Ha....

You expected to see some hardcore action, didn't you?!

Now that I've busted your bubble, listen up.

Here is a little advice for incoming first-year students to New Jersey's #1 party school....oops, I mean State University. BEWARE OF THE RU SCREW. Do not expect too much from the Rutgers system, it will drop you on your face.

I'll dish the scoop for ya in order from pet-peeve to downright ridiculous:

 

#1 The meal plan system.

Ugh, no words can describe how bad it is. First-year students are mandated to pay for a meal plan, and are forced to sign up for the highest plan of 250 meals per semester, roughly $4,000. Let’s be serious, dining hall food sucks!! It’s all processed and deep fried, gross. At the end of the school year hundreds upon hundreds of students are battling each other for a spot in line just to use up those left-over meals (because it would be a huge waste of money, unless you’re in EOF then everything is free). Sorry kiddoes, no way around this one!

#2 The free buses that chauffeur you around.

Score? Not quite. The buses are hardly ever there when you need them to be. Traffic in New Brunswick is atrocious, and the buses are always late. Not 5 minutes late….more like 15+ late. Thus leading to the issue of the buses being more than often overcrowded and I really wonder where these drivers earned their licenses because an alcoholic Lindsay Lohan on coke can do a lot less swerving.

#3 No cars on campus for freshmen.

Though first-years are not allowed to have automobiles on campus, you will need one eventually, and it won’t be pretty. New Brunswick is too small of a city for the amounts of people that populate it, and Rutgers students have it worse. The parking system is very complex because you have to pay for a semester parking pass that only allows you to park in a designated lot that can be anywhere on your campus, possibly far away from your dorm. So what if you have a class on a different campus? Break out those quarters bud. As far as tickets go, BEWARE of New Brunswick Parking Authority.

#4 Registering for classes is a B****.
Thank God for RateMyProfessor.com! Many of the faculty at Rutgers are incompetent or on tenure (Ha! There’s a difference?). Use that as your bible! You can register via online or telephone. You will spend over an hour trying to LOG ON to the site, before you can even make a selection. What about the phone service? Simple, it does not even ring. Classes are not consistently offered, so be careful when you put off certain courses.

#5 The financial aid system a.k.a. “Budget Cuts.”

Low and behold we have reached the worst RU Screw.  Budget cuts are something very institution goes through at some point, but damn! Because of New Jersey’s bad economy, I have witnessed the once “affordable” State University tuition almost triple within the span of two years, and there are talks about another possible increase. All of the cool and fun programs that made Rutgers enjoyable aside from the typical beer and frat schmooze have ceased because of the lack of funds. Funny thing is the football team spends a whopping $200,000 a year for the players to stay in a Hilton - for home games! Go Knights?

Now that you know about the RU SCREW, happy college hunting!