Lafayette College Supplement: "Why Lafayette?" "Why do you do what you do?"

Hey guys, here are the supplement essays I've written for Lafayette College.

"Why Lafayette?" (20-200 words)

"Cur Non Lafayette?"

As an international student who cannot afford to fly directly to America, the only resources I have at my disposal are campus-touring videos on Youtube and schools' websites. I have scrolled through those of numerous institutions but stopped as soon as I found Lafayette. Why?

First, Lafayette's website is wholeheartedly dedicated to the students: what I might be interested in and how the school will go out of their way to provide that. It just make me feel... wanted. Email conversations with the faculty clearly showed that the Lafayette community is caring and loyal. All these spoke to me like "we're HAPPY to have YOU." And that spoke a lot. Moreover, being a basketball and body-building zealous, I will haunt the on-campus gym and basketball court, daily. Also, the small community here offers opportunities to interact closer with the brilliant professors. Furthermore, I have a very important friend at NYU, but for whom I wouldn't be writing this right now. Anyway, he is lamenting his loneliness there because he has difficulties making friends. And since Easton is barely an hour's drive from NYC, I can visit him quite often and keep him company.

So the more pertinent question is, "Cur Non Lafayette?"

Nguyen we have a one essay per thread policy here at the forum that is strictly implemented by the administrators. It is because of that ruling that I will only be responding to the first post in your thread. I strongly advise you to post the second essay in a separate thread because the admin will not hesitate to delete it once they see that you violated the forum rules. You will also be delivered a warning along with the deletion of your 2nd post. So follow the rules and post the 2nd one in a different thread. I assure you that I will do my best to respond to it as soon as I am capable of doing so.

As for the first thread, I have the following advice. Do not mention your friend in the statement. He is not relevant to the essay requirement even if he is, or is not, a student at Lafayette. As for the rest of the essay, try to learn more about the academic and social side of the university beyond the virtual tour that you took. Read blogs from other students, look up the academic offerings related to our chosen major that you feel drawn to studying. Get to know the university from a deeper perspective. Look out for the reasons that you are drawn to the university beyond exchanging emails with the faculty and them making you feel welcome as a potential new student. Go beyond the superficial presentation that the video tour gave you and the shallow discussions that you shared with the professors. Find a deeper, more personal meaning as to why you chose to apply at Lafayette.

Unless you're going to pay full tuition for Lafayette and donate even more to ensure your admission, it would be better to write your essay in a non-IELTS manner. I know you're good at IELTS but giving reasons like "first", "also", "furthermore" and discussing undeveloped aspects is not going to help you. With the 200-word limit, try to dig deeper into a lower number of aspects.

Thank you for your comments! I will post my second essay on a separate thread as you advised.

I really like Lafayette, but I can't seem to translate that preference into words. I'm rewriting my essay right now.

Merged:Revised version of "Why Lafayette?" college supplement essay.

Hi all, this is the revised version of my college supplement essay for Lafayette. Feel free to leave any comments.

Prompt: Why Lafayette (20-200 words)

Originally, I was searching for engineering universities as my tertiary education destinations, so I completely disregarded LACs. However, I stumbled upon Lafayette one day, and immediately stopped my search. Why? For reasons cannot be fully explained here.

The facilities and resources at Lafayette are state-of-the-art. As a sports and fitness zealous, I will haunt the on-campus gym and basketball court. Being an avid reader, I will take up residence in Skillman Library and Acopian Center. Because of small student body, I can directly converse with the brilliant professors and thus I can learn better. The courses offered ...

@nguyenlephuocloc
I might be alone in this, but I think it's better to focus entirely on one or two aspects of Lafayette. For instance, your essay reads "Being an avid reader, I will take up residence in Skillman Library and Acopian Center" , but it doesn't elaborate on how those libraries are specifically a good fit for you. Remember that every university has a library.

Originally, I was searching for engineering universities as my tertiary education destinations, so I completely disregarded LACs. However, I stumbled upon Lafayette one day, and immediately stopped my search. Why? For reasons cannot be fully explained here.

The facilities and resources at Lafayette are state-of-the-art. As a sports and fitness zealous, I will haunt the on-campus gym and basketball court. And since almost a large proportion of the student body is made up of athletes, I can easily blend in since I'm a high school varsity player myself. Being a voracious reader, I will take up residence in Skillman Library, which boasts the rare collection of Slavery and Abolition that I'm particularly fascinated by. The courses offered at Lafayette are practical, flexible and fascinating: I'd love to participate in IDEAL, Interdisciplinary Studies, the Tech Clinic, as well as the Gateway Program to equip myself with the hands-on experience sorely needed for a career in Engineering. I really dislike having to conform to a monotonous, restrictive curriculum, so the possibility of pursuing additional majors/minors and the prospect of being able to study abroad while at Lafayette thrill me.

So now, the more pertinent question is, "Cur Non Lafayette?"

IS THIS BETTER? I TRIED TO FOCUS ON THE ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL ASPECT AT LAFAYETTE.

All of the other students who will be responding to this essay will mention the same things that you have. The academic, the athletic, the social, even the city aspects of your interest in applying to Lafayette. If you want your essay to stand out from the pack, you will need to do some background research on the history of the university, the ideology behind it, and the current state of interest in the university. When they ask you why you choose a university, your response should go beyond the obvious. You could be attracted to the type of education it offers (e.g liberal arts), the history behind the university, or even, your belief in the ideology or mission of the university. Whatever the reason you opt to discuss, make sure that is is based upon more than the obvious choices because majority if the applicants are thinking the same way.

If I were to develop my own answer to this essay, it would be on a personal note. I would discuss something about myself, a quirk, an extra curricular interest, or even, something that I want to discover about myself that I am convinced I can develop or find while I am a student at the university. That way my interest in the university, though self-serving, shows that I am familiar with the kind of influence that the university can have on my personal development.

I would recommend you not to include this unnecessary information about your college browsing. Since the word count is limited, so you better invest those precious lines describing your impressions regarding the facilities. Overall, the composition is OK. Please repost after making the necessary recommended changes.

@Holt

I've taken your advices, so I rewrote an entirely new one here.

Growing up as a staunch supporter of the Assassin's Creed franchise, I particularly indulged in its third edition, set in the American Revolution. Thrilled by this sequence, I set about educating myself on this period, including backgrounds of pivotal figures, and was absorbed by the peculiar Marquis de Lafayette, a French general fighting for America. Three years later, I re-encountered this name- under the banner of Lafayette College. Also, as a believer in the importance of personal freedom, I'm especially interested in the rare Slavery and Abolition Periodicals during the American Revolution that Skillman Library boasts. Suffice it to say the institution holds a spiritual and childhood fascination for me. And although engineering is my passion, I majored in English in high school and was even asked to join the national History competition due to my capabilities for the subject. Thus, the type of education Lafayette offers- the opportunities to combine Engineering with English and History majors -is the right path for me. After my years at Lafayette, I wouldn't just be a great engineer; I'd also be an authority on English, preferably English creative writing, and the History of my own country and others'.

So, Cur Non Lafayette?

Thank you for any further comments.

Wow! You really managed a fantastic turn around in your response here. You really showed a great and keen interest in the history of the university, as well as an English major background. All of which worked in your favor in my opinion. This essay is swift when it comes to getting to the point, and creative where it matters. The introduction of the video game as the basis for the entire essay is unique because not all applicants would know how to make that connection. Only someone into gaming and English / American history would be able to make such a unique connection between the 2 and the university. My opinion is that you should be proud of this response and be sure to use it as your response to the prompt. It is something that I am sure will have the ability to impress the reviewer upon reading.