I like big campuses where I can make a lot of friends.
I like to enjoy and have fun.
I love working in the environment sector.
My prospective major is Computer Science.
The campus, housing and dining matter a lot.
Where should I go and why?
Esri’s headquarters (the most important private environmental software company in the world) is next to the University of Redlands which affords Redlands students tremendous opportunities. The computer science department seems to offer an adequate number of courses for a CS major. I would choose Redlands.
Redlands has 3,779 undergraduates compared to Beloit’s 1300 or so which would probably be beneficial to someone who wants a larger student body. It’s also much closer to large metro areas than Beloit meaning more opportunities to escape during the weekends.
While I’ve never eaten on campus, I did walk around the campus during a lacrosse tournament and was impressed by many of the buildings. Additionally, Redlands sits in front of an enormous mountain range which not only provides a beautiful backdrop but also allows for a plethora of outdoor opportunities impossible to find at Beloit.
@whenhen Thank you!
SoCal Beloit parent here. Can’t argue with whenhen’s comments about student body size. I will comment about location, though. Redlands is close to the Inland Empire metropolis, but is a similar distance to Los Angeles as Beloit is to Milwaukee. My daughter has attended school sponsored activities in both Madison (50 mi.) and Chicago (90 mi.). I don’t think Beloit is as inaccessible to large metro areas as people often suggest.
@1518mom Do you think you could tell me more about your daughter’s experience? Was Beloit her first choice? Is she happy there? Did she have anything negative to say about the place or campus or dining?
@Komz1304 Beloit was her first choice and she is incredibly happy there. She absolutely picked the right school for herself. She is a freshman and has already been presented with several great opportunities. We thought the food was very good on our visits, but she has tired of it. She says it’s not bad, but, like anything one overdoes, she is tired of going to the same place all the time.
My biggest complaint is that Skype and FaceTime don’t work very well a lot of the time. However, phone calls and texting work just fine. My second biggest complaint is that after winter break, the dorms don’t open until 9am on Sunday. Coming from the west coast, my daughter got back to Beloit around 9pm and started class the next morning. It would be great if they opened the dorms on the last Saturday of winter break. Lastly, this year’s class is the largest in about 40 years, so Beloit is going through some growing pains as they adapt to more kids on campus. I hear that this year’s applicant pool is as large or larger than last year’s. I’m hoping that they iron out those problems as they get more experience with a larger class size.
As you can see, we don’t really have a lot of negative things to say. None of our issues have anything to do with the quality of her academic experience. She likes/loves all of her professors.
Also, we do know a kid who is extremely happy at the University of Redlands. I’m sure either school would be great. I guess it depends on finances and what kind of fit is right for you.
@1518mom Thank you for your thoughts! 
I’ve had family who went to Redlands, and although I don’t think they were overwhelmingly in love with Redlands, I think they liked it quite a lot.
I’m considering U Portland, similar to Redlands, and I think what’s drawing me to Beloit is the fact that they have a more diverse student body. Even if Redlands has more kids, I don’t think they have quite the same geographic or cultural diversity as Beloit, which makes for a different college experience. Not something everyone cares about, but it’s something I’ve thought about.
Also for CS, where you’ve worked matters more than where you went to school. You’ll learn basically the same things everywhere, but the practical experience matters a lot (I’ve had a lot of family in CS). Beloit is close(ish) to Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago, so the opportunities may be good on that front. However, Redlands is next to the greater LA area, so I doubt they lack in this department.
@Ryan5ever That sounds interesting. I am really confused about the two. I plan on visiting both colleges next month so I hope that can help me make my final decision.