Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ, got some recognition from a national site. According to Best-Community-Colleges.com, Brookdale Community College offers the best overall programs in New Jersey.

Based on 66 evaluation criteria, Brookdale is ranked in the top 50 community colleges in the United States and is the Best Community College in New Jersey. Pretty impressive.

In a study by WalletHub last year, New Jersey overall ranked as the 17th best state for community colleges. In that report, Brookdale didn’t make the top 10 (Raritan Valley was #1).

In the rankings done by Niche.com last year, RVCC was #1 also, followed by County College of Morris, and Warren County Community College.

But in this ranking, Brookdale came out on top.

"This school offers good quality programs and is evaluated with a five-star rating for teaching," Best-Community-Colleges.com stated.

The ranking algorithm used was a formula involving sixty-six academic, financial, and organizational factors, metrics, faculty profiles, student retention rates, and alumni job prospects.

In the state of New Jersey, Brookdale has the best programs in accounting, architecture, arts, business, computer science, culinary, education, electrical, engineering, environmental, fashion, graphic design, hospitality, interior design, journalism, law, management, marketing, mechanic, medical, music, nursing, police, and social work.

Among 509 community colleges in the United States, Best-Community-College.com ranks Brookdale’s programs in the top 10 for fashion and interior design and the top 25 for architecture, culinary, environmental, hospitality, music, and social work.

Brookdale is ranked #11 in the Northeast Region and #3 for its architecture, fashion, and interior design programs. In addition, Brookdale is in the top 40 percent for fashion and interior design programs of all colleges in the Northeast, ranked by All-Fashion-Schools.com and Interior-Design-Colleges.com

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

School aid for all New Jersey districts for 2022-23

The state Department of Education announced district-level school aid figures for the 2022-23 school year on Thursday, March 10, 2022. They're listed below, alphabetically by county. For additional details from the NJDOE, including specific categories of aid, click here.

These are the best hiking spots in New Jersey

A trip to New Jersey doesn't have to be all about the beach. Our state has some incredible trails, waterfalls, and lakes to enjoy.

From the Pine Barrens to the Appalachian Trail to the hidden gems of New Jersey, you have plenty of options for a great hike. Hiking is such a great way to spend time outdoors and enjoy nature, plus it's a great workout.

Before you go out on the trails and explore some of our listeners' suggestions, I have some tips on hiking etiquette from the American Hiking Society.

If you are going downhill and run into an uphill hiker, step to the side and give the uphill hiker space. A hiker going uphill has the right of way unless they stop to catch their breath.

Always stay on the trail, you may see side paths, unless they are marked as an official trail, steer clear of them. By going off-trail you may cause damage to the ecosystems around the trail, the plants, and wildlife that live there.

You also do not want to disturb the wildlife you encounter, just keep your distance from the wildlife and continue hiking.

Bicyclists should yield to hikers and horses. Hikers should also yield to horses, but I’m not sure how many horses you will encounter on the trails in New Jersey.
If you are thinking of bringing your dog on your hike, they should be leashed, and make sure to clean up all pet waste.

Lastly, be mindful of the weather, if the trail is too muddy, it's probably best to save your hike for another day.

I asked our listeners for their suggestions of the best hiking spots in New Jersey, check out their suggestions:

New Jersey's license plate designs through the years

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM