Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Secondary School Teachers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Essex County College, Stockton College, Rutgers, and William Paterson University.
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.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Saint Peter's College, Fairleigh Dickinson - Metropolitan, Seton Hall, and Fairleigh Dickinson Florham.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider College of Saint Elizabeth, Drew, Fairleigh Dickinson - Metropolitan, and New Jersey City University.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Drew, Seton Hall, Rider University, and Fairleigh Dickinson - Metropolitan.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Drew, The College of New Jersey, Fairleigh Dickinson Florham, and Saint Peter's College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at The College of New Jersey, Rutgers, and Drew.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at New Jersey City University, The College of New Jersey, Montclair State, and Saint Peter's College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Drew, Saint Peter's College, Seton Hall, and College of Saint Elizabeth.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Rowan University • Glassboro, NJ
Studying Science Of Teaching (completion in 2010)
• 10/27/2011
"Overpriced and overrated. I expected more cooperation between the professors. Program wasn't well-developed."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Save the money and go elsewhere. Rowan clearly has lost sight of the education field. Find a school with a more focused program. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | It's overrated. Rowan was known as a teaching college, but they've clearly lost their way. |
| Program Quality | 3 | They taught a lot of theory that didn't apply to the real world of classrooms. Also the teachers didn't know how the actual program worked. They would say things like "we can't give you a syllabus because we haven't decided on it yet." |
| Instruction | 4 | They weren't working together well. Teachers would teach different, conflicting methods. |
| How Difficult | 9 | We had to take classes while we were student teaching. It's equivalent to teaching full time and taking classes - complete with research projects. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The hands-on experience was great, but it was tough because the "book" learning didn't fully prepare us. They made an effort to get you in the classroom as much as possible though. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | You lost grade points for missing classes. Due dates never changed. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Great computer labs. Outstanding technical abilities in classrooms. |
| Social Life | 4 | If you didn't live in campus, you didn't care. I didn't participate in anything related to school spirit. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Finding a job was very difficult. They have a lot of graduates so they don't pay much attention to the individual person. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I haven't really used it much. I know they have job fairs, but that's about it. |
Rutgers University • Camden, NJ
Studying English Literature (completion in 1997)
• 11/22/2011
"I learned a tremendous amount about literature, writing, and the teaching of both. It was one of my most worthwhile educational experiences overall."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I have recommended it to some of my colleagues, as well as to the student teachers I have had over the years. I find that my work within the discipline prepared me well for the rigors of teaching upper-level high school classes, like AP and Honors. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | People have great respect for Rutgers, but less so for the Camden campus, so there isn't much press about their majors in general, much less the English major specifically. However, anyone who investigates the campus and the English faculty will be duly impressed. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The Rutgers program gave me outstanding instruction from an outstanding faculty. I use what I learned there in every class I teach, both in literary study and composition. |
| Instruction | 10 | I was able to take courses that interested me, from a wide range of literary areas of study. These courses demanded a high level of research ability, which made me a better researcher overall - and thus better able to teach research skills to my students. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The workload was significant; courses generally required final papers of 18-20 pages, in addition to shorter papers over the course of the semester. The expectations for thorough and precise research made the papers challenging; the level of work expected throughout the courses made final exams (all written, of course) equally challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was an English Literature program - it was all about books. Those of us who were also teachers found plenty of ways to take what we learned in the classroom and apply it in our careers. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Considering it was 14 years ago, the flexibility wasn't bad - I was able to take one class on a Saturday morning. Most of the rest were evening classes. I was allowed to take one particular undergrad class for grad credit, because there was no equivalent grad-level class - that class met during the weekdays. No online options existed back then. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Great library facilities, with access to many others via interlibrary loan. Plenty of classroom space. I had no need for tutors. As grad students, we put together our own study groups. Our professors were eminently accessible. |
| Social Life | 5 | The Camden campus is primarily a commuter school, so it doesn't have the same sort of social scene that other schools would have. And, as a grad student (and married), I didn't spend much social time on campus. There were cultural events on campus (art exhibits, performances, speakers, etc.). |
| Placement Services | I don't doubt that those services exist, however, I made no use of them. I was hired by my current school before I had even officially graduated. | |
| Alumni Network | 5 | There is an overall Rutgers alumni network, as well as a Camden campus network, but they are mostly comprised of undergrad alums - so because I was a grad student at a branch campus, I have very little interest in being part of such organizations. I do appreciate receiving the English department's annual newsletters, which enable me to keep up with some of my classmates and changes in the faculty. |
The College Of New Jersey • Ewing, NJ
Studying Technology/Pre-Engineering Education (completion in 2012)
• 11/28/2011
"I am very pleased with my experience at The College of New Jersey. Any problems encountered were of very minor nature. The College of New Jersey successfully prepared me to enter the real world as a contributing member of our society."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I feel that any student can thrive at TCNJ. The faculty, staff, and students create an incredible learning environment. The Technology/Pre-Engineering Department is a fun and exciting place to earn a higher education. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | TCNJ's Technology Education program is regarded as one of the best in the state and region. All students graduating from the program have no difficulty finding a job teaching, if they desire to do so. |
| Program Quality | 10 | TCNJ provided a broad range of educational topics for future technology educators. The classes were all small and involved hands-on work with peers and professors. |
| Instruction | 9 | The content was taught extremely well throughout the program. The educational preparedness could have been slightly better, but overall, it was acceptable. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Some courses were very challenging and time-consuming. A lot of work is expected for some of the project-based classes, but nothing that can't be managed. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Every class in the program focuses on hands-on learning. The nature of the program lends itself to hands-on learning, as the program is for future teachers of engineering and technology. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Some courses only have one section per semester. Because of the small class sizes, it is never a problem to get into the classes, but some schedule rearranging is often necessary. The college offers winter and summer courses, as well as a "May-mester" course schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The college has a state-of-the-art library, plenty of workspace, and classrooms and laboratories for every field. Resources are available to students and staff for almost any projects imaginable. |
| Social Life | 9 | There are plenty of school-organized events. Every year, there are multiple concerts, comedy shows, carnivals, festivals, and other activities. The close community of students helps foster a great social environment at the college. |
| Placement Services | 10 | The program has excellent connections with school districts throughout the state and region. Many professors are still affiliated with public schools, and they help to keep an open line of communication between the districts and the college. The college continually passes on employment opportunities to students. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The college maintains contact with alumni and holds events for alumni every year. Alumni also have a huge presence on campus in the form of professors, faculty, and graduate students. |
Rowan University • Glassboro, NJ
Studying Music Education (completion in 2010)
• 1/9/2012
"Rowan was an excellent choice for me. They provided me with a great learning experience, and now I have a great job!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Rowan is a great school for high school teachers in any field. The music program is great, and so is the education program. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | The reputation is excellent. Most students receive jobs after they graduate. |
| Program Quality | 10 | Rowan provided everything I needed to be where I am today. The professors were hardworking and wanted us to do well. |
| Instruction | 9 | They helped us prepare for what was going to be coming up in our future. We learned an immense amount when they took us to high school music classes and let us meet with the other directors. |
| How Difficult | 4 | The workload was not very much. It was challenging for some people, but not for me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Rowan had a great mix of both. We had to learn from the book, but after that, we would go to different schools to see what we learned. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | There are no weekend options. There are many summer classes that can be taken to graduate earlier. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The music library and main library are excellent. Computers are available always, and advisors are always willing to meet, to help figure out the path you need to take to graduate. |
| Social Life | 8 | I was involved in a fraternity. The sports are very fun to go to and there are always pep rallies trying to incorporate school spirit. |
| Placement Services | 6 | They do not help with job placement; I had to look on my own. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I have not heard about any alumni network. They have not gotten in contact with me. |
Ramapo College Of New Jersey • Mahwah, NJ
Studying History (completion in 2009)
• 3/19/2012
"I enjoyed attending my college. I just think that the education program needs to be reduced in terms of required credits. It's a state thing, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Ramapo is a good school to go to for teaching. The bottom line is that networking by yourself will land you a job. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The program is alright, but I don't have much to compare it to. I thought my classes could have been more challenging. |
| Program Quality | 8 | We had a good program, but I think it's too much. You learn how to teach by actually doing it, not learning about it. |
| Instruction | 8 | Our professors were alright. Classes were very boring. |
| How Difficult | 5 | History classes were tough. Education classes were very easy and very boring. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It completely depended on the professor. Most did not make you use the textbook. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Class times were flexible. I'm in graduate school now, and those are not flexible at all. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Our library was small and a little out of date. It was good for history classes, but not educational research. |
| Social Life | 10 | I had a great time at my college. College is what you make of it. |
| Placement Services | 1 | My college did nothing to help me get a job. I had to network on my own. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | There is minimal support for alumni. The school does not really help alumni out. |
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