DakotaJ

I am having a hard time deciding between the two schools. I plan to major in political science, so a strong political science department is imperative. Also, what school do you think is more liberal and what are the major differences between the schools?

Thanks

innocentbystande

I would go to Cornell simply becauise everyone will asume you are talking about the well known Ivy League school since few people know there is a clone in Iowa and no one has ever heard of Beloit.

Misty_Rain217

I have visited Beloit and Cornell as well and will be applying to both this year.
Me personally, I think that Beloit is more liberal. I also think there is a hard drug culture there while at Cornell there might be some drugs but more beer drinking. Cornell is more midwestern while beloit attracts a lot from the east coast and west coast. Cornell in a corn field and Beloit is in a working class town. Cornell has OCCAT with core requirements and Beloit is more free with core requirements. I also feel that Beloit works really hard to prevent the sophmore slump and provide freshman with the right support for college life. Hope this helps!

joecollegedad

The clone is in NY, founded almost a generation later.

innocentbystande

Actually I think you should go to Georgetown College. The one in Kentucky not Washington, DC.

markr

Don't know much about Cornell, but S and I were very impresses with Beloit. The students seem happy, and the professors are engaged. I think Beloit has a more national reputations than Cornell.

Bostonbaby1111

Like everyone, I have heard of the Ivy League school, Cornell University in Ithaca NY but have never heard that there is another school by the identical name. As for Beloit, I have received a lot of direct mail from them the past year but had never heard of them prior to this.

joecollegedad

Both Beloit and Cornell are showcased in Lauren Pope's book, Colleges that Change Lives. He wrote this book to tell people that there are other good options out there than colleges who reject the majority of applicants.

Almost ANY LAC, even the top 10 ones, most people never heard of.

carolyn

Joecollege, you're right about most people having never heard of most LACs. As a college counselor, I often draw blank stares when I mention Amherst, Colgate, Carleton, and Swarthmore. This is especially true when I'm working with families outside of the Northeast, although LACs often draw their share of blank stares there as well. And, don't even get me started with how people react when I mention Beloit College here in California.

Which all goes to show -- there are some wonderful colleges out there that might be just right for you (or your child) but that you haven't yet heard of. Instead of just dumping those brochures in the trash, dig a little deeper. You may just find a hidden gem.

carolyn

By the way, my daughter is a very happy sophomore at Beloit. She has a friend there (who actually used to post here) who was torn between Cornell College and Beloit. Ultimately, she obviously picked Beloit. She just felt that it was a little more quirky and creative, and she liked that it has a more geographically diverse student body than Cornell. But, both are very good schools in their own rights.

CPM724

According to US New and World Report:
-- Cornell College is the 97th best LAC in the entire nation
-- Beloit is #67.
-- Cornell University is the 12th best national university.

icy9ff8

I haven't checked in the last few years, but Cornell College did, and may still, offer an exchange program with Colorado College as they are the only two block schedule schools in the nation. If this program still exists, it is a great opportunity to experience different schools in different regions with administrative ease. Colorado College is a liberal school in a spectacular location.

PeaceOut007

I'm a student at Colorado College. I haven't heard about that exchange program, but it definitely seems like a possibility. If you really like the one course at a time format of Cornell College, you should definitely consider looking into Colorado College. Cornell is in Iowa and Colorado is in well...Colorado. We're right at the foot of the Rockies. In fact, I am looking at Pike's Pike from my dorm room window right as we speak

LACalum

Everyone on this forum needs to realize that the "name recognition" of an undergraduate university isn't going to mean NEARLY as much as they think it will. Visit both places, go to whichever one feels more at home to you and enjoy getting an excellent education.

joecollegedad

PeaceOut, how do you like the block program? How long have you been in it?