<br>
<br>
<p>What are you hearing?</p>
<p>Bad things about Greek life? Does this have something to do with your concerns?:</p>
<p>[Phi</a> Gamma Delta appeals withdraw of recognition - News](<a href=“http://media.www.thelaf.com/media/storage/paper339/news/2009/04/10/News/Phi-Gamma.Delta.Appeals.Withdraw.Of.Recognition-3705271.shtml?reffeature=recentlycommentedstoriestab]Phi”>http://media.www.thelaf.com/media/storage/paper339/news/2009/04/10/News/Phi-Gamma.Delta.Appeals.Withdraw.Of.Recognition-3705271.shtml?reffeature=recentlycommentedstoriestab)</p>
<p>Lafayette is a very different place than it was 30 years ago when there were almost 20 active fraternities on College Hill. If Phi Gamma Delta loses recognition the school will be left with 5 frats. </p>
<p>On the other hand, my daughter has never complained about a lack of things to do on and around campus, despite the fact that she is not a drinker or frequent party-goer. I guess if you are looking for a traditional party school Lafayette is no longer one of the places that would be high on one’s list.</p>
<p>YankeesChamps09,</p>
<p>Yes, what “bad things” are you referring to? It seems that everyone loves bashing schools at this time of year…</p>
<p>If Greek Life is a concern, Lehigh shouldn’t be anywhere on your list. With their 18 fraternities and 9 sororities, you can’t avoid it. Friends of mine at Lehigh say that Greek life truly is the social life on campus.</p>
<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>
<p>i think “bad” was a bad choice of words haha my apologies! i had just been hearing that a lot of fraternities and sororities were either being kicked off or and some problem about public safety? I really have no idea what i kinda just heard it through the grapevine kind of thing! im not really a party person myself so thats not really a problem but i did have interest in at least rushing a sorority. so greek life isnt a concern, my concern was that greek life was kinda slowly being reduced? thats just what i heard i dont mean to offend anyone, so sorry if i did!</p>
<p>YankeesChamps09,</p>
<p>Well, the administration is always keeping the Greek houses in check. Of course, the houses want to do whatever they want whenever they want, so tension is to be expected. I think it’s hard to find a school where Greek life and the administration aren’t constantly at odds. With that said, I wouldn’t be too worried about a reduction in Greek life anytime soon.</p>
<p>Public Safety has the ability to perform “safety checks” in the Greek houses, and Greek members aren’t too happy about that – that may be what you are referring to.</p>
<p>I should mention that, despite the constant bickering between the administration and Greek life, those involved seem to really relish the experience.</p>
<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>
<p>To a lesser extent, this has happened at my alma mater (Cornell) as well, and I think the administration there has a short memory. At one time, much of the housing need at Cornell was absorbed by the Greek system. But as the school began building more dorms, the administration started cracking down on a number of frats, closing a few. </p>
<p>My guess is that the same has happened at Lafayette and many other schools around the country. I’m not saying that a college or university has the responsibility to ensure the safety and quality of student life, I just think they should be more patient with an institution that had helped the school for decades, maybe a century or more.</p>
<p>Okay so, Justin. Long time reader, first time poster. I dont know why i have this image of you as some sort of super computer with all the answers. :D</p>
<p>I’ve been admitted for classes starting fall 2009 and i’ve submitted my deposit. Oh, and i’m an international student if that makes any difference. Some random questions:</p>
<p>1) How long does it take from the campus to NY city on public transport? How’d you rate the public transport?</p>
<p>2) I’ve heard from various students at Lafayette that there is relatively a lot of segregation between the international students and the American students. To what extent is it true?</p>
<p>3) I wont be participating in the Greek life system. More like, i cant. What alternatives will there be for me at weekends?</p>
<p>4) My FA package includes a $ 3000 Campus job. How many hours would i have to work? As i’ll be pursuing an engineering major, how difficult will it be to manage?</p>
<p>That’s it for now. Will post more as they come to me. Thanks a million in advance.</p>
<p>khan91,</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It takes a little over an hour to get to NYC, and about an hour to get to Philly. The Transbridge bus line departs from the Easton bus terminal just downtown, and a roundtrip ticket costs about $35.</p></li>
<li><p>Not to typify int’l students, but for the sake of accurately painting the social picture, I’d say there are two types of int’l students. The ‘first type’ are super-involved on campus and are friends with everybody – these students are just as integrated as anyone else. The ‘second type’ stick to themselves and to other int’l students. I think the segregation is mainly self-imposed. If you “get out there,” no one will see you as any different.</p></li>
<li><p>On the weekends, students will hang out with friends, go to performances at the Williams Center for the Arts, go to Lafayette Activities Forum sponsored events, go into NYC or Philly, go to the gym, get involved in athletics (club/intramural sports or as a fan), and more. I should mention that, even if you don’t get involved in Greek life, many events are open to non-Greek students.</p></li>
<li><p>I believe FWS students can work no more than 10-12 hours per week. A complete job listing is available in the Office of Financial Aid, and they help FWS students gain employment. Engineers are involved in campus employment, athletics, interest groups, etc., just as much as any other major. Even as an engineer, if you’re mindful of your work, you’ll still find yourself with plenty of ‘free time.’</p></li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks for the response man, it’s a shame i wont have the chance to meet you in person. Anyhow, i’ve some more revelations to get out of you.</p>
<p>See, on the first page of the first part of this Lafayette Answers series, you mentioned some negatives at Lafayette. It was your first semester, i believe. Now that you’re about to leave, i ask you to dish some dirt once again. Not intended to deter incoming students, but to make sure we’re prepared for some ‘surprises’ :D</p>
<p>This was your response back then.</p>
<p><<<<<<<probably that=“” freshman=“” don’t=“” get=“” all=“” the=“” class=“” they=“” want=“” (priority=“” goes=“” to=“” upperclassmen=“” of=“” course!).=“” also,=“” campus=“” can=“” seem=“” a=“” bit=“” small=“” at=“” times=“” (sometimes=“” good=“” thing,=“” sometimes=“” not).=“” laundry=“” costs=“” $1.00=“” wash=“” and=“” dry=“” in=“” quarters.=“” college=“” bookstore=“” is=“” an=“” absolute=“” rip-off=“” for=“” anything=“” everything.=“” meal=“” plan=“” you=“” are=“” forced=“” take=“” inconvenient=“” (you=“” miss=“” meals=“” constantly!).=“” will=“” eventually=“” sick=“” food.=“” there=“” few=“” graduation=“” requirements=“” may=“” wish=“” didn’t=“” have=“” fulfill=“” (a=“” math=“” course,=“” two=“” lab=“” sciences,=“” three=“” humanities,=“” first-year=“” seminar,=“” etc.=“” -=“” thank=“” goodness=“” ap=“” credits).=“”>>>>></probably></p>
<p>Thanks A Lot!</p>
<p>khan91,</p>
<p>Yes, how young and naive I was back then!</p>
<ul>
<li>Freshman still have a tougher time getting into more advanced courses – that’s just the nature of the game at most colleges. However, as we work to expand our faculty by 20%, this should be less of an issue.</li>
<li>The campus does get smaller as time goes on, but I enjoyed getting to know my classmates and the professors in my areas of study.</li>
<li>The cost of laundry is now included in the room charge – no more quarters.</li>
<li>The bookstore is still a rip-off – surprise, surprise!</li>
<li>Due to complaints, freshman now have a choice of three meal plans.</li>
<li>You will still get sick of the food, even though we do have an expanding variety. As a senior, I eat a lot off-campus.</li>
<li><p>Those ‘Common Course of Study’ (CCS) requirements are still in place, but fulfilling them really isn’t that difficult.</p></li>
<li><p>Justin</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I see Justin that you’ve done a nice job updating the negatives. But you didnt add any new ones. 
jk.</p>
<p>Okay, so ‘stupid questions’ time now. I get to the campus. Now what do i do? Can i buy books in advance? Since you said the bookstore is a rip-off, what are the alternatives, if any?</p>
<p>I’ve heard from one Lafayette graduate (Class of 96!) that in the first year, everyone more or less studies the same courses. To what extent is it true? Are there any courses one MUST absolutely take?</p>
<p>khan91,</p>
<p>You can buy books in advance by looking up the required texts for your courses on the bookstore website: [Lafayette</a> College Store - Textbooks](<a href=“http://epos2-phx.sequoiars.com/ePOS?store=464&form=shared3%2Ftextbooks%2Ftext_browse.html&design=464&campus=MAIN]Lafayette”>http://epos2-phx.sequoiars.com/ePOS?store=464&form=shared3%2Ftextbooks%2Ftext_browse.html&design=464&campus=MAIN).</p>
<p>I always purchase from either half.com or amazon.com, which saves me a ton of $$$.</p>
<p>Well…many majors require a basic math course (usually Calculus I), a basic Bio/Chem course (for natural science majors), and other prerequisites. So, yes, it may seem that many incoming students are taking many of the same courses during the first semester, along with the required First-Year Seminar. However, that quickly changes as people begin to “specialize” in their major(s).</p>
<p>Courses one MUST take include an FYS, a VaST course (for non-engineers), and ENG 110: College Writing. See the ‘Common Course of Study’ (CCS) for more details, as other requirements are not as restrictive: [First</a> Year Student Registration - Registrar’s Office - Lafayette College](<a href=“http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~registra/fyreg/StationeryLinks/CommonCourseofStudy.php]First”>http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~registra/fyreg/StationeryLinks/CommonCourseofStudy.php).</p>
<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>
<p>Hi Justin,
First of all, thank you for your prompt and honest answers to questions on Lafayette from prospective students over the past four years.</p>
<p>Secondly, congratulations on your pending graduation and good luck in grad school at Villanova.</p>
<p>Finally, I’m assuming that you will continue to visit this board and answer questions as an alumnus, but have you recruited an underclassman to take over for you and answer questions next year? The perspective of a current student is a great resource.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know if you continue to have contacts in the Admissions Office, but has anyone there considered answering questions on this board? I know some other colleges have a person from the Admissions Office that will answer posted questions. That seems like it would be very helpful to prospective students as well.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your tireless efforts.</p>
<p>LC82,</p>
<p>Well…I was actually planning on (hopefully) “passing the torch” upon graduation, for many reasons. First and foremost, it’s hard to keep up with the constant changes occurring on a college campus without actually being there – I anticipate it becoming much more difficult for me to respond to questions quickly and accurately.</p>
<p>A few peers have frequented these boards in the past, and I’ll try approaching them before I resort to going through Admissions to identify a suitable replacement(s) and/or recommend establishing a Lafayette-sponsored service.</p>
<p>I agree that having a current student to answer questions openly and honestly is an indispensable service – I know I would have taken advantage of the opportunity to ask questions when I was deciding between colleges!</p>
<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>
<p>Another stupid question.( i really have no idea about college life/studies)</p>
<p>How do i know which courses i’ll be taking, apart from those that i HAVE to take?</p>
<p>Pardon me if I am now starting to get on your nerves.</p>
<p>khan91,</p>
<p>You’ll figure out which courses you have to take by using the Class of 2013 registration webpage (forthcoming), and in subsequent semesters, by meeting with your faculty adviser.</p>
<p>To decide on electives, you can consult friends, online course evaluations, the college catalog, etc.</p>
<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>
<p>So is it possible that for the first year, i buy books from my own country before coming to Lafayette. Will save me quite a few greens.</p>
<p>khan91,</p>
<p>You certainly could, provided the int’l texts aren’t vastly different.</p>
<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>
<p>Justin,</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info. This has been an informative thread. </p>
<p>What the word on the fraternity on campus as to why it may lose its campus privileges?</p>
<p>The school wishes to rid itself of all frats and in on a witch hunt–thats all</p>