<p>
[quote]
Danieljlue, tell me more about town of Beloit-- we went along the Main St., & it seemed desolate and dismal.
[/quote]
It is. The schools loses lots of potential students because almost everyone hates the town. Residents even jokingly call it the "armpit of WI". If you're looking for a vibrant, bustling college town atmosphere - there isn't one.</p>
<p>Sure, there are cities, but they're over an hour away...</p>
<p>collegeone- Much what your S. is looking for. Smart, intellectual, academic driven, kids who are serious about their studies but let loose in other ways then drinking and partying. I also don't think I much like the Greek scene being at a school that has one.</p>
<p>"he is a very artsy, music, reading, ultimate frisbee kind of kid." that def. describes me also, except take out the ultimate part. I played it in gym and sucked.</p>
<p>Another plug for Kalamazoo here. S is a sophomore and loves the school. Academically rigorous with smart kids who work hard in a campus culture of cooperative learning. Very generous with merit scholarships from our experience. For a small LAC, you'll find all types and, as MilwDad said, very accepting and inclusive despite the differences. S's interests are actually polar opposite of collegeone's S and DefyingGravity as he's an intercollegiate athlete. Yet, one of his favorite courses, other than classes for his Econ major, was Acting/Theatre where he enjoyed interacting with a very diverse group of kids. Huge emphasis on study abroad (85%+ participation) which contributes to the open-mindedness and broad perspectives of the student body. S will be doing a term in Spain this year. </p>
<p>MilwDad also is correct about the intermingling of kids from various classes. S had plenty of upperclass friends even as a freshman last year. Part of that can be attributed to the absence of the Greek system, which was eliminated by the college back in the 70's for being socially divisive. After a tour of many midwestern LAC's, S had all but given up on them as he couldn't get past the typical small school/small town/isolated combo, fearing he would outgrow the environment. That changed when he found K College, located in a mid-sized city with a real downtown/amenities, and considered a student-focused college town with a large D1 university directly next door.</p>
<p>Another possibility is Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Your son might be especially interested in a minor in music offered from the conservatory of music there.</p>
<p>The town is small, but pleasant.</p>
<p>A point on merit aid: years ago a financial aid officer once told me that all their initial offerings are made on a "need" basis only. He went on to say that if a student is very capable, and a parent calls to explain that their child would very much like to go to the school, but schools X and Y are offering more, then packages are increased (with a smile). I don't know if that's true now - but it's something to think about.</p>
<p>Collegeone:</p>
<p>If significant merit based aid is needed, make sure you check the websites for the LACs on your list to see if they have minimum GPA requiremeents, and how GPA is calculated (for example, are only academic classes counted; are grades weighted, etc.) Beloit, for example, recalculates GPA, but requires a minimum GPA (it may be 3.2 or 3.3) for scholarship consideration. If the website doesn't specify, call to see if you can get an answer.</p>
<p>We found that Wittenberg was generous with merit aid, as was Carthage in Kenosha, WI. Hanover in Indiana is also a school to look at.</p>
<p>These are nine very solid LACs that provide good merit aid:</p>
<ol>
<li>Knox College in Galesburg, IL</li>
<li>Beloit College in Beloit, WI</li>
<li>Lawrence University in Appleton, WI</li>
<li>Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI</li>
<li>College of Wooster in Wooster, OH</li>
<li>DePauw Univeristy in Greencastle, IN</li>
<li>Earlham College n Richmond, IN</li>
<li>Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA</li>
<li>Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL</li>
</ol>
<p>pete06 said--</p>
<p>US News shows K-Zoo has 49% of the students receiving merit aid on average of $9,450. Earlham shows 16% at $6,153.</p>
<p>can someone provide a weblink to this great info? I could not find it.</p>
<p>JoeCollege-looked it up in a book I purchased. However, try a web site called College data. They have financial aid stats on just about every school.</p>
<p>As someone who currently lives in Beloit, I'm sorry your impressions of the city were so negative. True, Beloit is not your typical college town. The college is a residential one, with students staying on campus during the evenings and weekends. </p>
<p>However, if you ever see the downtown area during the farmer's market on Saturday mornings, or during the annual Holidazzle celebration, it's hard to call it depressing and deserted.</p>
<p>In fact, this year the city won the national America in Bloom award for its population size (25,001-50,000). America</a> in Bloom</p>
<p>a few things:</p>
<ol>
<li>world changer - are you from Beloit C? I ask to know on what basis you made your statements concerning the town life there. </li>
</ol>
<p>Interesting to see Lollypop39 description of the town and this one, all in one thread. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>How safe would it be for a girl student to get to, and hang around the bus station, for a trip to chicago? I believe there is a bus station in the town, correct?</p></li>
<li><p>On the subject of bus, is there bus servicse from campus to outside of campus?</p></li>
<li><p>Is the town walkable from the campus?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
[quote]
1. world changer - are you from Beloit C? I ask to know on what basis you made your statements concerning the town life there.
[/quote]
No, I'm not from the school. But I lived in WI and have visited the town a few times. It just doesn't impress me. And with the nearest entertainment being over an hour away...ehh. It's not exactly the ideal college environment. </p>
<p>I don't know the answers to your other questions, sorry. I was never there as a potential college student.</p>
<p>Regarding Earlham-=I'm not familiar with the financial aid opportunities, but I took D to visit this past fall. She liked the school, but the town was really sad--we were told it was a very poor town, and the restaurant I was told to go to was a cafeteria.</p>
<p>The campus itself is very nice and bigger than it looks on first glance. D liked the kids she met and enjoyed the classes she attended--but chose to apply elsewhere. Kids do love this school though--so I think a visit is a must if your child is seriously considering applying.</p>
<p>joecollegedad -- I believe that Beloit College has a shuttle service to the Bus to Madison and Chicago, which actually stops at a large service station on the Interstate just outside town, not at a downtown bus depot. This is based on my recollection when we were looking at Beloit last year; you'd be well advised just to call admissions, whom I am sure would be very helpful.</p>
<p>The College itself is right in the middle of town just across the river from the downtown area. Beloit's downtown is not terribly lively but the College bookstore is not actually on campus -- it's a few blocks away downtown and serves as a general bookstore for the city as well.</p>
<p>I have known a number of people who went to Beloit College and liked it quite a bit. The Campus itself is very attractive, in my opinion.</p>
<p>That is the Van Galder bus service running from Madison to Chicago. It stops in South Beloit at a restaurant. It's a ways from the campus so you need a ride or a cab.</p>
<p>OP -- You should PM a CCer named Carolyn, who is an admissions expert in her own right. She researched many of these same schools for her daughter who is a very happy student at Beloit.
If you didn't like the town of Beloit, you may not like Galesburg either (where Knox is located). There is a strip of what looked like restaurants right near campus, but the town did not appeal to my daughter at all. Knox is a very nice school, however -- we had a terrific tour there -- it sounds very much like what your son is looking for. Note -- Though their admit rate is high, their median ACT scores are pretty high too.
I don't think either DePauw or Illinois Wesleyan has the atmosphere you are looking for. Definitely look at Lawrence.
What about Cornell College in Iowa? Would he be interested in doing one course at a time?</p>
<p>I'm going to recommend that you and your s research Elmhurst College. It is a great LAC in a beautiful suburb of Chicago. I am not certain about how generous the merit aid is when compared to others. The school is noted locally for it's music programs and strikes me as quite artsy. A potential bonus for your s would be that Chicago and all of the arts, concerts and everything else it has to offer is literally 20-25 minutes away by a commuter train. The train station is easily walking distance from campus.</p>
<p>world changer said--
And with the nearest entertainment being over an hour away...ehh. It's not exactly the ideal college environment. </p>
<p>My d and I are fact finding beloit now. Entertainment is subjective. What is fun and interesting to one person is boring to another. One might have a lot of fun reading King Lear out on the lawn, or talking about your defense against a zombie invasion on campus; another might want to go for the bar down the street. I have seen those strips of bar after bar (eg, U of Iowa)</p>
<p>English</a> @ Beloit College</p>
<p>thanks, pete. also,</p>
<p>defyinggravity said--
I also don't think I much like the Greek scene being at a school that has one.</p>
<p>what is that school?</p>
<p>and, a question on K zoo:</p>
<p>How feasible would it be to dbl major at K zoo? Is often is it done?</p>
<p>my d interviewed with the kzoo admin at her hs, and she did not support this idea. cd be the senior capstone?</p>