My child was accepted into many schools with Dickinson and Lafayette being the top contenders. We are weighing the pros and cons but it can be tough to have perspective on such a big, personal decision. Lafayette stood out all along but Dickinson offered an amazing package that Lafayette did not. Can anyone offer insights or perspectives that might balance things out for us? We were not familiar with either school when we started the process.
My daughter attended Dickinson, and my son has been accepted to Lafayette, so we’re pretty familiar with both schools. I think they’re similar in many ways, and the academics are on a par. If the economics favor Dickinson, that would hard to pass up.
My daughter is a current Junior at Lafayette and in my opinion, it is a “better” school then Dickinson. She’s a biology major and has really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, her semester abroad was cut short due to COVID 19 
Best of luck!
My D went to Lafayette and had a fabulous expereince. We also looked at Dickinson and my D liked it but didn’t get the sense that it was as strong in the STEM fields (just her gut feeling) – she has a HS classmate who went to Dickinson and enjoyed her time there. If Dickinson is way more affordable I think it would be hard to turn down.
What is your child’s area on interest? Does your child have a strong preference? Can you afford Lafayette with no loans/no hardship?
Some things you might do to research schools while they are closed include:
– look at the school newspapers online to try to get a feel for what is going on at the school.
–look at the course catalogues and the professors online and see what professors/classes are available in your child’s area of interest.
–go through the websites very carefully.
–see if there are any online accepted student activities.
–try to get your hands on a good college guide book (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) and read up on the schools.
Congratulations. Your child is choosing between two fine schools so there is no “right” answer. Do what makes sense for your child and your family. And once a decision is made, never look back.
Hi. I’m not necessarily disagreeing with your statement about Lafayette being the “better” school, but I am curious as to why you said it. One of my sons is studying mechanical engineering at Lafayette (also sent home from Europe due to COVID 19)
For better or worse, we are in exactly the same position. My youngest (son) is also trying to choose between Lafayette and Dickinson. I find myself having a general bias that Lafayette has greater name recognition and is somehow academically superior. My oldest is at Oberlin, my middle is at Lafayette. I don’t know what your son/daughter plans on pursuing - Lafayette seems somewhat stronger in STEM; Dickinson in globalism. Realistically, no matter where they go, if they work hard in college and in life, they will do well. My older brother attended Wesleyan and still credits much of his success in life with the connections he made there. I once asked him what made his education at Wesleyan so much better than going to Rutgers (for example). I challenged him on the quality of the professors - his response was that he was the dumbest one at Wesleyan and that his fellow students raised the bar for him - not only academically, but through the varied life experiences they brought with them. He was always very driven and destined to be a success (if success is measured in money). I called him yesterday for advice - Lafayette vs. Dickinson? He told me about a colleague of his who has surpassed all of them; she attended the University of Florida and with a combination of hard work and charisma, has done better than her Princeton, Harvard and Wharton educated coworkers. He then reminded me that he had also applied to Dickinson 
I know this is a crazy long answer, but I also understand how much our children rely on our guidance and this particular decision seems to carry the weight of the world - as if their entire futures will be determined by which college they attend. My truth is that my 3rd son had a higher GPA and higher SAT score than his brothers, yet was rejected from some of the same schools to which they applied. Number three was waitlisted at a school that number 1 was not only accepted into, but invited into their Honors program and offered a hefty merit scholarship. Now we’re back to square one: Dickinson offered a merit scholarship, Lafayette did not (notoriously stingy - come September, I will have 3 in college - Oberlin gave more, Lafayette? Zero - even if both brothers attend). I truly wish you and your child the best. We’re going with Dickinson ~ maybe we’ll see you there. I totally agree with the comment made by happy1 - once the decision is made, never look back. They’ll be okay . . . and so will we. Good luck.
I put these two in the same tier but there are definitely differences. For one, you can’t major in engineering at Dickinson. Dickinson runs all its own study abroad programs if memory serves me right. I don’t think one is “better” than the other but depending on what you’re looking for, one may be markedly better for you.
@Schatzie33 , I’ll have 3 in college next year as well! (senior at Lafayette, sophomore at Trinity College and freshman at Syracuse). I’m glad this process is over for us. All were waitlisted at some schools that should have been targets which was mind boggling. But they do find the right place in the end!. Best of luck to your kids!
The better choice seems obvious to me.
If one intends to study engineering, then Lafayette is the choice; but, if not an engineering student, take the more affordable option.
Would most definitely choose Dickinson over Lafayette. There are excellent, dedicated faculty at Lafayette but their President and administration care only about the bottom line and care nothing about their students. My child is member of Class of 2020. While their Patriot League peer schools and the majority of small northeastern LACs have committed to ultimately having an in-person commencement for the Class of 2020 when the COVID situation allows (most likely 2021), Lafayette administration immediately abandoned any plans for an in-person commencement when their initial Aug. 1 date was not possible. Gave no explanation to graduates and families as to why they made that decision. The class can attend the usual reunion festivities next year but no on campus event dedicated solely to their class and no opportunity for family to celebrate on campus with their graduates. Sent the graduates a box of “goodies” - only included 1 commencement program so families don’t even get a program of their child’s “virtual” commencement. It seems that Lafayette was very quick to say it is okay for the Class of 2020 to be collateral damage in this pandemic. I guess now that they got their quarter of a million dollars from the graduates and their families, they are no longer important to the administration. BTW, Dickinson is one of the many schools who remain committed to an in-person commencement.
^^ But Dickinson is one of a handful of schools with no students back on campus this fall. No in-person component at all
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FWIW while it is a real shame that Laf could not have an in-person graduation this year but I believe the college is not alone with that decision – in fact a HS close by where I live had an “in car” graduation and still 20 or so people caught COVID-19 as kids got out of cars, took off face masks etc.
But more to the point the OP would have made a choice months ago and has not been on CC since April.
Closing thread.