<p>I spent last summer at Harvard SSP and what i loved about it the most was how much of a college town it was, i stayed in the dorms in the yard and everything everywhere had to do with Harvard, and this was all two or three subway stops outside of Boston (a the subway stop was 100ft away from my room).</p>
<p>The problem is all my life i have wanted to go to school in NYC, or worst comes to worse some very other urban city, but now that i went to Harvard i wanted a big school with a college atmosphere and spirit. I had spent a summer at Columbia two years ago and it was the only school i could think of that was remotely like that, sadly though i’ve drifted further and further away from any chance of getting in. The two schools I was now thinking of were NYU (because its the city) and GW (because its so close to capitol hill). From what i’ve heard the fist one has no college spirit what so ever and not much of a campus, although its mostly in the village, and the second one isn’t much better.</p>
<p>Since i live in New Jersey my parents have been pressuring me to go to Rutgers (my Dad an alumni of Rutgers and my mom Douglass), and when my mom heard this she kept telling me its everything i want, i didn’t see that though. Last month i spent a weekend at a friends apartment in Rutgers and walking around the Rutgers area it didn’t feel like i was at a college - the minute i got off College Ave i was just on another street in New Brunswick. </p>
<p>I have the impression that some of that will change with the whole College Ave renovation thing, but my question is how much of that will I really feel? Im a Junior right now and am taking a year or two off after high school so Ill be a freshman in 08 or 09, how much of this will be done and effect the schools atmosphere and campus life by the time I get there?</p>
<p>No one really knows how much of this will be done by 08 or 09 because theres no timeline for the acutal building. I assume some of it will be done by then.</p>
<p>I think that it will make College Ave somewhat nicer, but I think that College Ave right now by itself isn’t really all that bad. It’s a nice campus with the dorms clustered together and the academic buildings clustered together in quads. However, the design process is probably not going to change the surrounding area. </p>
<p>I don’t see how NB could be more college-townish, I don’t know. George Street has Rutgers flags all the way down and there are plenty of restaurants that cater to students. Tell me a little bit more about what you wish Rutgers had and maybe I can be a little more specific.</p>
<p>Last month I spent a weekend at Rutgers. I was staying in an aparments (not in the quad) and Friday night i got lost and as i was walking, and i felt that idk, except for when i was on college ave or saw a party i didn’t feel i was “at rutgers”</p>
<p>I don’t know if i can describe it, but it didn’t have the same atmosphere as the Harvard area (that part has nothing to do with the fact it is an expensive ivy leauge school)</p>
<p>I don’t know… you’re right. The section of New Brunswick that sits between College Ave and St. Peter’s Hospital (where most people have houses/apts) is mainly a residential area that doesn’t seem all that affluent. It definately doesn’t have the feeling of Harvard Sq.</p>
<p>However, you probably didn’t walk into downtown NB, which has more of that feel. Walk down College Ave or George St. south, and you’ll get into a NB that is nicer with restaurants and stores. I don’t know though, if you don’t feel it, you don’t feel it. Since your friend didn’t live on campus, you might have had a very different experience if you had stayed with someone else.</p>
<p>Believe me, I know Rutgers does not have the campus of an expensive private school. The campus wasn’t worth it for me to shell out all that money though. :)</p>
<p>NYU has much less of a college feel than Rutgers. You would not even know that your are at NYU if you did not look up and see the sign on the building. </p>
<p>You are right that Rutgers is spread out with many commuters. Livingston and Busch have more of a contained college feel and you might pay those a visit. Many years ago Rutgers should have bought out all of the property between Easton Ave and the River and consolidated all of the campuses.</p>
<p>wow i have the same exact thing. My dad graduated from Rutgers and my mom from Douglass and they are both pressuring me to go and I dont mind so much cause its a great school for the money and Im in honors and stuff but same thing for me, Ive been there to visit so many times and it just doenst feel like a college campus to me anywhere. College Ave is just a street, Bush is a lot of grass with some buildings in between and Cook is like a park. Its strange…
Anyway, bout the renovation, I know all bout it cause both my parents know lots of Deans and admins officers etc and they all say it wont really be started that much at all till at least 3 years from now, so i doubt itll effect you that much. it may be started, but nothing will be completed.</p>