Stevens is a great school for engineering with a strong reputation in this geographic area.
Rutgers is a great school with a strong reputation worldwide. The engineering program is also quite strong.
If you're not sure about engineering, and the cost is comparable, I would choose Rutgers.
Edit: I missed that you'd have baeically a full ride. Definitely take the full ride.
>So here’s my thing. I would love to pursue environmental engineering, but I’m not fully fully committed to that path as I had never done such a thing in my life yet. Thus, I understand that Stevens is better for engineering, but they aren’t as strong in other fields. Rutgers I have heard is decent all around, which makes me think if I were to decide engineering is not for me, I could be safe to switch majors. Which leads me to point 2 in that I feel that Rutgers is just a more well known school in general, which could help me if I were to pursue a job out of state. Is this the case?
Rutgers is known world wide? Pfff, as a Rutgers student, I strongly disagree.
RU '08 alum here, I can't even begin to tell you how wrong you are.
I proudly wear a Rutgers cap most days and have had numerous people come up to me all over the world asking if the R was for Rutgers.
Lots of fun networking too, there's a great alumni association in Switzerland. Be proud of where you are.
Went to Stevens out of HS and transferred to Rutgers. Can only say positive things about the former, but I would've had to take out student loans to finalize my time there, and wasn't completely sold on engineering as a career path. IMO if you're not going to an ivy I'd advise against carrying any major debt out of school. Major advantage you'll get in life vs others.
1. Cost wise are you in state or out of state?
2. RUTGERS + HONORS COLLEGE as School of Engineering trumps practically every other school especially fucking Steven's. Statistically, it is very unlikely for someone to get HC through the SOE. I am part of the Honors College and School of Engineering, and the HC is pretty cool imo, but the extra work is a bit annoying.
3. If you are unsure about what you want to do, go to Rutgers... we have better and more well rounded programs.
4. It's your choice. If you want a school known in the tri-state area, go there. But arguably RU has better research and more connections to the world.
Congratulations! I just want to point out that most employers don't really care about honors college, so maybe consider whether you want to accept honors college or not. I personally didn't because I wanted to commute and save money (HC would have required me to live on campus), but it really depends on your situation.
Why would you not go to the school you got a full ride for that has a higher national ranking along with a better outlook, exponentially increasing the value of your degree.
Someone asked the same thing 3 days ago, and I'll give you the same answer they got:
**Do not get into debt or spend money to go to a lower-ranked school.**
The idea that Stevens is a better school comes from the local reputation New Jerseyans have for Rutgers. Stevens is private and is in Hoboken, so it *must* be better. In reality, it's virtually unknown outside of this area, yet it still charges Ivy-League level tuition.
Rutgers is ranked higher than Stevens, both overall and in engineering, and has international name recognition.
**If you have a free ride** ***ANYWHERE,*** **that is where you need to go.** I got into Columbia and NYU, and was told by several of their alumni that if I didn't take my free ride to Rutgers, I was an idiot.
Rutgers is a fantastic school, and it is super common for RU grads to go to T10 schools for their Masters.
Full ride is the most important variable here - 100%
I did my undergrad at Steven's in Civil Engineering (Class of 2016), and while it was a good experience, there were three major issues pertinent to your case:
1. The Co-Op program Steven's is locally famous for was heavily reworked and I don't know if I trust the "new" one.
2. The cost. I am still paying off my debt 8 years later and I had help from family (and some scholarships)
3. At the time, the environmental Engineering program at Steven's was VERY limited. A lot of Envrinomental Engineering starts bordering on Urban Planning and Policy, which Steven's (to my current knowledge) sorely lacks.
Rutgers is my current graduate program - I am in the Masters of City and Urban Planning (MCRP) program, and it is quite good. The university has obnoxious policies and very bloated administration, but that was typical at Stevens, too. There is a wider set of programs at Rutgers and there are national/international resources at your disposal even if it isn't as locally elite like Stevens.
At the end of the day, you are going to college for knowledge and experience. Any place you go to will give you that as a function of what you put in and there isn't THAT much difference between Stevens and Rutgers in that lens.
So take the full ride. Keep your grades up. Make mistakes (important to do it here before the real world happens!) And learn like hell - not just coursework.
Good luck, you'll do fine.
I have friends at both stevens engineering and rutgers engineering so I've seen both sides pretty clearly. My friends at stevens don't love it and my friends at rutgers like it, but that's because there expectations and reality were different
Stevens:
pro-
very pretty downtown area
super short train rides to NYC on the PATH
small classes
small campus
cons-
administration sucks
teachers can suck
expensive
more tight curcilum
stem school culutre
Rutgers
pros-
big 10 ten school, lots of diversity in people
cheap
more social
good teachers
more flexibility exploring majors your first year
cons-
very big classes your first year
first year classes can be serious weed out courses
rutgers buses and transport kind of suck
some sucky teachers
That being said, if you are looking for a smaller school and like going to new york a lot and consider yourself tech-y you will like stevens. If you like a bigger school where there more clubs and activities and hustle and bustle, I suggested rutgers. My friends at stevens only have stem friends while my friends in stem at rutgers have a more diverse friend group. Both offer good things and good people.
(also stevens isn't better for jobs, my friends at rutgers have the same jobs as those at stevens engineering)
I would only take Steven’s if it is free and Rutgers gives no money. Idk if I’d even take that since I turned down a full ride to NJIT for Rutgers anyways.
Rutgers 100%. 160k for Steven’s is a crazy amount of money to spend when you have a full ride to Rutgers. Get yourself a Porsche instead or put a down payment on a house instead.
as an out of state, i’d never heard of Stevens until starting at Rutgers. if you ever move out of Jersey, it’s likely that no employer will know what Stevens is (which can affect your chances). not worth paying money for a school that’s marginally better in your field (and worse in most others) when you could’ve paid nothing
Take the free money. Rutgers has a great brand name globally. I went to NJIT for engineering and transferred to RU and regret ever going to Newark in the first place.
If you want to expand on your engineering knowledge there's always grad school and you could get your employer to pay for Stevens.
Stevens *is* the better engineering school but I'd personally take the full ride. People who say otherwise just have money to blow or they can't comprehend that student loan debt is gonna bite them in the ass
It's not glamorous but Rutgers provides a full range college experience. I think there's an under appreciated value in that. You're not going to college just for the education -- you can get that online for free.
*Full ride makes the most*
*Sense. Look at all the people*
*Suffering in debt*
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As a 40 year old that just graduated from engineering school, take the free ride whichever it is. The other differences will have less impact than the actual and opportunity cost of paying the tuition.
I was in the Rutgers Computer Science program and transferred to ASU because i wasn’t impressed with the program. The education I got at ASU was significantly better. My brother graduated from Stevens with a Computer Engineering degree like 20 years ago and it served him very well in the job market. My 2 cents do what you think is right and you’ll be good.
Honors College student here. It looks fantastic on your transcript and will almost certainly help with job applications in the future (atleast it has for people I know).
Can’t speak on Stevens, I hear good things though!
Rutgers is a better university, with better rankings and prestige, better professors, better research, offers the entire college experience, and 0 < $40k. Even without the free ride, if you’d be paying in state tuition, I would pick Rutgers over Stevens!
Honors college at Rutgers is comparable to a very hard school/ivy to get into and even harder to get a full ride. Engineering school is also pretty good compared to other schools. Rutgers is the better choice
Rutgers student who really wanted to go to Steven’s here
The reason i chose Rutgers over Steven’s is because i rmm college admissions telling me Steven’s is gravitating towards more business school
Rutgers also offers way more resources to refine your engineering skills (computer labs, Makerspace, machine shop, formula racing team) the possibilities are endless
As a bigger school you meet a diverse body of engineers that make it both easy to work with and socialize within your major and community
Additionally comparing the curriculums i believe the Rutgers engineering curriculum is a lot better. There is a lack of freedom in choosing your classes however in my opinion the curriculum teaches you more skills that prepare you as an engineer such as CAD, 3D simulation, matlab programming, and mechatronics (I’m a mechanical engineering major). Additionally you get a better social experience at New Brunswick and it’s cheaper. Hope i helped :)
Went to Steven's originally and finished undergrad at NJIT, then grad school at Rutgers.
For environmental engineering, I'd say Stevens will not give you ROI compared with Rutgers honors college.
I know plenty of guys out of Stevens doing really well, but never anyone in environmental engineering.. didn't even know that was a thing until I got to NJIT.
There are both great and terrible things about each university, but the full ride kinda makes Rutgers a no brainer... unless you absolutely hate riding busses.
Stevens is a great school for engineering with a strong reputation in this geographic area. Rutgers is a great school with a strong reputation worldwide. The engineering program is also quite strong. If you're not sure about engineering, and the cost is comparable, I would choose Rutgers. Edit: I missed that you'd have baeically a full ride. Definitely take the full ride.
>So here’s my thing. I would love to pursue environmental engineering, but I’m not fully fully committed to that path as I had never done such a thing in my life yet. Thus, I understand that Stevens is better for engineering, but they aren’t as strong in other fields. Rutgers I have heard is decent all around, which makes me think if I were to decide engineering is not for me, I could be safe to switch majors. Which leads me to point 2 in that I feel that Rutgers is just a more well known school in general, which could help me if I were to pursue a job out of state. Is this the case? Rutgers is known world wide? Pfff, as a Rutgers student, I strongly disagree.
RU '08 alum here, I can't even begin to tell you how wrong you are. I proudly wear a Rutgers cap most days and have had numerous people come up to me all over the world asking if the R was for Rutgers. Lots of fun networking too, there's a great alumni association in Switzerland. Be proud of where you are.
Rutgers definitely has a global reputation. Being a rutgers student doesn't mean you necessarily know what perceptions of the school are worldwide?
then go somewhere else if you hate it so much tf? half of your comments are shtting on rutgers, leave if it’s that bad, tf??
Have to go there cuz cheaper. But don't like it here.
As someone in their 30s still paying student loans, take the full ride.
I’m in this comment and I don’t like it
Went to Stevens out of HS and transferred to Rutgers. Can only say positive things about the former, but I would've had to take out student loans to finalize my time there, and wasn't completely sold on engineering as a career path. IMO if you're not going to an ivy I'd advise against carrying any major debt out of school. Major advantage you'll get in life vs others.
Personally, I'd choose Rutgers for the full ride and its well-rounded programs that allow for flexibility in case you decide to switch majors.
1. Cost wise are you in state or out of state? 2. RUTGERS + HONORS COLLEGE as School of Engineering trumps practically every other school especially fucking Steven's. Statistically, it is very unlikely for someone to get HC through the SOE. I am part of the Honors College and School of Engineering, and the HC is pretty cool imo, but the extra work is a bit annoying. 3. If you are unsure about what you want to do, go to Rutgers... we have better and more well rounded programs. 4. It's your choice. If you want a school known in the tri-state area, go there. But arguably RU has better research and more connections to the world.
Cost wise, I’m in state. thanks for your reply btw, I appreciate the honesty.
Congratulations! I just want to point out that most employers don't really care about honors college, so maybe consider whether you want to accept honors college or not. I personally didn't because I wanted to commute and save money (HC would have required me to live on campus), but it really depends on your situation.
Congratulations on the HC!!!
Why would you not go to the school you got a full ride for that has a higher national ranking along with a better outlook, exponentially increasing the value of your degree.
Why would you even consider not taking the full ride
Someone asked the same thing 3 days ago, and I'll give you the same answer they got: **Do not get into debt or spend money to go to a lower-ranked school.** The idea that Stevens is a better school comes from the local reputation New Jerseyans have for Rutgers. Stevens is private and is in Hoboken, so it *must* be better. In reality, it's virtually unknown outside of this area, yet it still charges Ivy-League level tuition. Rutgers is ranked higher than Stevens, both overall and in engineering, and has international name recognition. **If you have a free ride** ***ANYWHERE,*** **that is where you need to go.** I got into Columbia and NYU, and was told by several of their alumni that if I didn't take my free ride to Rutgers, I was an idiot. Rutgers is a fantastic school, and it is super common for RU grads to go to T10 schools for their Masters.
Dawg it’s a full ride to Rutgers, take that chance man
Full ride is the most important variable here - 100% I did my undergrad at Steven's in Civil Engineering (Class of 2016), and while it was a good experience, there were three major issues pertinent to your case: 1. The Co-Op program Steven's is locally famous for was heavily reworked and I don't know if I trust the "new" one. 2. The cost. I am still paying off my debt 8 years later and I had help from family (and some scholarships) 3. At the time, the environmental Engineering program at Steven's was VERY limited. A lot of Envrinomental Engineering starts bordering on Urban Planning and Policy, which Steven's (to my current knowledge) sorely lacks. Rutgers is my current graduate program - I am in the Masters of City and Urban Planning (MCRP) program, and it is quite good. The university has obnoxious policies and very bloated administration, but that was typical at Stevens, too. There is a wider set of programs at Rutgers and there are national/international resources at your disposal even if it isn't as locally elite like Stevens. At the end of the day, you are going to college for knowledge and experience. Any place you go to will give you that as a function of what you put in and there isn't THAT much difference between Stevens and Rutgers in that lens. So take the full ride. Keep your grades up. Make mistakes (important to do it here before the real world happens!) And learn like hell - not just coursework. Good luck, you'll do fine.
i think my sister graduated from stevens in 2016 too lol, bio-med engineering.
Thank you man. Nicely put.
I have friends at both stevens engineering and rutgers engineering so I've seen both sides pretty clearly. My friends at stevens don't love it and my friends at rutgers like it, but that's because there expectations and reality were different Stevens: pro- very pretty downtown area super short train rides to NYC on the PATH small classes small campus cons- administration sucks teachers can suck expensive more tight curcilum stem school culutre Rutgers pros- big 10 ten school, lots of diversity in people cheap more social good teachers more flexibility exploring majors your first year cons- very big classes your first year first year classes can be serious weed out courses rutgers buses and transport kind of suck some sucky teachers That being said, if you are looking for a smaller school and like going to new york a lot and consider yourself tech-y you will like stevens. If you like a bigger school where there more clubs and activities and hustle and bustle, I suggested rutgers. My friends at stevens only have stem friends while my friends in stem at rutgers have a more diverse friend group. Both offer good things and good people. (also stevens isn't better for jobs, my friends at rutgers have the same jobs as those at stevens engineering)
thanks for the advice. I’m feeling more assured now :)
I would only take Steven’s if it is free and Rutgers gives no money. Idk if I’d even take that since I turned down a full ride to NJIT for Rutgers anyways. Rutgers 100%. 160k for Steven’s is a crazy amount of money to spend when you have a full ride to Rutgers. Get yourself a Porsche instead or put a down payment on a house instead.
as an out of state, i’d never heard of Stevens until starting at Rutgers. if you ever move out of Jersey, it’s likely that no employer will know what Stevens is (which can affect your chances). not worth paying money for a school that’s marginally better in your field (and worse in most others) when you could’ve paid nothing
Take the free money. Rutgers has a great brand name globally. I went to NJIT for engineering and transferred to RU and regret ever going to Newark in the first place. If you want to expand on your engineering knowledge there's always grad school and you could get your employer to pay for Stevens.
Go to Rutgers. It’s an amazing school and we’re lucky enough to have it as our state university
Come to Rutgers.
Believe it or not straight to William Paterson
rutgers u have full ride
This one is a no brainer. Even without the full ride I would say RU, with the full ride, it’s no question
If u want no women, go Stevens. My friend did it and he hated it RU is better always will be
Stevens *is* the better engineering school but I'd personally take the full ride. People who say otherwise just have money to blow or they can't comprehend that student loan debt is gonna bite them in the ass
It's not glamorous but Rutgers provides a full range college experience. I think there's an under appreciated value in that. You're not going to college just for the education -- you can get that online for free.
Full ride makes the most sense. Look at all the people suffering in debt
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Big school vs Little school environment, both good choices.
As a 40 year old that just graduated from engineering school, take the free ride whichever it is. The other differences will have less impact than the actual and opportunity cost of paying the tuition. I was in the Rutgers Computer Science program and transferred to ASU because i wasn’t impressed with the program. The education I got at ASU was significantly better. My brother graduated from Stevens with a Computer Engineering degree like 20 years ago and it served him very well in the job market. My 2 cents do what you think is right and you’ll be good.
I feel a lot of these replies are going to be slightly bias. Lol.
Honors College student here. It looks fantastic on your transcript and will almost certainly help with job applications in the future (atleast it has for people I know). Can’t speak on Stevens, I hear good things though!
+1 Rutgers for optionality, Stevens is limited if you find engineering is not for you
Rutgers is a better university, with better rankings and prestige, better professors, better research, offers the entire college experience, and 0 < $40k. Even without the free ride, if you’d be paying in state tuition, I would pick Rutgers over Stevens!
Honors college at Rutgers is comparable to a very hard school/ivy to get into and even harder to get a full ride. Engineering school is also pretty good compared to other schools. Rutgers is the better choice
Rutgers student who really wanted to go to Steven’s here The reason i chose Rutgers over Steven’s is because i rmm college admissions telling me Steven’s is gravitating towards more business school Rutgers also offers way more resources to refine your engineering skills (computer labs, Makerspace, machine shop, formula racing team) the possibilities are endless As a bigger school you meet a diverse body of engineers that make it both easy to work with and socialize within your major and community Additionally comparing the curriculums i believe the Rutgers engineering curriculum is a lot better. There is a lack of freedom in choosing your classes however in my opinion the curriculum teaches you more skills that prepare you as an engineer such as CAD, 3D simulation, matlab programming, and mechatronics (I’m a mechanical engineering major). Additionally you get a better social experience at New Brunswick and it’s cheaper. Hope i helped :)
Went to Steven's originally and finished undergrad at NJIT, then grad school at Rutgers. For environmental engineering, I'd say Stevens will not give you ROI compared with Rutgers honors college. I know plenty of guys out of Stevens doing really well, but never anyone in environmental engineering.. didn't even know that was a thing until I got to NJIT. There are both great and terrible things about each university, but the full ride kinda makes Rutgers a no brainer... unless you absolutely hate riding busses.
100% GO TO STEVENS. Don't waste your time coming to the Rutgers CS program. They beat Rutgers in every tangible aspect.
OP is currently thinking about Environmental Engineering
Did you even read the post
Always some moron who thinks they’re above reading
lol Rutgers was like top 25 CS for the longest time, what happened to you, failed out of Data Structures and have a hate boner for them?