<p>I am a third generation Lafayette grad, my grandfather was an emritus trustee since the 1960's. I scored a 1280 on my SAT in 1991, and was in the top 40 students in my class of 400. I was accepted at Swarthmore, Georgetown, and was waitlisted at Yale. </p>
<p>The reality is that Lafayette is a very good engineering school as well as liberal arts, however very unfortunately most people outside the immediate Northeast have never heard of it. Basically Lafayette is a school mainly comprised of students who were either waitlisted or turned down at the Ivy schools. For me it was a family school that had a strong reputation, don't get me wrong Lafayette is no Willaims but it is certainly in the ranks of the top 30 "elite" liberal arts colleges.</p>
<p>beaburt,</p>
<p>I wholeheartedly disagree with the bulk of your commentary. MANY people outside of the Northeast have heard of the school. I should know, as I work in the Admissions Office! As you so astutely pointed out in your post, Lafayette "ranks in the top 30 'elite' liberal arts colleges". Is that feat not impressive enough for you? Why must you belittle this achievement? Do you know how many colleges WISH they could be placed in the top 30 of the U.S. News rankings?</p>
<p>I absolutely HATE it when people generalize about ANY college, and that is EXACTLY what you have managed to accomplish in this post. Lafayette College is by no means a school of Ivy-League rejects. Maybe that was the case when YOU attended Lafayette, but so much has changed since then. If you need proof of this fact, I'll take you on a tour around campus as soon as I get back in the fall. In addition, admission into the college has become uber-competitive in just the last few years. We were forced to reject MANY valedictorians and other applicants with high GPAs/SATs this past admissions cycle.</p>
<p>For you, it was a "family school", but for others, it is so much more than that.</p>
<p>Who says that Lafayette "is no Williams"? Do you know anyone who is currently enrolled at Williams who might be able to attest to your thoughts, or are you simply basing your judgements on name recognition of colleges?</p>
<p>It seems that your other posts in the College Search & Selection discussion forum have not been received well by other CCers. What exactly were your intentions in posting this rather...how shall I put this..."dated" thought in the Lafayette College forum?</p>
<p>Please clue me in.</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong....I love Lafayette, my older brother, uncle, and grandfather are Lafayette alum. I was a McKelvy scholar, and would say that the quality of the teaching staff at Lafayette is top notch, I was also on the varsity tennis team for 2 years before I injured my back. That was part of what I loved about Lafayette, the combination of an elite liberal arts college with Division 1 sports programs.</p>
<p>When I entered Lafayette in 1992 it was ranked 23 by US News and World report, by the time I graduated it had fallen to i believe 30, now its back at 26? In reality and I know well from 10 years on Wall Street, most major financial firms don't know about Lafayette, the colleges they know about are Ivy and "potted Ivy" such as Swarthmore, Williams, etc. My question is how do we build a nationally recognized name for Lafayette.......as an alum I donate money to the college. I get agrivated when I see Trinity in Hartford CT which is not even in the same vicinity as Lafayette recieve a higher ranking!</p>
<p>beaburt,</p>
<p>Thank you for your reply. It seems that your family has really gained a lot from the "Lafayette Experience".</p>
<p>I am not at all surprised that most major financial firms have never heard of Lafayette. The Ivy's and "Potted Ivy's" tend to steal the show. Slowly but surely, Lafayette is building a name for itself. Over the past few years, the college has really put its $600+ million endowment (from alums such as yourself) to work. Wide-spread name recognition is still a ways off, but from what I have experienced while working in the Admissions Office, it seems that the school is becoming more recognizable. I fully expect the number of applications to increase each year, and would not be surprised to see our U.S. News ranking increase as well.</p>
<p>You seem very fixated on those college rankings. Trust me, they are not exact statistics by any means. Some of the statistical criteria used to determine those rankings are, in my opinion, totally insignificant. My father is actually good friends with someone who writes and conducts research for that publication (U.S. News and World Report "America's Best Colleges"), and even she disagrees with the methods used to rank colleges. The system, as she once told him, is "faulty". However, I think that the guide is useful as a prospective college student is beginning to narrow down a list of feasible colleges.</p>
<p>It seems that you are quite frustrated that the school is not nationally-recognized, even though it really should be. I totally agree with you there. I was so much more impressed with the professors I met at Lafayette than those I spoke with at Yale or Princeton.</p>
<p>Just give it some time. As the college admissions process continues to get even more competitive, expect the name "Lafayette" to become more and more "prestigious". It is only a matter of time.</p>
<p>Thank you for supporting the college and for sharing your thoughts on what "Lafayette" means to you. I hope that others gain as much as I have from your unique viewpoint.</p>
<p>All the best,</p>
<p>J</p>
<p>Any iiinfo on admission stats for 2006? Have they been released yet? Any ideas? What do you think comparison will be with class that graduated last year?</p>
<p>Smiles6082,</p>
<p>We had yet to compile statistics for the incoming class of 2010 by the time I left campus for the summer. However, I am sure they will be online and in print form by the time I am back on campus in the fall.</p>
<p>I have a feeling 2010 will be a "stronger" incoming class in terms of SATs, GPAs, and class rankings when compared to 2009. We shall see soon enough!</p>
<p>J</p>