Photo by Nicole Williams
Ramapo College has been ranked by Niche.com as having the best dorms in all of New Jersey. Niche is an American based company that runs a ranking and review site, primarily based around colleges.
What makes Ramapo’s dorms the best in New Jersey? A number of factors, according to Niche, went in to this decision. Schools are rated on Niche solely by currently enrolled students, visitors and graduates. Partisipants can give their opinion and rate an aspect of the school from an F to an A+, as the individual sees fit.
Ramapo received an A- when it came to the subject of dorms, which were not only judged based on their size and furnishings, although those did play a part in the ranking. Many people on the site had comments along the lines of how clean and spacious the dorms are, how many of the dorms at Ramapo make students feel like they are living in their own apartment and the independence associated with those features.
There were also many positive comments on the free laundry services offered, seeing as most colleges charge for access to laundry machines. Many people also wrote that the resident assistants at Ramapo are very helpful.
Linda Diaz, director of Residence Life at Ramapo, only had positive things to say about Ramapo’s ranking.
“We are certainly proud of this honor because it affirms what we hear from our students on a regular basis – that Ramapo offers excellent options for living on campus. We take great pride in the quality of our residence halls and the services we provide to those who live on campus,” Diaz commented.
Other schools that ranked highly were Princeton, coming in second, followed by Kean and the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. The list ended with William Paterson University of New Jersey, coming in 23rd place.
Both Ramapo’s campus quality and health and safety received a B-. The campus food received a C- and the academics received a solid B. Ramapo’s worst grade, ironically, was in off-campus housing, which received a D-, a far cry from our best-in-state on-campus dorms.
Katelyn Sorbera, a freshman living in Pine Hall, commented on this news.
“Well, I’m not surprised these dorms have been rated the best because they’re better than most that I’ve seen compared to dorms my other friends live in,” she said.
When asked about the people she lives with, however, the comments were a bit different.
“My suitemates are very nice but they keep to themselves, so the dorming experience definitely hasn’t been what I thought it was going to be,” Sorbera stated.
Sorbera said she does not think she will be living on campus next semester.
Jennifer Lenihan, a junior living in Laurel Hall, was also not surprised that Ramapo dorms were ranked number one.
“Most of the dorms are relatively new compared to other schools. I think it’s a great selling point for the school and I know it definitely impressed me when I first saw them. They have great lounges, kitchens and are pretty spacious,” Lenihan commented.
Freshman Christy Bednarz, who lived on campus in Pine Hall during Welcome Week, is looking forward to dorming again because of her positive experience.
“I had an amazing experience! I was amazed at how big the bathroom was and how close we were because we all had access to the common area,” Bednarz said. “It was great to have a taste of this experience and I look forward to dorming at Ramapo next year.”
lheckelm@ramapo.edu
