Montclair State University Top Questions

I absolutely love Montclair State University. It is where all my talents are challenged, my best friends were met and where I can truly be myself all the time

I love it here! Everything I need and truly have made the most genuine friends and opportunities here.

I love MSU! One of the things I really love about Montclair is that because it is a large public university, it offers a lot of opportunities that smaller, more subject specific colleges do not. You can pursue and satisfy other interests and hobbies you may have outside of your major. For example, though I am a Graphic Design major, I was able to take two dance classes last year, be a part of the Honors program, pick up a Business minor, join the dance club, and work for Undergraduate Admissions on campus. I also love having friends and working with people who have different backgrounds and interests, much like I will in the real world after graduating. If I had gone to a small art school like I originally wanted to I would have missed out on all of that! Montclair offers more than 250 majors, minors, and concentrations and has over 150 clubs and organizations. Though there is a large student population and the campus itself is pretty big as well, everything is really close together and classes are kept relatively small (about 25 students) so the motto goes that Montclair is a "big school with a small campus feel." Students really like that about MSU. In addition, another great thing about Montclair is it's location. Montclair's campus is situated in three different towns: Upper Montclair, Clifton, and Little Falls. The town of Montclair is safe, quaint, and affluent, and the downtown area has a lot of nice little shops and places to eat that are within twenty minutes' walking distance from the campus if it's a nice day out. If you have a car, Route 3 and Route 46 run near the campus and they each have various shopping plazas. You can easily get to these in about five minutes by car, including my favorite frozen yogurt place CUPS. On Saturdays, students can take the MSU shuttle buses to Clifton Commons on Route 3 which has a Target superstore, Blockbuster, grocery store, AMC theater, Sports Authority, Party City, Barnes and Noble, various restaurants, and several other places. Montclair also has two NJ Transit Train station stops on campus (one on either end) that go into New York City, which is only 14 miles away. The trains from Montclair only run Monday through Friday but there are also the Decamp Buses that pick up students down the street from campus and go into the city every day of the week. NJ Transit buses also stop right on campus and can take students various places for very cheap including Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, NJ. The campus and surrounding suburban area are both really pretty and experience diverse weather, including a fair amount of snow in the winter, warm sun in the spring, and hot weather in the 80s and 90s during the summer. One of the only things I don't like about Montclair is there is poor communication between the different departments. If you have a question or a problem it's often hard to figure out who to talk to and the departments are little help because they usually don't know much outside of their subject. I work for Undergraduate Admissions and many departments just direct students to us because they don't know where else to send them, even though we really only deal with prospective students and families. This lack of unity and cohesiveness between the departments is usually the biggest complaint I hear from other students. However, the university is aware of this problem, and they plan to take measures, such as having cross-training for the employees of different departments, to correct it and help things run more smoothly. As far as school pride goes, Montclair is not anything like, say, Penn State. However, the entire student body does really come together for certain events, such as Homecoming. Other than things like that, most students who commute or go home on the weekends have little connection to the school other than their classes. Those students who live on campus and stay on the weekends are usually much more connected, have more friends at school, and are more heavily involved and therefore have more pride for the school. Montclair is also division 3 for its 17 sports so the students who aren't involved in athletics aren't connected to the school through sports the way that Rutgers students are to Rutgers football, for example.

The best thing about this university is the education, art, and business program. This school is well known for those program. The view of the city is amazing from the school and is only 24 mins away by car. The one thing I could change at this university is the parking crisis; there is not enough parking for the students. Yes, the added parking but its miles from the campus and having parking out there, just adds extra stress to the students. The school here is just right if you want a professor to know who you are to be able to help you with any academic problems you have in the class.

The size of the school is just right for the size of 18,000. It's actually surprising how big the campus is that you don't feel like 18,000 people are here.One major complaint of this year is the internet. MSU over the summer decided to do a massive overhaul and by doing this rushed it causing problems and the students are really effected by this. However the internet is getting better as the solutions are becoming apparent.

I consider MSU my home away from home and the campus is beautiful! I have formed friendships with so many people (staff,students,and other employees) here that I feel comfortable enough to call this place home and most of the people here family.

Montclair State University is an excellent school for academics. I am majoring in Communication Studies (concentrating in Public Relations), and I am very satisfied with the faculty and advisement in the department. I declared as a freshman and have no intentions of changing fields. The school has the second largest student population in New Jersey at 18,000+ students, but it has a small college feel. I've been in classes that pushed 100 students and others that averaged 20, so class sizes depend on the course and the section. Montclair is primarily comprised of commuters, so the severe lack of parking availability is a very common grief of students. Another frequent complaint from students is the fact that many classes do not have enough openings to accommodate the large student population. Overall, Montclair State University has been a positive experience for me so far. If Montclair's administration would look into improving the two listed hardships of the campus, the college life would be enhanced and both students and faculty would benefit from the results.

I love the school, it's in a great location and the facilities are gorgeous. If I could change something, it might be some of the professors. I've found that a lot of general education courses don't employ the most knowledgable professors available. The weekends here are a bit dull because about 65{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population commutes, but other than that I've found no problems going out and having a great time at fraternity houses, sport houses and in my own dorm room. Everyone has their complaints about MSU, but I'm fairly confident that not a single school exists that is complaint-free, and I haven't found anything extensively bothersome since I've been here, so there's no need to complain really.

I am a parent of a 2nd year student. I am now at my wit's end with this school and its administration. I truly thought that our family had made a great choice in Montclair four our oldest daughter. The past two years have been extremely frustrating on almost every front. Housing in Bohn Hall for her first year was quite simply disgusting. The building is old, dirty, smelly and not maintained - not to mention a lot of fire hazards. I was excited that she got housing in Hawks Crossing apts this year. But on move in day I was appalled! Black mold on the bathroom ceiling - which was treated and removed incorrectly more than 2 months later. The AC units all had gaps of over an inch on either side (directly to the outside!). The shuttles, when they do come by, are frequently full. There is no safe crosswalk if you decide it's quicker to walk so you can get to class on time. There is absolutely NO guidance for the serious student. Advisors and staff are unresponsive and unhelpful. My daughter has been hung up on, stood up for appointments, and left to hang out to dry when it comes to getting answers. It seems like every semester it is a monstrous struggle just to find classes that are still accepting students. The Dean of her dept. went so far as to say "so, you'll just have to take 5 years to graduate". Excuse me? it seems ridiculous to force students to take longer to graduate simply because the university does not offer enough sessions of required courses. I find it very hard to understand this point of view. Montclair University does not provide an environment conducive to a good college experience. The Academic side is sorely lacking in course offerings, and support for the student who really cares about their college life. The campus does not provide a healthy environment (health warning signs have been posted in the dining halls at least once in the last year). If you live on-campus and cannot have a car since you are a freshman or sophomore, then there is really no easy way for you to get to a grocery store or pharmacy. The shuttles ONLY go around campus, and not even into the nearby town. This makes NO sense! Please Montclair, it is time to take a look at your administration, and make some decisions on how to improve your school.

ok so this school is really a commuter school. i would go if i planned on staying home and commuting and had a job, but i wouldnt really recommend it to someone who wants the true "college" experience. the size. well- there are a lot of students, like 12,000 or more but since it's mostly a commuter school you don't really feel that. and they have issues with parking and housing. the housing situation actually really sucks.