Anyone have experience with both schools? Not interested in engineering.
Thank you
My D graduated from Lafayette a few years ago and had a fantastic experience. Would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you! What did your daughter major in? How prevalent is the Greek scene?
My daughter had a great experience at Laf on every front (academically, socially, being involved etc.) so I’m a big fan of the college.
She got a BS in Psychology (with 2 semesters each of calculus, Bio, Chem and Physics) and a theater minor (which just happened - she enjoyed working on plays and liked the classes).
In terms of Greek Life – it is there but it isn’t necessary to join to have a happy and busy life. First nobody can pledge freshman year so she had a solid base of friends from her dorm/classes from that year alone. She did join a very low key sorority but it was not the core of her life by any means. She (and many of her friends) joined some of the many living-learning communities/houses at Lafayette. She found it easy to get involved on campus (in addition to the sorority she did theater, orchestra, community service – and had friends doing all kinds of different things)
Academically from what I could tell Laf seems to have found that “secret formula” where students are challenged but not overwhelmed. Serious studies could be mixed with time for friends, ECs etc. She found it easy to get involved in research on campus as well and one of the projects was published in a peer reviewed journal with my D as the second author (to the prof).
FWIW I also hold Holy Cross in very high regard. We had planned a visit with my D but it got snowed out. She did some more research and really didn’t want to deal with the Jesuit core so HC moved down her list-- she had definite areas of interest outside of her major she wanted to explore and felt the core could get in the way (Laf had more flexible distribution requirements). My S went to another Jesuit school and overall the core was a positive for him so it really is a personal choice. Two excellent options.
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Tough one. Both excellent. Lafayette is a bit smaller. It has a better location, IMO. Holy Cross is urban, though a self contained campus. I am pretty sure there is no Greek life at Holy Cross. That’s either good or bad, depending on what you want. Holy Cross is a Jesuit school, so if that appeals to you, that’s good. Both value sportiness and collaboration.
They are peer schools. It’s a case of choosing the vibe you seek. No wrong choice, no “winner.”
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In viewing an analysis of an especially popular academic discipline, economics, as an example, you might find it interesting how closely these colleges place to each other: Economics rankings: US Economics Departments at Liberal Arts Colleges | IDEAS/RePEc.
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We found HC to be very religious in a very Catholic way. We are Catholic, so not an issue for us (we loved it), but we left wondering how non-Catholics would feel about the environment.
These sites show Lafayette’s Greek participation in comparison to that of other colleges:
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-sororities
Holy Cross is whatever one wants it to be. Our student had an outstanding four year experience at the college that was nonreligious and secular. Diversity and inclusion is important at HC and it’s visible on campus with both students and faculty. There are Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Protestant, no faith, LGBT and 1st Gen, international students among other groups in addition to Catholics. Students are happy with a 96% first year retention and 93% graduation rate. Graduation outcomes are impressive and in rankings where those are factored in, Holy Cross does exceedingly well. No Greek life. That was a plus for my student. Academics are excellent across disciplines and research opportunities are readily available for those motivated to seek them. The new college President, Vince Rogeau (former Dean of Boston College of Law) is doing great things to carry on the mission of the college while bringing in diversity or students and thought.
Lafayette has a great reputation but Greek life was a hard no for our student.
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I believe these are peer schools, extremely close in overall quality.
Provided both are affordable, anyone lucky enough to be admitted to both should visit them to help make an informed decision. Also delve into available majors and courses, as well as the curriculum/distribution requirements, to figure out which is the better academic fit.
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How would you describe the students at holy cross?
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