Rutgers University is considered one of the finer academic and research institutions of America. For me, it’s a big deal to attend a school touted as a big mover and shaker, producing excellent minds that continue to contribute to their respective fields and society as a whole. It’s reassuring to know that I can attain an education with main street-upward social mobility in mind. Economic times may be tough and the selection of jobs available shrinking; but now is the perfect time to be at school.

I am a transfer student. I came from the County College of Morris (CCM) with my associates in tow (although the Lampitt Bill snipped away a few of my earned credits). At the moment I am all potential, looking for my path and where I am able to enhance my mind and body. The whole concept of a college education is to change your current self for the better, and in the end provide a service for the society and all mankind. Of course, this can only first begin by focusing and changing the self; then the rest may come into consideration as valuable by the individual.

After a  summer of a truly pointless events, including STAR day and orientation–where I received more headaches than help–I would take my first drive with my parents down to my new place of residence on the College Avenue campus of New Brunswick. My intention at the very beginning was to take advantage of dorm life, which I believe is important to living the true college experience. The very dorm that I would find to be my base of operations would be Demarest Hall, a special interest dorm which focuses on social interactivity and developing community. While community is relative to the very people of that group, I can say that the environment has so offered the unexpected experiences I had expected to experience.

The mezzo-city of New Brunswick has that urban appeal which drew me in. With the urban comes that very distinct color found on all heavily trodden sidewalks and urine sullied alleyways. As I travel by foot down College Ave, exploring my new home for the first time, I crossed a number of brick buildings of similar or varying architecture, which I felt really bring the atmosphere together. When the road steepened ,my spelunking of the city brought me to the vicinity of NJ Books and the train station, I became witness to the duality of the downtown area common to any cityscape: when the sun shines, the streets are active with modest commerce and life; when the moon rears its head, the homeless appear transfixed as if they were always there.

This was what I wanted when I came to Rutgers New Brunswick. There is a certain personality that is shaped by and around this school. While it varies from person to person, the air that it brings is something I had wanted, and continue to breathe in greedily. The glut of people and their various egos allows me to view myself in a plethora of perspectives. It is almost a culture shock to transfer from an impersonal, commuter community college over to a dorm at a University with international ties. This was an assimilation that took time and internal and external analysis.

I am currently a junior; my major is Philosophy, and yes, I do know what I want to do: the projected goal being law–a population of over one million professionals in America. I come from a part of Sussex county that could easily be labeled with the moniker the “Sticks” or the “Boondocks”. From a town which I feel has been forgotten and produces nothing other than a quantity of sap from its trees as the pallid youth take another drag from their joints and try to reason why everyone should smoke; while there are some good, there are always worse. I carry much resentment against my town, and I will state that it exemplifies why the education system in the United States should be centralized; but this is a story for another time.

I tell you of my personal account of this institution and of the New Brunswick area. I can most assuredly say that it is as liberating mentally as it is physically to have moved here. The social life has led to numerous self-realizations and improvements in my being and character. This is a place where a certain level of I.Q. is accepted and where one can be expected to find some amusing or interesting tidbit, discovered throughout its own development. The world is comprised of individuals; and an educational institution brings them together forming a community where each and every one may bounce concepts and ideas of each other to check their validity and mental progress.

This is my maxim: the only way to learn is through the unexpected.

This being my first semester here on college grounds, I was required to take the dreaded “Students in Transition” class–a vacuum of life! Essentially this hour long class subjects you to pointless icebreakers and a project where one must attend various sessions around the campuses in hopes of integrating (B.S.). Most sessions don’t deserve recognition, but one I will comment on is the football game.

Specifically, I must first comment on the stadium: It is massive and quite impressive. What is comical at the same time is the student body’s displeasure with it’s creation. Even I wonder if it was necessary; but then again, it is lucrative for the school–and anything that makes money warrants attention. One of the new cultural aspects at the game which I was reluctant to take in was the third down sign in which the crowd connects their thumb and index finger, extending the other three out and make a motion of an air-guitar. Another cultural move is where one side of the stadium shouts “R!” and the other side responds with “U!” This goes back and forth for a while satiating, that need for solidarity.

Classes and the Administrative world of RU earned my attention after the first few weeks. All I’ll say about my classes is that they’re…meh–as far as course selection goes as a transfer, it’s reaching deep into the barrel for whatever discolored apples are left.

Visual arts student Dennis Budesheim said when asked about his transition by the administration, “Very well. All but one of my classes transferred and with no problems. I had a private one-on-one meeting with an adviser who told me what I needed to take, helped me schedule my classes and registered for me. Simple as pie.”

The experiences of transfer students differ on a person to person basis, dependent upon the context in which one deals with bureaucracy. Even the chosen major of the individual can play a role in how their experience unfolds. Why, even with my major, I’ve found that Intro to Logic is a highly desired class; even after waiting for the very minute when I could sign up for classes it becomes packed almost immediately.

One thing  I like about Rutgers is the guarantee of having a professor that has his/her doctorate. It’s assuring to know that the people teaching have gone through their own rigorous path for their academic credentials. Now this doesn’t always mean that they’ll be excellent, but at the very least there is some qualification to be sounded.  Still, I seriously question the teachers I have this semester: one who whistles as she speaks and others who look as if they want to drink themselves out of consciousness. I look forward to my next semester, when I can take my academics a little more seriously. As I say from time to time: my attitude this semester is in the vein of just not giving a shit and doing a little over the minimum; but such is a poor attitude.

By now, the Fall semester is coming to a close. Assimilation-wise, everything has begun to sync up; troubles of entry have been clearing up into only daily matters that pose no threat. I’ve had numerous advisement sessions with the SAS department and with more specific people as well. Some advisers left me in a good mood, others only displayed their ignorance with much fidelity.

No matter what the issue, Rutgers University has already been an invaluable experience and has allowed me to grow in ways I could only imagine before. It has given me a taste of the future world and the variety of people I will come into contact with. One feature that I will take full advantage of is the Study Abroad program. Until I can meet the requirements I’ll be coasting to the end of this semester as a notch in my belt and overthrowing the misconception of me being a freshmen.

Here’s to the future!