Rutgers University students face the unique challenge of deciding each year which of the school’s four main campuses they would like to live on during the following semester or whether to move off campus entirely. Busch, College Avenue, Cook/Douglass, and Livingston all have their own distinct environment and housing setup that can make it especially difficult for underclassmen to know which campus is best suited for them. Students choosing to move off campus have this difficulty as well, since a majority of New Brunswick off-campus options reside near both College Ave and Cook/Douglass.
But for some reason the Cook/Douglass campus in particular can elicit a negative reaction among Rutgers students. Her Campus Rutgers e-board members Wynne Zalewski and Zeal Doshi are graduating seniors living off-campus on Cook/Douglass who have learned to make the university’s unfairly contentious campus their own.
“During the summer I had a set routine, and so every morning I’d get up and go to the Dunkin Donuts in the Douglass Student Center, pick up some stones on the way, and then I would just go to the Passion Puddle and while waiting for the bus I’d skip stones. And there’s truly no other campus here at Rutgers where you can do that and spend the morning like that, which is something I really value,” said Wynne.
Zeal advised the importance of actively searching for ways to enjoy where you live regardless of the specific campus.
“I think each campus is what you make it. So you could always find something to do on that campus. Like there’s Harvest Café [on Cook/Douglass] and they have amazing things for you to eat, they have fresh juice that’s amazing. I go there all the time. Even though Cook/Douglass is a little bit more quiet, you still have all the same amenities as all the other campuses, so it’s literally what you make of it,” she stated.
For Zeal, the decision to move off-campus is one she has not regretted making since her freshman year. After visiting a dorm at Rutgers and not liking the size of the room or the cost of living on campus, Zeal began looking into the off-campus housing alternatives. She first researched houses near College Avenue but soon realized that they would not be a good fit either, leading her towards an apartment off of the Cook/Douglass campus where Zeal has resided for nearly four years. However, most of her classes have not been on Cook/Douglass.
“I think after freshman year they’ve been mostly on College Ave. So I was like maybe I need to move closer to College Ave now. But at that point I was just like, but my position with my apartment is so amazing right now. I do not want to give this up for anything,” said Zeal.
Wynne spent her first two years at Rutgers in residence halls on College Avenue and made the switch to an off-campus house on Cook/Douglass after a place was suggested by friends. She did not know that much about living on this campus beforehand, although Wynne had previously had a few classes there, but looking back she was glad that she didn’t. After living on the fast-paced College Avenue campus, she liked the idea of an escape from the noise of school going on around her. Wynne’s roommates shared similar sentiments.
“When looking at houses we thought it’d be nice to move off Cook/Douglass, even though not all of us had classes there all the time. But we just thought we could all use a little bit of peace and quiet and a little bit of distance. And we also thought it was really pretty out there, so that’s another reason why we did move out there,” stated Wynne.
The quietness of Cook/Douglass is also a reason why some Rutgers students do not favor living on the campus. Cook/Douglass is also more spaced out than most of the other campuses, and due to the farm located towards the back of Cook, the campus has more of a rural vibe than any other at Rutgers. Wynne feels that this rural aspect might deter students from liking the campus, despite the amenities the campus has to offer.
“I feel like most people are like, ‘ohmygod that’s the boondocks, it’s so far from everything, there’s nothing out there’. Which I do understand, there is a little bit of a distance,” she said.
Zeal also agreed that quietness is a main factor for why students tend to dislike Cook/Douglass, but added that the further off the main part of the campus students live, the less likely they are to be affected by it.
“On Cook/Douglass I guess because you’re basically living at the farm and it’s so quiet all the time. Not so much where I live, because that’s straight where cars turn in from the highway, so I always hear cars moving around and little kids on the street. I guess if you’re farther down it’s a lot more quieter, and you don’t really want to hang around there because it’s all dark and just not so inviting,” stated Zeal.
So how can students make their time spent living on or off Cook/Douglass actually enjoyable if the campus’s reputation consists of quietness and the farm? For starters, take the time to learn more about all of the amenities provided by Rutgers that reside on campus. Between both the Cook and the Douglass student centers, the Recreation Center, Neilson Dining Hall, and Harvest at IFNH, there are plenty of places for students to explore. In addition to these locations, Wynne recommends students check out the views from the second floor of the Mabel-Smith Douglass Library and relax at the field hidden behind College Hall.
“If you just need a place to sit outdoors, Antilles Field is really nice, it’s kind of like a hidden gem. It’s tucked all the way behind College Hall,” she stated. “Also the Douglass Library is really nice. You have to go downstairs cause there’s a collaborative area where you can sit and actually work on stuff with your friends and talk, have food, but still do work. And all those downstairs levels look out. They’re right where all the greenery is, right where the gorge is, all the bridges, so it’s really pretty too cause whole wall there is just windows.”
An off-campus apartment complex can include some amenities conveniently located in or right across the street from the building, which has helped make Zeal’s living experience off of Cook/Douglass more enjoyable. In her own apartment, Zeal has a kitchen where she is able to cook her own food and a gym located in the building. She also lives near two convenience stores, several bus stops, and just down the street from a supermarket.
“I think it’s a great thing to live off-campus. You get to be your own person, you get to be more adult-like, and you get to learn how to pay your own bills and do your own thing, make your own food. You’re basically adulating super quick living off-campus,” she said.
Speaking of the Rutgers buses, Wynne and Zeal also provided some helpful tips that they have learned from navigating both the EE and F routes to College Avenue on a daily basis. Zeal suggests skipping the College Hall bus stop all together, which is the last Cook/Douglass on-campus stop on both routes and walking further towards another stop. Wynne recommends taking advantage of the EE during rush hour to avoid traffic on Route 18, and also to take the EE when going to class on College Ave and get off at the Zimmerli stop, which is right behind several classroom buildings. For the F bus, she emphasized remembering that the route stops running after 9 pm.
And if students feel as though they have explored all the scenery that Cook/Douglass has to offer, eaten some yummy and nutritious food, conquered the Rutgers buses and still aren’t sure if this campus is the right fit for them, they can still have other options to consider. Zeal and Wynne advise some parting wisdom on what to do if students feel as though they are stuck on Cook/Douglass.
“I would say join a lot of clubs, join all the activities, and just show up to general meetings and learn what clubs do and stuff like that. Because that’s how you get involved especially if you’re off campus, that’s your only source of information is people and social media,” stated Zeal.
“Definitely check out the other campuses then. I found the more that I left Douglass as I lived there, cause I wasn’t too sure of it at first, the more I wanted to go back,” said Wynne. “Like the more days I spent out at College Ave, the more days I spent out on Busch, the more days I spent out on Livi, it was nice to get out on the campus but at the end of the day, I was really happy to come back to Douglass. So I’d definitely say get out, go do fun things every day on whatever campus, and you’ll feel better about yourself. Get some fresh air.”