U of Maine billboard on NJ Turnpike
- Thread starter JMORC2003
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Nothing personal, just business. Numbers, pure and simple.
UMaine has a really serious problem of declining enrollment at its campuses. The state has an aging population, and as you might imagine, as a poor state a lot of its young people go elsewhere figuring the job prospects are better graduating somewhere else.
A pretty inventive way of putting your name out there if you ask me. I lived in Maine for one year between NJ and Nevada and I'd go back there in a heartbeat if I could.
UMaine has a really serious problem of declining enrollment at its campuses. The state has an aging population, and as you might imagine, as a poor state a lot of its young people go elsewhere figuring the job prospects are better graduating somewhere else.
A pretty inventive way of putting your name out there if you ask me. I lived in Maine for one year between NJ and Nevada and I'd go back there in a heartbeat if I could.
I used to teach in that system (u Maine farmington). They are experiencing seismic budgetary shockwaves and are desperate for out of state students at all the campuses.
FWIW, UMaine flagship in Orono is a nice enough campus and the CAA Football isn't bad. But the Bangor area is really really out there and inconvenient. The Portland area is a much easier sell.
FWIW, UMaine flagship in Orono is a nice enough campus and the CAA Football isn't bad. But the Bangor area is really really out there and inconvenient. The Portland area is a much easier sell.
Can we put a billboard up next to that one that says "U of Maine produced Joe Rossi" ?
Maybe their pitch to their target market should be: "Leave NJ and come to Maine. Raise the average IQ in BOTH states."
Are you being serious? Should they have put a billboard IN NJ talking about University of Florida or North Carolina? Maybe they did this in other states also.
You think you are freezing you A$$ of in the winter now, wait to you get to Maine.
I remember seeing a UNC Pembroke billboard on the Turnpike in East Brunswick many years ago.
I did attend a Maine vs UNH game once. They play for a musket. Pretty cool. The college hockey is the thing though.
I just saw this e-billboard on I-287 Piscataway. I don't really care about an OOS school putting a billboard to advertise, but WTF is with the misinformation? It clearly says attend UMaine (meaning the flagship in Orono) for the cost of Rutgers In-State Tuition.
Rutgers 2019-2020 in-state tuition is $12,232. UMaine 2019-2020 out-of-state tuition is $29,310. http://www.maine.edu/admissions-aid/tuition-rates/
Leave aside quality for just a minute. From purely a cost perspective, tell me how the hell are the two equivalent? UMaine is over twice as expensive for a NJ resident. This the same BS comparison that NJ parents have been spouting for decades, asserting that it's soooo much cheaper to send Junior OOS for school.
Rutgers 2019-2020 in-state tuition is $12,232. UMaine 2019-2020 out-of-state tuition is $29,310. http://www.maine.edu/admissions-aid/tuition-rates/
Leave aside quality for just a minute. From purely a cost perspective, tell me how the hell are the two equivalent? UMaine is over twice as expensive for a NJ resident. This the same BS comparison that NJ parents have been spouting for decades, asserting that it's soooo much cheaper to send Junior OOS for school.
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In state UMaine tuition is $9000
OOS UMaine tuition is $29,310
If they give NJ residents a $15,000 off coupon every year (call it a merit scholarship), they get a student paying $5000 more than an instate kid who will also rent a dorm room and get a meal plan. They’re average SAT is 100 points below Rutgers, so it’s not like they’re getting cream of the crop. It’s just another option from the Kean and Stockton level students.
What's this $15000 off coupon? Is every NJ resident guaranteed this discount? Otherwise, it's just false advertising.
Nope. They need a 3.0 GPA and 1120 SAT to qualify. If they only meet one of those, they only get $9000 off.
https://go.umaine.edu/apply/scholarships/flagship-match-first-year/
They have had this sign in Connecticut for the past 3 or 4 years trying to lure students from CT public colleges
All makes sense now. So if you’re not a total schlub in HS, you basically pay NJ in-state rates which is not quite Maine OOS, but enough to ensure it makes economic sense for the UMaine system and it keeps the doors open.
They have the same billboard in CT and MA referencing the corresponding in state campus.
Makes sense, they want lure the above average NJ kid to go to school up in Maine for the same tuition as he/she would pay in-state at Rutgers (frankly don't see that being enough of a draw for Maine, or WVU from that other thread). But these are economically starving states that probably lose their strongest students to OOS so they're dangling whatever carrots they can to offset that brain drain.
Offer a discount to the NJ kid (scholarship/"coupon") off of UMaine's OOS tuition to match the Rutgers in-state tuition. Looks like the incentive would have to be about $17K assuming the tuition figures above.
My guess is that, for the most part, the NJ kid is not likely to end up staying back in Maine or West Virginia after graduation but rather seeking employment in more populous metros, including back home in many cases. I'm not sure a NJ kid wants to compete for jobs with a UMaine or WVU degree versus a more local degree (even if not Rutgers) that may be viewed no worse than or perhaps more favorably. Getting away for away's sake doesn't seem like a particularly good idea if those are the options.
Offer a discount to the NJ kid (scholarship/"coupon") off of UMaine's OOS tuition to match the Rutgers in-state tuition. Looks like the incentive would have to be about $17K assuming the tuition figures above.
My guess is that, for the most part, the NJ kid is not likely to end up staying back in Maine or West Virginia after graduation but rather seeking employment in more populous metros, including back home in many cases. I'm not sure a NJ kid wants to compete for jobs with a UMaine or WVU degree versus a more local degree (even if not Rutgers) that may be viewed no worse than or perhaps more favorably. Getting away for away's sake doesn't seem like a particularly good idea if those are the options.
The one thing I would say is the kid is more likely to have a real college experience in Maine or WVU that say Kean or Willy P. Kids will be there on the weekend, they have sports, they have a college town, you will meet a decent array of people. WVU is known for partying and I believe Maine has legal weed now- maybe not fair but a 17 year old is thinking about these things.
To me I have never heard of a NJ school that isn't Princeton, RU, Stevens or TCNJ being real strong in alumni connections.
I think a lot of middle class NJ families would pay up the extra 5k. It's not worth it over RU or TCNJ but if your kid doesn't; get in and they have some ambition I could see it.
To me I have never heard of a NJ school that isn't Princeton, RU, Stevens or TCNJ being real strong in alumni connections.
I think a lot of middle class NJ families would pay up the extra 5k. It's not worth it over RU or TCNJ but if your kid doesn't; get in and they have some ambition I could see it.
They’re really competing for the Jersey Kids that go to places like WVU and those that pay the rack rate at SHU.
True, but occasionally that can be offset by general familiarity (which can be favorable or unfavorable) or through other relationships.
My experience is there's PU and then a large gap before you get to maybe Drew or Stevens but they're both so small as to not have as wide an influence. Rutgers' and CNJ's alumni networks aren't as strong as they should be, and probably neither is NJIT's.
"Numbers...." Exactly. If your bottom line is purely $ then you can't beat Maine. Those with more ambition though, weigh more than just $, which is where Rutgers has an edge IMHO
Instead of the billboard, another angle is offering you a financial package so tuition is the equivalent (or close to it) of your State's flagship.
Privates have been doing this for awhile now. But now the publics are too. And the better your application, the better the package.
Privates have been doing this for awhile now. But now the publics are too. And the better your application, the better the package.
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I was going through my kids' dummy email for colleges and came across this offer:
https://blog.admissions.illinois.edu/?p=34348
For those looking to preview the gameday atmosphere of our Big Ten university, look no further. This year, we’re offering 3 free football tickets to any student who applies to Illinois by October 15!
https://blog.admissions.illinois.edu/?p=34348
For those looking to preview the gameday atmosphere of our Big Ten university, look no further. This year, we’re offering 3 free football tickets to any student who applies to Illinois by October 15!
Not sure how much gameday atmosphere on campus there will be in Urbana-Champaign when it's the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. Imagine it would be rather subdued compared to a typical fall Saturday even if it's a rivalry game.
One of my nephews goes to the University if Florida for almost the same exact price as Rutgers. He got very good grades and as far as I know pretty good SAT scores, but Rutgers offered no price break, but UF offered quite a lot. I have one left to try to pick RU. I will give it my best shot.
What does your nephew see as the advantages of going to UF? Just to be away from home, or is there a specific program that's particularly good at UF?
Camden, just a little background. He played a lot of sports and was a HUGE Tim Tebow fan as a little kid, including wearing a jersey that practically went to his knees when he got it. lol So, he had exposure to UF at a very early age plus he played a lot of baseball and knew Florida has had great baseball for years. Anyway, he was all over the map as far as looking at schools-visited a lot. Off the top of my head, Rutgers,TCNJ,Monmouth,Lehigh,Lafayette,Clemson,Penn State,James Madison,Villanova,Elon,UNC-Chapel Hill,Florida and I may have missed one. He was admitted everywhere except Clemson who had him on the waiting list. They told him normally he would have gotten in with no problem, but apps went to the moon with the National Championship year. So he finally decided he was going away and wanted a big school. Wants to Major in Business and probably something sports related. Loves hot weather-sometimes he would catch three games in the same day in late Spring/Summer. I had no idea how good a school it is until he decided it was in his final two and I found out that it is ranked the 9th best public university. So it came down to Florida and it pains me to say it, Penn State. He went back to UF for a second time and that sealed the deal. The campus won him over. The weather and the girls didn’t hurt. lol Just started his second year and loves it. I have one nephew left and I will do my best to see he ends up wearing scarlet.
VERY interesting -- thanks for your response! I suspect he is not the only young person in New Jersey who feels the same way. Florida is a growing state: NJ is not. After the next census, N J will have one fewer Representative and Fla. will have more. (P.S. I went to high school in Orlando and never saw anything special in Florida women, but I suspect I"m in the minority on that.)
To me growing up in NY/NJ Florida is the butt a lot of jokes, and generally people that move there do so to retire or because they can't afford to live here. I always associated Florida women to be the female version of the "Florida Man"...just kind of out to lunch. But I do know people who went to UF and enjoyed it and have great jobs and obviously their sports teams are very good.
Also least I read NJ won't lose a seat...I think NY will though. Maybe things are different in Gen Z but at least among millennials I don't hear many people moving to FL. I did have a few friends from law school who did move back after but they're from there.
I think you guys are misinterpreting the reasons students are leaving. No one is looking forward to starting a career in Gainesville. The vast majority will do their 4-5 years away and come back to where the jobs are.
I spent the weekend of the Maryland game in Columbia, SC with one of my sons attending UofSC’s Open House. UofSC is another school that will match Rutgers instate tuition. They boast over 50% OOS, and the feeling I got was everyone was there to “get away” from their local State U. They even discussed their career services and *spoiler alert* you don’t have to go to school within commuting distance of New York to get a co-op in New York.
It was an eye opening experience and it presents a serious alternative to Rutgers. My kids do not have an unlimited budget to spend on college, and it’s nice to see they have alternatives within the budget they were given. When the time comes, they’ll make the decision that is best for them.
Unless that decision is Penn State, that school won’t see a dime from me.
I spent the weekend of the Maryland game in Columbia, SC with one of my sons attending UofSC’s Open House. UofSC is another school that will match Rutgers instate tuition. They boast over 50% OOS, and the feeling I got was everyone was there to “get away” from their local State U. They even discussed their career services and *spoiler alert* you don’t have to go to school within commuting distance of New York to get a co-op in New York.
It was an eye opening experience and it presents a serious alternative to Rutgers. My kids do not have an unlimited budget to spend on college, and it’s nice to see they have alternatives within the budget they were given. When the time comes, they’ll make the decision that is best for them.
Unless that decision is Penn State, that school won’t see a dime from me.
OK. But is USCe really a better education than RU? Is an employer or grad school anywhere outside of South Carolina going to take a degree from there the same way they'd take one from RU? I understand USCe has a good International Business program. But what about everything else? It's obviously possible to get a job in NYC from anywhere. But what kind of job? For example, RU is known to be tops in Big 4 recruiting. It's very good for investment banking. It's excellent for grad school placement.
I think USCe is a great alternative to Rowan. It's not to RU or TCNJ, IMO. I'd file it with Delaware and other places where NJ kids go to "get away."
So far I haven't seen a school matching RU tuition that anyone from outside its own alumni base would consider on RU's level.
We can play this game all day long. In a ranking of 3000 schools, the difference between #50 & #125 is basically a rounding error. We disagree. I’m curious how others who have been through the process feel.
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