Salem State University

Date: May 02 2011
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
I'm currently a senior at Salem State University. Let's just say that this "university" is not deserving of its status as one. Let's start with the good. The communications department that I am a student of is very good. The people a kind, smart and always willing to help. Unfortunately, that's about it for the good.

A good portion of the campus is falling apart. North and Central Campuses are in OK shape, but South Campus looks like the old McKay building in Beverly where I was in 5th grade, and that building was put together in the 1920's! Not even the O'Keefe Centre is in good shape, although that seems to be the only building that is not immaculate, but also isn't decrepit, either. And you know what the money is going to instead of renovating the buildings? They built a new dorm building, and they also

The biggest problems I have with Salem State are the people in general operations and in the online space with Navigator. I'm talking about people in registration and the Bursar's Office in particular.

Registration is a freaking nightmare. You have to talk to your academic advisor, who is always in your major. It's helpful to finding out what you need to finish, and you'll be excited to finally register for your classes…only to find out you have a hold on your account for one reason or another. They all make sense, like filling your core competencies and paying your bills, but these are people who lost a check that was paid to them, and instead of searching the entire Bursar's Office high and low for it, they just assumed I didn't pay and I was a deadbeat.

Navigator is even worse. They require you to remember three passwords for your Navigator, WebCT and e-mail accounts, and the login protocols are ALWAYS changing for anything on the school site. I have never heard of such a system, and if a school has something worse, then I dread going to that one. Even worse is that IT is no help at all. I was locked out of my account because I couldn't remember my password or my secret answers, and it took those brain donors a week to help me out. I called on a Friday to start, and it was long before closing, yet they brushed me off, saying they couldn't do anything. I finally got my account reset and didn't have any problems…until late in the spring '11 semester when they changed the login protocols once again, causing me to fail a paper for one of my core courses, which I now have to take AGAIN with a failing grade on my transcript to boot.

NEVER go to Salem State University. The university name is a misnomer. The people who control your registration fate there are trash, the education is overshadowed by North Shore Community College, and the campus looks like it belongs in the 1950's. You can get a much better education at the other local North Shore schools like Endicott, Suffolk, and others.