We visited Lafayette and my daughter is very interested in the school. It seems to have a very strong sense of community. As I walked around campus, I noticed a lot of window units in the dorm rooms. Can anyone tell me if most of the dorms are air conditioned, window units or have not at all. I generally don’t buy into the concept that Fall arrives shortly after the kids arrive on campus and AC is not needed.
Not all of the dorms have A/C. As far as I know window units in a non-air conditioned dorm are for students who have doctor’s notes saying they need an air conditioner for health reasons (I think there is a slight charge). This checklist gives you information on which dorms have A/C and which don’t.
http://reslife.lafayette.edu/files/2012/04/Residence-Hall-Features-at-a-Glance.pdf
http://reslife.lafayette.edu/residence-hall-housing/residence-hall-descriptions/
FWIW my D graduated from Lafayette last May (absolutely loved her 4 years there and is now in a top grad school in her field) and did not have A/C in most of her dorms and she was just fine. She could have moved into a dorm with A/C but other factors were more important to her.
If you have any questions about Lafayette that a parent can answer now or down the road feel free to PM me.
My son is a freshman at Lafayette and is in a non air conditioned dorm. The common rooms have window a/c units. It has not been a big deal. Of course he grew up in a family where we hardly turn our a/c on in the summer. Maybe one or two weeks a year. But if your D loves the school I wouldn’t let non air conditioned dorms be a deciding factor on whether or not to apply. My son has loved his experience so far BTW.
We are not from the east but it still seems to me that it will be uncomfortable August and September.
We are not wimps but at $60k, ac seems like a reasonable request.
I was wondering about your impressions of the Greek presence in campus. Do most kids join?
Sorry. I don’t have much of an impression yet on that. As you probably know rush at Lafayette is sophomore year so that hasn’t started yet for my son. But I expect he will join if he finds a house that is relatively chill with a group of guys he likes. He was placed in wellness dorm this year (not his choice) but he has made the best of it. Has made some good friends and is not a huge partier anyway. He seems very happy at school but does not share all the details like his older sister does. So I don’t know the ins and outs of campus life like I do with his sisters school.
Greek Life on campus exists but it is not overwhelming. As noted above, one nice thing at Lafayette is that there is no pledging until sophomore year. During freshman year my D developed a very close-knit group of friends and they stayed close throughout her four years at Laf – I think one of the guys joined a frat and a couple of the girls joined a sorority - but the fact that some were in Greek Life and others weren’t did not change their friendship in any way.
My D surprised us and rushed sophomore year. There were only two sororities that she was interested in (both very low-key ones) and she got into one that was a great fit. She felt that being part of her sorority added another dimension and another group of friends to her experience there. The sorority absolutely did not overtake her life – she still remained close to friends who did not pledge and she remained a very active and engaged member of many other activities on campus.
And I understand what you are saying about air conditioning, but really it wasn’t a huge deal for my D. IMO Lafayette’s dorms were fine but not spectacular. The schools has so many other wonderful qualities that the dorms were always kind of an afterthought for my D.
Overall, I do think Laf is one of those schools that has found that “secret sauce” The students are challenged academically (small classes, many wonderful profs.) and yet my D and all of her friends found the time to get involved in things outside of the classroom that they care about (including but not limited to: academic research, the arts, sports, community service etc.).
Hi! I am a current student (absolutely loving it, by the way); your daughter is right that there is a strong community here, really unlike any of the schools my high school friends attend. I hope she looks more into this amazing place upon acceptance.
About AC- Some dorms have it, some do not. But for those that do not, you can get it quite easily. It requires a doctor’s note, but one as simple as seasonal allergies will do. South College has AC, Ruef is a common dorm to get a window unit.
My freshman daughter is over the moon happy with Lafayette - has made a very tight and diverse group of friends, is participating in a wide variety of clubs and activities - some in leadership roles, and really likes her classes. We couldn’t be happier for her and so far have been very pleased with administration and facilities - especially compared with our junior at a larger school in DC.
What’s the situation with the new, temporary dorms going up for next year? Will those be for freshmen or upper level students? What would they be like? I wonder if there would be a sense of community there.
If anyone is interested, I just read an article that answered my own question about the new temporary, modular dorms. They’re for upperclassmen only, so it seems the freshman class will have the same dorm options as in other years.
Hi, I am a first year at Lafayette and absolutely love the school. I live in a dorm without an AC. I have not had any problems so far and have had my wisdom closed for most of the year. I do have a fan in my room that I switch on the lowest setting from time to time.
We cannot rush till our sophomore year which gives time for us to develop a social circle outside Greek life. While a lot of students do rush, friends from the same group join different houses and still remain tight knit groups, from what I have seen.
Also, the modular housing is for upperclassmen only! They units will be much like our ordinary buildings with the same facilities like common rooms, kitchens, WiFi, etc . They will also have Residence Advisors who play an important role in building a community. However, the first year class with have much of the same housing options with one of the buildings that houses first years and upperclassmen this year being dedicated solely to first years next year!
Feel free to hit me up if you have anymore questions!
South College has AC for what it’s worth
Hello, I understand that every year one dorm is used to house students over the winter break. Any idea which one it will be next year? Thanks
@Formula1fan I am deciding between Lafayette and a ‘bigger DC school’ can you elaborate on the differences your daughter in DC is experiencing? Thanks
@myjanda I am deciding between Lafayette and a ‘bigger DC school’ can you elaborate on the differences your daughter in DC is experiencing? Thanks
hi @deciding101 - I can say that in my experience it really depends a LOT on the type of kid and what they are looking for. If I switched my two daughters I think they would both be happy but not nearly as happy as they both are. I also find Lafayette very impressive in terms of the opportunities it is providing my daughter and the way they communicate with the student and the family. Happy to provide more specifics if you want. Let me know and I’ll PM you to discuss.