4. Why are you glad you chose your law school over some of the other options that you had? What were your other options?
There are some things I'm glad about, there are some things I wish I could change. My other options were a few schools in the top 25-75 range. I'm not really good with keeping up on the ranking. Academically I don't feel like I'm missing something at Rutgers that I would've gotten elsewhere. Rutgers has a BRUTAL academic 1L fall, compared to some other schools.. I also didn't like the idea of moving to some small college town. I had a hard time trying to wrap my head around moving out of the city to a town of 10,000 people with one grocery store and one Wal-Mart, and a $40,000/yr price tag. I had some privates mostly the ones in DC (minus G'Town), and some in other big cities. I would be lying if I said I never consider if I would've enjoyed them as much. But I don't think I would've gotten more, I think in some instances I would just be paying more. That's not true for all circumstances, just in my personal opinion. My choice had more to do with family than anything. I had extenuating circumstances. All the things I don't like about RU are merely cosmetic. With a couple of exceptions that would plague any public school such as funding, open access to the general student body, and certain resources. I'm happy because I feel like RU is a good balance of legal education, finance, job options, and quality. It's not the best at any one of those, but it's a good balance.

Thanks in advance.

[kartal]

I'm happy because I feel like RU is a good balance of legal education, finance, job options, and quality. It's not the best at any one of those, but it's a good balance.

Thanks a lot! This is very helpful.

[Burger in a can]

Sorry but they cannot have different policies. They belong to the same university. This is not even the university-defined rule. It is the state law that is now being enforced across the board from the university's so-to-speak main office in New Brunswick.

I would like to hear the Rutgers - Newark's response but I would not count on what they say now. I would personally not trust if they tell yes we grant in-state at 1L.

To anyone who is interested:
I have more information about this. PM me if you want to hear it.

[clc8883]

Hey! Are any of you guys that have been accepted for 2013 going to the open house on the 26th?

[TUhustler]

Hey! Are any of you guys that have been accepted for 2013 going to the open house on the 26th?

I'm going

[renee15]

I will be going on the 26th as well.

[bklyngreenlp]

I just returned from a visit to Rutgers-Newark. I asked about a few issues being discussed on this board. These are the answers I received:

In-state tuition issue (I spoke with NIcky Fornarotto, R-N Financial Aid Coordinator) - their office has not heard that Rutgers University has changed their policy on being permitted to offer in-state tuition to 1L students. You must sign a lease by July 1st in order to qualify. As somebody previously mentioned on this thread, Rutgers as a University has ONE policy that does not differ per campus. Nicky told me that the Camden information sounded like their policy toward undergraduate residency. She emphatically stated their policy is to offer in-state tuition with a qualifying lease, as they have and continue to see this as a legal document binding you as a resident to NJ for a year.

Scholarships - Scholarships are merit-based and the amount will NOT be modified should your in-state/out-of-state residency changed. They do not reevaluate the amounts based on that factor.

Initial Financial Aid letter - These are generic letters that are run from a centralized financial aid office for the entire Rutgers University. All these letters state "on campus living" although many people have indicated they do not intend to live in campus housing. Rutgers offers a detailed financial aid letter only after receiving an initial seat deposit from admitted students.

Overall, I was impressed by the school. The Admissions staff are all very personable folks and I had an interesting and enjoyable time speaking with them. Their building is fairly new and is probably one of the nicest facilities on campus. Security was tight getting into the building and every person entering had to show a RU ID or sign-in with a valid form of identification. I was surprised that non-law students could use portions of the law library space. However, there were sections clearly marked "for law students only."

In terms of parking, I know somebody mentioned R-N doesn't offer reimbursement for parking during visits, there is a concrete reason why this doesn't occur. The ENTIRE Rutgers-Newark campus shares two parking garages (a handful of permit only lots also exist) for all schools and programs. As a result, parking is very restricted. By the time I arrived by 11:00, both garages were full and I had to park in a private garage. I was told you could sign-up for a parking pass and the student I spoke with said he didn't have any trouble finding a spot in the morning. I believe he was on the early morning class schedule.

I attended a class taught by Professor Kim and I really enjoyed her teaching style. She was engaging and, although civil procedure isn't the most interesting class, I liked how the class flowed. Out of all the schools I visited so far, I thought she was the best professor I've encountered during my observations. On a side note, it was rather funny when she randomly called on some dude who was watching a video during the class. As to be expected, he sounded clueless in his response. She didn't let him off the hook, either.

As to be expected and as noted in many other posts about the school, the school is exceptionally diverse. I loooove that R-N is committed to enrolling underrepresented groups.

The only downfall to R-N is the city of Newark itself. To be honest, being from NY, I really cannot think of a reason why I'd ever visit Newark. Perhaps the only reason I can think of is to get awesome portuguese food... In response to safety issues, the school has shuttles you can call if you want a ride to/from the train station and they also have a very large police presence on campus. I also asked about places to get lunch and the two places close to the school that were recommended were simply awful. I didn't see many places where you'd hang-out around the campus, maybe other than in the law school cafe area. This factor isn't that important to me, I'm just offering my impressions of the area.