Lafayette College
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Undeclared, but I want to double major in English and Theater.
Minor: Undeclared, but I want to minor in Spanish.
Student Self Identifies as: Biracial: White & Black Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m part of Marquis Players, which is the musical theater club. I’m also part of Nia, which is a sisterhood for women of color on campus.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Biracial: White & Black
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Private high school in New York City, NY with a graduating class of 54 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Undeclared, but I want to double major in English and Theater.
Minor: Undeclared, but I want to minor in Spanish.
Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of Marquis Players, which is the musical theater club. I’m also part of Nia, which is a sisterhood for women of color on campus.
Academic Experience
What has been your favorite class so far?
My English class because I love English and I find the class very interesting. It’s all about race, identity, and gender revealed through literature.
What has been your least favorite class so far?
My Psychology class. I love the professor, but I’m not a science person.
Is there anything that you feel Lafayette has done especially well or poorly so far academically?
I feel Lafayette has done a good job about everything academically. I applied early decision here, and I’m very happy. I think they have great academic programs, and the professors genuinely want you to succeed. They’ll work with you in any way possible.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I wouldn’t say it’s not competitive. It’s not easy to get into a private institution, but I’d say everyone is very supportive of each other. It’s definitely a collaborative environment with a competitive aspect to it.
How accessible have the professors in your department been?
They’ve been very accessible. You can email them and schedule a one-on-one meeting, or go during their office hours and they’ll almost always be free. They are more than willing to help you with anything you need.
Reasons to Attend
1) The size. I think small schools are really great for having an intimate learning environment. I think people succeed better in those types of environments.
2) The community. The people here are really amazing, and it’s the first school I’ve ever been to where everyone is happy to be here. It’s not just going through the motions of school, it’s going through the motions and enjoying it.
3) The academic community has strong professors and interesting classes.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) Size again. If someone was interested in a big school this isn’t for them.
2) If you want really good food, it’s not necessarily the best school. We have decent food, but it’s nothing to write home about.
Around Campus
Where do you live on campus?
Freshman: South College Dorm.
How was transitioning from New York City, NY to Easton, PA?
It was a little tough. I’m very close with my family and I was the last child left [to go to college], so it was hard saying bye to my parents. I very much have a busy life in New York City, so it’s weird to have things calm down and having so much free time. I actually like it. I’m not a big city person, the more suburban lifestyle is more me.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The campus is incredibly safe. Public safety is out almost every night just roaming around and are on call 24/7. Off-campus, there’s nothing specifically wrong with Easton. People are fine, they’re just kind of creepy.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
I love the Public Market. It’s super cute, they have very good food, and there are certain places we get discounts at for being a student. It’s nice to go in there and see a cute side of the community.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Lafayette?
There’s a bunch of options over the weekend. You can go to a Greek life party, or you can stay in and have a movie night with your friends. I usually go to a party with friends then go to Wawa.
Who hosts the nightlife you participate in?
Different frats or sororities host the parties each weekend. I went to a Christmas one last night hosted by a fraternity.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things?
Fridays and Saturdays usually. If I don’t have anything pressing on Friday, I’ll go out on Thursday, and once in a blue moon on a Wednesday. I usually focus on school during the week and save gong out for the weekend, which I think most students do here.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
I’d say it has a decent impact. Especially for the freshman in the fall, those are primarily the parties they tend to go to. The freshman guys have trouble getting into the sports houses, but the Greek houses are pretty much open to everyone.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at Lafayette? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I really like it. It’s definitely different than New York City. In New York, everything is open whenever so you can really do what you want. I stayed out in New York City until 5 in the morning one time, and there were plenty of things to do. I wish there were more stuff off-campus to do, but other than that I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I was told that it is the party school of liberal arts schools, and it has definitely lived up to that reputation.
What have been your favorite times so far at Lafayette?
There have been a lot. I’ve been very lucky because I made amazing friends right off the bat, which I feel like a lot of freshman don’t get. They spend a lot of time trying to find their people. My best times have just been hanging out with them, and being dumb freshman and doing things with no consequences.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
My roommate and I matched up on Roomsurf. She reached out to me and we requested each other as roommates here. She’s become one of my best friends, and we became friends with the people that live in our hall and from socializing and meeting people at parties or lunch. Everyone here is really friendly and wants to talk to everyone.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
I really like it and I have a great time. There are plenty of options for everyone. There’s never a dull moment.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I’ve found that everyone kind of mixes with each other. I think at any school where there’s a minority, they band together regardless of their chances to be with other people because you want to be with who you know. I’m primarily friends with White people, but I do have some friends of color so I don’t feel entirely alone. That’s also never been something that has particularly bothered me. Lafayette is very socially aware and does their best to include everyone, which makes me really happy.
How strong is the Black community on campus?
There are a lot more people of color than I thought there would be, which is very refreshing. I’d say it’s about [17%] of the entire community.
How would you describe the student body?
It’s wonderful. The community here is one of my favorite parts of Lafayette. Everyone is genuinely kind and happy to be here, and if you want to go up to someone and talk to them, they won’t look at you like you’re crazy, which is different than New York City because everyone there is pretty anti-social.
How do you like the size of Lafayette? How has the size of your school influenced your social experience? [There are about 2,600 undergraduate students.]
When I was looking at colleges, I wanted a small liberal arts school. I’ve gone to small liberal arts schools my entire life, so I like the small community. I like knowing of everyone and being able to say hi to people.