<p>Whether you’re talking to friends, or reading a NYT article about higher education, Lafayette is always thrown into the equation. </p>
<p>In articles that outline how colleges have become so selective it’s decaying accessible education, the author always mentions that some schools are coming out of the woodwork to take the best students and give them a great education–and they always mention Lafayette.</p>
<p>My question is, then why is it ranked like 36th by US News? </p>
<p>The ranking isn’t absolute, as the US Military academy and the likes are also taken into account. Still, I did expect Lafayette to be among the top 20s. I’d love to hear someong elaborating on this point. 
About Lafayette being the next ivy, I don’t think that title can be gained in a conventional way. But that’s a great proposal.</p>
<p>There is no question that Lafayette should replace “Dartmouth” or “Penn” as an Ivy. Lafayette plays all those schools in sports, anyway. We don’t need Dartmouth or Penn as an Ivy. We need Cornell because otherwise all of upper New York state would empty of population.</p>
<p>Actually, Colgate, in the same league as Lafayette, Lehigh, the acadamies (the Patriot League) was in consideration for getting an Ivy spot, but it went to Brown instead. Ivy is an athletic league, you know. </p>
<p>I find this discussion rather pointless. After all, the Ivy League (which, as mentioned above shares policies
regarding varsity intercollegiate athletics) is exclusive, long-standing and, as far as I know settled for membership with 8 members.</p>
<p>Then there is the younger Patriot League of which Lafayette and a few other schools are charter members with many of the same priorities and practices in place as those in the Ivy League. This is a 10 member athletic league comprising what I call a core of full members and also a few associate members playing fewer sports within the league. Patriotleague.org is the place to go for further background of who is who, what its mission is, and what sports it supports.</p>
<p>Why is anyone wondering what life would be like if his/her alma mater were already in the Ivy League? And what would that achieve anyway? Maybe if this were the lead up to 1956 when I believe the Ivy League was formed would that effort be worthwhile in terms of getting approved. </p>
<p>Here’s an idea: why not step back and look at what is unique at each Patriot League school (and each Ivy League school, for that matter) and evaluate their qualities relative to your priorities? They vary greatly in some ways and not so much in certain other ways, depending on your perspective. For sure, the varsity athletics part is interesting but this is about your long term and broad association with the college you select and that selects you.
Not an athletics league.</p>
<p>Good luck with your college search!</p>
<p>I don’t put a lot of stock in the rankings myself. There are a number of wonderful LACs. I suggest that you look at what school is best for your particular area of interest. For example, Lafayette has a niche in that few LACs offer engineering. Lafayette is a very strong all around school, but IMO the STEM fields are particularly good at Lafayette. It is also one of the few LACs with D1 sports if that matters to you. I suggest that you seek out schools that fits your academic, social, and financial needs, not the highest ranked one.</p>
<p>I don’t think the Ivy League is changing membership and quite frankly Lafayette, as a small LAC isn’t a great match for the other Ivy schools (even Dartmouth, the smallest Ivy school has 4,000 undergraduates as well as grad schools for a total of over 6,00 students). The Ivy League is a sports league. Many non-Ivy schools are academic peers to the Ivies (ex. MIT, CalTech, Williams to name but a few) and other sports leagues (ex. the Patriot League) have teams which play a number of Ivy League opponents. Lafayette seems to me to be well placed in the Patriot League along with arch-rival Lehigh and other fine LACs such as Colgate, Holy Cross, & Bucknell. In addition, the Patriot leagues is allowing some athletic scholarships which Ivy schools do not.</p>
<p>The important thing is that Lafayette is a wonderful LAC which provides a tremendous education and tremendous opportunities for its students. </p>
<p>You’re all missing the point! Just joining the ivy league, just sharing its prestige and the level of academics that each school posses. </p>
<p>John6777</p>
<p>I may be missing your point but I do have a point of my own. That’s why I took the trouble to offer it on this thread about Lafayette.</p>
<p>The LAC I attended (hint: Charter Member of PL and starts with a C) IS prestigious and important to me- on its own terms. That’s what I expected would be the case when I enrolled and I have enjoyed the association tremendously. And it’s unique… I would never be tempted, others’ fantasies notwithstanding, to borrow from the “level of prestige and academics that each school posses (sic)”- whether from the Ivy League, the PL or elsewhere. I am not even clear what that means in practical terms and to what end such an exercise might deliver.</p>
<p>Good luck with your college search!</p>
<p>Agreed…John6777…IMO Lafayette does not need the Ivy League stamp to present itself as an outstanding college. No matter what sports league the school is aligned with Lafayette gives its students fantastic academics and a rich social life in a LAC environment.</p>
<p>There is definitely much more room for improvement at Lafayette. I hope the college will achieve a meteoric rise just like UChicago did.
How did UChicago do it btw?</p>