Hello,
I was accepted into Beloit College and Earlham College and am having trouble deciding between the two. Here some things about me:
Beloit
They are both good schools and, I would say, of roughly the same caliber. Earlham’s freshmen have somewhat higher stats than Beloit’s, so Earlham might be more academically challenging…
You’ll have to decide based on individual preferences. Here’s a start:
Beloit has some frats and sororities, Earlham has none.
Earlham is nominally religious, but it’s Friends which is quite different from most religions, and definitely not in your face. I’m pretty sure it has Jewish and Muslim student groups on campus, and probably lots of nonreligious students. Only a small minority of students are actually Quakers.
Go to each website and check out student activities and clubs for the sort of outdoor activities you like. Earlham has an optional 3 or 4 week wilderness orientation program right before the regular freshman orientation, which you would probably enjoy and it would also be a way to meet like-minded people ahead of time.
If you have your heart set on learning a certain language or taking any particular class (astronomy? sculpture?), check out the college catalog course listings.
Those seem to be schools with a lot of cross-applications. S didn’t apply to Earlham so can’t compare, but one thing that really stands out about Beloit is the friendliness. There are a ton of threads commenting on it, and we really noticed it on campus, too. That could matter to you if you’re slow to make friends.
The existence of Greek life could be a turnoff, but from comments during our visit, lots of googling, etc, we felt comfortable that it really isn’t the stereotype (e.g. exclusive / catty / party-party) … just a couple of small houses that seem to have parties open to everyone, often with members who were surprised to find themselves pledging. Definitely not a “Greek vibe” on campus. Lots of different and interesting clubs / activities that students really seem to participate in, so again, that’d help with making friends.
Of course, the Earlham wilderness orientation program … hadn’t heard of that. Wow, how cool is that?
I’d second the suggestion to look through both catalogs. That’s one reason S didn’t apply to Earlham; just not enough there in his likely major areas. (Which don’t include biochemistry, though 
)
Have you visited? Can you visit (or visit again) before deciding?
Earlham has no religious requirements, it is Quaker affiliated but thats more of a lifestyle than a religion. Basically no one is better than anyone else, regardless of phd and such. You call your teacher by their first names and they want you to succeed more since it’s a more cooperative learning environment.
Earlham has a full cadaver lab for undergrad, and the new science building rivals that of top schools.
As far as science goes, Earlham will be up there with the best schools in terms of educational opportunities and quality of education.
No I haven’t visited but will try to as soon as I can.
I meant “weather,” by the way
My brother who is very into the outdoors attends Earlham. He did the backpacking pre orientation trip and has done a bunch of backpacking trips with the school over spring break and maybe other breaks. It seems like there are definitely outdoor activities! He is also a biochem major and has done research with a professor (summer after freshman year, fully funded work abroad) and will be doing more research this year.
I went to Beloit and my brother went to Earlham. Additionally, my Beloit College room mate’s sister went to Earlham as well. They are similar to each other in many respects. I currently live less than an hour away from Earlham. So, I find myself on the Earlham campus several times a year.
Beloit built a new science building a couple of years ago as well. So regarding science facilities, my guess is that they are fairly comparable. I know that Beloit is converting an old power station into a fitness/student center. It looks like it is going to be really cool.
One of the reasons why I chose Beloit over Earlham (even though I am from Indiana) was the location. There is just a greater variety of outdoor activities within a couple of hours of Beloit (I fell in love with Devil’s Head State Park). That varieyt appealed to me. Additionally, being an hour away from Madison, a little more than an hour away from Milwaukee and in close proximity to Chicago was also a plus.
While Earlham’s Quaker affiliation is fairly obvious (there is a seminary on their campus), to me Beloit has more of a looser feeling. So, it just depends upon what you are looking for in a college.
My son faced a similar dilemma – 'had narrowed it down to two schools that were similar in many ways and offered similar programs and cost was about the same. We visited both schools as decision day approached, and during his visit at the second school, he had an “aha” moment when it just felt right and he knew that’s where he wanted to go. The first school was great, but he felt more at home at the second school and felt like he had more in common with the students he had met there. He is a college senior now and says he can’t imagine having gone to the other school – this one has been such a perfect fit in so many intangible and undefinable ways.
So, if visiting both schools is at all possible, I highly recommend it. Good luck.
Just ran across this thread and feel compelled to chime in. First of all, both of our kids went to Earlham and loved it. Daughter of our best friends when to Beloit and loved it. From my point of view, you cannot make a bad choice!
That being said, here are some points about Earlham:
All for now. Good luck!