Wesleyan vs Lafayette

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of legitimate reasons like school culture, specific opportunities, or major why you might prefer one over the other. But when you ask a broad question like "better," it's hard not to go to the basic stats.

Wesleyan is much more selective (under 20%) than Lafayette (over 30%) and has a more high-performing applicant pool.

Use CDS to compare the number of students who submit scores to see how different the populations are:

Wesleyan enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1300-1500 with roughly 71% of them submitting scores.

Lafayette enrolled first-year SATs (25th%-75th%) are: 1350-1470 with roughly 45% of them submitting scores.

"Better" is really about fit and is very subjective. But reputationwise, selectivity, performance of applicants, Wesleyan is definitely a cut above Lafayette.

In the grand scheme of things, and especially using the SAT score metric, these schools are about the same.

"This school is 1300-1500 and that school is 1350-1470, so obviously the former is definitely a cut above the latter." Puhleaze.

My point was that though the scores look the similar, the difference in the number submitting is huge. I have no skin in the game but I work in academia and reputation of the students at each school is quite different and these stats back it up.

I agree the reputation is different but I don't think the (essentially identical) stats back it up.

To some extent Wes is coasting on the high reputation it had in the 80s and 90s.

PP you are quoting. The stats are NOT identical! 71% vs 45%. At Wesleyan 29% likely have lower scores whereas ay Lafayette likely 55%.

The scores that Wes reports to the CDS are of all matriculating students who sat for the SAT or ACT whether they submitted with an application or not. All enrolling students must submit a score if they have one. The CDS range is the range. The class profile range represents what ws submitted for admitted students. Lafayette’s “real” range (like a pre COVID test required range) would be much lower. Setting that aside, Lafayette receives far fewer applications that Wes but offers significantly more admits, and yields fewer of those offers. Lafayette is a fine school but this is not a good faith discussion.

[Anonymous]

Wesleyan is an oddly ugly school with very poor facilities. I wouldn’t send an enemy’s child to that prison of an institution.

[Anonymous]

And I think we’re done here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is an oddly ugly school with very poor facilities. I wouldn’t send an enemy’s child to that prison of an institution.

Agreed! It was scary how crumbly the campus looked and strange all the structures were. More of a clown house than a “prestigious” college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is an oddly ugly school with very poor facilities. I wouldn’t send an enemy’s child to that prison of an institution.

I was just there in October and this is not true at all. But of course this whole thread is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:<<
DD is super into sports, both playing and watching. She’s academically interested in history and policy/politics/government. Leans progressive but is not at all political or activist in personality. (Steering clear of schools that attract a protest-oriented student body.)>>

My DD was an athlete at Lafayette. She still tight with her teammates. For similar schools, it seems that the teams pair socially. Field hockey team and men’s soccer may have parties together. Or FH and Baseball. Not sure if that impacts your DD but it is another datapoint.

Thanks! Any insight into the club sports scene? Women’s lacrosse, in particular?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:<<
DD is super into sports, both playing and watching. She’s academically interested in history and policy/politics/government. Leans progressive but is not at all political or activist in personality. (Steering clear of schools that attract a protest-oriented student body.)>>

My DD was an athlete at Lafayette. She still tight with her teammates. For similar schools, it seems that the teams pair socially. Field hockey team and men’s soccer may have parties together. Or FH and Baseball. Not sure if that impacts your DD but it is another datapoint.

Thanks! Any insight into the club sports scene? Women’s lacrosse, in particular?

Do athletes only hang around other athletes? Or is there mixing of students? Are the non-athletes the artsy/activist types?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is an oddly ugly school with very poor facilities. I wouldn’t send an enemy’s child to that prison of an institution.

I was just there in October and this is not true at all. But of course this whole thread is ridiculous.

We toured recently and the science center seemed appallingly low quality compared to peer lacs. The arts facilities were downright depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is an oddly ugly school with very poor facilities. I wouldn’t send an enemy’s child to that prison of an institution.

I was just there in October and this is not true at all. But of course this whole thread is ridiculous.

We toured recently and the science center seemed appallingly low quality compared to peer lacs. The arts facilities were downright depressing.

DP
Complete opposite experience here. Wondering if someone is deliberately trying to suppress DC area RD apps to give their kid a better shot at Wes!

We saw several theatre/arts areas on initial tour and accepted students day (WesFest). Love the underground connections. Gorgeous library. Variety of performance spaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is an oddly ugly school with very poor facilities. I wouldn’t send an enemy’s child to that prison of an institution.

I was just there in October and this is not true at all. But of course this whole thread is ridiculous.

We toured recently and the science center seemed appallingly low quality compared to peer lacs. The arts facilities were downright depressing.

DP
Complete opposite experience here. Wondering if someone is deliberately trying to suppress DC area RD apps to give their kid a better shot at Wes!

We saw several theatre/arts areas on initial tour and accepted students day (WesFest). Love the underground connections. Gorgeous library. Variety of performance spaces.

Amanda, not everything is some conspiracy to stop your kids. We can disagree. Glad you like Wes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is an oddly ugly school with very poor facilities. I wouldn’t send an enemy’s child to that prison of an institution.

The campus has been ugly since I’ve been alive. It’s beautiful for those who idolize blue collar communities for whatever reason. The baseball field and campus layout and unusual architecture makes it an incohesive mess to me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is an oddly ugly school with very poor facilities. I wouldn’t send an enemy’s child to that prison of an institution.

I was just there in October and this is not true at all. But of course this whole thread is ridiculous.

We toured recently and the science center seemed appallingly low quality compared to peer lacs. The arts facilities were downright depressing.

DP
Complete opposite experience here. Wondering if someone is deliberately trying to suppress DC area RD apps to give their kid a better shot at Wes!

We saw several theatre/arts areas on initial tour and accepted students day (WesFest). Love the underground connections. Gorgeous library. Variety of performance spaces.

Amanda, not everything is some conspiracy to stop your kids. We can disagree. Glad you like Wes.

Well, Elmira, your take seems particularly off color to anything remotely accurate.
Not a Wes booster. My kid went elsewhere. She didn't love the campus, btw, so I get lefitimate critiques. Just noticing that a few posts like yours seem so bizarrely at odds with reality and so negative as to suggest an influence campaign. Or maybe you're just a generic troll.

[Anonymous]

To paraphrase Kissinger, this thread is so vicious because the stakes are so small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither? WASP+Bowdoin +Middlebury are really the only decent lacs

I'd add Bucknell.

No one else would. It isn’t a prestigious liberal arts college and is in a dump of a town. Maybe great for rich white kids with daddy’s money

It may not have quite the intellectual vibe of Wesleyan or Swarthmore, but Bucknell has a far stronger Wall Street pipeline than either (or Lafayette, for that matter). Firms hoover up Bucknell grads for client-facing roles because they tend to have both elite quantitative and problem-solving skills, and preternatural EQ and persuasive ability. Plus the network on The Street is legion, and Bison help Bison.

This just remarkably untrue, and both Wesleyan and swarthmore place more (and those numbers are very small) into careers on the street. Can you point to one source that proves otherwise?

not the PP, but my kid just graduated from Wes - the school has basically zero career counseling or recruiting on campus, kids basically left to fend for themselves. Couple of kids who got wall street jobs used their deerfield choate andover or laxbro connections. Coaches and athletic administration do nothing. Conversely, have heard complete oppposite at Bucknell - these kids are on point from sophomore year on with the job hunt and working connections with help from the school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither? WASP+Bowdoin +Middlebury are really the only decent lacs

I'd add Bucknell.

No one else would. It isn’t a prestigious liberal arts college and is in a dump of a town. Maybe great for rich white kids with daddy’s money

It may not have quite the intellectual vibe of Wesleyan or Swarthmore, but Bucknell has a far stronger Wall Street pipeline than either (or Lafayette, for that matter). Firms hoover up Bucknell grads for client-facing roles because they tend to have both elite quantitative and problem-solving skills, and preternatural EQ and persuasive ability. Plus the network on The Street is legion, and Bison help Bison.

This just remarkably untrue, and both Wesleyan and swarthmore place more (and those numbers are very small) into careers on the street. Can you point to one source that proves otherwise?

not the PP, but my kid just graduated from Wes - the school has basically zero career counseling or recruiting on campus, kids basically left to fend for themselves. Couple of kids who got wall street jobs used their deerfield choate andover or laxbro connections. Coaches and athletic administration do nothing. Conversely, have heard complete oppposite at Bucknell - these kids are on point from sophomore year on with the job hunt and working connections with help from the school

I’ll up and say that this is true at most colleges. Talk to any kid from ivys to wasp, most students say their career services are quite useless. Even at Harvard, most kids learn to case for consulting from upperclassmen.

Also, reaching out to people is how you get the interview offer in the first place. If it’s not your network from choate, then you just email LinkedIn connections from alum for coffee chats.