<p>My D is contemplating a BA in Psycology and Art degree from Trinity College or one from Salve Regina University.</p>
<p>Trinity will cost us a Plus loan , an expensive one. Won't name #s but alot.</p>
<p>Salve will cost 6000 a yr that i will malke 10 pymts 0f 600 mo in a tuition pymt plan directly to school.</p>
<p>Salve offers her a place in Pells Honors (the program sounds great) and she likes the school but she is concerned that she can clearly sense that she is brighter than most of the kids in regular classes and fears she will not be challenged.</p>
<p>Trinity offers her a place in Guided Studies ( an honors type program specializing in Western Civ. which we have been told is great and this is her interest too)</p>
<p>We just do not know if a lg plus loan can be justified for Trinity's reputation or not. She is our oldest, first one going to college.</p>
<p>I read the us news rankings and know that it has a great rep........but really will it be that much more favorable for her in overallexperience and career paths to come as well as good selection and acceptance into grad schools?</p>
<p>I saw on the Psych Dept's website that many go on for Phd's at Brown and other good universities.</p>
<p>But would top grad scholls respect an excellent record and scores from someone graduating @ a lesser known private undergrad like Save Regina?</p>
<p>I went to class the other night and my Professor who sits on the admissions committee for the Psych PhD program used admission to the program as an example of multiple regression in predicting grad school performance.</p>
<p>She said for their department they look at:</p>
<p>GRE scores
Grades
Letters of recommendation (which are coded +/- )
Prior research experience (Yes =1/ No=0 )
Personal statement
Program you are looking to be admitted to as they like to match professors up with students for reseach.</p>
<p>So, I think that you need to look at the strength of each program (depth, breadth and range of the topics covered), the opportunity to do research and internships in the field.</p>
<p>I think you have to decide for yourselves-- will your D blow everyone away at salve Regina, and be a star? or will lack of highly accomplished peers mean she loses steam?</p>
<p>hard decision. I think that if you sense she can stay on course at a school with less stimulation, she can certainly get great grades, great mentoring, etc. OTOH, if she'll just deflate without the extremely stimulating peers, the loans may be worthwhile.</p>
<p>My S is graduating this year from a top university; and we did have to help him with loans. I wasnt sure it was going to be worth it, but he persuaded us that State U, even with honors, was going to bore him, and that he would make contacts, meet more interesting people, and have better opportunities at the prestigious school.</p>
<p>Well, 4 years later, I would have to admit he was right. He has made great contacts, had unbelievable research/job/internship opportunities, and is now going on interviews that are very promising - all thru contacts and because people are impressed with the school he went to, or through contacts he made. At the place where he interned, he tells me they dont even bother with resumes from 2nd tier universities.</p>
<p>He plans to work for a few years and then onto grad school. So, looking back, I would have to say he was right, and the money was worth it. Its true you can be successful anywhere, but he saw an immediate difference in the calibre of students he was surrounded by, and in the opportunities, and its paying off. In truth, I am surprised at how much it seems it was worth it!</p>
<p>A lot of good advice, but your second choice here is beyond "lesser known"--not necessarily a bad thing, but worth considering. What happened to Fordham? I'd never heard of Salve Regina before--the campus/setting look incredible! Who wouldn't want to live/go to school along Cliff Walk in Newport?!</p>
<p>Sybbie is correct that high performance at an accredited school is more important than "name" for grad school--at least that's what I read everywhere. However, I also think that high performance at a "name" has significant value. I also agree with SB and Plum that the simple fact of being surrounded by true peers is invaluable. I was always worried about my daughter maintaining her edge (without parental noodging) when she went off to college. It proved not to be an issue at all when the rest of the students were as capable as her. They are truly mutually-motivating. Your daughter's sense that she doesn't "fit" with the others in that sense is a bad sign, IMO, and being the star at a school that is way off most radar screens probably isn't as helpful as doing the same thing at a school whose name at least rings a bell.</p>
<p>We revisited Fordham Lincoln Ctr the other day...........</p>
<p>good thing, she came home unimpressed. The only real high point we could name was the great apt style suites she would have and the fact that Fordham is respected in NYC. But she just did not feel it was "the one."</p>
<p>We both love Salve's atmosphere and location and we met the Director of the Pell Honor Program who was very warm and welcoming to both of us....the program really does look great and she would have plenty of mentoring from excellent staff. My D says tho that she thinks the town is too "cute" w/ trolley buses and tourists and the place closes down completely in winter(Off season)also kids move downtown to thier own apts jr and sr yr. </p>
<p>We are trying to appeal Trinity's pkg........if they could come down more perhaps it would be easier to decide.</p>
<p>I just hate the idea of spending so much $ when I know she will be going on to grad school w/ alot more expenses. Plus we have two other kids following in 2008 and 2009.</p>
<p>you should look online at the details of the honors program your D is offered. How many classes are really taught in the honors classes? I don't know about this school, but at many U's the honors program has separate classes for lower-division and then you're in the regular classes the last two (some classes will have an honors discussion section once a week, though). So the honors program may be less than you think.</p>
<p>Also there was another post recently about college success and one thing was striking; the quality of the peers was one of the major factors. And I already see warning signs here. If your daughter is more academically motivated or brighter than her peers she will be bored and out of place. The profs aren't going to tailor the classes to her, it will be to what they have to work with. And one big advantage of a LAC over a large U is the opportunity for interaction, but this is going to be largely lost if her peers aren't that capable or even discouraging of kids who "show them up".</p>
<p>My experience at grad school was that students from "name" schools were considered to be good unless they proved themselves otherwise, while those from lesser-known regional schools had to prove themselves to be intelligent in the eyes of the profs. But many of those from no-name schools were, in the end, every bit as good as those from Ivy schools.</p>
<p>
[quote]
she is concerned that she can clearly sense that she is brighter than most of the kids in regular classes and fears she will not be challenged.
[/quote]
That was the only red flag for me. I love Newport, and will make it a point to look for the college next time I'm there...I'm sure I must have walked by it several times thinking it was just another mansion! Schools like this can be great, I think you just have to see what it feels like, see how their graduates do. I have a long fascination with Grove City College, near Pittsburgh, having some friends who graduated from there and went on to phenomenal careers in law and medicine. They love the place. Most people have never heard of it. From looking at the Salve Regina web site, it sort of reminded me of a liberal Catholic version of conservative Protestant Grove City. I would pay attention to the advice about peers, though. It may well be that your daughter will rise to excellence regardless of the prevalent aptitudes wherever she goes. I can say for sure that my daughter has benefited--and stayed on track (actually, much more than stayed on track) thanks in large measure to the intellectual environment.</p>
<p>My D is at a reach school, and it is hard for her. She was NOT a perfect student in HS-- but she used to be quite relaxed about that.</p>
<p>She recently got a C on something (in a class where the rest of her work is all A's and B's)... & when I gave her a pat on the back and said, hey, honey, a "C" here and there is okay, she replied firmly, "MOM! At <strong>(Her College)</strong> people DON'T get C's! </p>
<p>I really saw how the intensity of the environment had "raised the bar" of her own expectations of herself-- which was always my hope for her attending a rigorous school with academic peers.</p>
<p>They did award her a very generous pkg......rivaling w/ Salve regina's.</p>
<p>Now that $ is not such an issue ( Thank you God) she can pick solely on what feels most comfortable as a new "home" for 4 yrs of study and which school caters most to her academic needs.</p>
<p>No doubt Salve is gorgeous , ahhhhhh if only I had the problem of choosing..lol...and the pell Honors and the Pell Center in general seems very worthwhile......it's almost sad to admit, because she really liked the atmosphere,but Trinity seems to have the edge name wise.</p>
<p>The city of Hartford seems unappealing but it does offer many community outreach services and opportunities for research and internships.</p>
<p>thank you for all your insights......good luck to everyone's kids and all of you students this school year!</p>
<p>Thats great news! Several of my friends have visited Trinity and were very impressed. Salve may be beautiful but after a few weeks beauty becomes ordinary. On the other hand, growing friendships and intellectual stimulation never get dull or mundane.</p>
<p>I agree with mommamia about the importance of friendships and intellectual stimulation but disagree about beauty. For some people, beauty can be a lasting joy and comfort and inspiration. I felt that way on my beautiful undergrad campus-- but I know nothing useful about Salve vs. Trinity --have had no contact with either school.</p>
<p>I'm glad to see that happen because I was going to agree with driver's posts above (I usually <em>do</em> agree with driver on this side of the forum :))</p>
<p>But wait! Don't go away yet ! There's a lesson here, but we don't know what it is yet... How did you get Trinity to up their FA?</p>