May 16, 2023

Welcome to Lafayette College Class of 2027

Welcome to Lafayette College!

You have officially transitioned from the Office of Admissions to the Office of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs. This moment signifies your matriculation into the College and is the first of many personal and educational milestones you will experience over the next few years.

This message contains a great deal of important information regarding the tasks you will need to complete prior to the start of the Fall semester.  Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Office of Advising & Co-Curricular Programs. We are here to help.

YOUR GUIDE FOR THE SUMMER AND BEYOND

As you prepare to arrive on campus in August, the firstyear.lafayette.edu website is a wonderful resource that will help you during your transition to the College.  Please follow the instructions on this site to prepare for your first semester. The website is your hub for all sorts of pertinent information including a summer checklist of all required and optional steps to take, answers to frequently asked questions, and information on academic advising and campus life resources.

In addition, please be sure to follow our Advising site on Instagram (lafadvising) and follow us on Twitter (LafayetteAdvising); our social media sites can serve as great repositories for new information over your next four years.

SUMMER GUIDANCE

A program designed to help incoming students complete their first-semester course preference survey. There will be optional meetings with guides (class deans, faculty, campus partners) to discuss the first-semester course preference survey. Not only will Summer Guidance assist incoming students in the course selection process, but also educate incoming students on their respective components of the Lafayette College degree and offer an opportunity for students to establish an initial connection to the College prior to orientation in August. More information is available on our website.

PLACEMENT EXAMS

Before you embark on your academic journey it is important that we find out about you, and your previous educational experience. The placement exams in Mathematics, Languages, and Chemistry are currently open. These exams will be used as a guide and will need to be completed prior to selecting your course preferences beginning May 12th. Each exam has particular instructions that should be read carefully before proceeding. Also please be sure to read the information below to understand more about the exams and where to find them.

Math Advising Test:

All Lafayette students you are required to complete a advising test in Mathematics.

Languages Placement:

If you plan to take Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, or Spanish at Lafayette and you have prior knowledge of the subject (that is, you are not a true beginner), you are required to complete this exam. (Note: Lafayette uses an outside testing service, and there is a $10 fee. Alternatively, you may send an official AP, SAT II or IB-HL subject test score to the Registrar’s Office.)

Chemistry Placement:

If your intended major requires you to take General Chemistry during your time at Lafayette you are required to complete a Chemistry Placement exam.

COURSE EXPLORATION AND SELECTION PREFERENCES

As a new student, it is time to review the course offerings at Lafayette for the Fall semester. The First Semester Course Selection Preferences website is dedicated to helping new students explore and ultimately select first semester course preferences. You should begin exploring the site now to understand your course options and to take online placement exams in Mathematics, Languages, and Chemistry.

You should have received your Lafayette NETID and password setup instructions by this time. You will need that information to complete the online placement exams as well as the course selection preferences process. Placement exams can be found here. Please be sure to read the directions carefully and if you have any questions you may contact the department regarding the exam.

Please follow the instructions on the First Year Course Preference Selection website for guidance on how to submit your course preferences by JUNE 11th at 11:59PM EST. This process is not first come first served. If you have questions please feel free to connect with the advising office.

LAFAYETTE ACCOUNT

  • You are required to enter your emergency contact information into Banner Self Service by August 1st: https://bannerssb.lafayette.edu/

  • In Banner Self Service this information can be found under your Personal Information tab

FALL COURSE SELECTION PREFERENCES

  • As you prepare to make course preferences you will use https://fyreg.lafayette.edu to review fall semester courses and take placement exams

  • As a first year student you will receive an individualized course preferences link in your Lafayette email that you will use to submit your course preference selections

  • Course selection preferences open on May 12th and remain open through June 11th to ensure you have time to utilize the many resources at your disposal

  • Preferences are not first come first served, but it is highly encouraged that you submit your preferences by June 11th

  • You will have the opportunity to connect with your academic advisor and participate in a course adjustment period before the semester begins as well

HOUSING ASSIGNMENT AND MEAL PLAN

Beginning May 15th, you will have access to the First-year Housing Application through your MyHousing dashboard. Your application preferences will be used to make your room and roommate assignment. For general information regarding housing for incoming students, please visit https://reslife.lafayette.edu/information-for-new-students/

You will automatically be enrolled into a 20-Meals-Per-Week plan on your student account.  For general information about dining on campus, please visit https://dining.lafayette.edu/

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES & ACCOMMODATIONS

Students who would like to establish disability and request accommodations and/or related services must self-disclose their disability to Accessibility Services. Accessibility Services is committed to ensuring equal access and participation in College-sponsored programs by fostering an accessible learning environment and providing comprehensive, professional services for students. Driven by the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Accessibility Services implements a robust, structured process to establish disability, understand how disability may impact a student and make informed decisions about accommodations.

 Accessibility Services information: https://hub.lafayette.edu/disability-services/

BAILEY HEALTH CENTER FORMS

Health Forms will become available to you in June and will be due in July| https://lafayette.medicatconnect.com

Those who experience significant or severe medical conditions that do not rise to the level of a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, yet still require consideration, should note this condition, as well as any specific needs that this medical condition necessitates, within their medical history forms to be submitted to Bailey Health Center. Requests that are not received by the deadline established by the health center may not be fulfilled prior to the start of the new semester.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

  •  If you are planning to volunteer with children or elderly populations at any point during the academic year, please begin the process of securing your background clearances as soon as possible.

  • You will need:

    •  PA Criminal History Record Check

    • PA Child Abuse History Clearance

    • FBI fingerprint

  • Please visit the Landis Center for Community Engagement website for more information about this process and how the College joins the campus and community members to create knowledge and action for the betterment of ourselves and our communities.

PREFERRED FIRST NAME POLICY

To foster an environment that is inclusive and that encourages self-expression, Lafayette College has established a policy whereby any College community member may use a preferred first name. Please visit  https://belong.lafayette.edu/preferred-first-name-policy/ to review the policy and learn how to set your preferred first name.

FAMILY PREFERED CONTACT INFORMATION

To confirm the College has your family’s preferred contact information, please ask them to complete the Family Information Form as soon as possible. For multiple-parent/guardian families, please make sure each person completes the form. This will ensure they are receiving family newsletters with helpful information and announcements.

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSE (EAP) CENTER

The English for Academic Purpose (EAP) Center at Lafayette College aims to equip English learners with the reading, writing, and oral communication skills and the knowledge of US culture necessary to succeed in an English-speaking college setting.

The Conversation PARDner Program is designed to promote international students’ intercultural communicative competence with upper-level native English speakers. If your native language is not English, we strongly recommend you attend the English Language Learning workshops and register for the ENG 100 Academic Writing class [W] provided by the EAP Center during your first academic year.

Meanwhile, there are English language tutors that are available during each semester to help you with your academic writing and speaking skills. The online magazine, Global Expressions: Writing Beyond the Mother Tongue, is designed to celebrate the multi-language writers at Lafayette College, showcase multi-language writers’ writings, and develop intercultural communications within our community.  To learn more about other support that is provided by the EAP Center, please visit the website at https://advising.lafayette.edu/eap/ or contact the Office of Advising.

TUITION PAYMENT

FIRST-YEAR ORIENTATION

First Year move in and orientation will take place August 25th through August 27th. Information regarding orientation can be found at firstyear.lafayette.edu. Please check the site throughout the summer regarding updates for the orientation program.

*Note International Student Move- in/ International Orientation will start August 20th.

FIRST FEW DAYS OF CLASSES

  •  First day of class: Monday, August 28th

  • Classes are in session for Labor Day: Monday, September 4th

  • Drop/Add deadline: Friday, September 8th

BREAKS DURING FALL SEMESTER

Please refer to  firstyear.lafayette.edu to follow a complete list of the required and optional steps for starting your first semester at Lafayette. We are really looking forward to welcoming you in person in August!

Sincerely,

Dean Smith

Alexis A. Smith
First Year Class Dean, Advising & Co-Curricular Programs
Fellowship Advisor
Lafayette College
Scott Hall 206
610.330.5080