Rowan University — Attraction in Glassboro

Rowan is a good university buried under an avalanche of bureaucracy and organizational problems. As a graduating senior of 2019, I've had the "pleasure" of watching the school grow and evolve at a wildly quick pace. But, as one might imagine, such growth in such a short span of time will inevitably lead to problems. Rowan University is a small school that desperately wants to be a big school and will do anything to achieve that level of growth, no matter how predatory their tactics become. Nothing seems to be too low for Rowan at the current moment, and that is exemplified through their most recent change of the meal system.

Despite recently conducting a survey into student health/nutrition levels and discovering that more than 40% of students say they don't have access to enough food to keep from going hungry during the day, Rowan has decided to completely change its dining system to exploit students and ensure they eat as little possible. Now all students are required to schedule their meals via an app, leading to over an hour of wait time for every meal during major eating hours. On top of this, Rowan has decided to charge students for nearly every addition to their meal, right down to requiring students to pay for simple condiments such as Ketchup and BBQ Sauce. The school's cafeteria is no longer an all-you-can eat venue, making it essentially impossible for students to control their own portions no matter what on-campus food venue they try to reach. This is likely to keep spending low, but if the survey is anything to go by, it will massive repercussions on the student body's overall health.

But it doesn't end there. Living conditions are also incredibly stilted, with one half of the student body living in archaic buildings that lack any form of AC and are constantly left in disgusting conditions while the other half lives in ultra-modern buildings where many of the systems (such as electronic keys) don't work half the time. Rowan's transition into being this large school has left the population to essentially fend for themselves, as every dorm becomes overcrowded to the point where some Freshmen students are required to share 1 toilet and 1 shower among 9 different students.

The only real draw the school has left is its academic programs, which I will admit are the only reason the rating doesn't go any lower. The professors at Rowan seem to have a genuine care and concern for their students, and I have yet to have a professor that wasn't at least passionate for his or her profession. However, at the moment, academics aren't enough for the school to survive on alone.

Student life is at an all-time low for Rowan and unless something changes, it will only sink deeper. This is without mentioning the infamously awful parking situation Rowan is plagued with for both residents and commuters alike, as well as a myriad of other issues such as the Rowan WiFi that regularly goes down at unexpected intervals, the obnoxious campus layout that drags most of the newer student structures as far away from the academic buildings as possible, and the constant remodeling of food areas that further prevents students from eating.

I say all this not out of hatred, but out of frustration for a school that I was recommended to years ago by friends and family alike. That brief window of time when Rowan was emerging as a smaller school with a strong academic backbone but somewhat questionable living conditions gave me hope that things would only get better over time, but it seems the opposite is true. I have no doubt that in a few years, Rowan University might finally be the big school it so desperately wants to be. But in the meantime, the students are the ones that will suffer the consequences of being nickel-and-dimed at every opportunity to...

I graduated from Rowan University in 2012 with dual degrees in English and Education (K-12 Subject Matter Concentration & Teaching Certification). I absolutely loved my experience - on the English side of things. Rowan's English Department makes its students feel like family. That is, the intelligent, funny, and talented family members who you WANT to spend time with. Dr. Freind (yes, that's how it's spelled), Dr. Parrish, Dr. Talley, Dr. Clark, and the late Dr. Carb changed my life in more ways than I can count. They made me love literature. They challenged my sensibilities and pushed me to be successful both on and off the page, in and outside of the classroom. Wonderful, wonderful people and program. Rowan is not "known" for their English Program, but it very well should be.

My experience with their Education program, however, was dizzying and (many times) painful. Many people will point to Rowan as "the place to go" to become a teacher. This is true - IF - you want to conjure up loads of worthless pedagogy and enter the classroom without any practical skills. It also takes a long to time for students of Education to enter the classroom and step into the educator role. While student teaching was a great experience for many in my class, those in-the-trenches experiences need to come sooner. Also, the Education Department is incredibly unorganized. Prepare for lots of late and lost paperwork. Beware: Some of the staff who work in the building will sneer at you so hard you'll feel your skin bubble.

Campus life is, as people have said here, what you make of it. I was a lowly commuter, but I made many, many friends. I was involved with clubs and went to events. One more thing: I'm surprised no one has mentioned how beautiful Rowan's campus is! I miss strolling beneath the trees by Bunce in the spring. Rowan's library is great too.

PS: Parking sucks. It sucks so bad the school newspaper is forbidden from writing about it. There's a super-secret dirt lot where you can park as long as you like without getting ticketed, but you gotta be in the know...

Before you waste $100k and 4 years of your life, read this. Rowan University is a place of business, not an educational institution. Granted, this is true for most colleges today, but still, I will not send my future children here. This place basically treats its students like cattle, just trying to get them through the system. Yes, you will learn a few things, but many graduates will have trouble getting a real job - in fact, most don't. I could talk about the President's salary going from $375K to $500K in one year, the fact that you have to pay for parking that doesn't exist, or or how classes are large/overcrowded (look at the course schedule to see how many overbooked sections there are). Before going to any school, ask the department head: "what percentage of students get jobs in this field in 1 year?" and "how will this program enable me to achieve my career goals?" If there's any hesitation or vague responses, there's your answer. Also, Glassboro is NOT SAFE. Donnie Farrell was murdered in 2007 (no arrests have been made), there was a SHOOTING in an off-campus apartment in January of 2015, and burglaries are common as...