Lafayette College

Lafayette College is a small suburban liberal arts school outside Philadelphia.  It is known for the extensive research opportunities available to its students, strong engineering and physical science programs and Division I athletics.  Lafayette even has a program, EXCEL, where undergraduates get pain for research conducted with faculty.

50% of the students at Lafayette study engineering or physical science, the other half major in the humanities.  Some aspects of the engineering program worth noting is the fact that students don’t pick their area of specialization, mechanical, electrical..., until after their freshman year.  In addition, engineering students have the opportunity to study abroad, something relatively unusual in this often very demanding and stringent field.  Lafayette has special programs both with engineering schools in Spain and Germany which facilitate this process.  This is indicative of the fact that Lafayette has been recognized as one of the top colleges in study abroad participation.  Over half of the students take advantage of study abroad opportunities.  The students have also participated in Engineers Without Boarders.

Community Service is another strong aspect of student life at Lafayette. Many students take advantage of the opportunity to volunteer at schools, rehabilitation centers, hospitals and environmental sites through Lafayette’s Community Outreach Center.  Recently, students have renovated a middle school for community art center and worked with high school students in Madagascar helping them apply to colleges in the US.

Lafayette is also known for having a strong career services providing students externships, shadowing experiences and more.  The school sees career development as a four year process.  The first two years focus on exploration  while the second two years concentrate on preparation.  

Lafayette students tend to come from middle class and upper middle class backgrounds.  There is not a lot of ethnic diversity or politics on campus.  Social life centers on campus and includes a strong Greek system.  26% of men and 45% of the women belong to a fraternity or sorority.  For those who wish to travel off campus, Philadelphia, NYC, Atlantic City and the Appalachian Trail are a short drive away.