emosen

what do u think are other LAC's in the same standings as beloit.some that i have come across are earlham and lawrence. out of these would u chose beloit. and how do u think beloit compares to the tope liberal arts colleges out there (williams, oberlin, amherst etc) from an academic point of view and in terms of graduate school prospects?

carolyn

This is a tough question to answer. Let me see if I can break it down.

Earlham, Beloit, and Lawrence get quite a few of cross-registrations, that is students who apply to more than one in the group. In some ways, they are similar - they are all excellent small liberal arts colleges where the emphasis is on individual attention from faculty. But, there are some subtle differences as well. Here's how I'd define those differences:

Earlham's Quaker affiliation pervades the campus and instruction. It is probably the most "politically correct" and liberal of the three schools, and someone who has very conservative views might not be comfortable with that. The students tend to be a little more "crunchy granola" than at the other two campuses. Earlham is very strong in the sciences (especially chemistry) and also strong in the social sciences (peace studies, psychology). Earlham actually has one of the highest rates of students going on to doctorates in the science of any liberal arts colleges in the country, and also has a good medical school acceptance rate. It is not as strong if you are interested in a more "creative" major -- art, creative writing, music.

Lawrence University probably takes the most "Traditional" approach in terms of its curriculum and instructional approach. All freshman take a required seminar built upon common reading of selected "great books." The physics department is particularly strong at Lawrence, and the other sciences are good as well. Some people really like Lawrence's tri-mester schedule. Students are a little more "mainstream" than at Earlham or Beloit, but the music conservatory does attract more creative types as well.
Of the three, the town of Appleton is probably the nicest.

Beloit is probably the most laid-back and "creative" of the three schools. It also has the most flexible requirements in terms of courses needed for graduation, and a high percentage of students end up double majoring. Beloit is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country for anthropology/archeology, and also has strong programs in art, creative writing, foreign languages, and theater. Science programs, however, are also strong at Beloit, and will benefit when a new science building opens next year. Beloit actually has more majors available than the other two schools. Beloit is the campus that is most integrated with the town where it is located.

I think the quality of education at all three of these schools is excellent. While they may not have the "name brand" recognition of schools like Amherst, Williams, or Oberlin, they are places where most students can find a welcoming and supportive atmosphere, and lots of opportunities to reach their full potential.

In terms of overall campus culture and feel, not academics, if these three schools were located in the northeast, I'd say Lawrence would probably come closest to feeling a bit like Amherst or Williams, Earlham might be a good ringer for Oberlin without a music conservatory, and Beloit would probably feel most like a Vassar or Brown. But, of course, they are NOT those schools, and have their own unique flavors and personalities -- visits to see if they are right for the individual student are always a good idea.