Lafayette Questions: Part II

<p>curlyqgrl6, I know a guy who transferred here from University of Toronto. He is a junior now. He has adjusted well and has made many friends.</p>

<p>Hey Justin.</p>

<p>I am international student and have got my tests (toefl and sat) . I wanted to know about ed. What about application essays ?? Can you give me some prompts?</p>

<p>And could u chance me?</p>

<p>1470 in Sat I(780math+690cr)600 writing
toefl 633/677 pbt
GPA 3.75
High school : Best in Nepal
Top 5%
Good recos from physics and English teacher</p>

<p>ECS</p>

<p>School Prefect in grade 10
School vice prefect in grade 9
Lots of participation on ping pong, spelling contests, elocutions,debates,Essay writiing ,poem writing and achieved 1st in many of them
Performed a project at high school
Performed 20 hrs of social works
and few others
thanx in advance</p>

<p>Megaaadi,</p>

<p>Please keep in mind that the admissions process for international applicants is extremely competitive. About 1 out of every 10 int'l students are offered acceptance, which is significantly lower than the admissions rate for domestic applicants.</p>

<p>Your SAT scores are competitive. You should know that Lafayette does not consider Writing scores when making admissions decisions.</p>

<p>Your GPA and rank are also competitive.</p>

<p>Do you have extensive involvement in any of your ECs? Do you hold leadership positions in any of your ECs? What kind of social work were you involved in? More details would be helpful!</p>

<p>If you carefully prepare your application materials, write a good essay, and get good teacher recommendations, you'll have just as great a chance as any other qualified int'l applicant.</p>

<p>On a separate note, if you'd like to speak with a current Lafayette student from Nepal I can provide you with a name and email address.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>Justin, I have "stickied" both this thread and the Part I so that they will remain on top of the Lafayette forum.</p>

<p>is it harder to get accepted to lafayette as an engineering major as opposed to other majors or undecided? is it easier for females?</p>

<p>alli31190,</p>

<p>Although admissions officers would beg to differ, yes, it is harder to get into Lafayette as a prospective engineer. Believe it or not, you might be better off marking a different science major on the application supplement (provided you can back up your selection with pertinent extracurricular pursuits, class experiences, etc.).</p>

<p>A female engineer would get only a slight leg up in the process. Currently, about a third of our engineers are female (national average: 19%).</p>

<p>Here's some "food for thought": someone who applies as a prospective Geology major has a significantly greater chance of being admitted to Lafayette than an applicant with identical stats intending to study a more popular subject. Is that fair? Of course not, but that's how it works.</p>

<p>While I wouldn't say we have admissions quotas, as they deliberate, admissions officers remain aware of how many spaces are "available" in each major for each incoming class.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>would i be any better off applying undecided?</p>

<p>alli31190,</p>

<p>There's absolutely nothing wrong with applying "undecided". I just led an information session this past Saturday with one of our admissions directors, and I recall him saying about 30% apply "undecided" each year.</p>

<p>Your activities list and essay might give admissions officers an idea as to what you might end up majoring in, but that doesn't mean you have to commit yourself to a specific field of study at this time.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>Thank you for your info Justin,</p>

<p>Well my leadership includes being school vice-prefect and prefect(if that counts), My social work included volunteering in a social welfare organization involved in youth mobilization, My eca is not that extensive. I used to participate in everything I could get chances on. I have also performed a project in the Environmental conservation.</p>

<p>I have very good teacher recommendation(i guess). But my essay is not that outstanding . It is quite common but I have tried to write as good as possible. And I have registered for SAT 2 test in december( hope to get at least 750+ in phy chem and math2c)</p>

<p>Will my rather not that outstanding essay significantly decrease my chances?</p>

<p>Thanks . I have the email address of Sailesh(from Nepal).</p>

<p>and when do they give the decision for ed? does applying at ed increase my chance. Skip Statts(he came to my country) said they look at all the things first and then only decide if they feel the applicant is good??</p>

<p>Thanks
hope to get quick reply as I m in dilemma whether or not to apply as early decision applicant</p>

<p>Megaaadi,</p>

<p>I figured you might have known about Shailesh, but I thought I'd ask anyway!</p>

<p>An "average" essay (i.e. one that does not really reveal anything new about you as a person) will not necessarily hurt your chances of admission. The essay is your chance to really shine, to remove yourself from the numbers (GPA, SAT, etc.) in your application. If you don't take full advantage of that opportunity, admissions officers will simply have less information to base their decision on.</p>

<p>Here's some information on the ED process for international applicants from the College's website:</p>

<p><< If Lafayette is your first choice, you are welcome to apply under the Early Decision (ED) plan. While there is a slight advantage (read: understatement of the year) in applying ED as you are confirming your first-choice interest in Lafayette, please realize that the college is seeking the same highly qualified students as those in the regular pool. The admissions office will review ED applications beginning November 1 and will accept those from international students or non-US citizens and Permanent Residents only until the regular deadline, January 1.</p>

<p>Decisions on ED applications normally are made within one month of receipt of your completed application forms, including the ISFAA if you are seeking financial aid. If admitted under the ED plan, you are obligated to withdraw applications to other colleges and to enroll at Lafayette. If you have applied for funding and a decision regarding aid cannot be made within the 30 days, you will be notified and released from the ED obligations. In most cases, the application will then be deferred and reconsidered in the regular pool for both admissions and funding. >>></p>

<p>I'm not exactly sure what Mr. Staats meant by that statement. He might have intended to convey the thought that ED applicants are reviewed no differently than RD applicants.</p>

<p>The decision to apply ED is totally up to you. Do you know enough about Lafayette to commit yourself to the school? If you think Lafayette is your "best fit" school, then there's really no reason not to apply ED. Don't worry too much about funding...if you are accepted and demonstrate financial need, you'll get the $$$ you deserve.</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>You sure can rest assured that it won't come down to money if you are good enough to be here....</p>

<p>Hey Justin!</p>

<p>I was wondering if you could chance me!</p>

<p>OK</p>

<p>Female
South Jersey</p>

<p>SAT: 1410
GPA: 4.0 weighted (I don't know it unweighted)
Rank: 79/ 756
Courses: An assortment of AP and Honors Courses (7 AP Courses)
APs: 4 on US History, 3 on Gov (our school doesn't have a class so I just took it to see how I would do), 2 on Chem (there is a VERY good reason for that... )</p>

<p>EC's:
Orchestra (9-12/ Symphony 11-12)
Volleyball (9-12/ Varsity Started 11-12)
Interact Club - school's community service club. Chaired dances and carnivals for mentally challenged adults in the community (10-12/ Exec. Board 11-12/ VP 12)
MUN (10-12/ President 12)
French Club (10-12)
Member of the Townships's Family and Community Service/ Muncipal Alliance (12)
NHS (11-12)
Participated Played on Club Volleyball Teams (10-11)</p>

<p>Honors and Awards:
Honor Roll (9-12)
Attened Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Attended NJ Governor's School of International Studies</p>

<p>Misc.:
Taught English in Mongolia for 2 weeks
Play a series of concerts in Europe with American Music Abroad</p>

<p>Lafayette isn't my first choice and I didn't apply ED, but their International Relations program really intrests me and I would certianly consider it if I was accepted. </p>

<p>So just lemme know, thanks! =)</p>

<p>-Victoria</p>

<p>Victoria,</p>

<p>Great SAT. Our median 50% SAT last year was 1280-1430, so you just about hit that top 25% of the applicant pool. What's the exact breakdown of your CR vs. Math?</p>

<p>Great GPA and class rank. Decent number of AP courses. I'm curious...what's the "VERY good reason" for the 2 on AP Chem? Be careful about presenting an excuse for that score on applications. Most schools say they don't even consider AP scores when making admissions decisions, even though they are listed on ETS official score reports.</p>

<p>Great EC list. I hope you took the time to explain the nature of your involvement in each, particularly for the ones you dedicated the most time to. I'm curious (again)...what instrument(s) do you play? Governor's School is quite impressive, as is your extensive involvement in Interact Club (padding on most applicants' resumes).</p>

<p>I hope you really "play up" (pun intended) your musical talents in your applications. I'm sure you wrote at least one application essay on the topic, which is just fine.</p>

<p>Have you checked out our new Policy Studies program? It's similar to our International Affairs major, but with an interesting twist. Here's the department's website: Lafayette</a> College - Policy Studies. Be sure to check out the different "Themes of Concentration" within the Policy Studies major here: Lafayette</a> College - Policy Studies.</p>

<p>You are the typical strong Lafayette applicant. Barring any unforeseen circumstances (like last year's "waitlist fiasco"), I see no reason why you wouldn't be admitted RD with a possible Trustee scholarship ($8,000/year).</p>

<p>Best of luck with the process!</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>Thanks Justin!</p>

<p>SATs: CR 700 Math 710</p>

<p>And my "AP" Chemisty course was a joke. The teacher had undiagnosed Huntington's Disorder. So she was constantly depressed and bi- polar. She also had slight ADD so we never had a firm lesson plan. She would spend entire class periods talking about her dog's accident (it got hit by a train). All the while, she was taking graduate courses at U Penn. She left us in the middle of the marking period for 2 weeks to go to Russia. Then halfway through the year she was institutionalized and we got a new teacher. arg!</p>

<p>I play the violin (original i know). I've been playing for a while and I take lessons from a world renound violinist, but I'm not passionate about it. So I'm writing my essay about Mongolia and Interact. </p>

<p>And if I may ask, what was lasts year's "wait list fiasco"?</p>

<p>Victoria,</p>

<p>Last year, admissions officers ended up waitlisting too many qualified applicants in an attempt to decrease enrollment. As May 1st loomed, they realized they had waitlisted too many applicants, so there was a last-minute scramble to find people to fill in remaining spaces in the incoming class.</p>

<p>Wow, that AP Chem class sounded like fun ;-)</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>

<p>Hello. I am an international student interested in Lafayette.
I was on Lafayette's website and saw that </p>

<p>Is admission need-blind for foreign students?</p>

<p>No. However, if accepted, the College will meet your demonstrated need, up to and including, full tuition, room and board, books, and supplies. </p>

<p>does this mean that I do not have to inform anything about my financial issue before I get accepted? and is it really true that I can get financial aid only if I get accepted?</p>

<p>and do I have any chance to get accepted to Lafayette as an international student?</p>

<p>SAT I: reading 600 math 800 writing 640
SAT II: math IIC 800 chemistry 760
Rank: top 10%
Course: most rigorous in school (IB diploma)
EC: not that impressive. several small things... and sports (soccer, badminton, volleyball, track & field), band (marching, jazz, concert)
awards: math competition medals/provincial champion. </p>

<p>I want to major in electrical engineering.</p>

<p>anyh,</p>

<p>You MUST inform the College of your family's financial situation during the application process. As an international student, you are REQUIRED to file the ISFAA (International Student Financial Aid Application) along with your other application materials. </p>

<p>This of course means that admission for international students is NOT "need-blind". The reason for this is quite simple...there is a finite amount of $$$ set aside for international students, and the College must ensure it can meet the full financial need of all accepted international students with that separate fund.</p>

<p>Yes, you receive financial aid only after gaining admission to the College. If you are not admitted, you won't be given a dime! If this does not answer your question, I apologize. I have a feeling language differences prevent me from correctly answering your question.</p>

<p>As for your chances...</p>

<p>Those SAT scores put you in the running. There will definitely be international students with higher CR scores, but don't let that stop you from applying. Each year, admissions officers at Lafayette rely less and less on standardized test scores because they have proven to be "unreliable" (not indicative of an applicant's true academic potential) on more than one occasion.</p>

<p>Great SAT II scores. Admissions officers will take note, although they claim SAT II scores aren't considered when making admissions decisions.</p>

<p>Your full IB curriculum is definitely impressive. Receipt of an IB Diploma will definitely set you apart from many other applicants.</p>

<p>I hope you can expand on at least a few of your extracurricular pursuits. Admissions officers want to see passion and dedication in a few ECs. That may hurt your chances in the long run, as many international students have rather extensive resumes.</p>

<p>Just by applying as a prospective engineer, you are hurting your chances of admissions. There's really not much you can do about that, though, short of marking some other (related) field such as computer science on the Lafayette supplement. Each year, international students end up competing for the same spaces in our engineering department, making admissions particularly difficult for some.</p>

<p>If I were forced to place a percentage on your chances (keeping in mind international admissions is MUCH more competitive than regular admissions), I'd say about 25%. I don't have access to your completed application, so please consider that number to be a rough estimate based on your bare stats. If I had access to your essay, recommendation letters, and full resume, I'd be much more confident in my estimate.</p>

<p>If you have any other admission-related questions, don't hesitate to ask!</p>

<ul>
<li>Justin</li>
</ul>