Milwaukee native Autumn Green visited campus three times before she submitted her deposit in mid-March. For her, proximity to home was a big plus. “I haven’t been homesick at all, but I’m really close to my parents, so I didn’t want to go too far away,” Autumn says. “Beloit is an hour and 15 minutes away, which is great.”

Autumn heard about Beloit through a friend of her mom, who attended Knox College. After exclusively looking at small liberal arts colleges close to home, she got a sense of what Beloit was like before the pandemic hit.

“I really liked how friendly everyone on campus was and how diverse the student body was,” she says.

Autumn is thankful that Beloit values students’ safety and emotional well-being. “I feel like we’re doing a good job social distancing while still having fun and enjoying ourselves,” Autumn says. “I enjoy that the weather’s been so nice that we get to eat outside. Most of my friends live on my floor in my dorm [on the first floor of Aldrich], so I can see them a lot.”

Autumn became involved as soon as she arrived on campus though most club meetings are held over Zoom. She joined Bits & Pieces, Beloit’s a capella group, became the Round Table’s news editor, and auditioned for a major role in the school play, which was recorded in the Neese Theater via Zoom.

In a few frenzied months, Autumn has already found a sense of belonging on campus—something remarkable, given the circumstances.