What is the best thing about Lafayette, and what makes it different from other LACs?
After touring over a dozen with my son, they do all seem very similar. Often the differences are at the margins. Lafayette (and Union and Bucknell) offer engineering so that may matter if you lean STEM. Lafayette has division 1 sports and most LACs are D3. It is known as a work hard and play hard school. Plenty of school spirit. The rivalry with Lehigh is legendary. As LACs go, it leans pre-professional and is less overtly arty or intellectual than some. It has Greek life but it does not dominate the active social scene. Easton is a fun little college town. NYC and Philadelphia are fairly easily accessible.
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I agree with the description above. We toured a number of LACs with my D before she decided Lafayette was her first choice. We found that each LAC had its own vibe and that there were a few she was attracted to and other very fine schools she dismissed for various reasons (too preppy, too artsy etc.) and some other schools she liked but not as much as Lafayette. It was a matter of fit.
My D was interested in a science major but also likes the humanities and felt that Lafayette was excellent across the board academically. She was not sure if she wanted Greek life or not and liked that it was available, but not overwhelming, at Lafayette. She arranged to shadow a student for a day and just felt happy and comfortable at Lafayette.
I can say that she had an amazing four year experience. I’ve said it before on this forum but IMO Lafayette has found that “secret sauce” which allows the students to be challenged academically and still have time to get involved in activities, do research with professors, have a social life etc. As a parent I loved that well-balanced aspect of the school. And FWIW my D got into her top choice grad school (and her friends did well in terms of getting jobs or getting into grad school as well).
If you have any questions that a Lafayette parent can answer for you feel free to PM me.
For my Son it was the quality of then undergraduate engineering program, school size, and a good fit for him as an athlete. Best of luck on you College search.