Skip Staats
Associate Director of Admissions
Coordinator for International Admissions
Lafayette College
Easton, PA 18042
internatl@lafayette.edu
(610) 330-5100

FROM AROUND THE WORLD

The experiences of international students who attend Lafayette are as diverse as the students themselves. Typically, each first-year class enrolls 35-40 students from countries outside the United States. International students make up about 6 percent of the student body, coming from 56 countries.

George Armah ’08 of Ghana (standing) was one of 13 students who worked with playwright and poet Sekou Sundiata during his campus residency which resulted in The 51st (Dream) State, the performance component of Sundiata’s The America Project.

With only 2,400 students and a student-faculty ratio of 11:1, you will receive personal attention from faculty and have the opportunity to learn much about life in the United States through the students you’ll meet and trips to sites of interest such as New York City. Equally important, the college community will have the opportunity to learn about you, your country, and culture.

Lafayette is a private, liberal arts college with a broad-based, challenging curriculum of engineering, natural and social sciences, and the humanities. The College encourages students to take courses beyond their chosen subject area so that they will develop a general understanding of many fields of learning. This educational philosophy is also reflected in Lafayette’s ongoing efforts to promote diversity in the community by recruiting students with differing backgrounds and interests, both within the United States and abroad.

The rigorous academic atmosphere at Lafayette is enhanced by the microcosmic world of cultures and societies that international students provide. Likewise, they benefit from learning more about the culture and people of the United States.

In today’s world, which is entwined economically and politically, the education of all students includes understanding the goals and aspirations of people from other countries.

A DIFFERENT EDUCATION

You may find the American higher education system to be quite different from that in your home country. At Lafayette, most classes are small, allowing for a great deal of discussion. Professors encourage discussion in class and in extracurricular activities that complement your academic studies. You’ll have the opportunity for close interaction with professors. They are eager to get to know you, to give you guidance in reaching your goals, and may even invite you to share a meal together.

Huong Nguyen ‘08 of Vietnam was immersed in the field of human resources in an externship with Gioia Pisano ‘90, assistant director of minority recruitment in the Iselin, N.J., office of the international accounting and consulting firm Ernst & Young.

The curriculum is designed to give you as broad an education as possible, while providing essential knowledge in your major field of study. Each semester you may choose courses from a variety of subjects in your major as well as those offered by other departments.

For example, an engineering student may take courses in music, foreign language, or economics. Or, a student whose major field is biology may have a strong interest in philosophy and literature and so selects courses in those areas.

No matter what major you select, Lafayette offers a variety of opportunities to study abroad in locations throughout the world during the January interim session, for one semester, or for a full academic year.

CHOICES AND FLEXIBILITY

At Lafayette, you may choose from a wide selection of majors in four areas—engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. In engineering, you may specialize in chemical, civil and environmental, electrical and computer, or mechanical, or choose the bachelor of arts in engineering studies, an unusual opportunity to obtain a strong technical education within the context of a broad liberal arts program. Engineering courses are combined with the humanities and social sciences.

Sriram Gopalakrishnan ‘09 of India searched for a better way to monitor heart functions with Yih-Choung Yu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The bachelor of arts requirements make it possible to pursue two majors. The College also offers a five-year, two-degree program that allows you to earn both a bachelor of arts degree and a bachelor of science degree in two fields of study.

Many students develop a secondary interest but do not wish to pursue a second major. In that case, many choose a minor. Most departments offer a minor and the College has a group of interdisciplinary minors that are of interest to international students. These minors include Asian studies, Jewish studies, and Latin American and Caribbean studies.

Students don’t declare a major until the second semester of their sophomore (second) year, providing time to explore various areas.
The Common Course of Study is a central core of courses around which your Lafayette education is organized. Designed to introduce you to intellectual inquiry, two special seminars engage students as thinkers, speakers, and writers and provide a common intellectual experience for you, your class peers, and the faculty.

The academic goals of Lafayette are reflected in the design and content of the core curriculum. The college believes that students must learn to gather and evaluate information, communicate effectively orally and in writing, understand quantitative reasoning, form aesthetic judgments, comprehend scientific and technological advances and their impact on society, and feel at home in a world increasingly subject to the influences of diverse races and cultures.

At Lafayette, the primary emphasis is on education as preparation for life. This principle finds expression in hands-on learning experiences through such courses as the innovative Technology Clinic. In the yearlong course, interdisciplinary teams of students attack real-world problems posed by participating businesses or government organizations. Students are recommended by their professors for this experience. The team presents their solution to the sponsor at the end of the year.