Belmont University

I love Belmont. As soon as I stepped foot on their campus I knew it was where I wanted to go. The community is amazing, the professors are some of the best in the industry, and there's always something to do. Belmont is located in Nashville, TN as well which is a big plus since I am a Music Business major.

Belmont University is a private school in Nashville, Tennessee. There is much emphasis on the performing arts and entertainment industry but there are many majors and minors to choose from. The campus is beautiful and always well kept, and the faculty and staff are some of the best I have experienced. There is little diversity amongst campus but many students have been creating clubs and advocating for change by reaching out to the public and making the school and its issue known. Though financial aid is not great, the issue has come to light and changes are trying to be made. I love the campus and there are many restaurants and outings for any time of the day and any day of the week. Basketball is the main sport of the school and the games and festivities are always a blast. Overall, Belmont is an amazing school that offers unique opportunities for its students. Belmont is very well known especially in the entertainment industry and students go on to do amazing things.

I really enjoyed touring the school. Every person there was just smiling and welcoming me when I was taking a tour there. I enjoyed it a lot, the campus is very tidy and beautiful. Everything there was just overall very pleasent and enjoyable. I can't wait to start school at Belmont.

I'm a freshman technically in the middle of my first year here, but with coronavirus it's basically over so I thought I might write a review to help out those who are deciding on a college like I was a year ago. Niche limits your number of characters so I thought I'd come here to write a more detailed review. To sum my experience up, I have very mixed feelings about this school. Here's a list of the major cons I have; 1. At the time being, it seems like Belmont is focused purely on growth, at the expense of the students. To put it more bluntly; the administration here really sucks. There were numerous controversies involving administrative decisions and our president, who happens to be one of the highest paid university presidents, just this semester. Belmont is very overcrowded with incoming students at the time being. All of the classes fill up right away and I had great trouble getting into any of the classes I needed, which were pretty much all incredibly basic gen ed classes. I essentially had to take a BS semester to get more credits and I feel like I wasted my money a bit. Also, if you are a music person like me, it is next to impossible to find a practice space for a band. This surprised me considering how big of a "music school" Belmont is. There is a program to sign up for a practice space time but they fill up very quickly and it's impossible to get a space unless you're willing to wait a few months. On top of that, if you try to practice in your dorm you will get shut down in minutes. Me and many other people had to resort to 'illegally' practicing in the parking garage because there is nowhere else to go. This was a bummer as someone who choose Belmont hoping to pursue music projects. 2. There are a lot of strictly enforced questionable policies. As you probably know, Belmont is a "dry" campus and they strictly enforce their drug policy, but on top of that they are incredibly strict about having members of the opposite sex inside of your dorm. The school is VERY conservative in it's views, we even have a no sex policy and you can technically get in trouble for even having a condom in your room. I sometimes feel like I'm treated like a kid at a summer camp instead of an adult gaining independence, and most of the students feel very strongly apposed to these policies as well. I know many students who got screwed over for drinking/pot possession. I really wish the school would take a harm reduction route instead of trying to prevent things that are inevitable with most college students. 3. There is very little party scene here. Me and my friends end up trapped hanging out in a dorm on campus many weekends because we can't find parties anywhere. There are house shows some weekends which are pretty fun but that's really the extent of the partying. There are plenty of music shows in Nashville but tickets get expensive if you're doing that every weekend, and many music venues in Nashville are 21+. I'm not the biggest partier so it's not a deal breaker for me, but it's important to note. 4. The "convo" system is pointless and incredibly broken. If you don't know what this is, we essentially have to attend a number of hours at Belmont events under different categories to graduate. They switched the already confusing system and now I honestly have no idea how it works anymore. I wish they'd just get rid of it because it only seems to screw people over. 5. You won't get any significant scholarships or financial aid from this school. I know very few people that received more than a few thousand dollars. 6. The campus is kind of far from grocery stores and cool stuff in the city, so its really helpful to have a car or friends lenient with giving rides. Now I may have painted this school a very poor picture so far but there are a few very good redeeming qualities that make me want to stay here; 1. The professors I've had have been excellent so far. Many of my classes had very profound discussions where all the students were engaged. They were very helpful outside the classroom if you need help as well. 2. The student body is generally filled with nice and extremely talented people. If you're a music person like me you'll have no trouble making a band, even if rehearsing is near impossible. I had no trouble meeting a group of great friends that I vibe really hard with. I just wish the administration listened to the concerns of the awesome student body. 3. This school essentially has a monopoly on music education in the Nashville scene, it is fantastic for making connections; which is the most important part of music school IMO. Overall I feel that this school isn't for everyone. If I wasn't a musical person I would definitely be miserable at this school. I'm not the "conservative christian" type, and most of the students here aren't either. There is an obvious divide between the administrators and the students, and this school could easily be far better if they kept their interests in mind instead of only their paychecks. If you aren't trying to get into their music or one of their entertainment industry programs and you feel like these issues would greatly bother you, this probably isn't the right school. When I toured this school I felt like I was lured in with their pretty campus and music culture without being painted a full picture. I feel that Belmont advertises itself as something that is far from reality. I don't hate this school and I'm not trying to discourage anybody with this review, I just felt disappointed with the realities I faced in my first year here, and I am unsure yet of whether I am going to transfer.