Salve Regina University

Date: Nov 15 2010
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
I am currently transferring to another university. I feel that both the academic and the social atmosphere at Salve is completely stagnant—and even worse, a strong majority of the student body recognizes this. There is little to no school spirit, and students with motivation are often met with surprised reactions about what they're doing here. Accordingly, few good grad schools seem to take Salve students seriously and I'm worried about my future career.

I tried very, very hard to be optimistic about Salve's lack of social life. But even with a full courseload, 2 jobs, multiple club memberships, and a determination to find interesting local or school-sponsored activities to do, if I stay here for a full weekend I still have hours of…nothing. Many students admit that in spite of the beautiful surroundings, they spend most of their time in their rooms because there's nothing to bring them out. Pretty scenery is about as helpful as a poster on a concrete wall if there's actually nothing to do.

And coming from someone who was always annoyed by "diversity" rhetoric, the fact that Newport (however beautiful) caters to such a homogenously white/wealthy class is really limiting to the growth of a dynamic student body with multiple perspectives. (It also affects activities—you won't find any fun languages or cultural dance/cooking/music-type clubs).

Really, this is the time of our lives when we should be changing, growing, and challenging everything we thought we knew about the world. Instead, I'm going to repeat what I'd heard about Salve before I came here as a freshman, because it's just so true: Salve is essentially an incredibly overpriced extension of a private Catholic high school. I'd advise any student who describes themselves as bright, progressive, ambitious, and outgoing to look somewhere else—even a state school would be a better value at that point, as they're not only cheap but also have a greater variety of classes and clubs. If you're going to be burdened by a student loan this huge, make sure the experience is worth it.