Alabama vs. Lafayette

sophocles
Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:59:47 +0000

My S is currently deciding between Lafayette College (Marquis Scholar) and Alabama (NMF package). He is planning to major in Mechanical Engineering and wants to be involved in research. He was impressed with what he saw at Alabama (campus, hospitality, facilities) during his honors college visit last month and he also came away with a positive experience at Lafayette during the Marquis Scholars day. He is a a bright, quiet kid, friendly but not outgoing, and does not follow any sports. Although both schools have a Greek presence, he does not want to join a frat and he is not keen on drinking. His pre-K to 12 years: small private schools with individualized attention. I’m wondering how kids like him have adjusted to Alabama, particularly OOS kids? Will he get lost in a large, public school like Alabama? We realize that the Honors College will make the place smaller for him but will it be small enough to allow for individual attention, if needed? This also goes for the College of Engineering. How large are the freshman lecture classes? Are the faculty accessible and truly concerned about the welfare of the students? These questions are difficult to assess during campus visits. Lafayette College,a small LAC with a solid engineering program, seems to be a better fit for him but Alabama, a larger school with good research opportunites and greater resources available, is more of the financial reality. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.