<p>I am not around CC much these days, but my daughter is now a very happy freshman at Beloit. (And she’s met up with other fellow CCers there too!). If anyone has any questions, I’d be happy to answer them via email. You can email me at <a href="mailto:CZLAW@aol.com">CZLAW@aol.com</a>. Happy college hunting!</p>
<p>Carolyn, I will send you a private email, but just to keep this thread somehwat alive for the future, my D is considering Beloit, along with Grinnell, Heidelberg in Ohio and possibly Wooster, Denison and Elizabethtown. Maybe Earlham. She is a jr. If anyone has comments in comparison to Beloit, I would appreciate it.</p>
<p>David</p>
<p>I'm definitely applying to Beloit and recently had my interview. It went very well and I learned a lot about the school. I definitely recommend getting one if you can.</p>
<p>DeLoar--My D is applying to several of the schools you mentioned--Beloit is at the top of her list, as well as Earlham and Denison, plus OWU, IWU, Lawrence, St LOuis U and a couple of state schools and a couple other OOS small unies. She dropped Grinnell from her list even though it was her first choice because she fears it would be "too stressful." I will be so glad when this application process is finished. She has all her scores, transcripts and recommendations submitted but still has to complete the essays. I just read last night that seniors tend to procrastinate on this, so I shouldn't bug her (I am trying not to!). She has her Beloit interview the end of Oct and we are still going to visit a couple of other campuses on her list in the next month. However, I think the choice will come down to Beloit and one of her state safeties (more proximity to home and big metropolis than financial or academic re the latter). </p>
<p>Beloit is just so "her"--she definitely doesn't seem to fit the Denison mold other than academically! This was her favorite college visit of about a dozen--she visited last yr as a junior. The student body was very diverse and friendly and she felt very comfortable there. The classes she visited were small; the mindset liberal. She descirbed several of the students she met as "unique and artsy" and enjoyed the different conversation topics that came up. She felt she would be challenged in class but not overwhelmed; she would be just above the 75th percentile whereas around the 'middle' at Grinnell so she thinkks there would be a bit less pressure. I think Beloit would be a school where she could 'find herself' more easily than at some of the other schools she is considering. I did find the town small and gritty; 90 mis to Chicago and nearly as far to Madison/MIlwaukee seem a long drive; hopefully the collge keeps the students engaged on campus. At leat I don't think Beloit is a suitcase school so the majority of students would be around most weekends. Has your D visited? I think that, coupled with an overnight on campus, is the best way for students to get a feel for the school. Good luck on the search.</p>
<p>I would love to see more Beloit postings here or on other discussion groups--I guess it is just too early in the school year.</p>
<p>My S is a second year Beloiter who is having a wonderful time. Milwaukee and Madison are both 45 minutes away and many students take advantage of an inexpensive bus to go for a day. The campus seems to remain full on weekends. S travels with his team every other weekend and has a heavy workload, so he doesn't have much time to get away, at least during the season.</p>
<p>Bookmom, Just want to say that my daughter is finding her first semester at Beloit very challenging. She has tons of reading and papers -- but she is loving every minute of it. </p>
<p>She was surprised when her first three papers came back and all three teachers wrote a page or more of comments. (One teacher wrote two pages of comments for a three page paper - and it was an "A" paper!). She is also very happy at the interaction she has with her teachers this semester. Several of her professors have pulled her aside and talked to her about majoring in their department, study abroad opportunities, and some internships to look into -- I NEVER would have anticipated that she'd be visiting the Career services office within a month of starting college.</p>
<p>Socially, she's also pleased. She's become a dancing fool - taking part in the Beloit ballroom dance club, and learning how to cha-cha, marenga (spelling?), and tango. She's also had some great fun hanging out in the Beloit Science Fiction and Fantasy Society dorm. She says she's having a hard time keeping up with all of the lectures, movies and other things to do on campus - both on the weekends and during the week. She's not a partier, but that hasn't been an issue for her at all - she's made a great group of friends who are also not much into partying. (She says, however, that as at all schools there is plenty of that to be found if you want it. She did note, however, that partying is mostly done on the weekends - during the week, most people are too busy studying!) Best of all, she escorted 12 Tibetan monks to dinner last week -- they were on campus in conjunction with the wonderful Asian art exhibit in the Wright museum (Beloit's own art museum) this month. </p>
<p>In short, she's very happy with her choice. We saw her last weekend for Family Weekend and she told us she can't imagine herself any where else at this point. Jadedog, a personal thank you for answering my questions along the way -- all you and other Beloit parents have said about Beloit has proven true, and I am very grateful. </p>
<p>Bookmom, I think you hit the nail on the head: Beloit is a great place to discover yourself, and to explore many interests. It is not a school that's right for everyone, but when it is, it can be an incredible place to be.</p>
<p>Carolyn, I will share your post with my D. She had her interview for Beloit last Sun in St Louis--an in-hotel interview was a first for her. She will be on campus in Feb as she will be eligible for the Preseidents' scholarship competition. She insisted on wearing her little nose ring, her black leggings and what she affectionately calls her polka-dot waitress dress for the intervieW--'this is the real me' she said, and she and the admissions counselor had a nice discussion about art and fashion design. Before the interview we had visited St Louis' loop district with its Wash U students, recycled records shops and vintage clothing stores--she was in 7th heaven. I hope Madison and Milwaukee can offer these diversions as well--she is considering a state uni that is close to St Louis just for this atmosphere (and is rethinking Wash U as well). At least the apps are in, so we get a brief breather. We drove out of state to pick up a new puppy yesterday, and I reminded her that Beloit was no further than this little trip (7hr hr RT). I do know that BC is her top LAC choice. Will May 1 ever come?</p>
<p>Madison and Milwaukee each have very similar "amenities" near the major universities (the UW in Madison, and UW-Milwaukee in Milwaukee). I understand there's pretty good access to Madison from Beloit.</p>
<p>Bookmom, I had one at Wash U, and now have one at Beloit. Different "feel" at the schools. Should be easy to pick based on that.
MilwDad, we went to Madison from Beloit on my last visit. A very easy and short (45 - 50 min) drive. There is bus service available, however, the bus pickup has been moved to a place further from the Beloit campus.</p>
<p>Bookmom, The nice thing is that if her application is in, she'll hear before Christmas. By the way, nose rings are nothing out of the ordinary at Beloit, and the admissions officer seemed more than willing to overlook my daughter's...shall we just say "unique"?...fashion sense when she interviewed. :)</p>
<p>(Also, if you guys make it back to campus, take the 40 minute drive up to State Street in Madison. Both my kids adore it, and it has just the atmosphere you're describing. Beloit itself, not so much. LOL!)</p>
<p>carolyn, I'm glad to read that your daughter is having a great experience at Beloit.</p>