<p>We are visiting the area on Monday. We are going to visit Bucknell and Princeton as well. My son is a junior. Goes to a Public school in midwest, of 2500 students. Doesnt want to see anything smaller than that. He will graduate with an IB diploma- 1 of 33 kids. DK his class rank. Took the SAT For first time, received a 750 in CR and 650 in Math. Might be a NMF. May want to be a dentist, but doesnt know for sure. Likes the idea of both dentistry and a LAC. Didnt like Carleton, Sorta liked St. Olaf. All these schools meet his need to play club hockey. He doesnt drink like many high schoolers. Not saying he wont drink when he gets to college. He is semi social. Not super outgoing, but not shy. Pretty average but very inquisitive. I cant see him at UPenn or Princeton, because the kids he hangs with are pretty average midwesterners, smarter jock types. But I feel compelled to go to the campuses to visit them. I am more in favor of a smaller LAC like MIDD but that is too far away for this visti and it doesnt have club hockey. I am also more in favor of non greek, but again that is because I am his mom. I could see him basically excelling at Business or engineering or dentistry, but right now my main concern are these school visits. Am I doing him a disservice by visiting UPenn over Lafayette? Villanova is closed on Monday but we could walk around there in the morning, see the library and church and then he could sit in on a class at UPenn (biochem) and then we could go on afternoon tours at UPenn and drive up to lafeyette later and just walk around at 5 pm or so... We are visiting Muhlenberg on TUesday morning.
Let me know what you all think.
Thanks</p>
<p>Lafayette, as you know, has slightly fewer than 2,500 students (2,470 or thereabouts). It does, however, offer very good options in business (economics), engineering and pre-med/pre-dentistry. Club hockey is also available. Greek life is available, but is far from a dominant part of the campus culture and becoming less so every year. Lots of options for athletic and even semi-athletic kids (like my daughter), including intercollegiate, club and intramurals. Based on your son’s SAT Math score I think he’d find math and science courses at Lafayette to be challenging, but probably not overwhelming.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’d go so far as to say you’d be doing your son a disservice by visiting Penn over Lafayette, but I think you know how competitive Penn is (14% admit rate this year) and where your son stacks up statistically in comparison to Penn admits. Your son, based on what you’ve shared in your post, sounds an awful lot like a lot of Lafayette students. If you could at least drop by the admissions office and take a walk around I would recommend it.</p>
<p>Dont you think if he gets a 750 on Math this next go around that he would have a chance at an IVY with his IB diploma and A better than 4.0 weighted GPA?</p>