I'll Answer Your Lafayette Questions! Part I

<p>hey justin</p>

<p>first of all, thank you!!</p>

<p>i'm becoming increasingly excited/nervous for august & all of your posts have been so helpful</p>

<p>i was wondering, because i think you said you're an english major, if you know anything about the class ENG-135 Literature & Human Exp.</p>

<p>it's taught by "staff" haha & dean robbins was telling me that the teacher & content changes every year or every few years</p>

<p>i chose it as an alternate course choice, but i'm kind of nervous about it b/c i feel like it could be about ANYthing</p>

<p>-emily</p>

<p>Hey Emily,</p>

<p>I'm so glad to hear that incoming students are getting something out of my posts on this message board...there very well might be more "lurkers" reading but not posting!</p>

<p>I do not know anything specific about that course (ENG 135). I can tell you, however, that 14 out of the 35 spots have been filled. Usually, 100-level English courses are more discussion-based. You will read various pieces of literature (duh!) and talk about them in a close-knit group under the professor's guidance. Grading is very subjective, but what else would you expect from a class where participation is the main factor in determining a final grade? Usually, 100-level English courses are set up for those not intending to further pursue studies in English, so they are graded quite generously. I wish I knew who was teaching it so I could tell you a little about the professor!</p>

<p>It sounds as if you could be reading pretty much anything judging by the non-specificity of the course title. I have taken the liberty of pasting in the course description from the 2005-07 college course catalog, located online:</p>

<p><<< An examination of a significant social or cultural problem as reflected in literary texts. Topics vary from semester to semester and will be announced during the registration period. May be taken more than once with different content. >>></p>

<p>You have no reason to be nervous about this course! It seems that the content is very open-ended, which works out well for students.</p>

<p>BTW, where in Illinois do you live? I grew up in the northern part of the state (Lake County - Lake Zurich) somewhat near Chicago.</p>

<p>I'll be seeing you around,</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>wow that's crazy, if you hadn't moved to nj, we probably would have gone to the same high school</p>

<p>i live in vernon hills & and go to...er went to...stevenson high school</p>

<p>i grew up in new jersey though (ironic huh?)</p>

<p>thanks for the info about ENG135...luckily they just opened a fourth hour of the spanish class i wanted, so i dont have to worry about 135 anymore...which is probably good b/c class participation isn't exactly my forte </p>

<p>oh and i wanted to ask you.. do you know if the college advises against doing an interim session abroad as a freshman?</p>

<p>& is it impossible to do a semester abroad if i double major? one of the majors would probably be spanish and the other... maybe one of the sciences? ..at this point i'm not really sure.. (def. not engineering though)</p>

<p>i have some AP credits but not enough to skip a whole year so idk if they'd help the double major situation</p>

<p>haha i sound like such a typical freshman i'm sure...eek maybe i should just hold off on all the questions till i get an academic advisor :-/</p>

<p>Emily,</p>

<p>I know Vernon Hills! My family used to shop at the Hawthorn Mall. Small world, huh?</p>

<p>As a freshman, you would be advised NOT to apply for any kind of study abroad program. Even if you did apply, most likely, you would not get a spot because preference is given to upperclass students who wish to study abroad. The typical Lafayette student will go abroad (either during the interim or for an entire semester!) junior year. Did you know that, by the time your class graduates, half of them will have studied abroad for some length of time?</p>

<p>It is not impossible to take a semester abroad if you are thinking of double-majoring! Not at all. Any/all AP credits would help you find the time to do so. Since you are thinking of majoring in Spanish and some field of science, it would be great if you had credits for both Spanish (you could start with the advanced spanish literature courses we offer) and the science you are thinking of getting into (did you take AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Phys?). Remember, a 4 or a 5 will suffice.</p>

<p>I see that you applied to Lafayette as an "undecided" candidate. That's great! Let the courses you take your first year at Lafayette help make the decision for you as to which fields you have the most interest in!</p>

<p>Don't feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask questions, even if I'm not your "official" academic advisor. Many of our advisors (most of them professors) will lead students a certain way in hopes that they will major in a certain field. I only wish to answer your questions as honestly as possible.</p>

<p>I'll see you around,</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>I just wanted to let everyone know that my Lafayette email account is now up and running! Since last Tuesday, I did not have access to my account after the email server was damaged during a severe thunderstorm and campus-wide power outage. If anyone from this website (or the Lafayette Forum) sent me an email anytime last week, please resend it, as I did not receive it.</p>

<p>Sorry about that!</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>definitely a small world!</p>

<p>thanks again for all ur help</p>

<p>see you around campus im sure!</p>

<p>Hey J,</p>

<p>As the 8th of August is approaching I want to know whether it is possible to pay Lafayette bills by check. When I had to pay tuition deposit in the late spring, I did it by check and it was accepted. However, now they say nothing about checks and ask to pay via wire transfer or direct credit. The problem is that both of the methods are quite expensive for me, an international student, anyway if checks are not accepted, there would be not much I can do about it.
I have sent an email to Rochelle Lam (<a href="mailto:studentbilling@lafayette.edu">studentbilling@lafayette.edu</a>) asking the same question, but she still has not replied.</p>

<p>rytis,</p>

<p>I'm sure a check would suffice. Just know that sending a check through the mail is not the most secure method of payment.</p>

<p>I highly advise you to re-send that email! You see, the email server was damaged after a campus-wide power outage last Tuesday. Any mail sent from Tuesday of last week until Saturday may not have been received. It is also possible that Rochelle is still working through her inbox.</p>

<p>I think it is really important for you to get a definite answer to your question. Why not call her up at 610-330-5138, even if this means incurring a slight cost? You still have some time (your mail to Lafayette must be postmarked by the billing deadline), but I would not wait too long.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>TO THE LAFAYETTE CLASS OF 2010:</p>

<p>I just want to let you guys know that the Admissions Office has decided to close the Accepted Students Forum on the Lafayette website for good. Even though I do not entirely agree with this decision, I'll be sure to keep answering any questions posted on this message board or sent via email. At this time, the Admissions Office wishes to direct all incoming students to the Class of 2010 Homepage in preparation for the upcoming fall semester:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.lafayette.edu/student_life/classes/2010.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.lafayette.edu/student_life/classes/2010.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I encourage all incoming students to become familiar with the material contained within these pages.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>Hi.
i am Ibtihal Hyder (Piyal) from Bangladesh. Could you send me the floorplan of Ruef 222. My e-mail add is <a href="mailto:piyaleee@gmail.com">piyaleee@gmail.com</a>. do I need to buy curtains for the room? if so wat size? when do I get my college e-mail address?
thanks</p>

<p>Hi Ibtihal!</p>

<p>I will send you an email with the second floor plan for Ruef Hall ASAP. Your specific room's dimensions are 14 feet by 17 feet, for a total of 238 square feet. The Office of Residence Life does not provide window dimensions for any of our residence halls, however, so if you desire to purchase window decorations you must buy size-adjustable curtain rods. Each window already has pull-down shades, but not curtains.</p>

<p>You should be receiving your new student technology tutorial CD and email address information in the mail very soon. I believe that all incoming students in the U.S. have already received it, so you should expect it within a few days.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>thank you! the mailing system in my country is not very reliable, i'm afraid i might not get the cd.</p>

<p>Ibtihal,</p>

<p>I am sorry to hear that your mailing system is not reliable. I was asked about the technology CD by another incoming international student a few days ago, as they had to receive the CD, either. Just give it a few more days before giving up on it.</p>

<p>Remember that, even without the CD, you should be able to figure out your future Lafayette email address: <a href="mailto:hyderi@lafayette.edu">hyderi@lafayette.edu</a>. However, I am unsure as to your email password...for my Class, it was the last six digits of our social security numbers. For you, I am not entirely sure. When you get to campus (August 22?), take a trip downstairs in Pardee Hall to Computer Services. They will be able to provide you with all of the necessary information.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>NOTE: This is a re-post of what has already been said in the new thread. I decided to post it here as well because I know many incoming students have subscribed to this thread and will receive an email notification that something new has been posted.</p>

<p>What's up everyone?</p>

<p>I hope we are all excited about the upcoming fall semester. I'm sure that many of you guys are just beginning the college shopping spree and are gearing up for life "on your own" in Easton, PA.</p>

<p>I was thinking about having a collegeconfidential.com get-together of sorts sometime during the first week of classes. Even though the first week is usually quite busy for most students, I thought it would be cool to meet each other in person.</p>

<p>If you are interested in maybe a pizza party down in Keefe Commons or just going out as a group for dinner in Farinon, please let me know by shooting me an email (<a href="mailto:saydej@lafayette.edu">saydej@lafayette.edu</a>) with your name. FYI, I was thinking about having the gathering around 6pm, possibly mid-week. Of course, I am open for suggestions/comments.</p>

<p>I'll have more details around the time of Freshman Orientation. I just wanted to post this message now to allow incoming students time to notice it.</p>

<p>I hope to see everyone from this message board (and from the Accepted Students Forum) there!</p>

<p>Peace,</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>Any news on how McKeen Hall is coming along?</p>

<p>owrp,</p>

<p>Since incoming and current students have been assigned to McKeen Hall, I assume that the renovation process is complete. Even though I do not know how improved the building is (I heard that they were putting in air conditioning, but I am not entirely sure), rest assured that it will be in great condition by freshman move-in day.</p>

<p>I will post a more definitive answer once I arrive on campus next weekend and check it out myself.</p>

<p>All the best,</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>Candy:
First off, thanks very much for all the good info you have provided previously. I was wondering about the treatment of SATII scores by Lafayette admissisons. I realise they are recommended but not required and used for placement, etc. But what would happen in the following situation....
Candidate #1 has SAT 1300, GPA 3.7 and good recs, courseload, and EC's.
Candidate #2 has SAT 1300, GPA 3.7 and same as above for the rest except that SATII scores were submitted of 570 and 640.<br>
How do they treat the SATII's if not everyone submits them.
Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>Candyman its your buddy from the German floor....</p>

<p>anyways thought I would throw in my 2 cents. I have some buddies who are back on campus already for preseason. The ones who where susposed to be in Mckeen had to be put in Watson for the time being. They just moved into Mckeen a few days ago which means its finished :). Also 95% sure they didn't put in AC but rather just an air circulation system. I remember hearing that when we picked dorms last year. Hope this helps anybody.</p>

<p>Justin,</p>

<p>how do we find out if we have reading assignments or any other type of assignment before classes start?
-colin</p>

<p>Colin,</p>

<p>I am not entirely clear on what you are asking, but I will provide as many answers as possible!</p>

<p>No professors expect you to read books ahead of time. If you are asking how you will find out what books and assignments are required for a given class, know that you must wait for the professor to hand out the course syllabus on the first day the class meets.</p>

<p>If you are asking how you know what books to purchase at the college bookstore, all you must do is read the labels below each stack of books. The bookstore is organized by subject, and then in order of course number.</p>

<p>I hope this helps!</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>