@TwinMom2023 Yield prediction is as much as art as it is a science – a greater than expected and (higher percentage than historical numbers could predict) number of students accepted the offer of admission from Lafayette this year. And FWIW the school is trying to get approval to build new dorms but that is a long term process.
Certainly you are free to have whatever criteria you want to determine a college application list, but as I see it forced triples, while not ideal, have been a fact of life for college freshmen as long as I can remember. Back in the 1970’s there were two forced triples in my hallway alone.
@homerdog Great – glad you found schools that meet your criteria. FWIW if it is an important factor, I would ask if they have had any forced triples over the last 5 years or so (whatever period you deem appropriate) not just over the last year as well as how would they deal with housing if a freshman class was over-enrolled.
In any event, I wish you the best and I’m sure you will find a group of school that are the right fit for your child. The fact that people find different factors to be important in the college search is part of what makes this process (and CC) interesting.
@homerdog I’ve been asking and researching as well. While off topic for this thread, Skidmore and UVM are
struggling with housing year after year.
@happy1 I work in higher education and have seen very creative solutions to a larger class than expected one year and then proactive admission strategies following. At these prices, colleges should know that forced triples are unacceptable. That’s what wait lists are for.
FYI…Davidson turned lounges into dorm rooms (triples) in recent years with over-enrolled freshman classes.
I agree that forced triples year after year is a problem. There is nothing to indicate that this has been an issue at Lafayette - nothing about forced triples in previous years as far as I can find on previous CC threads.
@homerdog Bowdoin may not have forced triples, but they do have forced quints, with 3 kids in one of the two bedrooms that was originally designed for 2 (they bunk two of the beds)… In terms of off-campus housing the administration isn’t happy about it and they instituted a quota to cap how many students can live “off-campus” (I put that in quotes because some of the official campus housing are converted a apartments in town that the college purchased that are further than some of the non-affiliated housing so the real distinction is college-owned as opposed to distance). So students have to apply to get permission to live off-campus and that effectively limits it to mostly seniors and some juniors. Only about 10% live off-campus. Often the rental houses are passed down from generation to generation of seniors without set sports or activities. Bowdoin is currently construction brand new on-campus housing that is supposedly to open by the start of next Fall’s school year.
Recently, Lafayette broke ground on a new four story residence hall adjacent to campus. This dorm should be completed to accept students by August, 2020. There are plans to construct another dorm in the same area. Plans for a third dorm have been scrapped, at least for now.
The last two classes were over subscribed. Look for Lafayette to reduce the number of acceptances in an attempt to bring the yield more in line with existing resources. There is an overall plan to gradually increase enrollment to approximately 2,800 students by 2027. They have recently completed a fund raising campaign by raising $ 421 million dollars. A substantial portion of these funds will go to hiring additional faculty, increase financial aid, and build more class space. Their integrated science center will be completed this fall, and this will free up resources to renovate and re purpose other existing classroom buildings
Contrary to some opinions on this thread, the school is not being run by a bunch of incompetents. There is a plan. Interest in the school is very high, it is financially sound, and the worthiness of a Lafayette degree has never been higher.
Could not agree more - Lafayette has developed a strategic plan with significant input from the greater Easton community. They actually plan to increase enrollment to 4,000 to insure it remains financially strong yet maintain its high academic standards.
Of all the colleges we visited, Lafayette was the one my son was smiling about after our visit. Same thing when we returned for the interview. It just seemed like such a great fit. We have our fingers crossed that he gets good news at the end of March! Good luck to anyone else who is waiting.
@Jaspers When did they increase the plan to 4,000? My son is a sophomore and they announced the expansion around the time that he applied and the number then was an increase to 2,800 or so. FWIW, he was in a triple freshman year and never gave it a second thought. The term “forced” triple seems loaded to me.
There was never a plan to increase enrollment to 4,000 students. The plan all along was to increase enrollment to 2,800. This increase was done for two reasons: one was to align its enrollment with its peer schools in the Patriot League. Currently, Holy Cross, Bucknell, and Colgate all have enrollments in the 2,900-3,100 range. Lafayette is the second smallest school in Division I. Only Davidson is smaller. Secondly, and more importantly, the stated goal of the administration is to make the school totally need blind in admissions. They want to attract and admit the most academically talented and intellectually curious applicants they can find without regard for an applicant’s ability to pay for the cost of a Lafayette education.
Hi @Ksr162. Wondering if your daughter stayed at Lafayette or transferred. We purposely didn’t even apply to Villanova because of the high rate of forced triples. My daughter has already committed to Lafayette, but I’m afraid a forced triple (especially in a dorm with no air conditioning) would have my husband and I reconsidering paying $70K a year for a school that does that.
@amy408 I went to Lafayette more years ago than I am willing to admit but I can tell you that air conditioning or lack there of is not really an issue there. The weather is not that hot. The dorms that don’t have Ac have big windows that open and provide a lot of natural cooling. I don’t ever remember feeling that a lack of AC was a problem in the dorms. I would certainly not have my daughter reconsider her commitment to Lafayette based on a lack of AC in the dorms
@hansolo50 When did you attend Lafayette? Surprised at your comment about it not being worth $70K. majority of LACs are in that price range and most give generous merit and meet need based aid.
For example, room/board/tuition at Lafayette is higher than Princeton. I can see paying $70k for Princeton but not Lafayette. And Lafayette historically has not been generous with aid money, I know they are trying to improve this. But in the past, they have been focused on getting enough families with the ability to pay.