I went to college at Fairly riDiculous University for a year (Florham Park campus). I'm from Florida.
Pros:
It's called the Garden State for a reason. It's beautiful, especially in the wealthy suburban area where my college was located.
It's bustling and teeming with life. As someone from a very quiet area full of old people, I loved how alive it felt.
The Fall and Spring are gorgeous.
The proximity to NYC was awesome. I was literally only a 30 minute train ride away from NY Penn Station.
The people were what surprised me the most. As a random passerby, no one gives a fuck. Break the silence and ask someone, and they'll help you out.
A buddy's folks met me and heard that I needed a place to stay for the week before classes resumed in the Spring an they welcomed me into their home, no questions asked. Only stipulation was that I had to help their 13 year old daughter clean her room.
Another friend's parents paid to have my car towed, repaired, and fitted with new tires after a pothole popped the two tires on my righthand side while I was giving her a ride somewhere.
Cons:
THE ROADS. Oh my god the roads are horrible. Everything about them just sucks.
The NJ Turnpike is under constant construction. I guess it's from their recent initiative to clean up the roads?
The people in that area of NJ almost all commute to NYC and think they are the most important thing ever. This is reflected in everything from their driving to the way they treat people working minimum wage jobs.
The people there really seem to enjoying tailgating one another on the highway. You could be going 15 over the speed limit, and you would still have someone riding on your bumper the whole way. If it's dark out, they will do it with their highbeams on.
Everyone's in a hurry. If you like walking at a moderate pace, people will think you're an asshole and push you around.
You will pick up road rage from the locals. You will learn to enjoy frequently flicking off other drivers and yelling "HEY ASSHOLE, I'M DRIVIN HERE!" when appropriate.
Potholes. Potholes everywhere. They ruined my car's alignment.
Socially, everything is a competition. People are also very aware of social graces and social rules.