Rutgers Today set out to meet people doing ordinary things on campus. In our second installment, meet four students who share some of their favorite things at Rutgers and talk about how their outlooks have changed since coming here.
Year: Junior
Major: History
Hometown: Somerset, N.J.
Rutgers Today: Where is your favorite place to study on campus?
Franzyshen: Alexander Library is my favorite place. It’s nice and there are a lot of people there all the time. I like being able to bounce ideas off people or study with people I run into from my class. It’s great for people watching too.
Rutgers Today: How do you think you have changed since coming to Rutgers?
Franzyshen: I’m still just as outgoing as I have always been, but Rutgers has given me a lot of opportunities. I’ve gained leadership skills and learned to take advantage of the all of the opportunities I stumble upon at Rutgers.
Rutgers Today: How do you spend your free time on campus?
Franzyshen: I tend to watch TV when I have some free time, especially Law and Order SVU marathons. I also invest a lot of my time with campus activities. I travel all over the country with WRSU. I am also very involved with my fraternity.
Rutgers Today: Who is the most interesting person or professor you’ve encountered on campus?
Franzyshen: The most interesting person I’ve encountered on campus is definitely Steven Miller, who taught my Introduction to Media Studies class. Even though I didn’t continue with that major, I found the way he taught his class was really interesting. He was also very helpful.
Rutgers Today: If you could change one thing about Rutgers, what would it be?
Franzyshen: Nothing really comes to mind. I don’t think the school should get any bigger, but I also think it’s important for people to get involved with activities that make the school feel smaller.
Year: Sophomore
Major: Communication
Hometown: Trenton, N.J.
Rutgers Today: Where is your favorite place to study on campus?
Blackshear: The computer lab on College Avenue is my favorite place to study, mainly because it’s cool when it’s really hot out.
Rutgers Today: How do you think you have changed since coming to Rutgers?
Blackshear: I think I’ve become a better person. Where I come from people just look like me so it’s great to be experiencing other cultures.
Rutgers Today: How do you spend your free time on campus?
Blackshear: I don’t really have any free time. I spend whatever free time I have reading. I love to read on the wooden benches right on College Ave.
Rutgers Today: Who is the most interesting person or professor you’ve encountered on campus?
Blackshear: Me! I’m a very interesting person. I haven’t met anyone like me on campus.
Rutgers Today: If you could change one thing about Rutgers, what would it be?
Blackshear: It’s too spaced out. I have to catch a bus to get to a class at 1:40 p.m. on Livingston and then hop onto another bus to go all the way to Douglass right afterward. I like the size of the school, but I just wish the campuses were a bit tighter.
Year: First-year
Major: Pre-Business
Hometown: Old Bridge, N.J.
Rutgers Today: Where is your favorite place to study on campus?
Woo: My favorite place to study has to be Kilmer Library. It’s the closest library to where I live and it’s always really quiet.
Rutgers Today: How do you think you have changed since coming to Rutgers?
Woo: I feel like I have more options and opportunities, but that comes with more questions. I’ve developed a new style of thinking.
Rutgers Today: How do you spend your free time on campus?
Woo: I like to read The Wall Street Journal when I have the chance.
Rutgers Today: Who is the most interesting person or professor you’ve encountered on campus?
Woo: Economics Professor Thomas Prusa is the most interesting person I’ve met so far. He has a really unique sense of style and has a lot of witty banter.
Rutgers Today: If you could change one thing about Rutgers, what would it be?
Woo: That’s a hard one. I would like to see more entrepreneurial societies.
Year: Sophomore
Major: English
Hometown: Edison, N.J.
Rutgers Today: Where is your favorite place to study on campus?
Pires: I like sitting by the water over by the Student Activities Center when I study. It’s always really quiet.
Rutgers Today: How do you think you have changed since coming to Rutgers?
Pires: I study a lot more. I also think I’ve become more social.
Rutgers Today: How do you spend your free time on campus?
Pires: I go for walks on pretty much any campus with trees. It’s good for English majors and our writing.
Rutgers Today: Who is the most interesting person or professor you’ve encountered on campus?
Pires: Jason Schwartz was one of my English professors. He has a really great personality. He’s really chill but still has that respect in his classroom.
Rutgers Today: If you could change one thing about Rutgers, what would it be?
Pires: I wish we had more buses because it seems like there are always about 1,000 kids on the same bus headed for class.