<p>Thanks a lot! It seems to me that the people that write those reports are probably people that would be better suited at a party school. I am certainly not the kind of person that feels the need to be drunk every weekend but I am glad to hear there is such a wide spectrum of social options.</p>
<p>beantowndude, be aware that as a freshman male you will not be allowed to attend frat parties. Once you’re a sophomore that will change though. There are only 4 frats left at Lafayette so they clearly do not define the entire social scene. There are also plenty of other things happening and kids do drink in the dorms (although it’s against the rules, obviously). </p>
<p>After the death of a freshman who had been drinking off-campus at the very end of last semester, the college is convening a committee to study the issue of alcohol. I don’t think this necessarily means a big crack-down, as the current president has spoken previously in support of an organization that wants to re-examine the drinking age (with the thinking that enforcing a drinking age of 21 actually encourages binge drinking by 18-20 year olds, in an unground and dangerous way). It will be interesting to see the outcome. </p>
<p>BTW, the current president, Dan Weiss, is leaving at the end of the 2012-13 school year to become the president of Haverford, and Lafayette has formed a search committee to find his replacement.</p>
<p>So, this may have been answered in one f the 14 pages, but just going through 6 was a bit painful.
I have two questions:
- upon talking with a friend who enrolled at Lafayette, she said there was a fairly large drinking culture and pressure, do you find this to be true?
- I know Lafayette is affiliated with the PCUSA, how strong is religion on campus? As in, are a lot of people conservatively religious, or more liberal in their religious views, or does the fact that Lafayette is affiliated with the PCUSA not important in student life?</p>
<p>If by PCUSA you mean the Presbyterian Church, that link is historical and weak at best. I think the only influence it may have is that the on-campus chaplain may be Presbyterian. I’d say there is zero influence from that “affiliation” on student life. I doubt most students even know the college was once affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.</p>
<p>There are students who practice a variety of religions on campus - Catholic, Protestant and Jewish - and probably an even larger number of students who are not actively practicing any religion. Hillel (Jewish), Newman (Catholic) and Lafayette Christian Fellowship are all active if you are interested in them.</p>
<p>Hi cty4ever,</p>
<p>Like lafalum84 said, there are many students on campus who are not very religious at all. Before arriving at Lafayette, I had heard that its students are stereotypically conservative, but I have met both conservative and liberal people (with regards to religion) on campus.</p>
<p>I cannot speak for Newman or the Christian Fellowship, but as an active e-board member of Hillel, I can tell you that Hillel is VERY liberal and reformed. While we (obviously) celebrate Jewish religion and culture, there isn’t a deeply religious undertone. Let me put it this way—one of the executive board members of Hillel isn’t even Jewish. </p>
<p>I have met people of various religions, but I personally have not met anyone who is extremely conservative or orthodox. There are probably a few, but I imagine many of those people probably attend colleges with stronger religious affiliations (Catholic U, Yeshiva, etc).</p>
<p>So the short answer to your question is that religious views vary at Lafayette, and the connection to PCUSA means pretty much nothing at all.</p>
<p>As for your drinking question, drinking on campus has been described very recently. You should find what you are looking for on the most recent page or 2 of this forum.</p>
<p>Please let me know if you have any other questions.</p>
<p>Taylor</p>
<p>Hi Taylor:</p>
<p>My daughter is also interested in the neuroscience/pre med track and Lafayette has just recently come up in our research. I was wondering what other schools you were seriously considering along with Lafayette during your college search? Now that you have been there for a while, are you happy with the neuroscience program?</p>
<p>How would you describe the town of Easton? College town? Friendly toward the students?</p>
<p>Do you know if there are many gluten free food choices on campus? My daughter is gluten intolerant so this is an important component of the search process for her. </p>
<p>Also, how are the athletic facilities for non-varsity students?</p>
<p>Thanks for answering my random questions!</p>
<p>Hi dpsjss,</p>
<p>Your questions aren’t random at all! 
In fact, they come up very very often.</p>
<p>When I was looking at schools, I was at first looking for a respected small school with a strong science department/medical school acceptance track record that was also in close proximity from my home for convenience (I’m only about 45 minutes away from Lafayette, although I live on campus). I was also looking for a friendly atmosphere (which my high school lacked), as well as the opportunity for a well rounded education (like a liberal arts school). That being said, schools that ended up on my final list were Lafayette (obviously), Lehigh, and Muhlenberg, each being a respected liberal arts school also known for sciences. I knew that I wanted to apply ED somewhere in order to give myself some security so that I didn’t have to be so stressed the 2nd half of senior year. All those schools on paper looked fairly similar, so after visiting each one a second time, I decided that Lafayette gave me the best “vibe”…so that’s how I chose to apply ED here. </p>
<p>One of the reasons I liked Lafayette was in fact because of its neuroscience major. I chose to major in it because I am interested in both the way people behave (ie. psychology), as well as the the biological reasons behind it (ie. biology). I felt neuroscience was the best major for me because it provides both, and I feel the biological and psychological sides complement each other. I like the way Lafayette’s neuroscience major is designed, because after taking a series of core classes, I am able to steer my course selection in either a more bio-based or more psych-based curriculum as I go along. ([Courses</a> Neuroscience Lafayette College](<a href=“http://neuroscience.lafayette.edu/courses/]Courses”>Courses · Neuroscience · Lafayette College)). Also, although I have only taken one actual neuroscience class so far, I was pleased with the professor. So far I have been happy with the program.</p>
<p>As for Easton…many people like to give it a bad rap, but it really isn’t that bad. Yes, there are a few sketchy places in town where you wouldn’t want to walk around late at night, but if you just practice some common sense, this will NOT be an issue. Most of the town is friendly, and Easton shares several ties with Lafeyette (community service projects at locations in town, volunteering sites such as the homeless shelter, etc). During the fall, Easton has the country’s largest farmer’s market on the weekends, which is fun to go to time to time, and they also have the State Theater nearby if you want to see a show. In fact, that theater is where the phrase “Can you hold my seat” originated–there’s your fun fact for the day lol. Easton is also described as an “artsy” which is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t been there. When at Lafayette, I honestly don’t leave “the hill” very often, but when I do go downtown, it’s nice.</p>
<p>To answer your gluten question, the answer is YES! I recommend you read this article about food options at Lafayette. It actually mentions a student who has the same issue as your daughter. [Campus</a> Restaurants Serve Up New Features this Spring About Lafayette College](<a href=“http://www.lafayette.edu/about/news/2011/01/28/campus-restaurants/]Campus”>http://www.lafayette.edu/about/news/2011/01/28/campus-restaurants/)</p>
<p>Finally, for non-varsity athletic facilities, unfortunately I don’t really have much valuable information to share, as I am not an athlete. Hopefully sixstringsrocker, another student who answers questions on this forum, can help answer your question about that.</p>
<p>Whew! Sorry for the super long post! Hopefully I provided the information you wanted. If you have any other questions at all, please do not hesitate to post again.</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter!</p>
<p>Taylor</p>
<p>My D will be starting Lafayette in the fall – when we visited we walked down to look at the fitness center and it seemed excellent and well utilized-- lots of workout machines, pool, rock climbing wall etc.</p>
<p>I am an International student from the Middle East who is interested in Lafayette. </p>
<p>I was wondering, Does Lafayette offer full financial aid to International students ?</p>
<p>What SAT scores and TOEFL scores are considered competitive for Aid ( full FA )?
what are the average SAT scores TOEFL scores that International students applying to Lafayette have ?
Thanks for answering my questions :)</p>
<p>@nivina:
- Yes, it does but it’s extremely competitive.
- there is no specific SAT/TOEFL scores. FA does not depend upon that. FA depends upon demonstrated need.
- not exactly sure what are the averages, but I estimate it’s around 2100 (1400-1450) and 105+ or so. </p>
<p>note: you should know, it’s not only about the scores. If a candidate has below average scores but is exceptional (I know it’s vague), that still works. It honestly depends upon you.</p>
<p>Hey guys!</p>
<p>I have a qustion: Marquis Scholarships requirement says that a candidate should have around 1400 on Sat.
I wondered if essay and background means anything when talking about Marquis Scholarships.</p>
<p>Hi doctoribach,</p>
<p>The Marquis Scholarship does not require an essay. Marquis scholars are chosen during the admissions cycle, and those who are selected are notified at the same time they are notified of their acceptance to the college.</p>
<p>In choosing Marquis scholars, Lafayette considers grades, test scores, and curricula difficulty, as well as extracurricular/community accomplishment. Their website indicates that most Marquis scholars have a 1400+ SAT score, but I do not believe this is a steadfast rule. No essay is written to obtain a Marquis Scholarship, and I do not believe that background is (officially) taken into consideration. However, they most likely use your background as a context when evaluating your application.</p>
<p>Taylor</p>
<p>I’ve been assigned to Kamine Hall for the upcoming year. Is there any place I can find a building map?</p>
<p>Hi “imofftocollege,”</p>
<p>Yes, floor plans for each floor of Kamine can be accessed here–</p>
<p><a href=“Login - CAS – Central Authentication Service”>Login - CAS – Central Authentication Service;
<p>However, in order to get to it, you will need to put in your Lafayette username and password (you should have gotten that information via mail recently). Let me know if you run into problems accessing it.</p>
<p>Hope to see you in August,</p>
<p>Taylor</p>
<p>Thanks captain. I tried it and it worked.
Can you give me some info on what kind of reputation/vibe that kamine has on campus?</p>
<p>Kamine is a relatively new dorm, so I would say it’s physically one of the nicer dorms on campus (in terms of rooms). It is an exclusively freshman dorm, so those who live in it say that they become closer (family-like) than other dorms. Kamine is a bit farther away from academic buildings than other dorms, but it’s nothing to fret about—nothing on campus is more than a 15 minute walk away. One nice thing about Kamine’s location though, is that it is close to Simon’s, a good sandwich shop that is popular on campus. </p>
<p>If you want to get to know the people who are assigned to live in Kamine this fall, I suggest you find them on the Lafayette College Class of 2016 facebook group. Many people have posted their rooming assignments there. I highly recommend you join the group if you haven’t already. </p>
<p>Taylor</p>
<p>Also, feel free to friend me (Taylor Brown). Let me know if you have any other questions.</p>
<p>When does the Lafayette College Supplemental essay come out?</p>
<p>Hi “allaboutwork,”</p>
<p>I would check the common app website daily to see if it comes up early. However, if I remember correctly, I want to say that it comes out on August 1st.</p>
<p>Good luck with the application!</p>
<p>Taylor</p>