Silent Rain

I'm interested in Lafa, but it is said it has bad relations
with the neibor,to be a girl ,is it a safe place?

AmherstAlum81E

I'm not an expert on the matter, having only visited LC, where my son will start next year, but... LC is 'up on a hill", which clearly separates it from the main portion of Easton. The campus itself, and the rest of the neighborhood that is on the hill, seem extremely safe. I don't know the stats, but I'd doubt LC students have had a lot of trouble in the areas immediately surrounding the college. The portion of Easton directly below the college (at the bottom of the "hill") seemed to be pretty "upscale", but also had a "pulse" and includes a number of restaurants and bars that I believe are part of the weekend "night life" for LC students. This area also seems "pretty safe," as does the area east, towards the river. Not boring, not sterile, but relatively safe. However, moving west puts you into areas that I'd call a bit more dicey, based on my first impression. I don't think LC students venture that way often, though I may be wrong.

Summary impression is that LC, like many other high caliber academic institutions, is situated within a somewhat insulated zone, and the further outside that insulation one moves, the more one sees the problems of the "real world". This is true at Yale, Harvard, PENN, Brown, and even more so at many schools (e.g. Columbia... and Trinity is downright scary). I'd suggest visiting the campus, speaking with students, and driving around the neighborhoods. Then you can judge your own comfort level.

Again, this is just my impression from visiting and speaking with students. I'd also be grateful for any "first-hand" impressions.

Good luck!

hudsonvalley51

AmherstAlum has pretty much nailed it from what I have seen. My daughter, who will be returning to Lafayette for her sophomore year in August, spent a lot of time walking around the Lafayette campus and surrounding College Hill community in the evening and never reported a problem. She and her friends also regularly walked to the downtown area to shop, check out the Farmers' Market and to catch a bus to Manhattan on several occasions. My wife and I also took a number of evening walks around College Hill when staying at the Lafayette Inn for visits and never experienced anything we wouldn't strolling around Rhinebeck or Saratoga at night. I think LC is quite safe as long as you take the same precautions you would in any urban area. One of those precautions is to stay out of the west ward and the neighborhood south of downtown if you are walking alone or after dark.

moshiz08

I visited once. It's pretty legit.

Lafalum84

Lafayette is about as safe as any other college campus, and probably safer than most "urban" campuses. It's never a good idea for students, especially females, to be walking a long distance alone at night, not just at Lafayette but anywhere. Lafayette is so self-contained and "feels" so safe that students tend to forget how easy it is for anyone to walk onto campus. That said, the campus is pretty well-lit, pretty well separated from downtown Easton by the cliff on 2 sides, and all the dorms are locked 24/7. Students get electronic keys that let them into their own dorm building 24/7, and into any other dorm from 6 am - 10 pm.

Any "bad relations with the neighbors" are probably noise complaints, which are to be expected around pretty much any college campus.

My son will be a junior at LC this fall, I don't worry about his safety on campus.

janesmom1

Lafayette is pretty safe. My daughter has been there for two years now and she never travels at night alone, that said the area downtown is pretty isolated and not too much goes on there. So far, we have not heard of any major incidences on or off campus.

In general, it is a small campus in a small town. Your safety should always be a matter of concern no matter what school you attend.

brezeck

thanks these moms... great information