Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Public Relations Specialists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Ocean County College, Passaic County Community College, Brookdale Community College, and Union County College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider New Jersey City University, Fairleigh Dickinson - Metropolitan, Kean, and William Paterson University.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider College of Saint Elizabeth and Georgian Court University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Saint Peter's College, Fairleigh Dickinson - Metropolitan, Seton Hall, and Caldwell College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider College of Saint Elizabeth, Caldwell College, Fairleigh Dickinson - Metropolitan, and Georgian Court University.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Seton Hall, Centenary, Fairleigh Dickinson - Metropolitan, and Caldwell College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Ramapo College of New Jersey, Fairleigh Dickinson Florham, Saint Peter's College, and Rutgers.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Rutgers.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at New Jersey City University, Montclair State, Saint Peter's College, and Ramapo College of New Jersey.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Saint Peter's College, Seton Hall, College of Saint Elizabeth, and Caldwell College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Rowan University • Glassboro, NJ
Studying Communications (completion in 1995)
• 7/16/2011
"I got what I needed. But if I could've afforded a better school, I would've gone to one."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Again, I got what I needed. But if you can afford a better school, I would go. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It's not a well-known school. There's nothing special about it. |
| Program Quality | 5 | It was nothing special. It gave me the basics and nothing more. |
| Instruction | 5 | Teachers were fine, but not outstanding. |
| How Difficult | 1 | The coursework was not challenging. The facilities and resources were subpar. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Resources were few and far between. Most work was done in class. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Very typical. Courses were presented at a selection of times, in varied time formats. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | Very basic facilities with only the bare essentials. The facilities and resources were sub par. |
| Social Life | 5 | It was fine, but nothing special. Its a small state school. |
| Placement Services | 1 | This is basically nonexistent and is not a resource. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | There is little to no network to use. It's not something I even consider a resource. |
Ramapo College Of New Jersey • Mahwah, NJ
Studying Communication Arts (completion in 1998)
• 7/17/2011
"I have fond memories of Ramapo. I feel I got a good foundation in the field and did so with ease."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend it to someone who wants a good foundation in PR -- but not necessarily if they wanted to work at the top PR firms in NYC. For those who want to do public relations in the suburbs or in low-profile sectors, I would recommend it highly. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Ramapo is a small school in New Jersey, so it isn't going to compete with Ivy League schools. It has a good reputation locally, but that's it. |
| Program Quality | 6 | Ramapo was neither a big school nor a prestigious one. Most of the professors had no history with known PR firms, and I don't know if that made a difference. |
| Instruction | 9 | My teachers were excellent. They were always available for questions and seemed to enjoy their work. I think fondly of them to this day. |
| How Difficult | 1 | I had switched over to Communications from an engineering major, so I found the work ridiculously easy. The hardest thing about the classwork was the time it took to complete it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I think this rather depends on each student. There were a lot of books/book homework but there was 'hands on' training if the student took it upon him/herself to seek it out. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Ramapo had classes at all times, as well as independent study and internship opportunities. I would imagine they currently have online courses, although they did not when I attended. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | As I mentioned, the teachers were extremely accessible. The computer labs were always available, the classroom space was ample, and I have no complaints. |
| Social Life | 10 | I was a member of clubs, so that has a lot to do with it. It was a "commuter school" to a large degree, so had I not been involved in clubs I might think differently. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I have no experiences with other school's job placement services, so I can only imagine my school's was average. I can still picture the Career Services center, but I didn't go in there too often and there was no outreach I can recall. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I hear from Ramapo periodically, but there is nothing that would involve me in the alumni association. They do put out a magazine but again, it's not much to make it stand out. |
Rutgers University • New Brunswick, NJ
Studying Communication (completion in 2004)
• 9/29/2011
"I was a transfer so I know how other schools are. I have always remembered my university days with a smile. Those were great experiences and great people."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It is a great learning environment . Also, there is a very safe and fun social environment too. So you get the best of both worlds. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I have heard firsthand from industry executives that Rutgers has a great reputation. I know I have always felt proud of my program within the school. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I feel that Rutgers prepared me for the industry in the classroom. Also, the connections and networking I did while I was there was priceless. |
| Instruction | 10 | Some of my instructors were leading minds in public relations. They provided real time and real world applications for what we were learning about. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I found it easier to get up in front of class and speak than take a book test. I felt that my curriculum was challenging but adapted to a communication students strengths at the same time. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I learned through some hands on approaches, but mainly I was taught from the book. We had professors who wrote the book we were using so they definitely wanted us to buy it and use it. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Being such a large university means some limits on class flexibility. You get what you get and you don't get upset. Or else you'll be a fifth year senior. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | I was introduced to the latest technology while studying here. Our library was one of the best next to Princeton's and the NY Public Library. |
| Social Life | 10 | Students love their school here. It is such a college town environment. Everyone there is rooting for each other! |
| Placement Services | 6 | While the alumni network is great, the inside career placement was not. I think you should go out and make your own path. We're not Wharton here. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Rutgers was already popular when I went there, but after the name recognition increased with the football team success it's been even better. The best networking I have done came through Rutgers alumni. |
Rutgers University • New Brunswick, NJ
Studying Communication (completion in 2000)
• 1/14/2012
"I loved Rutgers! The faculty, classes, social life, everything was perfect."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Rutgers had a great communication program, and along with the atmosphere of the school itself, it's the perfect school. Also, it's great for people who live in NJ because it's close to home, yet far enough away to still get that college feel. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | A Rutgers degree in general looks great, but the School of Communication only lets in a certain amount of applicants, so a degree in that field is excellent. Overall, a communication degree from Rutgers looks excellent. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Rutgers is a prestigious school. Their School of Communication and Information has great courses and faculty. |
| Instruction | 7 | A lot of my classes in college taught variations of the same thing. They also retaught a lot of the same material. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Communication was known as one of the easier majors at Rutgers, but I also double majored, so my work load as a whole was quite large. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It definitely depended on your major. If you are a science major at Rutgers, you definitely do more hands on work. If you are doing something like History or English, then book work is used more often. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | You make your own schedule, so with all the course offerings and times they're offered, you really can make your schedule around extra curriculars, jobs, etc. Also, Rutgers has many campuses so the class can be on whichever campus you live on usually. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Rutgers has one of the best libraries and is a huge research school. There are also learning centers on each campus for free tutoring. |
| Social Life | 10 | The night life at Rutgers was excellent. I loved going to football games to see the school spirit and cheer on the school. Walking down the streets all you saw was red sweatshirts and t-shirts because people showed their support for the school at all times. I loved it! |
| Placement Services | 10 | The Career Services building at Rutgers will help you with anything. All one needed to do was make an appointment with an advisor and they'd help you find jobs, internships, etc. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | Our alumni get involved a lot to donate to different programs at the school. I worked at the Rutgers Telefund in college so I know first hand what a huge difference alumni support made since I was the one doing the calling for the contributions. |
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