Bunce Green is an iconic spot on campus and the setting for quite a few Rowan activities. Read more about what happens at Bunce Green and why it is a popular Rowan destination. What is Bunce Green? In order to answer this question, we must first define what a green is. According to the Merriam-Webster […]
orientation
Senior Reflects: Leadership and Social Innovation Major Sarah Niles
Internship & Experiential Learning Stories Learn how Rowan Profs go Beyond the Classroom to grow professionally, as well as personally, through internships and other experiential learning. Experiential learning includes hands-on learning opportunities provided through research, student clubs, campus leadership, student worker jobs, service-learning projects and volunteerism. In addition, Rowan’s Office of Career & Professional Development provides career support that’s more than just […]
Advice From a Rowan RA on the Residence Hall Experience
Today we speak with Alex Brown, a senior Music Industry major and first-time resident assistant (RA) at Chestnut Hall.
What advice do you have for incoming first years or transfers living in residence halls?
Definitely do not be afraid to try something out. If there is something that peaks your interest even a little bit and you feel like you can manage that with your course load, or even if you think you can’t, at least give it a shot. One, you’ll meet the people who run it; two, learn more about it; and three, you can say that you gave it your best shot.
There are people who leave after four years regretting not joining a club or being more involved on campus.
What advice do you have for students who choose to live in a residence hall?
It’s a great experience, but it’s also something where you get what you put in. I highly recommend talking to as many new people as you can. You never know who is going to be your next best friend or resource for the rest of your college career.
Do you have any advice for students dealing with homesickness?
You’ll definitely feel homesick the first few weeks, but Rowan does a lot of welcome week events where you can start immersing yourself with all the opportunities Rowan has to offer. Put yourself out there, go to events, go to Rowan After Hours (RAH) events every weekend, walk around, learn more about the campus and you’ll start to fit in to the environment. If you put in the effort to be a part of the community, the community will welcome you with open arms.
Can you tell us about some of the best parts of Chestnut Hall?
Chestnut Hall is huge. It’s on the bigger end of the first-year dorms. Because of that, there are a lot of people you see on a daily basis. The space allows for more connections and friendships to be made without having to go too far.
How would you describe the proximity to the academic buildings?
The way Chestnut is placed, you have a lot of different things that can help you. Chestnut has a parking lot for first-year students with access to a car. It’s a reasonable walk to Rowan Boulevard where there are a lot of restaurants. It’s also just a great hangout area for Rowan students and close to other first-year buildings.
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Story by:
Caitlyn Dickinson, senior public relations and advertising major
Photography by:
Stephanie Batista, sophomore music industry major
Meet Transfer Profs: Advertising Major Jess Battistelli
Meet incoming transfer student and Advertising major Jess Battistelli from Williamstown, NJ (Gloucester County). Jess is a transfer from Rowan College of South Jersey and is a first-generation college student. She shares more about what she’s looking forward to at Rowan and what she wants to get involved in on campus.
Welcome to Rowan! Could you share with us one thing you are looking forward at Rowan University?
I’m looking forward to getting involved with finding internships and meeting other people in the advertising and marketing industry.
What is one hobby, activity, sport or club that you’re involved in that you’d like to continue at Rowan?
I’m currently in NSLS [National Society of Leadership and Success] and Phi Theta Kappa that I will continue to work hard for and utilize through college!
Is there anything you’re hoping to discover about yourself at Rowan? Grow a new skill? Try a new interest? Starting a new activity, sport or club?
I’m hoping to narrow down the exact job I want in life in the advertising field, since it is so broad. I’d like to gain more information on the topics and take classes that relate to my field in hope to find what interests me most.
What major(s) are you considering and why?
Advertising and possibly a minor in marketing. This field is on the rise especially for social media, and I like the idea of change and different topics and people everyday rather then an office desk.
Did you tour Rowan or attend any virtual events? If so, which ones, and what did you think?
Not yet, but I am planning to attend orientation in June!
Do you have advice for other transfers who haven’t committed to a school yet?
Choose what makes you happiest and what is best for you in the long run!
What is one thing about Rowan itself that you liked?
I like how involved they are in each field and how they have so many different options for helping decide what is best and the atmosphere of the campus.
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Story by: Bianca Torres, senior music industry major
We are #RowanPROUD to be included on Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s 2021 Transfer Honor Roll, which recognizes select nationwide colleges and universities that foster dynamic pathways for transfer students.
Leadership #PROFspective: Alana Brown of Orientation & Student Leadership Programs
Internship & Experiential Learning Stories Learn how Rowan Profs go Beyond the Classroom to grow professionally, as well as personally, through internships and other experiential learning. Experiential learning includes hands-on learning opportunities provided through research, student clubs, campus leadership, student worker jobs, service-learning projects and volunteerism. In addition, Rowan’s Office of Career & Professional Development provides career support that’s more than just […]
5 Ways I’ve Gotten Involved on Campus
Internship & Experiential Learning Stories Learn how Rowan Profs go Beyond the Classroom to grow professionally, as well as personally, through internships and other experiential learning. Experiential learning includes hands-on learning opportunities provided through research, student clubs, campus leadership, student worker jobs, service-learning projects and volunteerism. In addition, Rowan’s Office of Career & Professional Development provides career support that’s more than just […]
#PROFspective: Feeling Like a Member of the Student Body Through the Online Learning Experience
Meet Liberal Studies major Krystal Mannering from Atlantic County, NJ. Krystal, a first-generation college student, works full-time while running a business, providing for her household and taking care of a toddler. Read her perspective on how Rowan has made her feel “accepted and welcomed” as an online student.
Being an online student for most of my educational career, the need for a connection with a physical campus might seem like a translucent goal. Common speculation is online students aren’t receiving “the college experience” that an in-person student receives.
For many online colleges and educational facilities, this statement is true. I’ve attended two other online colleges throughout my career, and Rowan University is the first online program where I’ve felt like an actual member of the student body.
From the moment I called Rowan, I felt accepted and welcomed. My heart had just been broken by my current school at the time, and as I was sobbing uncontrollably, I began calling multiple schools and explained my situation. The first Rowan advisor I spoke to was faced with the challenge of my vulnerability but ensured me that even as an online student, my role had a place.
I work a full-time job, have a home to provide for, a business, and a toddler to take care of, so online schooling is my only option. Two other schools stated they couldn’t help me, and another didn’t answer the phone. The advisors at Rowan greeted me with a cheerful attitude and helped me every step of the way. Even though I live an hour away, the Rowan staff took the necessary time I needed to feel comfortable with my decision.
As I entered my first semester, I was armed with eagerness and fear. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t sure that I was going to feel the acceptance that I craved. I joined Rowan’s social media platforms and I was quickly comforted by fellow Rowan students. One student suggested that I attend the campus orientation and I signed up for the next available event (highly recommended!).
Walking through the Rowan campus reassured my decision to attend Rowan as an online student. It felt right to walk through the halls, dorms and college grounds. Each orientation leader was extremely informative to the incoming freshman students, and each demonstration I attended that day began to further confirm my choice.
The orientation leaders expressed that online students are offered the same accommodations as in-person students. My friend (and now fellow classmate) and I walked through the streets of the campus, and we were presented with cheerful little shops, wonderful eateries, statues and artifacts plastered throughout the campus.
As the event concluded, my friend and I decided to make our way out to Richard Wacker Stadium, the stadium that I will graduate in. Being eligible to attend a physical graduation as an online student is very important to me and is one of the many perks of studying online with Rowan University. As we stepped foot onto the track that surrounds the beautiful stadium, the reality of my choice to attend Rowan began to set in.
Overwhelmed with emotion, I was so thankful to have found Rowan University. The online classes are more organized than other schools that I’ve attended. The professors are extremely involved, and helpful if you maintain a consistent work ethic. The alumni at Rowan reassured me that my needs weren’t burdensome. Class sizes are manageable, and classmates are a welcoming wealth of knowledge. Each day, I continue to be thankful for my choice to attend Rowan University as an online student. My future is clear now that I’m a PROF!
Story by:
Krystal Mannering, liberal studies major
First Year Voices: Biochemistry Major Malique Prescott
Freshman Malique Prescott, a Biochemistry major from Bridgeton, NJ (Cumberland County) who lived in Evergreen Hall until campus closed due to COVID-19, reflects on his first year as a Rowan student.
What was one way you met friends this year? One way I met my college family was through the ASCEND program (PCI) and my peers in my dorm. Then I relinked with some people I had met during orientation. Now I’m just meeting people by networking through those I already know.
What is something you’re looking forward to at Rowan next year? Next semester I plan on finishing it completely without the help of a virus. I also plan on getting more involved with the campus community and making a presence for myself and possibly joining a few organizations.
What would you tell a future student who is interested in Rowan? As for advice to a future student, I would tell them to not be too shy and worry about it. You can put yourself out there because everyone on campus is loving and accepting. And to also have fun, you are only a freshman in college once.
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Story organized by:
Rachel Rumsby, freshman communication studies and public relations double major
First Year Voices: Football & Friendship
“We’ve been playing football together since we were 6,” says freshman Jared A, a business management major from Estell M, NJ (Atlantic County) of his Magnolia Hall roommate, Chris D of Buena, NJ (Atlantic County).
“We both played for Rowan this year,” Jared continues. It was fun living with someone he’s known since childhood, he says. “It was never boring. We just goof around with everyone in the dorm, playing poker. My favorite memory from this year is goofing off in the dorms. Our whole floor in Magnolia – and someone brought water guns. We started spraying each other, and getting water bottles and throwing them at each other. (We cleaned it up, of course.)”
At orientation, Jared’s randomly assigned roommate was Pavneet S, a freshman entrepreneurship major from Carteret, NJ (Middlesex County.)
Jared shares, “We didn’t really talk much to each other at first. But, then we were both sitting there bored at 1:00 in the morning and said, ‘Hey, do you want to do something funny?’ and we ran around the hallways.”
Along the way, the friends met Jeron, known as Smooth (on left). Jared says, “Chris met him here, but he lives close to us at home. Pretty sure we played football against him in school, but we didn’t know it. “
Next year Jared and Chris will commute from home, instead of living on campus. “I’m going to carpool with Chris,” says Jared, “because I’ll drive past Chris to get to school.”
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First Year Voices: Ocean County Native Makes New Friends
Meet Elizabeth Hudak, a freshman Radio/TV/Film major from Manchester, NJ (Ocean County). She moved into Holly Pointe Commons in September.
Elizabeth says attending freshmen orientation made it easier to meet people once she started on campus this fall. She was happily surprised at “how easily I made friends and how open everybody was to getting to know one another.”
Campus life is one of her favorite aspects of Rowan because she feels it makes it so that there’s always something to do every day.
Like what you see, come visit us!
Story by Enzo Ronchi, junior public relations major
Photography by Adam Goskowsky, junior advertising major
The Importance of Parental Participation in Orientation
Today we hear from Dr. Heidi L. Newell of Williamstown, NJ, mother of a sophomore communication studies major at Rowan who lives on campus. Heidi will share her thoughts on the importance of parents attending orientation.
Before attending parent orientation at Rowan University last year, I questioned how beneficial it would be for me as a parent considering that my husband and I have worked at Rowan since 1998, and my own parents only attended an hour-long information session when I went to college.
After Rowan University’s two day orientation concluded, I realized just how much I needed to attend. We heard from professionals who interact with today’s college students and explained how everything works.
However, orientation is so much more than a method of getting important information to parents. There is an emotional component to it that I hadn’t anticipated. We dropped off our daughter in the residence hall where she would be living in the Fall and, then, rarely saw her for two days except a brief encounter during which she was surrounded by new friends. Whew! I began to picture her navigating her way through freshman challenges. This experience helped simulate what it would be like for all of us in a few months.
Talking to other parents and realizing that some were feeling the same sorts of fears I was made me feel not so alone. Other parents had been through this transition before with older children so their wisdom was a source of comfort. I think college life was different, perhaps simpler, when I was an undergraduate so there were new things to learn and discuss. Parents posed questions I hadn’t considered before. Before orientation, the transition process was this scary, vague prospect. After orientation, I felt focused: I had a list of tasks to accomplish that summer. I actually made some friends and became part of a new community of Rowan parents! Although it was still sad when she moved in, attending orientation had given me the courage and excitement I needed.
Like what you see, come visit us!
Story by: Dr. Heidi Newell, parent of a Rowan sophomore
Photography by: Chad Wittmann, rising senior journalism major
PROS Learn Best Practices for Orientation at NODA Region VII Conference
Aaron Lee, a junior biochemistry and public relations double major from Williamstown, NJ (Gloucester County) shares his student leadership experience.
Absolutely amazing! Those are the only words I can use to describe my experience at the NODA (The Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education) Region VII Conference. Over spring break, eight of my peers and I were given the opportunity to go to Virginia Tech for a weekend. We served as representatives of Rowan and its orientation team, the PROS. The best part was that the entire trip was funded by Rowan’s Office of Orientation & Student Leadership Program (OSLP).
Throughout the weekend we not only got to go sightseeing, but we also got to learn more about how other universities and colleges run their orientation programs. Orientation is an experience all Rowan students have, and I’m sure we could all think back to our first time on a college campus. The mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness blend together to create a unique sense of unease and exhilaration. Will I fit in? Will I be able to keep up in classes? How am I going to handle living away from home/commuting? Why are they making me do this cheesy ice breaker? I’m sure we all had many questions, worries, and doubts just like these. Orientation is all about easing that transition and helping students address those concerns, and I’m thrilled to be a part of that. Without a doubt orientation has an impact on students, and having insight into how we could improve our program is so valuable for me. This trip gave us the ability to do that first-hand, and bring back new and interesting perspectives on leadership and orientation.
Although I like thinking about how this trip has helped me gain new perspectives and grow intellectually, I can’t deny that it was straight up fun. I got to spend a weekend in a new location with seven of my closest friends from the orientation team for free! We explored the campus and 
hung out in our free time. I personally spent time networking with some amazing people from universities all across the east coast. I exchanged numbers with tons of people and made some amazing connections over this trip. Nearly 40 institutions gathered together at this event and it showed. Every workshop, presentation, and cheesy icebreaker were electrifying. Finally, one of the best parts is that all the presentations were run by students. It created a relaxing, informative, and fun atmosphere for nearly every session.
All in all, the NODA Region VIII Conference was an awesome leadership experience. I know the word “leadership” can be scary to many of us, however; I would challenge those of us who aren’t involved in leadership on Rowan’s campus to try taking that first step. Run for executive board for an organization or club, apply to be apart of PROS or become a Resident Assistant. Find opportunities to take that first step because you’ll never know where it can take you. Who knows? Maybe it could land you an opportunity to go to a conference yourself someday.
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VISIT CAMPUS
Photos provided by Camryn Hadley
Story by Aaron Lee
5 Things I Wish My Residents Knew: An RA Perspective
As I continue to move through my senior year at Rowan, I find myself reflecting on my experience as a resident assistant on campus. Working in the position for three years, I’ve seen how residents’ concerns and problems evolve throughout the year. In the beginning, most express concern over their living environments. But as the […]
Ask the PROS: 10 Best Aspects of Rowan [VIDEO]
Find out why Rowan Peer Referral and Orientation Staff (PROS) are #RowanPROUD! Video by: Mitch Weiman Senior advertising major Like what you see? Register for a tour or open house. Related stories: Not “Just Rowan” After All Finding Myself at Rowan What I Wish I Knew: On Campus Living [Video]
#PROFspective PROS Edition: Civil and Environmental Engineering Major Marissa Ciocco
Today, we speak with Marissa Ciocco, a junior civil and environmental engineering major from East Greenwich, NJ, who resides on campus in the Whitney Center. Marissa will give us insight on her career as being a member of Rowan PROS and will share her #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan […]
#PROFspective PROS Edition: Chemical Engineering Major Steven Schwartz
Today, we speak with Steven Schwartz, a senior chemical engineering major from Manahawkin, NJ, who resides on campus in Holly Pointe Commons as a resident assistant. Steven will give us insight on his career as being a member of Rowan PROS and will share his #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University […]
#PROFspective PROS Edition: Engineering Entrepreneurship and Music Industry Major Jeff McConnell Jr.
Today, we speak with Jeff McConnell Jr., a sophomore engineering entrepreneurship and music industry double major from Marmora, NJ, who will live on campus in Whitney Center this year. Jeff will give us insight on his career as being a member of Rowan PROS and will share his #PROFspective with us on what it’s like […]
#PROFspective PROS Edition: Philosophy Major Donald C Roberts III
Today, we speak with Donald C Roberts III, a junior philosophy major from Irvington, NJ, who lives on campus in Edgewood Park Apartments. Donald will give us insight on his career as being a member of Rowan PROS and will share his #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student […]
#PROFspective PROS Edition: Advertising and Public Relations Major Annie Busarello
Today, we speak with Annie Busarello, a junior advertising and public relations double major from Audubon, NJ, who resides in a new on campus apartment, 223 High Street. Annie will give us insight on her career as being a member of Rowan PROS and will share her #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be […]
Finding Myself at Rowan
I came into Rowan University 2 years ago not knowing where I fit into this large school with over 300 different organizations, but my summer orientation leader helped me out a lot with finding my place. His name is Vinny, and he helped make my first experiences at the school fun and entertaining during my overnight […]
#PROFspective: Communications Studies Major
Hamish James Silva
Today we speak with Hamish James Silva, a junior communications studies major from Hammonton, Atlantic County, who lives off campus with friends. He will share his #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student and how he’s getting the most out of his college experience as a Rowan Prof. Name: Hamish James Silva Major: […]
Benefits of Improved Advising Model with Rory McElwee
Having multiple jobs and an hour commute, I knew I was doomed to spend countless, fragmented hours piecing together my class schedule. RateMyProfessors.com and course catalogs were my best friends as I earned my education at my local community college. I have to say, I was doing fine – that is, until I once overestimated […]
Academic Advising: One Student’s Perspective
Graduating from Rowan on time can be as simple as meeting with your academic advisor once a semester. Think about that. It only takes eight meetings with an advisor throughout your time at Rowan to help you graduate within the time you want and with the classes you need, setting the perfect foundation for your […]