Yet another choice thread - Union vs Lafayette

Lafalum84
Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:36:07 +0000

I actually know quite a bit about Lafayette, as hubby and I are alum (as are hubby’s brother & sister in law). But I posted this blind just to get general reaction from “outsiders.” I was afraid my enthusiasm for my alma mater might be clouding my view, as well as coloring the feedback I was giving my son. We want him to attend the school that’s right for him now, not the school that was great for us 25 years ago.

We recently returned to both schools for accepted student days.

After I posted this, my son told us he is 90% sure he will go to Lafayette. He made a list of pros and cons for each school. Lafayette “won”, in his opinion, 21 - 13. He liked Lafayette’s campus better (which is saying something, as Union’s campus is quite nice). He also likes the opportunity to watch Division I basketball & football, even if it is the Patriot league, and felt Lafayette’s Economics department offerings were a better match for him (LC offers a concentration in Political Economy).

Jyber, the Minerva system at Union was a big draw for my son as well. I think it’s a really intriguing system and I give Union a lot of credit for coming up with it and risking the wrath of the greek alumni. S couldn’t decided if the trimesters would be a plus or a minus, as there are both advantages and disadvantes to that schedule. Also, if your son wants engineering, I think about a third of Lafayette’s students are engineers, while only 15% of Union is engineers. Good luck with your decisions in the next year!