OT-Nephew Down To Final Two

[PeteGiam07]

Son just found out he got into RU engineering.....Waiting on Perdue, VaTech, and Texas A&M Looking to Major Computer Engineering any insight from any RU alums?

An insight on Purdue (through one of my associates). You aren't actually in the school of engineering until after your freshman year. You have to apply to it and get accepted. That's why thier program is so succussful.

As I went to RU, I think 50% of the people I knew my freshman year in Engineering either dropped/failed out of school or switched majors. I have a BS and MS from RU in engineering. Jobs in NJ and NY are very familiar with the program.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Very bad news--Penn State is back in the picture. He is visiting today. I am hoping he and his Dad get lost and end up in Johnstown.This is all my fault--I have let all of you down,but I haven't given up. Still have lots of time until Signing Day.

Can you disown a nephew?

 

[ScarletDave]

Son just found out he got into RU engineering.....Waiting on Perdue, VaTech, and Texas A&M Looking to Major Computer Engineering any insight from any RU alums?

I got into both Rutgers and Purdue engineering. Both have great engineering programs, although Purdue's is very very highly ranked. Ultimately I chose RU because 1) Closer to home, 2) Pride (been going to football games since birth), and 3) Purdue is so bad at football and I wanted a full college experience with big time sports. This season though that didn't really make a difference lol but still very happy with my decision.

 

[S_Janowski]

It's shouldn't be that hard to decide between Rutgers and Nova - as stated two completely different environments and experiences.

Unless he's dead set on a small private environment then Rutgers is the better choice for business.

Accounting - He can get the same exact jobs at a Big 4 firm.
Supply Chain - Rutgers has a very good program.
Finance - if he's driven he can land a top job. Rutgers Wall Street pipeline keeps getting better.

On top of that he will have a lot more fun at Rutgers, be exposed to diversity and be much more prepared for the real world.

They call it Villanofun for a reason. Other than going to some basketball games here and there the campus life is lacking.

 

[robcac26]

RUHudson,
He has been admitted to the Business School. I took him on a tour of the entire Piscataway/New Brunswick campus a few months back. He loved Livingston (home of the Business School), liked Busch Campus,seemed to have no interest in College Avenue (too crowded/hectic for his personality,I think) and we were running out of time so had to rush through Cook and Douglass). If Rutgers was only Livingston, I think he would pick Rutgers right now.

Villanova's business school was my first choice, and UConn was second. I was waitlisted at Villanova and rejected from UConn, and didn't even consider Rutgers until after the enrollment deadline when all my buddies knew where they were going and I wasn't even accepted anywhere yet. I finally decided to apply for Rutgers because (1) I still had not yet been accepted anywhere even though I had good grades and was in National Honor Society etc., and (2) as ashamed as I am to admit that this was a reason for why I applied there, my cheating whore of an ex-girlfriend broke up with me saying that Villanova was going to be too far away for us to continue dating. When I applied to Rutgers, I hadn't even been there yet and knew pretty much nothing about it. I had visited Villanova and knew a lot more about that school though, and I say with 100% confidence that not getting into Villanova was possibly the best thing that ever happened to me.

I love Rutgers and I love who I am now way more than who I was when I moved in freshman year. Even though I thought I was 100% dead set on being an accountant and thought it was ridiculous that people were changing their majors, I ended up changing my major a year later to sport management, and I made some lifelong friends and everlasting memories while playing on the roller hockey team. I doubt there's a large chance that your nephew is a competitive roller hockey player, but the point I want to make is that there is so much to do at Rutgers as far as majors, clubs, activities, etc, that it enables you to really find yourself and make the most of your college years in order to shape you into the person you will be for the rest of your life. At a small school like Villanova, you are very limited in the things you can do for fun as well as the career paths you can pursue.

As far as campuses, I was probably similar to your nephew in that College Ave was too hectic for me at the time, and I lived at Livingston for four years and liked it a lot more than I would have liked Villanova, and that was even before they put up all the new fancy apartments, movie theater, diner, shops, etc. Also, I really enjoyed how each campus had its own vibe to it, and as vast as the campus is, everything is a short bus ride away. Villanova seems a lot more monotonous. The advantages of Rutgers aren't only in the College Ave party atmosphere.

Show him lots of pictures of RU coeds.

They are more commonly referred to as girls these days.

 

[SkilletHead2]

Lots of good info here, particularly from Hudson and RutgersAl (!)

Anymore, even at a place like Villanova, the tenure-track faculty are under pressure to conduct research and publish.

When people have asked me about where to send their kids, and RU is in the mix, I ask them if their child is someone who is good at taking care of business on his/her own -- who doesn't need a lot of nuturing and direction. My boy broke 1500 on his SATs (back in the two score days), and could have gone to RU for free (because I worked there).

But it really wasn't the place for him as he is only loosely tethered to this earth. He went to Brown instead and really loved it.

There are a half dozen things to consider. Cost is certainly one. Another is what kind of a kid is this? Streetwise and able to TCB? Another is what kind of undergraduate experience does he want to have? One's marketability upon graduation, while important, isn't the be all and end all.

Kids go to college when they are 18. Their frontal lobes aren't fully cooked yet, nor do they use them as much as adults in decision-making. College is a time to go from being 18 to being 22. You have a lot of stupid you have to get out of your system. It's a time to grow up and for many of us, it's the best time of your life. Many meet their life's partner there. Many screw up thinking they've found their life's partner there.

Visiting places is key. It's especially good for eliminating choices.

Here is something I recommend to people making a tough choice like this: Let's say you have two options and a bit of time. So, first, decide you are taking option X (Villanova). Get it in your mind that that is what you're doing. Now live with that for a couple days. Think about what it's going to be like. Get your head into it. Once you've done that, check your gut. Are you excited? Eager? Happy? Or are you anxious? Regretful? OK, now make the decision the other way. Take option Y (RU). Do the same thing. Which of these choices feels better to you?

It's not a guaranteed approach, but it will let you know where your heart (or gut) is with regard to the choice.

At the end of the day, all three schools are really excellent and it's hard to go wrong.

Best of luck to your nephew!

 

[beaced]

Where are you investing at 8%?

Check out Eaton Vance Buy Write Fund ETV.Tax free return based on return of Capital(theirs) of around 8%.Call them and they will explain.BTW Eaton Vance is very big. ETV,alone, has a market cap of 941 million dollars.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

I think I forgot to mention he is leaning toward becoming an accountant. I don't think he will have any trouble staying focused on his schoolwork (his folks will make sure of that LOL). My best friend has a daughter who graduated a couple years ago from The College of New Jersey and had a job offer at the end of her junior year starting at $70,000. He said she and they loved the school and says no matter what, I should try to get my nephew to at least visit the campus.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

K

Check out Eaton Vance Buy Write Fund ETV.Tax free return based on return of Capital(theirs) of around 8%.Call them and they will explain.BTW Eaton Vance is very big. ETV,alone, has a market cap of 941 million dollars.

I'm not that familiar with this specific product but generally a return of capital is a return of your investment, at least in part. So while that portion of a distribution isn't taxed, it reduces your cost basis and can have adverse tax implications down the line. It is often used to supplement an "earned" return and can be misleading. In my opinion proceed with caution and don't limit your research to the company selling it. Also consider expenses.

 

[beaced]

K



I'm not that familiar with this specific product but generally a return of capital is a return of your investment, at least in part. So while that portion of a distribution isn't taxed, it reduces your cost basis and can have adverse tax implications down the line. It is often used to supplement an "earned" return and can be misleading. In my opinion proceed with caution and don't limit your research to the company selling it. Also consider expenses.

Eaton Vance manages 3.97 BILLION Dollars.They aren't out there hustling for dollars.But you are correct in that any sizable investment should be run past a good accountant.

 

[BigLou]

I think I forgot to mention he is leaning toward becoming an accountant. I don't think he will have any trouble staying focused on his schoolwork (his folks will make sure of that LOL). My best friend has a daughter who graduated a couple years ago from The College of New Jersey and had a job offer at the end of her junior year starting at $70,000. He said she and they loved the school and says no matter what, I should try to get my nephew to at least visit the campus.

Better tell him to research the requirements to get in a major at both schools. At PSU being admitted to Smeal as a freshman does not guarantee that you stay in the business school. You still have to earn your way in by achieving a certain GPA after your third semester. Something like a 3.2 for most business majors, higher for finance and 5 year accounting.