Just wanted to start a new thread for everyone applying this year. We can post stats, any merit received and ask each other questions.
My daughter got her acceptance letter today. Said info regarding eligibility for merit will come in the future.
GPA - 4.03
SAT - 1320
Intended major - Secondary Education/Math
@mamawitch Congrats to your daughter!
My daughter submitted her application 10/31. (How long did it take for you to get a decision?)
GPA - 4.27
SAT - 1470
Intended Major - Hospitality and Tourism
My daughter is a singer but doesn’t intend to pursue music as a major so didn’t send any audition materials.
@momof3co It was about a week. And it came in the mail. The merit letter came another week later. My D was offered $8,000/yr. With your D’s SAT score she’ll probably get $10K and qualify for one of the biggies!!
Mine plays piano, but would sooner cut her fingers off before she played in front of a crowd!! So definitely no audition materials from us!
Good luck to your D. I wonder if it’ll take a little longer since lots of applications were due Nov. There could be more for them to sort through.
@mamawitch Thank you so much for replying and the wishes. Crazy, she got her package today!! So it took a week also, wow. She is in!
The financial details will make a big difference so I’m looking forward to seeing those. Is your daughter planning on going to Belmont, or waiting on other responses to decide?
We’re excited to have our first response but she’s my baby and of course I want to make sure she decides on what is best for her.
@momof3co Congrats to your daughter!! The merit info should come in the mail next week.
My D is waiting on more schools. We’ve actually never seen Belmont, but the idea of being in Nashville is really a draw!! And it fits most of her criteria…size, good location, good secondary education program, & heard it’s not a big party school. The only issue could be the Christian school portion. Wondering how well a Jewish girl from New England would find her people. She’s not super religious and goes to a Jesuit HS now, but wondering if a Christian school in the south is different. We just need to do more research and find out how religious the school/students are. Do you have any knowledge on that? My niece has a friend there and she loves it. D will definitely chat with her a bit more in the decision process.
It is comforting having that 1st acceptance!! Is this one of her top choices?
@mamawitch Thank you! We still have not received any info on merit but it’s one of many things she is waiting on. 
My D is also waiting on more schools, and actually has others to apply to. (!) She just doesn’t know where she wants to go yet, but wants it to be out of state. She focused on Belmont and at one point it was her top pick because of her music background, and a friend who is a sophomore there this year, but she hasn’t visited yet so we don’t even know if she’ll love it. Her friend did not say there were any religious requirements, and I know they make it a point to welcome students of all faiths.
We visited USD this past weekend, and they have a requirement of two semesters of religious studies, but no church requirement. One of the semesters can be any other religion the student selects. I thought it was an interesting way to do that.
What other schools is your D looking at?
@momof3co I sent you a PM
Does the Belmont portal show admission status or do you have to wait for the mail?
@Momofmanytoo my daughter’s portal still doesn’t show any updates so it looks like the only notification is through postal mail.
@momof3co I would encourage you to visit! It’s a beautiful school, and Nashville is a great city. My daughter is also Jewish and the tour guide’s first words to us were that all are welcome. I attended Vanderbilt down the street and was very impressed with Belmont. The faculty seemed great too!
@Nancymarie I have the Jewish daughter. Thank you for your feedback. I just asked her yesterday to start thinking about schools she wants to see and revisit during any breaks or long weekends. I’m hoping Belmont makes the list! I want to see the school and Nashville!!
I have a freshmen son at Belmont. Acceptance came by mail and email. Once accepted I believe we received info on how to log on to a different portal. As far as religion, Belmont is a Christian school but accepting to other faiths or no faith. There are a couple choices of religious class. As a Christian, my son often did not agree with his professor for religion class. Not a requirement to agree but you do have to take the class. With that said, the student body is a very mixed bag.
My son is Jewish and will be a freshman in the fall of 2020. I worry about meeting other Jewish kids, but Vanderbilt has a Hillel house that they are welcome to join.
Hi there I’m new to CC and just found this thread! My daughter will start at Belmont this Fall, she will be in the singer/songwriter program at the Curb music school. Our family is originally from Westchester, NY. However we relocated during her high school years to Oregon- huge change. Wondering how religious the student culture is at Belmont. Also similarly- how this will be for her since she’s grown up Jewish on the east coast most of her life…she certainly has experienced a huge shift living in the Pacific Northwest these last 2 years.
Hey all - seems like a lot of use tribe members are sending (or thinking of sending) our kids to Belmont! My son got in, and it’s one of his top choices. There is a Hillel at Vandy 10 minutes away, and I personally attended a Jesuit school and never had an issue. With inclusion being top of mind for so many schools, and a massive amount of out of state students (we’re from CA) I really don’t see it being an issue.
I am interested in hear what others think about some of the other music schools. My son wants to study the business side of music, and was accepted to Loyola New Orleans, Middle Tennessee State, Ball State, Murray State, Southern Mississippi and is waiting to hear back from FSU. Any thoughts on those schools?
My son just finished first year at Belmont. My son went to christian school in elementary and middle school but then to a public magnet school of the arts in high school. He has matriculated in diverse environments and is a minority student on top of everything else. We are christians but we are liberals.
Belmont University is clearly a Christian School. They do not hide it. They require students to take two bible classes. They offer some religious outlets - like most schools. But they do not require students to be christian. Most students go to Belmont for the education - mostly music - not for the religion. Unlike christian schools that prioritize a strict christian culture, Belmont does not go out of its way to recruit christian students. They recruit creative student. Many of whom are not religious. Students come from all religious backgrounds or no religious background.
My son, who loves the school, states that if you are looking for a “Christian” school you might want to go some place else. Because Belmont is just a school run by christians, student body is a typical of what you would expect at any school.
@jacole Thanks for the info. Wish we could’ve gone to visit. My D ended up committing somewhere else, but I think Nashville would’ve been an amazing area to be in college!!
@mamawitch The campus is absolutely beautiful. While in Nashville for a long weekend this past summer, we decided to visit the campus, although my dd was not very interested in the university, because of the size. After seeing the campus and talking to others, Belmont is now one of her top choices. I highly recommend seeing the campus. We were impressed by the architecture, trees, flowers, and statues. We did not go inside the buildings, but we did talk to some of the construction workers building a large structure (a performance arts theater/building, I think), and they stated that the new building would be impressive.
They MAKE you take christian classes? We sent our kid to catholic school for middle school for the education and kids being accountable for their behavior. we really do not agree with any organized religion. We taught our D to respect all religions but really do not want people to shove their own beliefs down throats. To each his own. Belmont was on our list and still plan to visit. But that would be a huge turnoff to be required to take mandatory Christian classes
Can you elaborate on the religious classes. Will this be a thing where they prayer before every performance etc? Curious