Salem State has to be one of the best state schools. Every single one of my professors were willing and able to help me if I didn't understand a particular subject, or if I needed help on exactly what we were assigned to be doing. The courses are taught at a steady pace and the professors are willing to answer any and all questions about the material they are covering. Anything that you might think is too difficult can actually be made very understandable because most if not all of the staff from my own experience will be able to help you. They propose very thought-provoking questions (at least in my experience with certain professors in the Sociology/Philosophy/Psychology departments) that give you a deeper insight on the material being covered so you walk out of class with more thoughts that you had when you went into class, for sure. A few of the history professors aren't too top notch and while they know what they are talking about, in my experience they haven't been able to capture the attention of the class and project what they are saying throughout the entire class very well. The class sizes are also considerably small compared to larger schools like U Mass, which helps a lot when the professor knows you by name since there's only 20 or so people in your class as compared to over 100. Salem State College also offers many computer labs where you can go to print your papers for free if you don't have money for printing at the library. The school also offers a Writing Center if you want to get your paper edited and revised before you turn it in so if it's a big part of your grade and you're not confident about it, the people who work at the Writing Center are a HUGE help.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
I come from a very busy, crowded city where there's always something to do whether it's clubs, parties, malls, and other acclaimed hang-out spots so having fun was something I was concerned about when coming to Salem. Salem is known for it's historic content, and you'll see that as soon as you wander outside of campus (which is very easy to do). The school provides shuttle services on the weekends for those of you planning to live on campus which will bring you to either the North Shore Mall or the Liberty Tree Mall, Vinnen Square (which is in Swampscott but still has plenty of places to shop), Downtown, and the Train Station (if you want to head out to Boston or a more populated city for the weekend). These shuttles run until 1am on the weekends so you'll always have something to do. As for during the week days, down town is only a 20 or so minute walk away from campus. You can catch movies down town, and there are several places to eat including a pizza place and a few Chinese food places; these are all places that will take your clipper card so you don't even have to fork up cash or your debit card. Your clipper card is your student ID where you have a set number of what are called flex dollars that you can use both on and off campus. There are also many places to visit including museums (which we get into a few of them for free, being students), stores that sell pretty interesting witchery-related merchandise, and in general a few very nice 'commons' areas where you can sit and relax if the weather's nice and just talk with your friends. If you don't want to leave campus, there are always a lot of events going on at night on campus whether it's art shows/movie productions/dance recitals/speeches.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
One of the biggest things that drew me to Salem State was it's price and very richly awarding financial aid. The school is fairly cheap for a state school and isn't going to run you into the ground with hundreds of thousands dollars in debt when you graduate. The financial aid packages are very large as long as you apply for them on time, and I personally only have had to pay a maximum of 600 a semester from my own pocket. Considering that the staff is very helpful and the atmosphere of the campus is so nice and friendly, I find that this school is really a bang for the buck. They also have the 'Rent-A-Text' program with their school books, so a majority of your books you can rent so you're not paying $1000 and up every semester for books alone. The only complaint I have is that, at least in Peabody Hall (a freshmen dormitory), some of the Resident Assistants are very unhelpful when you need help with a problem you're having and it's very difficult to get to the right people if you're having a situation with your room mate that needs to be handled by one of the authorities of the building. Also, there has been constant construction going on right outside of Peabody Hall so if you're in Peabody, you're usually woken up at seven in the morning by loud, headache-inducing jack hammering outside of your window.
The only other problem is that the campuses are far away from each other. If you're a freshman, you will be on North Campus in either Peabody or Bowditch hall, and if you get classes on South Campus - that's a good 15 to 20 minute walk away which seems even longer in the freezing cold/rain. Salem State offers shuttle services to get between North, Central, and South campuses but they are not anywhere near 100% reliable and sometimes you'll be out waiting for a shuttle for over a half hour and end up late to your class because the shuttle took forever to show up.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
- Study! I cannot stress this enough. Many of the professors won't overload you with paper after project after paper, but will give you many reading assignments. If you don't do the reading assignments because you're used to being able to slide by them in high school, that would be your biggest mistake. Much of the material that is covered in the reading assignments/books is seen on your mid terms and finals as well as in classroom tests and discussions, and discussions are often times a big part of your grade.
- Get involved! Salem State offers so many opportunities for scholarships and being involved in big projects for those students who step up and get involved in any of our student leadership programs/honor societies/Gay-Straight-Alliance/etc.
- Make sure you have an alarm, and make sure you wake up to it. I can not stress how big of a grade attendance is at least 60% of the time in classes. I know in all of my classes attendance was at least 25% of my grade, so if you're one of the people who ignores your alarm clock most of the time, I'd invest in two or three alarm clocks and make sure they're all set up extremely high so you don't sleep through your classes all of the time. You'll regret it in the long run if you do.
- Get your application in as soon as possible. While Salem State is based on a rolling admission, some of the majors are difficult and challenging to get into (like nursing, for example) and if you apply too late, you'll be rejected or wait listed simply because you waited too long.
- Get your financial aid application in on time or better yet, early! Salem State College as I mentioned before offers SUCH good financial aid if you get your application for it in on time before the dead line, and unless you're independently wealthy through your parents, that makes such a big difference in whether you're struggling to get through the semesters or not.
- Visit the campus. Make sure that it's what you want. Don't just look at the...
Which types of students will excel at your college?
This is not a party school, although it isn't one hundred percent clean of people that come stumbling in at two in the morning drunk or high either. However, if you're looking to party every night of the week, this school is NOT for you. All buildings are pretty strict about quiet hours and Resident Assistants will not hesitate to report you if you're caught with alcohol or drugs within the building. So if you're coming to this school in hopes of partying every night, you're better off going to U Mass.
This school is PERFECT for students that actually want to learn and aren't big on the party crowd, as except for Halloween week/night there aren't many places to party in the sense that you're used to down town or anywhere in the city either unless you go over to a neighboring city. If you're a student who enjoys learning and meeting friends and being able to hang around in your dorm lounge until two AM playing Apples to Apples and watching Hey Arnold on the television, then this school is for you.
Salem State has to be one of the best state schools. Every single one of my professors were willing and able to help me if I didn't understand a particular subject, or if I needed help on exactly what we were assigned to be doing. The courses are taught at a steady pace and the professors are willing to answer any and all questions about the material they are covering. Anything that you might think is too difficult can actually be made very understandable because most if not all of the staff from my own experience will be able to help you. They propose very thought-provoking questions (at least in my experience with certain professors in the Sociology/Philosophy/Psychology departments) that give you a deeper insight on the material being covered so you walk out of class with more thoughts that you had when you went into class, for sure. A few of the history professors aren't too top notch and while they know what they are talking about, in my experience they haven't been able to capture the attention of the class and project what they are saying throughout the entire class very well. The class sizes are also considerably small compared to larger schools like U Mass, which helps a lot when the professor knows you by name since there's only 20 or so people in your class as compared to over 100. Salem State College also offers many computer labs where you can go to print your papers for free if you don't have money for printing at the library. The school also offers a Writing Center if you want to get your paper edited and revised before you turn it in so if it's a big part of your grade and you're not confident about it, the people who work at the Writing Center are a HUGE help.
I come from a very busy, crowded city where there's always something to do whether it's clubs, parties, malls, and other acclaimed hang-out spots so having fun was something I was concerned about when coming to Salem. Salem is known for it's historic content, and you'll see that as soon as you wander outside of campus (which is very easy to do). The school provides shuttle services on the weekends for those of you planning to live on campus which will bring you to either the North Shore Mall or the Liberty Tree Mall, Vinnen Square (which is in Swampscott but still has plenty of places to shop), Downtown, and the Train Station (if you want to head out to Boston or a more populated city for the weekend). These shuttles run until 1am on the weekends so you'll always have something to do. As for during the week days, down town is only a 20 or so minute walk away from campus. You can catch movies down town, and there are several places to eat including a pizza place and a few Chinese food places; these are all places that will take your clipper card so you don't even have to fork up cash or your debit card. Your clipper card is your student ID where you have a set number of what are called flex dollars that you can use both on and off campus. There are also many places to visit including museums (which we get into a few of them for free, being students), stores that sell pretty interesting witchery-related merchandise, and in general a few very nice 'commons' areas where you can sit and relax if the weather's nice and just talk with your friends. If you don't want to leave campus, there are always a lot of events going on at night on campus whether it's art shows/movie productions/dance recitals/speeches.
One of the biggest things that drew me to Salem State was it's price and very richly awarding financial aid. The school is fairly cheap for a state school and isn't going to run you into the ground with hundreds of thousands dollars in debt when you graduate. The financial aid packages are very large as long as you apply for them on time, and I personally only have had to pay a maximum of 600 a semester from my own pocket. Considering that the staff is very helpful and the atmosphere of the campus is so nice and friendly, I find that this school is really a bang for the buck. They also have the 'Rent-A-Text' program with their school books, so a majority of your books you can rent so you're not paying $1000 and up every semester for books alone. The only complaint I have is that, at least in Peabody Hall (a freshmen dormitory), some of the Resident Assistants are very unhelpful when you need help with a problem you're having and it's very difficult to get to the right people if you're having a situation with your room mate that needs to be handled by one of the authorities of the building. Also, there has been constant construction going on right outside of Peabody Hall so if you're in Peabody, you're usually woken up at seven in the morning by loud, headache-inducing jack hammering outside of your window. The only other problem is that the campuses are far away from each other. If you're a freshman, you will be on North Campus in either Peabody or Bowditch hall, and if you get classes on South Campus - that's a good 15 to 20 minute walk away which seems even longer in the freezing cold/rain. Salem State offers shuttle services to get between North, Central, and South campuses but they are not anywhere near 100% reliable and sometimes you'll be out waiting for a shuttle for over a half hour and end up late to your class because the shuttle took forever to show up.
- Study! I cannot stress this enough. Many of the professors won't overload you with paper after project after paper, but will give you many reading assignments. If you don't do the reading assignments because you're used to being able to slide by them in high school, that would be your biggest mistake. Much of the material that is covered in the reading assignments/books is seen on your mid terms and finals as well as in classroom tests and discussions, and discussions are often times a big part of your grade. - Get involved! Salem State offers so many opportunities for scholarships and being involved in big projects for those students who step up and get involved in any of our student leadership programs/honor societies/Gay-Straight-Alliance/etc. - Make sure you have an alarm, and make sure you wake up to it. I can not stress how big of a grade attendance is at least 60% of the time in classes. I know in all of my classes attendance was at least 25% of my grade, so if you're one of the people who ignores your alarm clock most of the time, I'd invest in two or three alarm clocks and make sure they're all set up extremely high so you don't sleep through your classes all of the time. You'll regret it in the long run if you do. - Get your application in as soon as possible. While Salem State is based on a rolling admission, some of the majors are difficult and challenging to get into (like nursing, for example) and if you apply too late, you'll be rejected or wait listed simply because you waited too long. - Get your financial aid application in on time or better yet, early! Salem State College as I mentioned before offers SUCH good financial aid if you get your application for it in on time before the dead line, and unless you're independently wealthy through your parents, that makes such a big difference in whether you're struggling to get through the semesters or not. - Visit the campus. Make sure that it's what you want. Don't just look at the...
This is not a party school, although it isn't one hundred percent clean of people that come stumbling in at two in the morning drunk or high either. However, if you're looking to party every night of the week, this school is NOT for you. All buildings are pretty strict about quiet hours and Resident Assistants will not hesitate to report you if you're caught with alcohol or drugs within the building. So if you're coming to this school in hopes of partying every night, you're better off going to U Mass. This school is PERFECT for students that actually want to learn and aren't big on the party crowd, as except for Halloween week/night there aren't many places to party in the sense that you're used to down town or anywhere in the city either unless you go over to a neighboring city. If you're a student who enjoys learning and meeting friends and being able to hang around in your dorm lounge until two AM playing Apples to Apples and watching Hey Arnold on the television, then this school is for you.