COLLEGE SPOTLIGHT: LAFAYETTE COLLEGE (Penny linsenmayer)

Lafayette College, located midway between Philadelphia and New York City, enrolls just over 2,500 undergraduate students. Situated atop College Hill on a verdant 340-acre campus, this nationally-ranked liberal arts college overlooks the small town of Easton and the historic Delaware River. Popular majors include social science fields, engineering, biological and biomedical sciences, visual and performing arts, and psychology. 

In the annual Rivalry matchup, the Lafayette Leopards football team squares off against arch-rival Lehigh University Mountain Hawks in a tradition that dates back to 1884 -- the longest-running and most-storied of football rivalries. 

Like its rival, Lafayette is one of a select few liberal arts colleges to confer engineering degrees. In addition to the five ABET-accredited majors within engineering, Lafayette offers over 40 other majors. Lafayette offers students a chance to explore interests before declaring a major, even in engineering. The first year engineering curriculum is also standardized across all 5 fields, allowing students the opportunity to learn more about each major before committing. Students are also free to design their own interdisciplinary focus. The Lafayette student population are very studious and take academics seriously. Though Greek life is active on campus, rush is delayed until sophomore year. The college's 23 D1 athletic teams compete in the Patriot League. 

Lafayette recently expanded its merit aid offerings, awarding 10 full-tuition Marquis Fellows awards and 50 half-tuition Marquis Scholars scholarships. In addition, up to 250 students will receive Marquis Awards in amounts ranging from $10,000-20,000 per year. Lafayette's recommended admissions interview is a significant factor in the scholarship award process.