haru07

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.

Megaaadi

Hey Justin.

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?

Megaaadi

And could u chance me?


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

ECS

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

candyman92486

Megaaadi,

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.

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

Your GPA and rank are also competitive.

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!

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.

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.

- Justin

JEM

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

alli31190

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

candyman92486

alli31190,

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.).

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%).

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.

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.

- Justin

alli31190

would i be any better off applying undecided?

candyman92486

alli31190,

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.

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.

- Justin

Megaaadi

Thank you for your info Justin,

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.

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)

Will my rather not that outstanding essay significantly decrease my chances?

Thanks . I have the email address of Sailesh(from Nepal).

Megaaadi

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??

Megaaadi

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

candyman92486

Megaaadi,

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

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.

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

<< 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.

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. >>>

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.

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.

- Justin

shail619

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

tortoe

Hey Justin!

I was wondering if you could chance me!


OK

Female
South Jersey

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... )

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)

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

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



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.

So just lemme know, thanks! =)

-Victoria