Beloit, WI: This past summer I visited Beloit College. I had scheduled an interview and a tour. Being from Newton, I was not used to the many cows and farms we passed on our way, but it was beautiful country. The campus is fairly small with the administration building as the cornerstone. I had never seen greener grass. A new athletic facility was completed in 1986 and at the end of last year a new art studio was finished. The college itself is one of the oldest co-educational institutions in the United States. On campus you can see a number of grassy mounds. This is because the campus was built on top of prehistoric burial mounds which are being excavated. It is not uncommon to see teachers conducting classes outside.

I had visited many colleges in the New England area, so I was surprised to see a sign with my name on it welcoming me to the college! Beloit College is fairly small with an enrollment of 1,100 students. The library has just been remodelled and the number of computers located throughout the campus was impressive. Most of the buildings are brick and there is a distinctive "quad" in the middle of campus. I was told you could reserve a special study area where, even if you left some of your belongings, you would find them later. Everybody is very friendly and willing to help you. The whole atmosphere of the Midwest is different though; it is more laid back.

Beloit has an FM radio station, weekly newspaper, cable TV station, literary magazine, yearbook, film committee, lecture and performing arts series. One can travel abroad to China, Ecuador, Scotland, France, Iceland, and Egypt. Basically you can travel anywhere. Another important aspect of Beloit is its unique internship program. Beloit requires all students to complete a professional experience option away from the classroom. You may do an internship in the summer with an option to get paid or receive classroom credit. The interview was laid back and the interviewer seemed genuinely interested in me. I found myself doing most of the talking and asking many questions. Beloit is known as "the Yale of the Midwest" and I can see why. n




Reviewed in 1990