Hey, what's up guys? I'm Ferrari St. Paul and this is YouniversityTV, where we plug you in university. Today, we are touring Belhaven College, a four-year private school best known for its Christian centered curriculum. Belhaven is located in Jackson, Mississippi, which is known as the capital of the New South, since it's the political, economic, educational, and cultural capital of the state. Downtown Jackson is just a few short miles from campus. Here, at the capitol building, students with a passion for politics can get a firsthand look at government operations. Belhaven College is located on a 42-acre campus among majestic oaks and blooming azaleas. Belhaven's campus blends traditional Southern architecture with contemporary use of space. Imagine studying and sunning by beautiful Belhaven Lake, those stunning fountains and tranquil walking paths surrounding the water. BC has 2,500 students, with a freshman class of approximately 30% from in state, while the other 70% are traveling in from many other states around the country.

We have a lot of students from outside of the United States. We also have about 70% of our freshman class every year comes from outside of Mississippi, so they're from all over the country and just all walks of life. Our average ACT is a 24; average GPA for a freshman coming in is a 3.3. There is a lot of reading, a lot of literature in that, so students that enjoy that type of academics and enjoy that type of learning will excel here. And then also those that want and appreciate a Christian college and appreciate a Christian education, I think those will do well, too.

Tuition is about $16,300 per year for all students, and room and board adds an additional $6,100 yearly. At Belhaven, you have your choice of 28 majors and four nationally accredited arts programs, all of which are taught from a Christian perspective.

The things that attract people to Belhaven is the diversity of the programming.

We're really well known for the arts. We have visual art, music, dance, and theater, and all four are nationally accredited. Some of the student's favorite majors are the arts, Business, Sports Medicine, and Communications.

Worldview curriculum is very unique in that it teaches the history on a timeline. So if students are, for instance, learning about the Renaissance in one class, in the history class, then another class they're learning about the musicians of that time period, the authors of that time period, what, you know, people wrote about and sang about and the movies or the theater, and then actually how Christianity and the church evolved with those as well.

Eighty-four percent of Belhaven professors hold a PhD or a terminal degree in their field. The student to faculty ratio is 12 to 1, which makes for an intimate learning atmosphere.

Really can't get on this campus and be here for very long and somebody not know who you are, and, and something about you. And so that gives us some really good connection with them. Yeah, we have really open office hours. Those are always posted. Students always know that they can get in touch with us. They can call us at home. A lot of professors have student functions in their homes.

I love my professors. They all have their different styles of teaching, their, their own different teaching methods. You know, you have some that are more laid back and they lecture, and then you have others that are very humorous. So, and it, it really helps. And you, and they all, their, their all open to one on one time.

One of the joys for us as professors is to really get to know the students that well.

If you're a sports fan, the Belhaven Blazers athletic teams compete at the NAIA level in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, except for football, which competes in the Mid-South Conference. IF you're looking to live on campus, you won't have to look far since Belhaven College can accommodate your living situation in one of their five residence halls. In case you're wondering, they have three dorms for women and two available for men.

Dorms, they're split up, you know, to different hall. Each hall has a hall party, like two or three during the course of the semester. And so this is a time where the girls can just get together, maybe go out to dinner, or have just a movie night or something in the dorm just to kind of bond.

How's campus life, you ask? Well, students can always find something to do outside of class time. Belhaven has ministry organizations, national honorary societies and many other student organizations to choose from.

I'm actually the student coordinator of activities at Belhaven. It's a student body leadership council that we have call BLC, and in my office I work with 40 students that do volunteer work for programming and activities. So that's one of my main jobs, and one of the things I really enjoy doing the most.

The Singing Christmas Tree is here at Belhaven, and it's the oldest outdoor singing Christmas tree that we know of in the country, so. It happens every, the first weekend of December every year, and our students will sing and there's actually, you know, an audition, I guess, to be at the top and to sing the solo at the top of the tree.

Belhaven's art programs are nationally accredited. Students here are creating and sculpting bright futures. In fact, this sculpture is about to be entered in an international sculpture competition. And, I bet you didn't know the lead sculpture for the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a Belhaven alum. So if a small school with nationally accredited arts programs and a strong sense of faith are just what you're looking for in a college, go ahead, and give Belhaven College a second look. Thanks for joining us here in Jackson, Mississippi on our tour of Belhaven College. I'm Ferrari St. Paul, and I will see you around campus.

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