Then, perhaps, Lafayette College in Easton, PA — just over the New Jersey border —  is for you.

Lafayette is a small liberal arts school with about 2,500 students. Almost one-quarter of whom chose to major in Engineering.

Unlike many schools, Lafayette does not require any special application for those thinking about Engineering. All students apply through the general admission process.

Engineering and Liberal Arts Majors

The school offers majors in Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical Engineering, and students graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. A major in Engineering Studies is also available for those students who want to focus more on liberal arts but with an engineering point of view. Students with this particular major graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Facilities

During a recent visit to Lafayette College, I was quite impressed by not only their approach to Engineering, but their facilities as well.  As a liberal arts institution, the school believes strongly in providing students with a holistic education. There are distribution requirements that all students — including Engineering majors — must fulfill across varied disciplines. Class choices are many, and students find a wide range of great courses that educate them far beyond their chosen area of concentration.

Since Lafayette is a school that is strictly gears towards undergraduates. This has some real benefits when pursuing a course of study such as Engineering. Class sizes are small at all levels, and professors are very accessible. Students get to work with professors on research and projects that would otherwise only be available to graduate students at a larger school.  

The Acopian Engineering Center is over 90,000 square feet and the complex is dedicated to teaching strictly undergraduate engineering.

Study Abroad Options

One of the most unique aspects of Lafayette’s engineering program is its international outlook. Lafayette states that it wants its students to go out into the world and be successful around the world. Its engineers included! The school encourages global studies and likes its students to study abroad. At most schools, engineering students typically find studying abroad difficult to fit into their course schedule. Not at Lafayette! The school actively tries to integrate the international experience with its engineering studies. Students can take semesters abroad where they study engineering in countries such as Germany and Spain.  

Lafayette also offers engineering students Interim Term (the period between first and second semester which is a few weeks) study abroad options where students can earn credit. The Engineers Without Borders program which has students working on projects to assist communities in Honduras is also a reflection of Lafayette’s dedication to the international experience.

So, if you’re thinking about getting an undergraduate Engineering degree but seek a well-rounded and worldly college experience, check out Lafayette!
(For more of a look at Lafayette College, see Mark’s post on the weather and campus visits.)

Andrea Aronson
College Admissions Consultant, Westfield, New Jersey

The post Lafayette College – Offering Engineering with a Liberal Arts and International Twist first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

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Two more colleges have joined the growing number pledging to eliminate loans for low-income students. Claremont McKenna College announced Monday that it would eliminate loans from the aid packages of all current and new students, effective this coming fall. Lafayette College on Monday announced that it would eliminate loans in the packages of students from families with incomes of up to $50,000 and limit to $2,500 a year the loans in aid packages of families with incomes of between $50,000 and $100,000. Lafayette also announced plans to increase the size of its faculty by 35 positions (or about 20 percent) over five years, without increasing the size of the student body.

Families concerned about paying for college should take note of these changes at many of the nation’s most selective and well-endowed colleges. They are becoming more affordable.
However, also keep in mind that these financial aid changes will also lead to higher application numbers and increasing selectivity at these colleges. Harvard’s applications were up 19% this year over last, and you can expect that all the colleges with revamped aid policies will experience similar increases next year.
Mark Montgomery
College Counselor
Montgomery Educational Consulting

The post Claremont-McKenna and Lafayette: Changes in Financial Aid first appeared on College Admission Counseling.