Because of the smaller student population, does it feel confining to be in a small campus? How easy is it to go to NYC? Are all the classes small and are the professors accessible? What is the variety of classes like? Is the Greek life dominant at Lafayette? How does Lafayette prepare you for life after college? Is the culture of Lafayette preprofessional or more life of the mind?
I’ll give you the perspective of a parent. I have one son who has graduated, one who is a junior now, and one who will be attending next year. My wife and I had no affiliation with the school, but I think the experience of my oldest sold the other two on the school.
Because of the smaller student population, does it feel confining to be in a small campus?
I don’t think so. My sons have very different and varied interests, and both stayed very active with like minded individuals. I have never heard this complaint from them.
How easy is it to go to NYC?
It is very easy. There is a bus that runs directly from Easton to Manhattan. My oldest takes it regularly to return for alumni events, or to visit his brother.
Are all the classes small and are the professors accessible?
It depends on your definition of small. I think my son had one lecture in Physics that was around 60 students, but the lab had 20 students. Other than that the largest classes were 30, but those usually had a lab with less students. They also had some very small classes of 5-15 students.
What is the variety of classes like?
As a liberal arts school with engineering, they have a wide variety of majors and significant depth within each major. They don’t have a masters program. I got my masters and bachelors at the same time and you can’t do that here. I don’t think that is necessarily a negative, as it encourages the students to explore other academic interests. My oldest has an engineering and philosophy degree. The dual degree served him well when he was interviewing for jobs. They also don’t have pre-professional degrees. You won’t find nursing or education. Again, not necessarily a negative, but may not serve all students. I know students who have gone on to teach or for occupational therapy, but it requires additional schooling. This is generally required anyways, as most teachers have a masters.
Is the Greek life dominant at Lafayette?
No, but with a caveat. Many other groups act functionally like a fraternity. Some sports teams or clubs with sufficient scale act similar to a fraternity. This was a comment from my son that joined a fraternity, not the one who didn’t.
How does Lafayette prepare you for life after college?
As a parent, we have been very pleased. Incredibly impressed with what my sons have been exposed to, and what there classmates have achieved, both in college and beyond.
Is the culture of Lafayette preprofessional or more life of the mind?
My opinion would be life of the mind. I don’t get the impression that classmates are cutthroat, but more collaborative. As I mentioned earlier, pre-professional degrees are generally not offered (you could argue all engineering degrees are pre-professional).
My D is a recent Lafayette graduate. Much of what I have to say will echo the above post but here are my comments:
–Lafayette’s campus never felt confining to my D. In fact she spent two summers on campus doing research for a professor. She also went abroad over the summer so she wouldn’t miss a semester on campus.
– There is a bus that goes from Easton to NYC. My D also went to Manhattan with a couple of classes to see a Broadway show, an opera, go to a museum etc. That said, she did not often go to NYC with friends – she was happy on campus (perhaps this is because we live in a suburb of NYC and we go in often from home).
–Most of her classes were in the 30 range. She had a couple of larger lectures (max 60) but these classes did have small labs. She also had a number of upper level classes with 12-15 students and a few with 6-8 students. All taught by full professors. She found her professors to be accessible – she developed strong relationships with a few professors who she did research for, worked on theater productions with etc. A few years out my D still corresponds with a couple of professors from Lafayette.
–There is a great variety of classes. She took classes ranging from classical music and improvisational theater to abnormal psychology and physics. I will note that not every class is offered every semester in a smaller school like Lafayette so that is something to be aware of when scheduling. In addition, some students take classes at other schools in the LVAIC consortium (my D took Anatomy & Physiology at Moravian) that includes Lehigh, Muhlenberg, Cedar Crest, Moravian and DeSales. She also did a summer abroad program to Italy through the consortium.
–In terms of Greek Life, nobody can pledge for a sorority or fraternity until sophomore year. This has two major benefits. First, my D formed very strong friendships freshman year (through her dorm, classes, ECs) that she retained throughout her four years at Lafayette (regardless of if people went Greek or not). The second benefit is that by the time it comes to rush or not rush students have a reasonable sense of what (if any) fraternities/sororities might be a match for them. My D did not go to Lafayette intending to rush for a sorority. However, she ended up with a few friends from one of her ECs who were in a very low-key (not partiers) sorority. She did go through sophomore rush with the idea that if she did not get into the one sorority she targeted that she would drop out of the process and happily things worked out as she hoped. The sorority did not dominate her social life at Lafayette – she seemed to spend a great deal of weekends with freshman year friends, friends from her ECs, friends from a living-learning community she was in etc.
Students are absolutely able to have an active social life with or without going Greek at Lafayette.
–My D went to grad school (got into a top one in her area) and felt extremely prepared.
–Lafayette has a mix of students. The engineers often are pre-professional, some students are looking to go to law school, med school, others decide to pursue opportunities including teaching abroad, working for non-profits etc… It is a real mix.
–My D found the school to be collaborative not competitive.
–IMO Lafayette has found that secret sauce where students are challenged academically and still find time to get involved in activities/ECs that they find interesting/exciting. My D had a wonderful 4 years there.
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@bp0001 & @happy1 Thanks for the feedback on Lafayette. The more I learn about the school and all it has to offer, the more sure I become it is the right school/fit for me. Looking forward to Accepted Students day on the 14th
Attended XLC last week and the program was the final clincher for me. Looking forward to spending the next four years on College Hill. Attended Gettysburg’s GAD the day before and it was a tough choice but I just felt Lafayette was the right school for me!
@Jaspers Congratulations. Both my wife and I graduated from Lafayette longer ago than I would like to admit. However, it is a great school. Enjoy your four years there. They go by quick.
The admitted students day drive it home last year after visits to Bucknell, Villanova and Lehigh.
My DS has narrowed down to Lafayette and Bucknell. The fear of what he has read about an anemic social life at Lafayette is scaring him away. Although the academics look superb. Any more thoughts on social life?
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@kwajmama My D had a thriving social life at Lafayette. IMO the main difference socially is that Greek Life seems to be fairly dominant at Bucknell while it is only a part of the social scene at Lafayette. If your S is drawn to Greek Life Bucknell may be the better option, if not then Lafayette may be a better fit. The academics are excellent at both schools.
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@happy1 Thanks for all your help on this forum. I was torn between several colleges (Lafayette, Bucknell, Fordham and more recently Gettysburg). I chose Lafayette. All of the schools are strong academically. One of the deciding factors was I would like to have the option of joining a sorority but I don’t want it to be the dominant social aspect of my college life. Lafayette just felt right for me
@kwajmama My D is a soon to be graduate who has loved her experience at Lafayette. In terms of social life, don’t overlook downtown Easton. There are some great restaurants as well as a weekly farmer’s market and a variety of other festivals and events held regularly throughout the year. Easton’s proximity to NYC, Philadelphia, the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley is also a big plus. Given Bucknell’s rural location, I believe the off-campus social scene is more limited.
My daughter is about to finish her freshman year and loves the school and the social scene. She was fortunate to be a varsity athlete so she started the year already part of a group of student/ athletes. She has made great friends on the team. She also joined a couple other activities and has a very rich and busy social life. A little more than I was comfortable with at times but she is excelling and having the time of her life. My partner and I both attended large big 10 public universities and Lafayette is so much more than what we both experienced with our undergraduate experiences.