Clark U vs Beloit College

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi, I'm a transfer student and I'd like to hear any opinions on Beloit College (WI) versus Clark University (MA).</p>

<p>I'm interested in psychology and philosophy. I am leaning toward medical school for psychiatry (which means, of course, that it would help to attend a college that is also good in sciences). However, I am also considering research in social psychology or ethics. </p>

<p>Here is my limited point of view so far:</p>

<p>Clark is lower ranked, but has an especially reputable psych dept that seems to offer a lot in the field. Clark also seems to offer many more classes, so I could possibly take more classes in things I like. I don't know if this matters though, because how many classes will I get the chance to take if I enter as a junior? Also, Clark has this thing where a student can get a free fifth year for a masters if she/he has a high gpa. I don't really know if I could do that, but that would be cool if I could apply for med or grad school with a psych masters already under my belt. </p>

<p>Beloit is higher ranked and also seems to be rising in prestige. This makes me wonder if I'd find more friends at Beloit, as they might be more like-minded/academic. Beloit, despite not offering as many classes as Clark, has a major called Health and Society that seems to be a really good combination of what I'm interested in (though Clark has an Ethics and Public Policy concentration that I'd probably do if I attended, at Beloit I'd have a predeveloped major that I could move around in more easily). Beloit also is only undergraduate (Clark has grad students), so I wonder if I'd get more individual attention there. Both schools are small though, under 3,000 students. </p>

<p>I don't know much about the towns of either, except that neither are great and both are cold. </p>

<p>Here is what I prefer socially: </p>

<p>Tight knit community/future best friends.
Smart, socially aware peers.
Students who are enthusiastic and active in the school.
Really involved profs and advisers.</p>

<p>Here is what I'd like to avoid:</p>

<p>A party school.
Cliquey students.</p>

<p>Please help. I'm sorry if anything I said offends students or alumni, but this is just my quick summary of the schools in comparision to one another. If I am wrong on any counts, I'm happy to hear why! :)</p>

<p>THANKS!!!</p>

2

<p>I don't think you can go wrong with either. They are both very good schools. I know that Clark is located in not that great of an area from kids that have looked at it. I don't know anything about the area where Beloit is located. Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Beloit, WI is a town, and not very close to any major city. Worcester, MA, while not the best area, is a decent-sized city. It is also just an hour outside of Boston. There is good public transportation from Worcester to Boston, or to NY (about 3-4 hours away).</p>

<p>The major question is do you want to be in the midwest, or in the northeast? The cultures in both places are very different.</p>

4

<p>Chedva, I am from the east, so I'm more accustomed to this culture. I've only been to the midwest once. People seem to be really nice there, in a way that is different from east coast friendliness, which is great. I'm not sure how different the culture is though, because I don't know from personal experience. I know some people from the south, so is it accurate to compare the two cultures? I do know that the town of Beloit is unusually diverse and liberal, which is also great. I think that I've heard that both towns are sketchy.</p>

<p>If I were choosing based on location, it wouldn't be based on the towns, it would be based on my SO living on the east coast. At Clark, I could drive 4 hours to see him. At Beloit, I'd need to take a plane. The cost of plane tickets would make it hard for us to see each other for those two years, outside summer and holiday breaks :(. </p>

<p>Do you know anything about the quality of the profs at Clark? I've heard many times that profs are amazing at Beloit.</p>

5

<p>Clark is a VERY solid small research university. It offers opportunities usually not seen in a school of 3000 kids. </p>

<p>It is supposedly very strong in psychology. Clark is the only school in the US visited by Freud (they have a stature of Sigmond to commemorate the event!)</p>

<p>Sure, neighborhood isn't the greatest, but it's a school that grows on you the more you look into it.</p>

<p>Also good is the Worcester college consortium, where free buses allow students to take classes at any other school in the city (Holy Cross, WPI, Assumption, Worcester State, and a couple I'm forgetting)</p>

6

<p>Beloit is not far from Chicago (1.5-2 hours)-- a pretty major city. They have daily bus service there. Also only an hour from Madison--THE great college town.</p>

7

<p>Just about the only thing Clark University and Beloit College have in common is location in small industrial cities that lost much of their industry quite a long time ago and look it. Neither Worcester nor Beloit is anyone's idea of a garden spot.</p>

<p>Clark is a small research university that is internationally renowned at the graduate level in two fields (psychology and geography) and less important in all others. Though undergraduates far outnumber graduate students at Clark, the place feels more like a university than a college. If a small research university in an old industrial New England city sounds good to you, Clark may be just right.</p>

<p>Beloit is a quite small liberal arts college (1,300 students or so) with a great faculty. It is selective. However, partly because of its location in dreary Beloit, it gets fewer applicants than it should, making it a good bet for strong students who are looking for a fine liberal arts college in the Midwest but who would be reaching for admission to Oberlin or Carleton. (Beloit students insist that the surrounding city doesn't matter much because the campus community is great.)</p>

<p>Given what you say you want out of college, I think you'd probably like Beloit College, or any good liberal arts college, better than Clark University. Thus, if I were you I'd seriously consider Beloit while also looking into other colleges like it. Oberlin, Macalester, and Lawrence would be good parallels in the Midwest. Haverford, Bates, and Hamilton might be good to look at in the East. There are others.</p>

8

<p>I grew up in the midwest and have lived most of my adult life in the northeast. Overall the midwest and the campuses we visited there were friendlier than those we visited elsewhere. Beloit is oftn described as having happy students.</p>

9

<p>Clark sounds like it would meet your needs best.</p>

10

<p>From what I have heard I think Beloit is a happier place overall.</p>