Prospective Student Looking at Centenary University
Hello all. I am a prospective student looking into possibly going to Centenary University. The school is one that has potentially sparked my interest. I have heard both good and bad things regarding the school. For example, the administration and staff are not always on top of things. I know someone who's apartment flooded and there was mold. Cafeteria food looks okay. Can anyone tell me honestly, where is my money going and is it worth it?
CentUWhat kind of degree are you pursuing ? Cafeteria food and administration should be a secondary concern.
Electric Bear Feel free to DM me. Both myself and my girlfriend are graduates. I wouldn't want to put some info (good and bad) publicly.
It would also be helpful to hear what major you're looking at, and if you're local or would be new to the area.
Centenary is expensive. But can be appealing for people, especially equine majors - Centenary produces some of the top equine competitors in the nation.
For me, it was the area, it was a nicer environment than many places in cities or not-so-great area. Many classes were small, most professors were very accessible, and I spent almost every Friday out hiking in the area.
Too many people treat it as the community college and don't put much effort into it.
One way you may save money is to live off campus: you can find cheaper apartments off campus if you don't mind driving or walking further.
I lived off campus - probably at the end of the day cost about the same for a 12 month lease as it would have to live on campus (But I had to pay electric, heat and internet and most of my own food).
I spent time at a community college and moved up here and finished at Centenary: Generally speaking, the administration was very on the ball and the teachers were hit and miss (my major the teachers were pretty lame overall) but most friends said the opposite - they're teachers were great. I did have some great professors outside of my major.
I absolutely loved History of New Jersey with Professor Raymond Frey, I think it counts as a history credit for most pages instead History I or 2. Highly recommended if you have an interest is local history. Prof Frey also did a Arcadia Publishing book on Centenary University and its history.
Food was okay. Lot of choice and it seems to have expanded since I graduated, but a lot of it is nothing special. Having the option to eat on campus (I got 5 free meals a week as a commuter) or eat out or go home, I used my free meals on breakfast and went out or home for lunch and dinner. The best stuff was whatever the one chef was cooking that day rather than the usual stations.
Sadly they didn't take well to using the cafe as a study hall and clear students our between meals, but I think Greene Beans is still in the library for a caffeine fix.
Centenary may have the best financial aid department of any school. They work really hard for grants and scholarships to loans and payment plans. I had minimal interactions with them, but universally I heard that while these things can be confusing, their staff went above and beyond to benefit the students.
alpha1beta Recommendation from my own personal experience...
Start off at a reputable community college - you will bang out all of your prerequisites for a quarter of the cost that it would be at a 4-year university.
Then, transfer to a state school such as Rutgers, Montclair, TCNJ, etc. because I cannot emphasis enough that you will get a better education for less money.
I have nothing against Centenary - but unless you want to do equine science or teaching, I do not recommend it at all.
The simple fact is, in society now, a bachelor's degree does not do much to set you aside from competition in the job market. Depending on your field, you will likely need a masters degree or extensive experience to be competitive. Putting yourself in massive amounts of debt to go to a sub-par school is not the wisest decision.
I went to County College of Morris and then finished up at Rutgers. I have zero student loan debt and a fantastic job due to the opportunities Rutgers provided and the reputation the school has. Just my two cents.
TieDyeMindsEye You are gonna be paying over 50k a year. And the accepted rate is really high. Save your money and go a state school .seriously.
Sunflower The top concern is how good the department you plan on majoring in is? If you are not sure what to major in maybe go to a 2 year college first and then transfer?
Cleo I would avoid Centenary. It's expensive compared to better State schools, already mentioned. Some very solid advise by TDME. Start with a community college then bankroll the credits at a good State school.
Much like everything else with this town, take your money and spend it elsewhere.
Don Save your $$$$. Go to CCM and take 2 years of core classes. Excellent college, and easily transfers ALL earned credits to Centenary, Rutgers, or WVU.
Keri 
YeahRight If you’re majoring in teaching, straight out of high school, with a good GPA then check into Centenary. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how affordable it is.
Good luck
Centenary student I do not recommend Centenary for teaching, if that is your major. Even though some of their professors have teaching experience and / or working in the education field, they lack the needed expertise to be effective professors. Your field placement experience is important. Avoid Hackettstown, Great Meadows, and Allamuchy.
For teaching, William Patterson or state schools are a better option. I do agree with starting off at a county college unless money is not an issue.
Get a grip I must disagree with the comment regarding the teaching program offered at Centenary. After graduating from another university in the state, I decided to attend Centenary as I realized a bit late as an undergraduate that what I had been studying wasn't necessarily what I wanted to pursue as a career. I was a product of Hackettstown born & raised. When searching around for a program after I graduated, Centenary seemed like a great option. Who says you can't go back home?
I received my certifications at Centenary and found each class to be extremely engaging and relevant to real life practice. There wasn't a class that I felt was redundant or a waste of my time or money. As a result of the small classes and personalized experience, I felt more prepared to enter the classroom than many of my colleagues that attended other colleges and universities in the state. Due to the relationships that Centenary has formulated with many schools in the area, I found the connections to be a strong selling point. After completing both my practicum & student teaching in local schools, I was able to obtain a position shortly after the completion of my program. Although the University is expensive, you truly feel part of the community due to the small class sizes and receive a quality education.
Many of the professors in the program have either received their Ed.D or Ph.D. and are currently practicing or retired supervisors, principals, or Superintendents. I am not sure what you constitute as "lacking the expertise to be effective professors." As seasoned veterans in the field, I found their expertise to be highly effective. While I am disheartened to hear that someone didn't have the best experience, I can not speak highly enough about the program, the individuals that oversee it, and the University in general.
KatieP Centenary is good for teaching.
But you can still do your first 2 years (all core classes) at CCM for 1/4 the price!
I teach at CCM and at Centenary. (My courses are nearly identical.)
Save your $!
Do CCM for core classes.
For the person who said treating it like a County College. County colleges have changed people work their ass off and your comment was rude and appropriate and you should really think before you say stuff. A lot of good students start out County to save money so think before you say information like that nothing wrong with Community College. Good education good quality and you save money for those who wants to start there
Help My daughter went to Warren County Comm. College. She planned it well, took courses that would transfer which were really rigorous. For example, in calculus, they follow the same curriculum as Rutgers. She took approved-for-transfer science classes - bio, chem, etc. When she transferred to Rowan Univ., 60 of her 62 credits transferred (all but the intro to college life class.) She told us that when she got to Rowan, she was as prepared or better than the students that had been there for two years already. She graduated from Rowan with an honors degree in biology two years later - four years of college total. A lot of kids that go away to school don't do that, at much greater cost!
That said, she had friends from high school that took the proverbial basket weaving and basic algebra that they should have taken by then, general science, and other classes that wouldn't transfer, but that allowed them to get an assocaite's degree. Which is fine too of course.
So if planned correctly and willing to do the work, going to a community college can save a lot of money yet give the same education. Plus the student gets to stay home for two more years and eat mom's cooking and have their laundry done and bed made.
Reggie Voter I agree with most of the posters here that funds can be saved by utilizing a community college.
Where I am not fond of the process is when colleges get to "pick and choose" the credits they will accept and from where they will accept them from. It's a game.
All core classes should be accepted by all colleges from all colleges. A standard should be put in place. A school that does not make the cut (provide adequate education on the subject) should be terminated and funds returned to the student. This is not going to happen.
If you are doing the community college route, just make sure you take the right prerequisite courses, and that they will be accepted at the institution you will be transferring to so your time and money is not wasted.
Community colleges can and do provide very good services. There was a rumor that County College of Morris was going to turn into a 4 year college. Had that happened, and their tuition stayed the same, the landscape around here would have changed a bit.
dodgebaal Help, don't be so easily offended at what is reality. Maybe you are/were a good student but not everyone applies themselves with the same zeal as you. I know plenty of folks who treated their higher education as if it were 13th grade or as something they needed to do to stay on their parents' insurance. Some of those were high school friends who went to community college. Others attended an engineering university with me. It's up to the student to get what he or she wants out of the education being offered.
If you go to any NJ community college, any of the NJ state universities are mandated to accept your credits from that community college. As part of the dual credit program at HHS, those credits may also be transferred to any NJ community college or state university ( any HS student should take advantage of the dual credit program as it is free and a no brainer) My kids all took advantage of this program and transferred from 12-18 credits. The private university they attended took ALL of their credits from the HS dual credit program/Warren County Community College. This program is one of the best things our HS offers!
sports fan Some stats from the Star-Ledger on median income 10 years post grad: https://www.nj.com/education/2018/10/these_35_nj_colleges_have_the_highest-paid_grads.html
Obviously a lot has to do with the types of degrees earned/career paths followed. Interesting nonetheless and confirmation a little bit of headache pays off on the end.
Hi Prospective Student Looking at Centenary University. Nora McCarthy is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Centenary and she would be happy to talk you through their process as well as alert you to available scholarships and financial packages that are available. P: 908.852.1400 ext.2584. Her email is nora.mccarthy@centenaryuniversity.edu. Let me know if I can help you with any additional questions.
Kristen I would recommend to contact alumni association. If it's not helpful - it's a sign how graduates value their alma mater.
Lena The "sticker price" of a private college like Centenary is not what you will end up paying, especially if you're a good student. The price can be comparable to a state college. Centenary offers students some great opportunities to lead, study abroad, get hands on experience, especially in business.
A truly outstanding aspect of Centenary University is their commitment to guiding and supporting students with learning differences. The conversation thus far in this thread has been about saving and spending money: county versus private colleges. Parental anecdotes are not particularly germane to this student’s query regarding The specifics of a Centenary education.
Certain aspects of ones educational experience are impossible to quantify. In the case of Centenary University, I have witnessed many students who have benefited from the support given to students with disabilities, be it ADHD, Aspergers or dyslexia. I believe that Centenary offers an outstanding support for such students. The county colleges and even most elite colleges/universities do not compete with Centenary in this aspect of the college experience.
Ultimately, the prospective student, whose query about Centenary University, launched this thread, must determine his/her own set of personal strengths and weaknesses. How do these attributes, combined with the financial, academic and professional situations of this student, fit with the mission and community of Centenary University?
I absolutely agree that it is better to discern the answers to your questions regarding whether Centenary is a good fit by contacting an administrator and also speaking in person to alumni and current students.
Robin Centenary College is budget-strapped because of the last few presidents, one of which was notably unqualified to be president.
Read up on it and draw your own conclusions.
happiest
Apparently, the Board of Trustees believes (or at least states) there's no problem:
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/2018/12/centenary-university-getting-an-interim-president-after-sudden-exit-of-the-ex-prez.html
The "building boom" that occurred after the mid-90's issues of students being boarded as far away as Panther Valley with shuttle buses running to bring them to campus resulted in too much dorm space after admissions declined. Of course without the students and $$$ coming in to fill those spaces, the University incurred debt. Some of that was mollified by selling the radio station WNTI, however I feel that backfired on CU because that was one of the best (if not THE best) public relations tools they had. Because of the "new" Philly-based programming I often don't even listen to it anymore and therefore miss what CU news they broadcast, so there are programs at CU that I don't hear about that I may like to spend my $$$ to attend.
I remember when WNTI was mostly students and some of the DJs that later gained fame. That was back in the mid 90's and while I enjoyed the very unique and extremely varied programming, many people that I knew didn't up until the point in the early 2Ks when it took off with a regular schedule, later becoming THE station to listen to in Northwest NJ and the Poconos.
President Haney did cut a number of things in order to cut the budget, but obviously as a private entity, unless one is on the BoT or the administration, you really have no idea of how strapped they may or may not be.
alpha1beta
The Cafe in the Taylor Mem. Library was removed this past Summer and moved to the Seay Administration Building where they felt it was "more useful". Hopefully, someone will check into being able to open up a snack bar similar to what was there. More rooms were opened up for study there (the library) as well with a reorganization of their collections/assets. I've been using the library for a number of years now for research and writing and I find it to be a useful and valuable asset to both the University and the community.
While I don't take classes there, I've met a number of students, faculty and associates and haven't met anyone I felt was less than helpful and engaging. I've enjoyed the programs that I've seen at the Hackettstown Free Public Library that have featured CU faculty and have noted that some of their students even show up for these programs. The faculty and students that were there seemed to be fully vested in the topic(s) discussed and engaged each other and the public in spirited and intelligent discourse. That, to me says a lot more than just how much it costs, especially when they are excellent at helping find grants, etc. to bring down the cost.
Phil D. Keep in mind commuting times always add that factor in, hours in the car could be better spent studying working or sleeping if Centanary is closer. Besides Debbie Harry graduated from there.
Iamrite Debbie Harry went there there for 1 semester. Did not graduate from there. Centenary also had a “psychology professor”six or seven years back that wasn’t even a licensed educator. It was like catch me if you can movie. He fudged his way as a teacher. Just relayed old articles from past psychology today magazines. Wnti was the best aspect of that school
Kevin van orden 
So did she graduate from there, or not?
btw my wife's name is on that wall too but under her maiden name, i think class of '79. there were no boys allowed back then, it was CCW!
From Wikipedia:
She graduated from Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with an Associate of Arts degree in 1965.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Harry
Mr. Resident Commenting is no longer available.