S20 is deciding between Lafayette and Bucknell. He is leaning toward Lafayette. Hasn’t visited either so we’re pretty desperate for information. We have hardly heard anything from Lafayette. I think he got one email with some links to parts of their website. As parents we’ve not heard from them.
Bucknell sent good email and has this great parent and student connection thing going that we just registered for.
Does anyone know if Lafayette has plans to reach out more to admitted students? Some other schools are even offering phone appointments with individuals on campus, not Lafayette though. Maybe they are just slow?
Lafayette admissions is starting to craft outreach to admitted students, and will definitely be in touch within the next week with more information and congratulations! I’m a current student there - please PM me if you have any questions.
Thank you both. @saslafcol I really appreciated your PM’s last week. @happy1 I sent you a PM.
I just wonder why no one else seems to be asking anything about Lafayette. ?
Really trying to distinguish between these 2 schools that seem to have a lot of overlap (at least in my head.) DS seems to think he already knows Laf is a better fit. I wonder what he’s basing it on, probably on-line stereotypes. ?
My two cents is that I’d choose Lafayette over Bucknell. I admit I haven’t been to Bucknell, but that’s because what my kids read about it didn’t entice them. They both visited Lafayette and my son liked it a lot. It was the only LAC he considered applying to. My D attends a well-known LAC that doesn’t have a super active forum on CC…
Bear in mind that most kids AREN’T on CC. It doesn’t mean that kids aren’t actively investigating a college. Give it a little time, and remind your child that admissions will be happy to answer questions.
FWIW, of all the colleges my two kids were accepted to, none were reaching out to get them to commit. Not even the ones that offered big merit awards.
Two friends had children graduate from Lafayette. Both gave it high marks. One thing to consider is how many children you’ll have in college at the same time. I believe that Bucknell doesn’t adjust their financial aid when a second child is in college. Lafayette does. Do the NPC and confirm.
@TimesFlies2 - Don’t sleep on Bucknell. I recommend taking a closer look. Bucknell gets a bad rep as a big party school. Yes we have weekly Saturday day parties (Supers) but we spend a lot more time attending classes, studying in the library, participating in clubs, Greek life and community service. We even have a working farm!
There are so many academic options. Highly ranked Freeman College of Management is on the rise. College of Engineering is well respected and the college of art and science is the intellectual soul of the university - Facilities are amazing. Evert two years a new building opens. The business school (Freeman) and the arts/art history department are moving into an brand new building scheduled to open Spring 2021.
Perhaps the best part of the school is we are close knit bunch who love being Bucknellians.
P.S. Our President is a rock star on campus. Meets regularly with us in Town Hall meetings and is very approachable on campus and events. He and the administration
have shown tremendous leadership and compassion during these difficult times.
@TimeFlies2 - We visited Lafayette twice. My husband and I had more free time than DD20 did but we really enjoyed our time there. The town is walking distance and really nice for when the students need a break from the campus. We rode the trolly into town and had lunch at one of the many restaurants. Seemed really safe also. Beautiful campus with modern buildings and I could honestly see my daughter finding her people there. I believe that she can be very happy there but her heart is somewhere else right now but that somewhere else may not work out. Good luck to your son.
I have a current senior at Lafayette and a 2018 Bucknell graduate. Great experiences at both. To me Bucknell seems more polished than Lafayette with perhaps more resources. Probably more intense Greek life at Bucknell and Lafayette a bit more laid back. But Lafayette just finished a capital campaign and is building as well. The new integrative science center is spectacular and there is new student housing under construction now. Bucknell is definitely more remote feeling than Lafayette. FYI Bucknell did adjust my Ds financial aid when her brother started college two years later. I think both colleges are great options. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions between the two.
My S20 also was fortunate to be accepted at both Lafayette and Bucknell, and we visited both schools fall of junior year. Both visits were great, but I think we both had the sense Lafayette would be a better fit for him if he elected to go there. He has a few other excellent choices so not sure yet where he’ll end up.
“FYI Bucknell did adjust my Ds financial aid when her brother started college two years later.”
Interesting. After we did a NPC and their NP was nearly twice that of several other colleges, I contacted their financial aid office to ask why. They said they didn’t adjust for a second child attending college at the same time as the first. @momofzag you have first hand knowledge. Did Bucknell and Lafayette cost about the same when you had both children there?
My daughter is a current junior at Lafayette as a biology major/environmental science minor. She had visited Bucknell but did not apply. Bucknell is VERY rural with one “main” street. Lafayette has a bit more of a town (and some really great restaurants). She’s been very happy there and has internship opportunities. Good luck!
Hi @“IMPATIENT MOM”
Lafayette has been slow but finally got some webinars up and running for admitted students. My S emailed a prof and we are going to set up a videochat. For someone who has never seen the school S seems to feel it’s the right place for him. Wish we knew whether there will even BE school in the fall!
@NearlyDone2024 sorry I am so slow responding. I didn’t see this until today. Tbh I can’t really recall if they both cost the same or not. Both my kids had merit. D an arts merit at Bucknell which was $10k and no financial aid at all when she started. Her 2nd year she had half off board charges because she was a junior fellow at the res college. Then junior year we asked Bucknell to relook at financial aid when her brother started and was surprised when they gave us $8 K and also a few thousand for a credit when she went abroad for a semester. That semester we paid tuition through Bucknell but housing was through the host institution and board was on her own so hard to compare and I’ve lost track. At Lafayette son has Marquis scholarship which for him is $24k. Interestingly we didn’t qualify for any FA with 2 kids in college at laf but we did at Bucknell. But maybe Lafayette took into account the merit? Who knows.
I am happy to report that my daughter committed to Lafayette. The staff has been great. She joined the Facebook page. I joined the parents Facebook page. We have participated in lots of online events and there are a lot more scheduled for next week. The professors we have met online seem really caring and they and the staff seem very invested in the student’s well being and success. The campus is beautiful and the school is small and has a great reputation. Given the pandemic, I wanted my daughter closer to home.
@momofzag I hope she will be happy because a lot of people say one of the most important elements of college success is to be happy in college. Do you have any inside information to share? Like, its better to rent the microfridge than buy your own. How to find the great professors and avoid the bad ones or maybe there is no bad one. Are there cash machines on campus? Which bank? Best places to stay in town?
@holychild as for places to stay there is really only one place on College Hill and that is a very nice B&B called the Lafayette Inn. In town the Hotel Easton was reinvented maybe 10 years ago now called the Grand Eastonian Hotel and Suites and has some very cool loft style rooms that are really like an apartment with kitchen etc. Lot of great places to eat in downtown as well. One of my favorite is Sette Luna. Neat little Italian place actually just across the street from the GE. Good luck to your daughter. Lafayette is a great school. Of course I am biased just a bit as both my wife and I graduated from there…lol.