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Drew University Profile

Madison, New Jersey

The Basics

Drew University was established in 1928 as a private liberal arts institution offering comprehensive undergraduate, and graduate programs in several different fields including certificate and professional educational fields. Drew is unique because it offers students the ability to enjoy a small park like campus setting within an hour of New York City in the quiet suburban town of Madison New Jersey, which is in Morris County. The footprint of the site is large for a small private school with approximately 186 acres of park like property that winds through the local township.

The campus has approximately 57 buildings including lecture, sports, performing arts, and student housing facilities. The issue of student housing is not a challenge for Drew due to it’s relatively small student population. The university provides guaranteed housing for undergrad, and graduate students according to school officials. The physical layout of the academic buildings and residence halls is separated by several open fields with the accept ion of two residence buildings, one being graduate housing, and one being freshmen housing.

The internal campus setting provides students and employees with several types of student services including physical fitness, library services, and cultural meeting places and dining halls. Drew University’ observed focal point of reference during the campus tour was the commons, which is the main dining hall. My tour guide told me that students come to the commons to relax and talk about school and life. Drew University is a boutique liberal arts school that offers excellent educational programs for under grad students as well as graduate students.

Drew University Demographics

Drew is home to approximately 669 male, and 892 female full time undergrad students. The university also has approximately 381 male, and 405 female graduate students enrolled. The average age of a freshman is 18 years old; all undergraduates are 20 years old. 57% of students are state residents with the rest coming from 45 other states, and 11 foreign countries. 66% of students are white, 9% are Hispanic, and 10% are African American, and 5.5% are Asian. The total number of students with on campus housing is 2,347 according to published handouts.

Drew University offers a Liberal Arts and Sciences programs for undergraduate students. Below is a list of specific admission requirements for admission.

  • Freshman Class: 3816 applied, 2940 accepted, and 456 enrolled to the school. SAT Verbal 608, SAT Math 596. Application Deadline February 15.
  • Faculty/ Classroom: 52% of faculty is male, 48% female. All teach Undergraduates. The average class size in an introductory lecture is 25; Lab 20 and 18 in a regular course.
  • Student / Faculty Ratio: 11 to 1Retention Rate: 16% do not continue beyond 1st year, 84% remain to graduate.

    • Student Housing

    The purpose of student housing is to provide safe and reasonable accommodations for students living away from home. The issue of housing and dormitory life is a critical element of overall campus life because students spend a large amount of time in their rooms. Student housing units historically come in 3 different styles including traditional corridor, suite, and apartment style units.

    Drew University guarantees housing for all undergraduate, and graduate students who have filed their intent to reside on campus by the stated deadline and who have continuously registered as full time students. The university has started updating the housing on campus by converting old corridor style bathrooms into semi-private ones. The university is also opening a new residence hall in the spring of 2009.

    Off Campus Housing

    The Township of Madison has been described as a small suburban community within driving, and commuter distance to New York City. The reason I have mentioned the overall community of Madison is to re-assert the point that Drew is situated in a suburban setting with a high number of homes that are privately owned. The college does provide off campus housing resources for students who request help. Information about services: www.drew.edu/depts/hch.aspx?id=9191

    Campus Life

    Drew University is an active private college campus environment that provides students with an outstanding social, and educational atmosphere. The admissions demographics paint a picture of a local educational community with a mixed number of in state residents on campus as full time students. The local community of Madison is a short distance away from the school and is very supportive of the schools mission to provide educational opportunities to local residents and on-campus students. The town itself has a main street feel to it due to the restaurants and shops along the main avenue.

    The emotional climate and culture of the entire community is intellectual and social due to it’s close relationship with community, and educational resources in my opinion. Drew University is an attractive institution because it offers students natural beauty with the mountains of western New Jersey, while providing student activities for everyone including cultural, athletics, and performing arts to enjoy throughout the year. This issue of school culture is also a very important part of campus life because everyone wants to have a connection and emotional fit to their new school and community.

    Drew has done a great job developing positive social systems with it’s students by providing a series of coordinated programs including workshops and seminars for freshman students. The emotional climate of the entire community is also positive because students have the opportunity to volunteer with organizations on the weekends or to get involved with local community groups through the division of student development and campus life programs during the week. Finally, Drew addresses the issue of ecology in a positive way by providing natural environments, along with green technology. Drew has also been awarded recognition for “Green Engineering” within the campus footprint.

    Public Transportation

    Public transportation resources for Drew University are limited due to the location of the campus. Students who attend the university usually drive to campus because parking is readily available and public transportation is limited. Another issue for public transportation is the students themselves. The university has a very large number of in-state students who know the streets and highways very well. Knowing the area is key because students who come from other states may not know the area as well and might opt to take a bus or train to their destination because they don’t want to risk getting lost on local roads.

    The public transportation for the university is served by The New Jersey Transit Morris & Essex line, which serves the residents of Madison. This specific line connects with several other transit lines within the overall system including the Northeast Corridor, and it makes two stops near the university at Madison and Convent stations respectfully. New Jersey Transit has bus service called the Morris County Metro Line that travels past the university on Madison Avenue. Public transportation resources are directly linked to local resident commuter schedules for bus and train service, students should pick NJ Transit handouts or service information. New Jersey Transit Info: www.njtransit.com/

    Community Profile

    Madison New Jersey is a suburban town of approximately 4 square miles with 16,350 residents in the northwestern county of Morris. The town has been described as a gracious family centered residential community within striking distance to New York City. Madison also has an intellectual side due to its historical neighborhood architecture. Local residents also call the Town of Madison the Rose City because of it’s historical heritage. The town has a local pedestrian walkway on Main Street, which links local residents and Drew students to a large number of restaurants and local shops within the center of town. Local residents also take advantage of the Short Hills Mall which is located within a 10 minute drive on Route 24 in Short Hills N.J.

    The town itself is located within walking distance to the school, which makes the area a student friendly destination throughout the year. New Jersey Transit also provides commuter rail service to local residents in the area with the Morris-Essex County Line”. This rail corridor links to New York City, Newark Airport, and N.J. Penn Station for Amtrack northeast rail service. The main airport to Drew is Newark International airport, which is also connected to N.J. Transit rail service.

    This area has a real small town feel to it when you are driving, or walking around the neighborhood. But, if you must drive in the area you will be using Route 124( Main Street) which provides direct links to the community and Route 24, which is a feeder roadway to Route 278 as a main east/ west corridor, and the Garden State Parkway for driving north/south. The community also has several national chain hotels, and restaurants on Route 24, 278, and 80 along with the Short Hills Mall. Appendix #1 on the back page has a list of observed local neighborhood resources for students and visitors.

    Community demographics

    The following demographics for Madison New Jersey describe a culturally diverse community within a total population of 16,350 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey highlights several characteristics to describe the population including: 7,832 residents are male, 8,698 are female. 14,826 residents are white, 496 are African American, 987 are Hispanic or Latino, and 624 are Asian. The median age of population is 34.3 years old. 79.4% of residents are 18 years old, 68.6 of residents are over 21 and 13 % of city residents is over the age of 65.

    The issue of housing in Madison is also interesting. 98.7 % of all housing units within the town are occupied. 33.0 % of housing units are renter-occupied, while 67.0 % of units are owner-occupied. Only 2.0 % of total available housing was vacant. Homeowners who rent property report an average cost is ($1,000-1,499) 45.9% and ($750-999) 31.2%. The Census Bureau reports 13 % of Madison N.J. is commercial property.

    Local weather

    Weather is also an issue to consider for students preparing for a college experience. New Jersey enjoys all four seasons of weather including rain and snow. Northeast weather patterns sometimes allow for temperatures to drop below 32 degrees for a considerable amount of time during the winter. New Jersey also gets it’s share of rain during the spring and summer months as well.

    Drew University Hotel Quick Links

    The Madison Hotel
    One Convent Road
    Morristown N.J. 07960
    Hamilton Park Hotel
    175 Park Ave
    Florham Park N.J. 07932
    Hyatt Summerfield Suites Morristown
    194 Park Ave
    Morristown N.J. 07960
    Hilton Short Hills
    41 John F. Kennedy Parkway
    Short Hills N.J. 07078
    Westin Governor Morris Hotel Morristown
    2 Whippany Road
    Morristown N.J. 07960
    Westminister Hotel
    550 West Mt. Pleasant Ave
    Livingston N.J. 07039

    Below is a sample list of local restaurants on Main Street (Route 124) in Madison N.J. Shopping resources can be found on Main Street in Madison along with the neighboring communities Chatham, and the Short Hills Mall.

    The Your College Profile web site also contains an “Everything in New York City” document for families who wish to explore the NYC while visiting Drew University. This site contains a full list of hotels, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment, and tourism resources for families enjoying the region.

    Drew University Quick Links

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