Just an hour and a half away in Ewing, NJ is the modern campus of The College of New Jersey, also known as TCNJ. The campus has extremely high standards for their students throughout their 50 liberal arts and professional options, meaning more choices for amazing futures of all students. 

Highly ranked, TCNJ has stats that top many other state schools and private schools alike. Ranked number one by U.S. News for Regional Universities (North) for 2019 and number 23 on Forbes Best Value Colleges (Public) during 2017, TCNJ is also one of the highest retention rates at 94 percent; the national average is around 60 percent. The accounting program specifically is well acclaimed, as their CPA pass rate often places second place to Wharton School of Business. 

As for admissions, the 2018 freshman profile shows that admitted students typically averaged an A or A- GPA and a class rank within the top 15 percent of their graduating high school class. Midrange SAT scores are averaged at 1265 (Math and Reading combined) along with an average 28 on the ACT. These score averages are represented as the college as a whole, not the individual six colleges’ admissions within. However, there is no minimum test score required for admissions and strength of high school curriculum, Common App essays, and the high school’s rigour (which we are lucky enough to be in a high rigour school) all play a part in applications. 

Current Senior, Tim SooHoo, said, “After touring TCNJ during Lions Day, [it] opened my eyes to the idea of staying in state, especially with the amazing programs they offer to students.”

Being routed in their liberal arts name, TCNJ requires students to complete their liberal learning graduation requirements. These classes make sure students are cultured in the world around them, are able to write to a high level, which will be heavily applied post-grad in any field, to speak publicly, and to be able to interact with those even outside of our culture. In order to complete these, a Freshman Seminar Program, a Freshman year Summer Reading Program, an Information Literacy class, an Academic Writing, a Public Presentation, and a Second Language course must be taken. Additionally, classes must be taken which broaden ideas of human inquiry and teach of civic responsibilities through history and cultural learning courses. 

Not only is TCNJ a highly competitive educational facility, but the student life is just as excellent. Right on campus is College Town, a small shopping and dining area set up similarly to the Wegmans shopping area in Montvale. Here students can find a Panera Bread, Red Berry frozen yogurt, Frutta Bowls, the TCNJ gym, which is free to all students, and many more leisure locations. Not only does College Town host a dining and shopping experience like home, but the buildings actually house many upperclassmen within their upstairs apartments. 

However, if Trenton isn’t the town you want to hang out in when going off campus, Princeton is just fifteen minutes away from TCNJ. Although you cannot have a car on campus Freshman year, the Loop Bus brings you straight to the center of Princeton. Additionally, the bus takes students to the Hamilton train station, which is an easy way of coming home (via a connecting train in Grand Central) or to take a trip to New York City and Philadelphia. 

Unlike other schools, TCNJ provides a host of opportunities for students to begin working on campus fast. Students can get jobs from being the office assistant of almost every professional building, become an IT man for all students struggling with phones and computers, tutoring students in classes you have succeeded in, to even applying what you are learning in the field on TCNJ campus, such as web design and accounting. 

Setting the college aset from others yet again is their affordable travel abroad program. At TCNJ, students are able to study abroad in ten plus countries (although mainly offered in ten, they can set up arrangements with other international schools if credits work out) for almost no additional cost to a typical year of tuition. The only extra students have to pay for their airfare and any additional travels they hope to do along with lodging (depending on the program). And, with liberal learning requirements needing to be filled, studying the areas are as easy as ever with art and history credits being able to be filled in these locations.