The College of New Jersey

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Hallmarks and Quirks

Things I'm Good At:

Giving away food. Repeat after me: Meal Equivalency. Between the hours of 11:00AM and 1:30PM, students with a meal plan can grab $7.25 worth of food for free. You want egg and cheese on a croissant with a java chip frappuccino? No problemo. A chicken caesar salad with a mango Naked juice? Sure thing.

Helping my freshmen assimilate. The newest class always moves in a week before the rest of the campus, giving them time to bond with their floormates and to learn all the campus lingo (you're going to "the lib," not the library. Be cool). The week culminates in PlayFair, a wild night of dancing and socializing under the lights of Lions Stadium.

Supporting LGBTQ rights. I have an extremely active chapter of PRISM, a safe place for LGBTQ students to connect and plan events. They sponsor an awesome drag show every year that you won't want to miss.

Churning out volunteers. Every freshman has to take a seminar that focuses on "Community Engaged Learning," which could mean tutoring prisoners, cleaning up disaster zones, or working on the beautification of Trenton.

NCAA sports. I'm a Division III school, but that doesn't mean I don't show up to play. My field hockey and cross country teams are particularly impressive.

My Top 5 Must-Haves:

A fan. There's no air conditioning in the freshman towers, so unless you want to sweat through your clothes (and your bedding), a fan is a must.

An ethernet cable. Freshman rooms don't have WiFi, either, so you're going to need to do it the old-fashioned way. Make sure the cord you buy fits into your computer. Some students need adaptors.

Coffee. How else do you expect to make it through those 8:00AM classes? Keurig coffeemakers are allowed in all residence halls, but if you don't have one, no worries. There's a Starbucks in my library. It's super convenient since you'll probably spend all of finals week there anyway.

Some kind of club membership. I've heard from my students that clubs are where they really get to know other people on campus. Join a sport or Greek Life. Write for The Signal, my award-winning student-run newspaper. Join the College Union Board to help coordinate lectures and concerts. In the past, we've brought Big Sean, Twenty One Pilots, We The Kings, and Ice-T to campus.

A bike. Or at least the ability to dodge a few on the way to class.

Why You Might Have Heard of Me:

My education, engineering, nursing, and humanities programs are top-notch. I'm home to the David Sarnoff museum. He was a communications pioneer who led the Radio Corporation of America, which owned NBC. He's kind of a big deal.

My newspaper, The Signal, interviewed Walt Whitman in 1888. There was also an original first-edition of "Leaves of Grass" found in my library, accompanied by a handwritten note from Whitman himself. That discovery definitely put me in the headlines.

I'm consistently ranked number one when it comes to best colleges in the Northeastern U.S., best value colleges, highest freshman retention rate...the stats don't lie.

On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...

At a frat party, drinking and dancing 'til the sun comes up. No, wait, I'm probably at a basement show a few blocks away from campus, rocking out to pop punk music. No, maybe I'm just in bed watching Netflix. There's no typical weekend here.

Favorite Hangouts:

The Alumni Grove. The patio between Eickhoff Hall and the library offers a dozen or so tables and chairs with a gorgeous view of the center of campus. But if you want to "Grove chill," get there early. Tables fill up quickly when the weather is nice.

Grab a towel and go lay out by one of my two lakes, Sylva and Ceva. You might have to wrestle a few geese for a spot, but the view is great.

Every residence hall has at least one lounge with a television. It's the perfect spot to study, hang out with some take out, or watch the Game of Thrones season premiere with a big group.

Spend a night at Slocum's Bowling Alley and Bar. Drinking and bowling always go well together.

Take a fifteen-minute drive north and find yourself walking down the tree-lined streets of Princeton, visiting the record store there for some cool vinyls, or shoving spoonfuls of world-famous ice cream in your mouth.

Quirks:

Laundry is free here. That means more money in your pocket.

I've been mistaken for Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, many times. Just calmly explain yourself when you say you attend The College of New Jersey and someone asks you, "which one?"

My dining hall staff may very well become some of your favorite people on campus. Look up Eve Cruz or Big Larry, and add them on Facebook while you're at it.

Famous Alumni:

Greg Grant, point guard for the Phoenix Suns. And the Knicks...and the 76ers...

James Florio, New Jersey's 49th governor

Holly Black, author of the The New York Times bestselling series The Spiderwick Chronicles

Tom McCarthy, play-by-play caller for the Philadelphia Phillies

Madaline A. (Worthy) Williams. She was the first black woman elected to the New Jersey Legislature.