Rutgers New Brunswick - Local Atmosphere

College Prowler Take

Rutgers is like its own self-sufficient world. It has five campuses, on-campus dining, various student organizations that provide entertainment—there’s really never a reason to leave campus. However, when midterms and finals roll around, and students want to tear out their eyes, there are means of escaping from the New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses into the “real world.” The College Avenue campus is typically referred to as the city campus. You can walk downtown to a local Rite Aid to buy shampoo or candy. However, the other campuses do not have this luxury, since they are enclosed. Students on these campuses sometimes feel trapped, especially on the weekends when buses run less frequently. If a student wants a life outside Rutgers, they must take a bus over to College Avenue and start from there.

From College Avenue, you can go to the Stress Factory, Starbucks, dollar stores, and CH Martin discount store. There are also many four-star restaurants for students to stare at while eating items from the dollar menus. Many cute shops occupy downtown New Brunswick, as well as date spots such as Thomas Sweets and Sanctuary. One of the best and most unique aspects of Rutgers is how versatile the atmosphere is. Depending on the campus, you can have a country college experience, as well as a city one. You can take care of farm animals and dance at a club at night. A 10-minute bus ride can take you from cows to high-rise buildings, without ever leaving Rutgers University.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

New Brunswick is definitely a... New Brunswick is definitely a college town. There is plenty of off-campus housing which is, in reality, as close in walking distance as on-campus housing. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

The city of New Brunswick is... The city of New Brunswick is great. There is an active nightlife and something for almost anyone in the area, with little need for a car. No other universities are really nearby. People should not go really far into downtown because it can be dangerous. People should check out Old Man Rafferty’s. It’s a restaurant with a great atmosphere and is relatively close by. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

I feel like Rutgers is its own... I feel like Rutgers is its own little world. I like the fact that Busch and Livingston feel so different from College Avenue and Douglass. I feel like Busch and Livingston represent the New Jersey countryside pretty nicely, where as College Avenue brings in a more city-like appeal and Douglass gives an old-world feel. Stuff to visit would be grease trucks, downtown, Zimmerli Museum, and lots of restaurants geared toward college kids on Easton Avenue. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

I love going to school in one of... I love going to school in one of the most prominent theater districts in the state. There are so many great theaters, restaurants, cafés, and nearby clubs. There is really no reason to have to go home. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

New Brunswick has a lot of... New Brunswick has a lot of different opportunities, depending on what you are looking for. There’s the theater district, dance and comedy clubs, restaurants, and bars all located within walking distance of the New Brunswick campuses. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Facts

Did You Know?

5 Fun Facts about New Brunswick:

• The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick. Rutgers won against Princeton in 1869.
• New Brunswick has the most four-star restaurants in the state of New Jersey.
• New Jersey’s largest student-run philanthropy annually takes place in New Brunswick. In 2005, the Rutgers University Dance Marathon raised $191,172 for the Institute for Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders.
• New Brunswick is referenced in the movie, “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension,” directed by W. D. Richter.
• The house featured in the opening credits of the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge, is located on the corner of George Street and Commercial Avenue.

Famous People From New Brunswick:
Michael Douglas (actor)
Alfred Joyce Kilmer (poet)
William Vanderbilt (financer)

Local Slang:
Cell it – Call my cell phone.
Mad – A lot of something.
Shottie – You scream this when you want to sit in the passenger seat when a lot of people are packing into a vehicle.
Tool – A person, typically male, who is not very fun to be around.
What’s good – Instead of saying “what’s up,” or “how are you?”

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Jill Weiss
Hometown: Ardsley, NY
Major: English

Jill went to high school with Jesse McCartney.

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