<p>So it seems that the more I try to narrow down my list, the more I find it expanding...yet nothing seems to fit. So I'm just going to ask which schools off my list you recommend based on a few very basic criteria of mine:</p>
<p>--good music and theater
--good anthropology
--a student body that is not cutthroat competitive.</p>
<p>I am beginning to think of ruling out the schools that have super-athletic reputations; it's just not me. I'm more of a hiker/rock climber/kayaker/get muddy type than a preppy.</p>
<p>I was actually leaning towards Beloit, even though it's the least competitive of the group, because of its anthropology department. However I don't know if it is enough for me; to be blunt I am pretty smart. Would someone like to reassure me that it is a good enough school? =)</p>
<p>How many anthro classes can a school Beloit’s size even offer? IMO, not the best way to choose an undergrad school </p>
<p>Have you visited all of the schools? You will get the best sense of overall fir that way. You could probably arrange an exchange term/year from any of these to take advantage of any special anthro offerings Beloit has.</p>
<p>For an outdoorsy person looking for a solid LAC and interested in anthropology, I’m surprised Colorado College isn’t already on your radar. It’s larger and more selective than Beloit, with a fabulous location and programs for a hiker/rock climber/kayaker/get muddy type.</p>
<p>By the numbers:
School…Admit Rate…Enrollment…USNWR Rank
Beloit…62.8%…1,388…62
Colorado College…26%…2,026…24</p>
<p>Probably the two most distinctive features of this school, compared to other selective LACs, are its mountain location in a small city at the foot of Pike’s Peak, and its unusual one-course-at-a-time “block plan”. The block plan gives you a lot of flexibility to do intensive projects, including field work in subjects such as biology, environmental science, or anthropology. The school has a system of “venture grants” to encourage research and creative projects; in 2008-2009 it awarded over 90 of them. Anthro seems to be a pretty strong department there. (<a href=“http://www.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/AN/[/url]”>http://www.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/AN/</a>) They have a beautiful new arts center designed to encourage collaboration among artists working in various media (film, theater, sculpture, painting, etc.)</p>
<p>If there’s a single student type that stands out, I’d say it’s an “outdoorsy, intellectual hippie jock” (if that’s not too much of an oxymoron). Likely cross-app colleges would include Middlebury, Dartmouth, Whitman, Macalester, and UC Boulder. It’s in the Associate Midwest Colleges consortium with Beloit.</p>
<p>I can’t say much about Beloit or the other schools, unfortunately. All I can do is confirm that Oberlin fits your requirements (except the kayaking I think). However, I have always had the impression that the other schools on your list fit into that mold as well. Remember that college is what you make of it; if you think Beloit is the best fit, it very well can be and though I don’t know about the academic environment, it is something that you can also try to shape to make it the best for you.</p>