Belhaven University

Date: Jun 29 2008
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
Each of the fine art programs at Belhaven are amazing, with professors who are helpful, talented, and friendly, though the Christian focus, a plus for many, could be off-putting for some (who, for instance, want to learn to draw the human nude or wish to write romance novels). You should by no means come to the school, however, if you are even remotely interested in language acquisition or study abroad. There are but two years of Spanish and two years of French, whatever the website may say these days (2008), and there has been no consistent study abroad program for who knows how long. The administration, to top it all off, is not terribly open to student suggestions. Sports are well-funded but do not produce amazing teams; soccer is my personal favorite, and fun to watch, largely because most of the players are not American: the international student body is mostly made up of male soccer players (Ireland, Africa, South America) and girls from Seoul Women's University in South Korea.

All in all, though, it's just a small school, which makes opportunities limited. Please, please be certain that this is the place for you before you come. The Worldview Curriculum, maligned by many students, is a wonderful opportunity for connecting the dots between history, art, literature, etc., but it is almost impossible to transfer those credits midway through the two years. If you come to Belhaven and decide to transfer, you are better off doing so as a junior.