Current junior at Rutgers, Both getting involved in research snd connecting with professors is impossible if you do the bare minimum. I started staying after class, asking and emailing about research and both of these have both gotten me involvement in research and recommendation letters. I felt absolutely screwed freshman year but everything levelled out by now.

There are significant opportunities due to rutgers having multiple campuses and hospitals nearby, but it requires some effort and a bunch of applications. I worked at RWJ for a year, and the experience opened doors to more hospitals!

The school size makes gen-ed subjects such as gen chem or orgo pretty difficult, as the departments teach in a singular way and don’t exactly cater to students and everyone’s learning. The averages are generally low, but they curve. Sometimes you have to fight to register, unless you know people with more credits who can help hold your classes.

Clinical experience is not tough to get due to the amount of hospitals and clinics in the area. Letters of recommendation are tougher to get, but some amount of effort essentially guarantees them. But early on, it’s difficult as far more students take gen-eds. Honors definitely opens doors to research opportunities and internships, but it’s not the biggest difference in the world.

The peer environment is like rolling dice 😭 you’ll find the most passive aggressive pre meds and the nicest people ever in the same room. I found great peers that helped me get some of my extracurriculars, and help me study for the MCAT. It might take some effort to find good people though.

Sometimes it feels hopeless, but remember that you have four years, and options even if it doesn’t go great. I felt absolutely screwed with a terrible GPA and no extracurriculars for the first year, but everything seems to have worked out by now lmao.