<p>justin and i get the same merit scholarship, the marquis. it comes to 16k or a full grant to need. i also got a HELP loan, which is unique to lafayette college. it’s 7500 per year and doesn’t collect until graduation. if i were as technologically advanced as justin, i’d post a link about it but i’ll just direct you to the website. my parents also took a plus loan from the fed govt and i took on a stafford loan.
laf is not cheap by any means, but judging by the alumnis houses i’ve been to, it’s a worthwhile investment. material possessions aside, laf will give a lot more personal attention from the very beginning than any other college, at least judging from those i was accepted to.laf did a personalized acceptance letter signed by the dean of admissions, and the one that came closest to that was smith- little sticky note saying something that sounded a little bit condescending and forced, “nice extra curriculars” i think it said.</p>
<p>to give you an idea of how impressed i was by lafayette, i’ll tell you this- i was accepted to williams and it would have cost me a few thousand more to attend there than laf. i chose laf, and tho money was one concern so far i think i made the right decision in so many other ways. i can tell you i am now so glad i chose laf over williams. other schools i got to reject included smith, wellesley, bryn mawr, boston college honors, tufts, rutgers honors with a scholarship.
all the other “elite” schools’ acceptance letters and the general tone of the materials i received gave me the feeling “you should be honored to come here and you prolly just got lucky to be accepted here” the wellesley one even raved about some of the accomplishments of other accepted students and profs.
laf’s said to me “we’re happy to have YOU. and we will go out of our way to help you in whatever you want to do- look we thought you might be interested in…” and so far that message has proved 100% true.</p>
<p>anyone interested in laf at all should download the college news screensaver. you really can do anything at lafayette and if you’re like me, probably be a lot happier doing it at laf than anywhere else. it brags all about the STUDENTS and all the great things laf has enabled them to do. Lafayette is a community of talented individuals whereas many other schools pride themselves on being prestigious institutions.<br>
i feel the need to restate my disclaimer of being a lowly, inexperienced incoming frosh but honestly, i went from feeling like a victim of my upper-middle class socioeconomic status (ie little perceived financial need) forced by common sense to choose an affordable yet good college option. now i’m still aware of being a painfully squeezed and rapidly dissipating middle class (my dad’s a lietenant at the county jail and mom’s a pediatric clinic nurse working part time due to health issues- ie not rich but thankfully not poor at all either) yet i’m so thankful, whatever the initial circumstances, that i choose lafayette.</p>