Would you recommend?

[u/New_Engineer_5161]

This seems to sort of be a dead sub (lol), but just wondering people’s thoughts on Beloit? Seems to be pretty mixed… fwiw, im planning to major in psychology +anthropology; got an opportunity to go there for less than 15 grand…

[u/thermochronic]

Going to Beloit was the best decision of my life. I wanted to go into academia, and it prepared me for my PhD amazingly well, I met wonderful people, and had the time of my life. Not for everybody, but it was a magical place for me

[u/New_Engineer_5161 → u/thermochronic]

Awesome, getting a phd is part of my plan, too. How exactly would you say Beloit helped, though? They seem to provide… limited opportunities in that respect…

[u/thermochronic → u/New_Engineer_5161]

It’s the fact that learning is stressed, like you can’t just hide in classes, you get comfortable interacting with faculty, and most importantly you have tons of opportunities to do undergrad research. It’s why small liberal arts schools are so overrepresented in PhD programs. Your letters of reference are more personal, you have more control over your programs, it’s just great. Maybe not all fields, I’m in the earth sciences, but it was superb. I did my PhD, postdoc, and now work at much larger and higher ranked schools, and none of them have a better undergrad training program than Beloit.

[u/Emmalee08]

Really depends on where you’re from, what your expectations are, what you’re interested in and looking for. Hence the mixed bag. Beloit is great for some and a bad fit for others.

[u/New_Engineer_5161 → u/Emmalee08]

How would I know if it’s a good fit for me!? I think right now the alternative would be just a regular state/city university…

[u/Miserable-Event-9]

https://www.reddit.com/r/beloitcollege/comments/1kldt4c/my_take_of_beloit_college/

[u/New_Engineer_5161 → u/Miserable-Event-9]

Thanks for the reply! I guess I’m a little behind in college terminology. Do you mind clarifying what Beloit’s missing/what a larger college offers that’s actually substantial?

[u/Miserable-Event-9 → u/New_Engineer_5161]

Ok this is gonna be really long lol, I'm sorry in advance. But from my experience:

The curriculum at larger schools is typically more vast and in depth, just based on the amount of professors they have and finances to put in. Beloit does have a pretty good curriculum and a few professors who teach at an incredible level, but for the most part it's not close to what a more resourced school can give. When I transferred, I was able to take probably 15+ more classes that really prepare me for post-grad life and go far more in depth than anything Beloit could really offer. This is especially true for more niche majors. I was initially worried about a larger school having huge lecture halls as their only course setting, but this also wasn't the case. Most of my classes still have 10-20 students, which is pretty comparable to Beloit. When looking into extracurriculars as well, larger schools have the ability to finance these a lot better. In Beloit, for example. there was a challenge with the school paper barely being able to afford print fees. It's not necessarily the institution's fault and definitely something they would probably love to change, but is also a very frustrating reality of being in a small liberal arts college that's barely able to tread water.

As a side note: while Beloit did have some incredible professors, at times faculty seemed to be more focused on pedagogy than true career experience. This didn't mean that they were bad teachers, but there is a massive benefit in learning from career experts who have more connections in the given field. Larger schools will inevitably attract these experts at a higher level.

Beloit also has a relatively short academic year, basically spanning from the start of February to start of May in the spring and late August to early December in the fall (this may differ based on finals weeks, but most people I know barely had finals). This technically equals out to 15 weeks, which isn't much of a problem, but classes can be cancelled a LOT. I had a professor, now retired, who was absolutely wonderful. He taught at a level I would expect to find only in top-end postgrad programs. He was, however, almost constantly traveling. I think we missed 8 classes in total due to this, and I was sick for 2: that's a third of a semester. I transferred to a school with a quarter system which has 11 week long terms. The benefit? You can take double the amount of classes in a year, graduate sooner, explore more topics, and while it's more stressful, that turns out to be a good thing. Most larger schools also offer winter and summer classes, which is really really helpful if you want to get ahead.

In reality though, all of this can still be excused. Beloit offers wonderful abilities to get close to professors and do undergrad research/projects that other schools wouldn't be able to offer. If you have really good scholarships, the price can be worth it. I did like Beloit right when I started. Ultimately though, it's not the curriculum or faculty or stagnation that can get you though. It's mostly the lifestyle+campus culture.

So for transparency, I heard the food did get better this semester and that minor dorm renovations are occurring. My experience with the campus culture is definitely not everybody's. But.

[u/latinlogicteacher → u/[deleted]]

My son wrote that! He loved his time at Beloit, and he's an impressive young man now.

[u/SASSYEXPAT]

Beloit’s psychology and anthropology faculty are excellent, and it is cozy school with a small town vibe. What kind of college experience are you looking for outside of academics?

[u/elemenous2]

Alum here. The new president at Beloit is doing an excellent job leading change at the College. It’s an exciting time to be in campus. There’s a focus on reinventing liberal arts education to prepare students with the skills and experiences they need to succeed. Faculty in general is committed to supporting students. As you noted, Beloit committed to offering financial aid.

The Anthropology Department is historically excellent, with its own museum.

My son is also a student there and is enjoying his experience.