<p>Hello, I am an international student who got into both Beloit and Lawrence.
I am very interested in the field of social science.
Especially, Political science is going to be my major in college.</p>
<p>Beloit suggested me $14000 for scholarship and Lawrence suggested me $18000 for scholarship and $3000 for work study.
However, I will need more than that for keeping my study in US as my parents are planning to move out of city and begin farming in a few years.</p>
<p>So my questions are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Which school has stronger social science departments (Politics, Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, History, etc)?</p></li>
<li><p>Which school has more generous FA to internationals?</p></li>
<li><p>Which school has more flexible curriculum (Actually I looked up online and thought that both school are very flexible in its curriculum)?</p></li>
<li><p>How many classes are maximum numbers that a student can take per semester in Beloit? Can I take 6 courses in one semester?</p></li>
<li><p>How many classes are maximum numbers that a student can take per term in Lawrence? Can I take 5 courses in one term?</p></li>
<li><p>How long a student work per day in Lawrence for work study?</p></li>
<li><p>Even though Lawrence University offers me better FA and utilizes trimester system that I like, I will like to go Beloit if they offer me little more FA than what they suggested. Do you think there is any way that I can get more scholarship from Beloit?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you very much~~</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptances! I don’t know the answers to your questions, but when did you receive your decision from Lawrence? Did you apply Early Action?</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your answer.
Do you know which school has better program in social science in general?</p>
<p>From my experience reading College Confidential a lot last year, it might be good if you post your financial aid questions in the Financial Aid section of College Confidential (and forgive me because maybe you already did that). I can’t speak to Beloit because my daughter didn’t apply there. Work study at Lawrence will depend on how much money the college gives you. At Lawrence my daughter got a small work study stipend, and it is divided by the three quarters. There is no guarantee she gets all the money; she has to work for it. If she doesn’t use all the money/gift one quarter, it can roll to the next quarter. If she doesn’t work enough hours this year, then she doesn’t get that piece of aid. There are many jobs on campus, and probably just as much competition to get them. I think Food Service employs the most students and usually has openings on a regular basis. Lawrence cherishes its international students, and that is probably why you have a nice financial aid offer. I am sure it is based on the present and not the future of what your parents may do. Check on the Financial Aid portion as there are experts at College Confidential that can tell you about whether one can adjust aid packages in the future when changes occur in family finances.</p>
<p>I echo sunmachine’s question, too, of did you apply Early Decision or Early Action? Most decisions aren’t supposed to come out until the end of January, so it’s interesting if you got yours early. I do know for internationals there is email communication, so this may explain it if it’s EA. In the U.S. I think it’s all snail mail/postmarked the end of January this year per the LU website.</p>
<p>LU has a lot of students doing independent study…but so far my daughter will take ‘generals’ and be in classes with other students, though her foreign language class spring quarter will only have ten people in it! Her freshman studies class has about 14 people in it. Classes are small, and the independent study option seems popular with upperclassmen.</p>
<p>Oh, and how many hours one works per day at L U depends on the student schedule, the work needs, and the financial aid package in terms of maximum money allowed per quarter.</p>
<p>Good luck with Beloit and getting more answers to your questions.</p>
<p>P.S. if I didn’t already say it: Congrats on your acceptances! :)</p>
<p>My son was accepted to Beloit and we visited there this fall. If you are interested in politics, economics, etc. Beloit has an absolutely amazing curriculum and opportunities for studying abroad. Around here we call it the Middlebury of the midwest. The language instruction is top notch. I don’t know much about Lawrence’s program but I do know that Beloit has open curriculum so you don’t really have to take any gen eds. Also, we found the student body to be extremely diverse. We were hanging out with the soccer team but they were from all over the US and the world.</p>
<p>Thank you very much vocemom and lawrencemom.
Your great knowledge is a wonderful help to me.
I may visit both school at the end of Feb.
I hope I can find comfort in any of those two schools.
Thank you again.</p>
<p>Can someone tell me about general reputation and level of the social science departments in Lawrence University comparing to Beloit College?</p>
<p>Jason406, you have a good question about ‘reputation/level’ of social sciences at your two favorite schools. If you really can visit them both at the end of February, that is the best of all. I work in a two-year school, and I always tell my students to go search/ask/discover/get a feel for what is right for them. If you visit both schools, of course the people are going to ‘sell’ their college to you. That is what we found on all our visits last year. However, make sure you meet students, try to sit in on a class, find some professors in the fields you like (let the schools know ahead of your visit that you want to meet professors in particular areas of study/want to visit a class if at all possible)…and then see what your gut tells you. If you like one more than the other, you decision will be made. If you like them both equally, you have two wonderful choices. Ultimately, it is up to you. An outsider who tells you ‘this is better’ or ‘go there’ cannot be in your shoes for four years. I wanted my kid to go to other schools, but when we drove home from Lawrence, all she kept saying was, ‘I really like that school. I REALLY like that school.’ I knew that she had found ‘the one’ and when she got in, the rest of the college search/decision-making was over.</p>
<p>It is wonderful that you can visit both schools. Have a good/safe/research-filled trip. Also, make sure you visit the financial aid people at both schools to ask your questions about future aid.</p>
<p>Good luck/have fun! :)</p>
<p>Thank you for a great answer.
Following your advice, I signed up for visiting on both school for Feb 20-23.
I hope I can make decision after the visiting.
Thank you Lawrencemom~</p>
<p>Let us know how it turns out, Jason406. I can’t wait to see which college you choose! Safe travels to you.</p>
<p>I am a current senior at Lawrence who is majoring in political science (or ‘government’ as it’s called here!).</p>
<p>The faculty are top-notch. They are challenging, supportive, and ultimately very inspiring people to study under. The workload varies depending on what classes you are taking (as well as which professor is teaching the class). Theoretically, you can ‘overload’ and take 5 classes per term, but I would advise against it. Three classes can be challenging enough at times! However, it is not uncommon for people to take 4 classes per term. Ultimately, if you do attend, you will have an advisor who will help you answer these kinds of questions. </p>
<p>Regarding FA, I am not an international student so I can’t answer your question directly. However, if aid is a concern, I would not hesitate in contacting the FA office. They may or may not raise your aid, but it certainly would not hurt to ask.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this is a concern of yours, but Appleton is probably a more pleasant place to spend 4 years. I am familiar with both Beloit and Appleton, and while neither are particularly exciting places to live, Appleton has a lot to offer for a city of its size.</p>
<p>Ultimately, if you can, visit both schools as both Beloit and Lawrence are comparable.</p>
<p>If you have anymore questions feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Good luck and congrats!</p>
<p>I hope this “Lawrence v. Beloit” thread gets lively over the next few months, since I imagine the two schools share many applicants and admits. S2 is considering both schools, and hopefully will get to attend the admitted studetns days. One point of comparison is money - S2 received merit aid from Lawrence, but not Beloit. (For some reason, I was expecting it to be other other way around…). Need-based aid remains to be seen.</p>
<p>Appleton seemed like a nice town, and I liked the fact that there were some coffee shops and pizza places on the main drag within walking distance of campus. S2 also visited a music store and talked guitars with one of the salesperson. The guy was great: knowledgeable, passionate about music, a little weird … just what you’d want from a guitar salesperson. He seemed to be really into Appleton’s off-campus music scene, particularly jazz, which (not surprisingly) involves a lot of Lawrence grads and faculty. Made a big impression on S2. Sometimes the best salespersons for a college have nothing to do with the admissions office!</p>
<p>Thank you very for answers.</p>
<p>For anyone trying to decide between Lawrence and Beloit, this might (but might not) help: </p>
<p>[Beloit</a> and Lawrence among nation’s top feeder schools for PhD’s - JSOnline](<a href=“http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/138135438.html]Beloit”>Beloit and Lawrence among nation's top feeder schools for PhD's)</p>
<p>Frankly, kind of thread for which I’ve been searching. Appreciate all the great info about the better known LACs. Yet, nice to see comparisons between these other gems. (would like more on Earlham, Knox & Wooster, too) S is going to visit these places next summer. I’ve read on the school websites that Beloit has a summer program for hs students, & Lawrence has a summer music institute. Would appreciate any comments related to the summer programs of these schools, too. (S plays trombone jazz/ensemble @ his hs & ‘bluegrass’ madolin to entertain himself.) Thank you for sharing your knowledge.</p>
<p>Lawrence is on the board with merit award and now a decent financial aid offer. Still haven’t heard anything from Beloit about aid. Advantage Lawrence.</p>
<p>I sent my son to visit in the summer of 2004. He loved the place so much that he shrugged off all his other offers and in the end they did him proud. Can’t do any better than Lawrence.</p>