I know this thread hasn’t been active for a while, but I would love to hear from other parents whose students are applying or applicants themselves. We really felt like Salve was a hidden gem when our DS20 visited. It went from a “maybe I’ll look at it” school suggested by his GC, to one of his top choices after the tour/info session. He received his EA acceptance yesterday with a really generous merit package, so now he’s doing the Pell Honors application. He’s super excited. Waiting to hear from all of his schools before deciding where to go, but it’s a top contender. Thoughts on Salve out there?
@privatebanker I noticed through searching on CC that you’ve shared some favorable feelings about Salve. Would love to hear your perspective about the academics in a little more detail if you have a chance? My DS20 applied to 10 schools, mostly large state flagships, with a sprinkling of smaller private schools mostly due to D3 recruiting for his primary sport. He’s a bright kid with solid SATs (mid-1300s) and a B average in mostly AP and honors classes at a pretty rigorous, large, suburban high school in CT. He’s got 4"s and 5’s on all of his AP exams.
I guess he’s mostly concerned with finding intellectual peers, as his stats are on the high side of Salve’s average. It’s in his top 4, along with UMass Amherst, Uconn, and UMD College Park. I know they are crazy different, but he just really liked Salve-- nobody was more surprised than, well, all of us…? I was so impressed with Salve’s ability to articulate its post-graduate support, statistics, placement, etc. It’s crazy beautiful, he can play his sport there, and while it’s still a stretch financially for this 2 teacher family, it’s at least in the realm of the cost of UConn now that they’ve given him a significant scholarship. Is there something to be said for letting yourself be a big fish in a small pond, even if you are capable of a greater challenge? Or will he come to regret this in the long run? Thanks for any advice or input!
I would love to follow this thread as well. My daughter also received her acceptance yesterday and I would say the school is a PERFECT fit with regards to location, sports and extracurriculars, and area of study but like your son, she is also in the upper percentile with regards to academic stats (1360 SAT, mostly A’s in honors/AP/IB courses). For what it’s worth, I asked her guidance counselor if she would not be challenged enough at Salve and she said she absolutely would be challenged. The counselor said that 10-15 years ago she would have thought it would be a concern at schools like Salve but now she sees all types of students go to all types of schools because of the cost and competitiveness. This gives some support to your big fish in small ponds idea.
Could you elaborate on Salve’s post-grad support, statistics, and placement a little more? Actually, DH has a graduate degree from there in International Relations (online) and it is considered a very reputable program in government and military circles both here and abroad.
@doloresst My son’s stats and classes are very similar. It’s nice to hear that your daughter’s GC thinks it’s still be a viable challenge. I also feel like it offers my son the opportunity to play his sport and not be completely overwhelmed like he might be at some of the other schools he’s applied to.
The post-grad placement I’m talking about is the stat they publish that 98% of graduates are in grad school or employed within 6 months of graduation. In addition, at the admissions office they had a display with a page for every major describing the program, listing companies/organizations students were placed with for either internships or employment, etc. —just seemed very well able to articulate what happens after graduation and how they help kids find employment. Amazing alumni network reputation as well. I can’t remember the exact benefit, but I also remember the tour guide mentioning that alums can use the placement office for many years after graduation. They help with resumes, interview skills, etc.
Last thing—Salve came up in the top 8% for return on investment in a recent article—maybe WSJ? I’ll have to find it.
Anyways, thanks for responding. I will post back once ds makes his decision, but I’m rooting hard for Salve!
Yes, I feel like Salve is under-rated and under-appreciated. It’s not just a bunch of pretty buildings! It has been at the top of her list since she visited and I think she is over the moon that it may actually become a reality!
@doloresst I 100% agree. I think it’s a hidden gem. Is your daughter applying to Pell Honors? Ds’s portal was not showing his acceptance until today—snail mail came 1st. Now that the portal is updated, he can apply for Pell. I think that’s another factor in Salve’s favor, if he’s accepted of course! What major is your daughter interested in? DS applied for Administration of Justice.
HI There! Congratulations!! Wondering when everyone applied? My son applied EA and has not yet heard. I think he sent his application at the very end of October.
Thanks!
My ds received his acceptance letter last Friday, and his portal just updated today. He applied 10/20, EA.
We’re waiting on the EA decision too. Can I ask a question though, did you visit the campus on an open house day or just a regular admissions visit? We did not do an open house, just a visit. My DD felt like there didn’t seem to be a lot going on around the campus but I’m thinking that’s because it was mid morning and everyone was in class!
We did a regular visit on a Friday in September. We saw lots of kids passing between classes and the dining hall was packed. It was also great weather. May have just been timing? We went back about a month later for an athletic meeting with a coach, and the vibe was pretty similar.
@CTCape Yes, my DD will try for the Pell Honors program as well. At her interview, she asked for more details about it but the interviewer said they are revamping the program and she didn’t know much about it for the upcoming year. She is interested in Global Studies/Accelerated International Relations program.
@Deepbreaths We visited on a regular admissions visit- a terrible snowy/slushy Saturday morning but she still fell in love with it. I was pleased to see later on in the morning kids were starting to gather in the lounges and even academic buildings for study groups. On all the tours we’ve done, I found that Saturday mornings are very quiet on college campuses 
Our Saturday afternoon tours are always more lively.
@rivirv DD applied some time before the EA deadline; she was definite about applying there.
Has anyone received an acceptance letter for nursing? I had heard that they can be a little later. Also, how do the merit awards look?
My DD’s acceptance and merit scholarship arrived today! She is over the moon. Her merit package is strong and I greatly appreciate it but the balance is still hard to swallow. Our EFC is ridiculously high because we saved 529 for siblings and future med coverage/long term care for us (early onset alzheimer gene) and son with autism. She’s received stronger merit at other great schools that she’s not as excited about. She’s willing to take on the debt but we are not willing to co-sign and put her (us) $80K in debt, especially knowing she wants to go to law school. Help- don’t want to break her heart but financially this will break us. I’m tempted to call Salve and ask them to match other offer but I also don’t want to offend them. Thoughts?
Additional note: The $80K is after we contribute $75K.
Additional note: The $80K is after we contribute $75K.
I think that it is really hard for kids to grasp what debt like that is going to feel like down the road. And I will tell you that law school will be worse. I graduated from college in 2001 with only about $20k in loans. Then I went to law school and that figure ballooned to over $100k. So you really do need to consider that impact if she’s certain that law school is what she wants to do. Contrary to what people believe, many, many attorneys do not make a ton of money, especially early on in their careers when those student loans become payable.
As far as going back to Salve to ask them to match though, I wouldn’t hesitate to do that. I think that schools are very accustomed to that and there’s nothing unusual or offensive about you making that call and just saying that she’d really like to come but this is what you need to make it happen.
It’s definitely not inexpensive, but Ds’s merit aid at least brought the cost somewhat closer to an in state public. It’s still more than in-state and still beyond our means, though, but not so over the top that it’s off the table. We too will likely have to ask if they can do better if he decides it’s where he ultimately wants to go. I think it’s fairly common practice as well.
Does anyone know what the merit award range is for Salve? I’ve been able to find information on most school sites about what the ceiling is for merit aid but Salve doesn’t list it. I feel like most private schools seem to fall into $30-$35k per year even after significant merit aid…which is nuts. In state tuition starts to look more and more appealing.
DS got his merit and acceptance today - we finally completed the FAFSA. He was awarded 84,000 for four years. Can others share? I don’t know if this is low, high or average in terms of an award.
I don’t know what Salve’s range is but when we were researching for DS 18 the merit awards for various schools seemed to range from about $15000-$25000/year.