Hi! I have recently been accepted into both Kalamazoo College and Beloit College and am trying to make a decision and was wondering what people have liked and disliked about these two colleges?
If it helps at all I am not sure what I am majoring in but I love learning languages, I would like to continue with music, and am interested in fields like anthropology, archaeology, and similar humanities and social sciences.
Beloit is much better known for anthro than Kalamazoo. They’re both good for ancient civilizations stuff within their Classics departments, if that’s of interest. Other than that, I’d think it would be mostly a matter of preference. Kalamazoo has a bit more vibrant small-city location, plus a larger student community locally because of Western Michigan U half a mile away. (There’s also cross-registration, and WMU is very strong in the arts, but I don’t know what a K-College student’s access to their music classes/ensembles might be like - that could be a question to ask.) Languages offered are similar, except that Kalamazoo adds German and Hebrew to the list (both have Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek). You might check to see how many levels are offered in your language(s) of interest. And also compare the study abroad programs that might interest you (not sure whether you’d prioritize language immersion or archeological field work, on that front).
Do you like Kalamazoo’s “K-plan” curriculum and quarter system? Beloit has a more traditional curriculum and semester calendar.
I’ve heard very good things about both schools. Have you visited? Is the cost similar for both?
Kalamazoo has a big focus on study abroad and a sizeable percentage of the students take part in it. This may play into your interest in languages.
My daughter transferred into Beloit as a junior and graduated in Cultural Anthropology with a Polici minor. They sent her to Indonesia on request to do some research. Many students went abroad. She loved, loved, her experience and professors. She met them for coffee and went with friends to some for holidays. Actually baby sat also.
Kids are more serious about Academics then they let on. Very diverse campus for such a small school and that was a plus for us.
My daughter has great opportunities to grow as a person and like they never said no. She was very active on campus. We have many friends kids from Chicago where we live go there and everyone has glowing reviews of their experiences.
She also did this programs through Beloit yes sent twice to Indonesia)
As of now Kalamazoo College is around 20,000 USD and Beloit is 34,000 USD though I still have to receive my financial aid for both. I do prefer the quarter system and vibe of the city of Kalamazoo but worry about entrance into PhD programs for anthropology/archaeology if I decide to go into the field.
Yes, according to the CTCL profiles, about 60% of Kalamazoo students study abroad, whereas the figure at Beloit is only 35%.
Which reminds me to say that if the OP hasn’t used CTCL as a resource already, those profiles might provide some good points of comparison:
Beloit is known to give great financial aid and many go into PhD programs.
But it’s a different vibe from Kalamazoo
Compared with Kalamazoo what is the vibe like at Beloit?
One thing you might like about Kalamazoo is the K plan - they call it an open curriculum and they intertwine it with study abroad and experiential…whether it’s true or marketing, I can’t say.
If you want language, check what each offers and to what depth and see if that jives with you. And see what opportunities they have for musicians, especially if you don’t plan to major in it.
One other thing - K has large W Michigan very close - and that might impact the immediate area - in a good or bad way for you - depending on how you feel about that.
I assume money matters too given the prices so x4 that’s a lot of coin.
Ultimately, both may (or may not) be fine choices - I’d dig more into curriculums in your areas of interest - which are varied.
Best of luck.
K-Plan | Academics | Open Curriculum Colleges | Kalamazoo College (kzoo.edu)
More laid back. Great kids and families. Very collaborative. Have you been to either campus? There is a river by campus and my daughter recreated the kayak house. She worked there and did homework in a kayak with her friends when it wasn’t busy. Lol.
Great small town, really good local restaurants. Caring professors. She lived one year in the vegetarian house with like 13 others. It was a co-op house. They made and ate most dinners together. The cost was like $50.00 /each per semester. Yes, you read that correctly. It was also just 1.5 hours from Chicago so she came home sometimes with friends from other countries or people that have never been to go downtown etc. Also not far from Milwaukee and somebody has a car.
Visited with D24, and we were all very impressed with Beloit’s anthropology department. Professors seemed so engaged and excited about their work. We loved that there was a lounge for students in the department, with big comfy chairs and professors walking in and out chatting with everyone. Two professors stopped to talk to us spontaneously. It felt like it would be easy to just jump in and start doing really interesting work. The museum is a great resource, not only for anthro students but for other departments, too - our tour guide talked about how a chemistry class had used artifacts as a way to examine chemical changes over time.
If you’re interested in archeology and anthropology, make sure you read up on the Beloit mounds – ancient archaeological sites right on campus, which anthro professors help protect, and which students all seem very respectful of.
The student population seemed very international for a school that size. Loved the student center and the science center, as well as the art museum.
We also visited Kalamazoo, too, and liked it quite a bit. But Beloit really stirred her heart.
Kalamazoo ranks as #32 in the percent of students who end up with a PhD. That is #32 of all colleges with undergraduate programs. Beloit is #68, which is also no small thing as well. Remember that there are over 2,000 non-profit 4 year undergraduate colleges.
However, when looking at Anthropology specifically, Beloit ranks as #2 in the percent of their students who go on to get a PhD in anthropology specifically. On the other hand, you are interested in multiple possible fields.
In short, both are excellent colleges for anybody who is considering a PhD after they graduate.
Also, both are equally well placed for academic internships at U Chicago, Northwestern, Notre Dame, U Michigan, UIUC, and UMN.
To make a long story short - decide based on the college at which you see yourself thriving the most.
So my daughter created the first Mound tour while there. They had a group that traveled to different areas in the Midwest to visit mound sites. Indian reservations etc. The school and professors loved it. The school is very supportive of doing just about anything the students want to explore. She came in as a junior on the Presidential scholarship. She was asked to lecture at another University about her research in Indonesia and the school asked if she would be interested in doing it at a conference.
She came to Beloit after doing a gap semester in, yes, Indonesia lol. She took many pictures when back packing through out South East Asia. She wanted to do a gallery exhibit with her pictures. (one of her bucket lists). The school helped to set her up in a local gallery. They do some student exhibits. We came for the opening day run and we almost cried. Soooo many students and professors came out to support her. She priced everything so students could afford her pictures. She basically sold out. But the amount of people there and staff members was unreal. The community was supportive as well.
This is the kind of atmosphere they create on campus. Very warm and supportive. It’s really a diamond in the rough school. Very engaging professors that actually care.
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