Lafayette College Visit Report by DougBetsy

Visit Activities:

Information Session: Yes - This was conducted in a science lecture hall. It was lead by an asst dean of admission with a first-year-greek-student-athlete contributing from time to time. Informative, but no more so than website

Campus Tour: Yes - H, Son, and I hadn't had much luck with freshmen tour guides, but Bianca was excellent. Well-informed and no-nonsense no marketing fluff. We were impressed with her and the campus.

Classroom Visit: No - It was Saturday morning. No classes in session.

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Campus:

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Smiling and wearing lots of Laf apparel.

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We only heard from the asst dean at the info session. But, she was pleasant in an "I've been through the college search 4x with my own kids" kind of way. She could relate to us and us

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It had rained for 6 straight days. Everything looked great, except the grass really needed a cut. (But so does my lawn at home. Rain does that.)

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We didn't see inside of classroom bldgs. Guide described them as we went by. They looked fine. Inside student center was A-OK, modern, but needed a vacuum. Lib was the best we've seen in

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Didn't see a student sleeping room. But the common areas (kitchens and lounges) were large and well-equiped. Some of the best we've seen.

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Felt safe in an insulated way. Saw a couple blue lights, but wasn't really looking for them, so there could have been more.

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Mainly saw the area around the quad and missed the rest of the campus. What we saw looked nice. One frat house looked like it had seen better days; fit Animal House stereotype. Didnt bother us.

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Off-Campus:

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Quaint shops and businesses (florist, salons, etc.) Info session lady said the college owns many adjacent blocks of the town and leases them to residents. May expand campus one day.

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Hilly town on the Delaware River. Guide said students stay on campus for the weekends. Venture into town for "Mom and Dad Restaurants" when parents visit.

Campus Visit Notes for Lafayette College

Visit Description:

This was the 4th Pennsylvania LAC we've toured. (Gettyburg, F&M, and Dickinson were the others.) Out of the 4, Laf was the most eagerly anticipated. It seems to be marginally less selective and marginally less expensive than the others and a little more predictable with merit aid.

Alas, our plan of "saving the best for last" backfired. By the time we got to LAC #4, they all looked alike and this visit was anti-climatic. Don't misunderstand me. We liked or loved it in many ways. But we didn't see a "WOW" factor because we had "seen it all before" at the first 3.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing. In a way, we found it to be equal to others, but the least snobby of the 4. And that was comforting to us ordinary folk. Even the "Animal House-looking" frat was endearing.

In hindsight, I wonder if the long grass and student union in need of a vacuum were evidence of belt-tightening we heard about at the info session. She plainly said the school is not cutting budgets in education. They're cutting back elsewhere (like no Danish at staff meetings.)

I'm sorry if this sounds like a negative report. I don't mean that. I guess after seeing 7 schools this year, we've got a keener eye. All in all, it was an excellent visit and the school will stay on Son's list.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

N/A we drove from home.