<p>From The Princeton Review</p>
<p>Academics
““Life at Belmont is all about music,” says one student. “Many people here want to make a career out of their musical abilities, and many people want to make careers out of other people’s musical abilities.” Belmont’s famous music business program lets students tap into the musical lifeblood of surrounding Nashville. “You can get an internship or learn how to manage an artist.” Other School of Music undergraduate majors include church music, commercial music, and musical theater performance. Belmont “has one of the best nursing programs in the state,” and the popular social work program boasts “excellent” faculty. The school’s academic atmosphere emphasizes faith, but students tell us that “religion is not forced on anyone.” Most professors are very attentive, closely monitoring student progress; one student says, “I had a professor call me because I was late to a class once.” In general, faculty members “know your name and face and remember you after you have finished their class.” One student warns, however, that the best teachers are not always the most involved: “So far this semester, the professors who do not know my name have taught me more than the professors who know my name and can’t communicate the time of day effectively.””</p>
<p>Student Body
““Anything that would stand out at a major state university is basically the norm” at Belmont, where the typical student is a “hip,” “Jesus-loving,” “music business major”—a cool Christian kid who is “most likely in a band or working with one.” The ambitious “music junkies” are “very culturally aware” and “know exactly how they’re going to get where they want to be.” Ethnically, Belmont is “not a very diverse school,” but “individuality” reigns “in ideas, styles of dress, taste in music, [and] philosophies.” One student jokes that “the campus looks like an indie band concert.” Students are “very friendly” and “accepting to atypical students.” One happy undergrad says, “Everyone here is their own animal, and we all love the Zoo.””</p>
<p>Campus Life
“The stereotypical college party, with its keg stands and top 40 soundtrack, is definitely not the norm on Belmont’s “dry campus,” located “a block or two from [Nashville’s] Music Row.” Instead of partying, “People think about what they are going to do with the rest of their lives using the talents they have acquired. For fun, people play instruments, eat, and just watch movies or attend concerts” with performers “ranging from small, unsigned artists to major recording artists.” “Everyone has music on their mind”; students “go downtown to the Wildhorse Saloon, The Bluebird Cafe,” or the “Grand Ole Opry.” The same goes on campus, where “At any given moment, you can hear someone practicing or performing.” Belmont’s predominantly religious students appreciate the option to attend “a Bible Study every night of the week.” Nontraditional students report little involvement in college life: “The working adults have full-time jobs during the day that they have to mold class schedules around, and they pretty much stick to themselves.””</p>