Thanks for all the helpful comments re: Hendrix College. Lots of passion here!
Even at colleges with the highest PhD production rates, only a minority of alumni will ever get PhDs. In science and engineering fields, only 3 colleges (Caltech, Harvey Mudd and MIT) have PhD production rates higher than 15% (http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf13323/). In the decade between 2003-2012, only 18 Beloit alumni earned PhDs in anthropology (which is one of Beloit’s strengths)… but that is more than the number for Williams, Pomona, or Middlebury alumni (source: https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/webcaspar/).
Is it significant that Beloit generates as many PhDs in anthropology as some much more selective LACs do? I think it is. PhD production rates provide an objective way to compare outcomes in areas that (a) are closely connected to what liberal arts colleges actually teach, and (b) require high levels of intellectual commitment and preparation to succeed. It’s a sign of department strength if at least a few of its alumni make that commitment every year and are prepared well enough to follow through (even though the majority of smart, motivated students will choose other paths.)
OP, has your son visited both? I would recommend he go to their respective Accepted Student Days and then, assuming both are affordable (and that one isn’t MUCH more expensive for your family), let him go with his gut. One thing we discovered touring a number of SLACs last year was that each has a unique feel – my son loved some and HATED others from the same cohort.
One other thing to consider: Is travel back and forth from your home relatively the same experience? In the end, we opted for an OOS public offering a lot of money, so we knew the trade-off would be a long commute home, but I am infinitely grateful that the travel part of it has been a piece of cake (relatively speaking).
BTW, Grinnell has gotten terribly difficult to be admitted to in the last few years. It was a solid “low-reach” for my son last year (or so we thought) based on their historic stats, and he ended up wait-listed (with SAT scores that exactly matched their 75th percentile according to their 2013-14 CDS).
@LucieTheLakie, It’s been an interesting journey. He began the college application process set on large research universities but learned along the way SLACs were a better fit (I will say, I always thought SLACs were the best path for him but…). So most of the colleges he visited, he didn’t apply and most of the schools he applied to, we didn’t visit. It was a trip to Grinnell that really sold him on SLACs and then we visited a few additional ones in our geographic area, which sealed the deal for SLACs. Between coursework, ECs, etc. things were getting unwieldy and we put a halt on the time-consuming, and stressful, task of visiting colleges. However, we will visit Beloit, Hendrix, and a few others this winter/spring over various long weekends/breaks/etc. Do admitted students day all happen in April or are they spread out more evenly?I assume these visits are more productive then visits on random weekend? Or no?
^I think admitted student days dates are school-dependent. Check the schools website. I’ve heard differing views on these admitted student days. Personally, I think they can be a bit too much of a “show” and not reflective of the campus on a typical day. My preference is to visit during the week.
@dadof1: I like your rationale for weekday visits. Unfortunately, this will likely mean visits during February/April vacations without parents (we have to work to pay for these trips and tuition!). I hate the idea of not seeing the college he attends prior to dropping him off, but the truth is, I went to my college sight unseen. But things were different then ( I can’t imagine having a discussion with my parents about “fit”-- they would think I was crazy).
Sorry for deviating from my own thread. I have to say, in this Beloit Vs. Hendrix conversation, in my mind, Hendrix is winning. Why Beloit?
@slacbound, my son only did a couple ASDs and he really didn’t care for either school, but I don’t think the programs themselves hurt measurably. They just weren’t the best fit. We visited some schools ahead of applications and others much later in the process after he’d received his acceptances. The ASDs do seem to all take place in April, so do what works best for your son and you.
@slacbound. Good advise from Lucie. I wouldn’t dismiss Beloit because of the responses you’ve received here. The discussion has been centered on Hendrix because of the familiarity of the posters with Hendrix. Maybe @4kids4colleges has some thoughts on Beloit?
Beloit is a great school. There are some good threads on the Beloit section of the site under “Colleges and Universities.” Quite a few kids from our high school go there and seem to like it a lot. I even know two people in their 60s, a brother and sister, who attended back in the day. They were from Long Island and Beloit got them both on their way to very fulfilling careers. It definitely attracts the same sort of student as Hendrix–intellectually curious, somewhat (but not overly, in most cases) non-conformist, and committed to social justice.
We attended the Beloit ASD last year, at the end of March, with our son. My husband and I really liked Beloit and its welcoming atmosphere. We especially loved their emphasis on collaboration over competition. The thing that I particularly remember is when a prospective parent of a child with aspergers asked how her son would be treated by the other students. The response by a recently graduated student who had gone to a suburban high school was to describe a student who had attended Beloit who could draw a detailed map of the U.S on the sidewalk from memory. She commented that at her high school he would have been considered odd but at Beloit he was somewhat of a minor celebrity. I got the impression that Beloit is accepting of all different types of kids from quirky to fraternity types. My son did not end up at Beloit but we would have been happy had he done so.
Quick update. We visited Beloit. We were impressed with how nice everyone was— president, students, and other prospies/their families. The academics, based on one class, suited his needs. Possibly a negative: the dorms and some of the infrastructure seemed a bit worn. Still need to visit Hendrix (admitted students day in April) and a few others (i.e. Kalamazoo and Earlham). Beloit is still in the running— time will tell.