<p>I am hoping that some of you with familiarity with LAC's in the midwest can help me. My S is a junior in HS who would like to major in East Asian studies when he goes to college. In doing a search, I came up with the following Midwest LAC's that offer EA studies as a major and appear to be possible match schools for him: Beloit, Lawrence, Denison, Lake Forest, College of Wooster, St. Olaf and Ohio Wesleyan. Since I live on the East coast, I do not know much about these schools. Anyone have any feedback on these? I realize Macalester also offers EA studies, but it may be a reach (although SAT scores are not in yet-he historically tests fairly well on standardized tests). I am also aware of Earlham, but a concerned it may be a little too "fringy" for him. At the moment, he appears open to exploring schools outside of the East Coast.</p>
<p>Earlham's japanese program is supposed to be great, so don't give up on it because it's "fringy."</p>
<p>Hi, I live near a city called Eau Claire in western wisconsin. I will be applying to the University of Minnesota, Carleton College, and Lawrence University on monday. I am very qualified for lawrence and on top of my academic qualifications the coach called me up last night and i think i am definately a sports prospect so that will probably help me a bit. I have toured all of these colleges and grinnell, macalester, and st olaf. Macalester was the worst of all of them. The people there were really snobby and kinda rude. St. Olaf is a beautiful school and a beautiful campus and the students were very nice. But it they weren't really my TYPE of people there, they seem like librarian types :) If i was a bit less weird i would apply there. i hear they have a great study abroad program too. But I really liked lawrence. It is very small (1300 students) but it has a very nice campus with old building and really cool modern buildings. The campus is 84 acres, and they have a large retreat (maybe 5 or 600 acres? and a cabin) on lake michigan i think. I come from a very small town of about 1000 people, and appleton, the city lawrence U is in, is a very nice medium between a small town and a decent sized city. It has about 70,000 people i think, and it seemed pretty nice when i toured lawrence. I had a chance to talk with admission staff and the faculty and they were amazing. Very nice and were eager to answer all my questions. i think something like 90 or 95% of the teachers have PhDs and the class sizes are VERY SMALL, i was talking to one of the physics teachers and he said tehre were only about 8 or 10 physics majors that year. This means that you have a much more personal relationship with the teacher, giving you good recs for grad school and an excellent learning experience. The financial aid tehre i think is pretty decent. I really hope i get in to lawrence :) i hope this helps.</p>
<p>Bxian, I am becomming more and more convinced that Earlham is really not as "fringy" as it used to be. Do an interest search on livejournal.com - there's a site where current students discuss the school and have been answering questions from prospective students. My daughter thought it sounded like a place where many different types of kids could fit in. Not exactly a St. Olaf (Zach, I love your description and will share it with my D. who is worried about the exact same thing at St. Olaf even though she loves the school and its wonderful programs), but not as out there as some other schools. Beloit seems comparable in atmosphere. Of course, one person's idea of "fringy" may not be anothers!!!!! :)</p>
<p>If you look for the recent discussion on the old boards about schools for Rotarymom's son (I think the thread was titled "schools for average kid), a recent grad of Beloit (icemaker I believe) whose brother went to Earlham answered some of my questions about how these schools stack up. He said Lake Forest is more traditional and preppy. (But - caution - check on the drinking scene at Lake Forest if that would be a turn off for your son) Lawrence and Knox seem more middle of the road perhaps but even they have their "fringe" elements. </p>
<p>Of course, I could be wrong about all of this but this is what I'm getting from talking to people who have visited or gone to these schools. I guess the best bet is a visit, which we are planning for Spring break. We'll probably do a Lake Forest-Beloit-Knox-Earlham circuit of some sort. I'll let you know then if I'm all wet about this. </p>
<p>Zach, by the way, the physics program at Lawrence is great - has been used as a case study many times in journals/web sites devoted to discussing science education. I'll see if I can find some of those links for you.</p>
<p>well when i toured teh campus in the summer i was thinking physics, but now i am pretty sure i will be an environmental studies major, and lawrence has a cool 3-2 program for environmental science with Duke which i will try to take advantage of if i go to lawrence, i might do a physics minor tho.</p>
<p>Hi Bxian, wondered where you were. Icemakers and Reidimc had some great posts about Beloit here: <a href="http://www.collegeconfidential.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?4/93829%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeconfidential.com/cgi-bin/discus/show.cgi?4/93829</a></p>
<p>Wittenberg (Springfield OH) was one we visited. We were told they had recently received a large grant for their East Asian Studies Program. It was a pretty, Victorian type campus. The new buildings all encompass a part of whatever building was torn down (archways, doorways) so they were built to match the older buildings. They had a gorgeous Planetarium. A bit of a more preppy feel to it, though not overly.</p>
<p>Our tour guide was very nice, very informative. We visited in late June, so there was not a lot of activity or students. They were doing a lot of dorm upgrades and the ones we saw were spacious in comparison to others we had seen in our travels. S liked the campus, reminded him of Marywood when we pulled in. He was not crazy about some of the dorms, yet liked others. He actually preferred the dorms in the older homes better than the new construction ones. He did like the courses offered at Wittenberg. It is clearly his second choice. Could move to first if the price is right and he gets accepted.</p>
<p>At the time we were looking, He was trying to decide between being a Language Teacher major or Int Relations w/ East Asian Concentration. This was why we went to Slippery Rock. We had visited Slippery Rock the day before Wittenberg and the more modern/less formal atmosphere is what I think appealed to him. Course offerings were not nearly what Wittenberg had.</p>
<p>After speaking with him last night, I think what he did not like was the "town" feel of Springfield more so than the campus feel. He is coming from a rural area which is much more similar to Slippery Rock than Wittenberg.</p>
<p>A friend works at Grinnell and tells me they have a great East Asian Studies Program and wants him to apply there. Having him on this continent would be a big plus, having him closer than Iowa is my hope.</p>
<p>I've heard great things about Earlham's program in Japanese studies. I know two students who go there, and while I wouldn't call either one of them preppy, they're certainly not fringe people either. Bright, interesting kids - who both happen to be the children of academic/educators. When I went to Japan myself for junior year abroad many moons ago, the couple of kids from Earlham definitely extended themselves more and got more out of the experience than I did. </p>
<p>Just one thought...have you thought about a University. Typically small LACs just can't offer the depth in a specialized field. I studied Japanese and Japanese studies at a small university - and while I was able to patch together a program, I didn't have much to choose from. Later, I took Japanese at the University of Michigan - and the difference in quality was night and day. Much more intense and demanding at Michigan (the small University I went to is otherwise of equal stature). Plus, Michigan offers so many other programs and classes. There's a film series, a weekly brown bag lunch lecture series, a large library, a conversation partners program with native speakers. There are faculty in a wide variety of disciplines with expertise in the area - for example, the head of the Japanese Studies Center is a professor in the Law School with a specialty in international law and a background in Japan. Because the community of people in Japanese studies is small, my classes were also small - no more than 15-20 students at the most. Also, there is the opportunity to sample other languages and cultures besides just Japanese and Chinese. Michigan offers Thai, Indonesian, and Hindi-Urdu language -- and literature, anthropology and history courses in these areas as well. Other University-based programs offer similar opportunities.</p>
<p>If your son is certain he wants to study East Asian studies, it really may be worth looking at a larger university - but if this holds no interest - look carefully at the language program and make sure there are four years of language classes taught by native speakers. </p>
<p>I have a son at Grinnell - he's having a great experience there. When I went for a visit last year, I sat in on an introductory Japanese class. The instructor was good - a native speaker. I was surprised that there were 18 students in the class. I think it's possible to major in Chinese, but not Japanese.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the thoughtful posts and for redirecting me to the archived thread with the discussions about Beloit, Earlham and Lake Forest-it was helpful. I only "discovered" the EAS programs at the schools I mentioned this week, so even though I participated in the earlier thread, I was not focused on those schools at the time. Most of the schools are in Loren Pope's book.</p>
<p>I have been leaning towards LAC's because (a) I graduated from one which I loved (b) I am not 100% convinced that S will stick with EAS. Right now, he has a passion for Japan (spent 3 weeks there this summer) and is trying to\
teach himself Japanese. Howver, I know that many people change their minds about majors during college. In addition, I am hoping that he will combine EAS with another major or minor (such as economics) that may be a bit more helpful in terms of job prospects after graduation. My concern about a big university is that he might have to get locked in to a particular major because he would have to apply to a particular school within the university. Howver, the comment about EAS being a small program even at a large school is a good one that I had not considered before.</p>
<p>Carolyn-thanks for the note on Earlham-I have not given up on it</p>
<p>Rotarymom, Grinnell is a wonderful school but based on what you've told us about your son's stats it may be a huge reach for him. Here's the info. I have on their accepted students: 60% ranked in the top 10% of their high school, 91% in the top 25%. 25/75 Verbal SAT range: 630-730, Math 620-710, combined 1250-1440.</p>
<p>Bxian and Rotarymom - check out St. Olaf. They have a wonderful asian studies program and some very unique study abroad options. It's larger than most LACs at 3000 students. It's about 40 minutes south of Minneapolis.</p>
<p>Forgot to mention, a small (about 3000 students) LAC-type university that looks good to me is Augustana College in Illinois. It does have an Asian studies program and I have read over their literature and looked at their web site - looks like a very nice school with strong academic programs...kind of strikes me as a less selective Wittenberg. </p>
<p>Two other excellent schools that we haven't yet mentioned are Allegheny College in western PA. and the College of Wooster in Ohio. Both have asian studies programs that might be worth checking out.</p>
<p>Oh Carloyn, He isn't even going to apply there. As I said a friend wanted him to that works in the admissions office. I just wanted to let Bxian know they had the program</p>
<p>Rotarymom, gotcha. Do check out Wooster if you haven't. And Allegheny is a great school close to home for you!!!</p>
<p>Bxian - I am a big LAC booster, but TopCat makes an excellent point about specialized programs at small colleges. Checking the catalogs is a good idea, but an even better one is to check the last couple of semesters' offerings to see what is currently offered to students.</p>
<p>If economics is another possible major for your son, Macalester, Denison, and College of Wooster strike me as the best options you list in your original post. Beloit is strong in the social sciences, too. As for Earlham students being f"ringy". . ."thoughtfully quirky" might be a better description. Note that Earlham would be a possible add-on to any visits to Ohio schools you list - it is just over the Ohio border, near Cincinatti.</p>
<p>Reid, Since you've done the whole college tour thing with your nephew and live in the midwest, can you (or maybe Icebreaker or anyone) give me an idea if this would be a realistic tour schedule for next Spring break? We'll have at least 10 days - could maybe stretch that to 11.</p>
<p>Fly into Chicago and drive to: Lake Forest, Beloit, Knox, Augustana (near knox), then drive from there over to Indiana to see Earlham. We might fly home from Cincinatti or try to drive back to Chicago. </p>
<p>And, at some point we have to fit in a visit to St. Olaf. -- probably a separate trip.</p>
<p>One thing that I need to do is map out how close each of these schools are to an airport. Columbus, Ohio would be a quick 1 1/2 hour flight from home, and I think that Denison and either Wooster or OWU are within an hour of the Columbus airport.<br>
It's a little tough to figure out where S would be happiest at this point-he is a bright kid who will probably do reasonably well on the SAT's, but is a B student (albeit in mostly honors classes, so his weighted GPA will be a B plus or A minus). He is "preppy" in terms of his dress, but as he says "I'm Abercrombie on the outside but not so much on the inside." He loves everything having to do with Japan, movies, music, and going out for sushi with his friends. He has always gravitated towards the brightest kids in terms of his friendships, and has a great sense of humor. He says he does not want to be in a rural area, yet liked Dickinson College a lot when we visited. I guess that Carlisle had enough bustle!</p>
<p>As was previously mentioned in this post, I can give you some idea as to the feel of both Beloit and Earlham. I went to Beloit, while my younger brother went to Earlham. Ironically, the younger sister of my roommate at Beloit also went to Earlham.</p>
<p>Both schools have their fair share of "fringy" students. However, neither my brother nor myself would probably be considered fringy and neither one of us felt out of place. He played football at Earlham and I was debater in high school and college. Both activities require you to wear shoes and Peruvian ponchos are frowned upon as attire on both the football field and at a debate tournament. </p>
<p>Both schools create an atmosphere where individuals with alternative views and lifestyles feel welcome and accepted. However, if you are more traditional in your personal beliefs, habits, and attitude, your views and opinions will be respected as long as you are respectful of alternative views and opinions.</p>
<p>As to the differences between Beloit and Earlham, Beloit has several elements which are either missing at Earlham or are less pronounced at Earlham. For example, Beloit has a small but significant fraternity and sorority population. Also, Beloit draws a large number of students who are heavy into science fiction and fantasy role playing games. On the other hand, Earlham has a large peace studies program and has two theological seminaries on their campus. Earlham also has an equestrian barn and an organic farm. Beloit seems to have more students involved in creative arts, while Earlham seems to have more students involved in the peace movement.</p>
<p>What appealed to me about Beloit is that if you wanted to be involved in a frat, I would have that option (by the way, I wasn't). If you wanted to spend your weekends playing Dungeons and Dragons or some other fantasy role playing game, there was always a game available. If you wanted to wear a Peruvian poncho and shun shoes, no one was going to stop you at Beloit. The general attitude at Beloit is that as long as your actions are not infringing upon anyone else, then no one will stop you from partaking in that action.</p>
<p>Speaking for my brother (a dangerous thing), one thing that appealed to him about Earlham was that they didn't have fraternities and sororities. He also liked the fact that Earlham is technically a dry campus (Beloit has a bar on campus). I think that my brother liked the structure at Earlham. Earlham also has a fairly strict liberal arts distribution requirement concerning required courses. Beloit has greater academic freedom as to specific class requirements. Being a football player, he also happened to like the football coach.</p>
<p>We grew up in a small, politically conservative farming community in rural Indiana, but did not share with our community those political beliefs. The refreshing thing for both of us was that when we went to college, it was the first time we were not ostracized for our political beliefs. In fact, it was refreshing to both of us that there were students and professors who were even more liberal than we were, heretofore a seeming impossibility. In that respect, both schools expanded our personal and worldview, while providing us with an academically challenging environment.</p>
<p>Carolyn --</p>
<p>Your schedule is very realistic for 10 days. Lake Forest is probably about an hour from the airport. From Lake Forest to Beloit is probably about a 1 1/2 hour drive. Then, instead of going to Knox, I suggest you hit Rock Island, probably about 2 1/2 - 3 hours from Beloit. Then, down to Galesburg (probably an hour). The longest trek will be from there to Richmond. My guess is that it is around 300 miles and about a 5 hour drive.</p>
<p>Adding St. Olaf to your trek would add approximately 10 hours worth of driving time ( 5 hours from Beloit to Northfield and 5 hours from Northfield to Rock Island). Given your tolerance for driving, it would be possible to add St. Olaf. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>You may want to look at flying into some alternate airports - Milwaukee is close to Lake Forest, and you could start your trip there. From Earlham, using Cincinnati or Indianapolis airports would beat driving 5 hours back to Chicago's O'Hare airport. </p>
<p>Midway, on the SW side of Chicago, is less convenient to Lake Forest (45 minutes to an hour more driving) but would be somewhat more convenient if you do have to return to Chicago. Also, Southwest Airlines only flies from Midway.</p>
<p>The only long stretch is the 330 miles from Knox to Earlham. You might want to stop in Springfield, Illinois for their Lincoln sites.</p>
<p>Both activities require you to wear shoes and Peruvian ponchos are frowned upon as attire on both the football field and at a debate tournament. </p>
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<p>Icemaker, LOL!!! You are a wonderful writer. Beloit did a great job with you.
:)</p>
<p>What are you doing now?</p>
<p>Icemaker, I think I may have asked you this in the past, but how safe is the Beloit campus and surrounding area? Reading the archives of the student newspaper, I noticed a few stories about crime on campus from the surrounding community. How does it compare in terms of safety to Earlham?</p>