Reviews

If you really want to learn, then you should consider Lake Forest College. Its small class sizes enables for the students to easily establish a relationship with the professor. When one’s stuck, they could easily talk to the professor because (1) they usually know each students’ situation and (2) since they devote themselves in teaching in small classes, they want students to be involved and come up to them. When you talk to them, you can expect them to be caring and grateful for you to come. Before, I was afraid to talk with my teachers. Now, I am more comfortable in talking with my professors. Some I became good friends with. My economics teacher was really nice and easy to talk to that many students always turn to her when they need help.

Even though Lake Forest is neither Ivy League nor a top school, the curriculum is still rigorous and challenging. I became surprised how rigorous the work was. It was not necessarily easy. The books assigned for my history class were complicated to read, but doable. Plus, their ideas were interesting and important.

The school offers many resources to its students. It offer writing center, tutoring, etc. I recommend students to visit the writing center no matter what. The tutors really leave you some tips in how to improve their writing. The center also provide standing appointments. This is for students to work with the same tutor each week. Therefore, those who want to improve in one specific area or have a teacher that assign many papers will benefit from this. The school also offered optional academic sessions for the first years to attend to help them transition into college.

The setback of being in Lake Forest College is its location. The city of Lake Forest is quite boring. Therefore, students go to nearby cities to hang out. Luckily, downtown Chicago is only located one hour away. However, it is hard to find something to do when you pressed for time.

Even though I think that the education here is great, I do not think that it should cost almost $50,000 a year. However, they do offer great financial aid so the students can afford it. It ranked in the top 13 for students most happy with their financial aid package. Even if the school cost a lost, many students financial aid package is covered by a good amount.

Go to the writing center even if you think that your writing skills are good.
Always find opportunities and reasons to talk to the professors. They really like it when you do.
Attend global mosaic. It is really fun!

If accepted, attend pre-orientation. It is much more funner than the real orientation.
And again, talk to whoever you encounter through even if they are not your professor. The school is pretty small, so they will remember you if you gave them a good first expression. What's the benefit of this? Connections or they might even become your teacher.

For those who highly value in their education.
For those who want to be in a class of small numbers of student.
For those who want a less/need stressing and distracting environment.
For those who are interested in international/culture.

The selection of clubs and activities is staggering, often it's hard to choose exactly which you want to go with, if any

Students who are serious about what they're doing, but want to be able to enjoy their time in college. The college doesn't put on crazy amounts of pressure like a Big 10 school, but the education is on par.

LFC is expensive. BUT! They have outstanding financial aid. Even the lowest tier scholarship they give out pays for quite a bit of the yearly costs. The education you get is well worth the money though!

Depending on the dorm you get, you'll either have a wonderful experience in a very nice dorm room, or you'll have an old room with paper thin walls. If you enjoy partying, go to a South Campus dorm, otherwise aim for middle or north.

Put in the effort to do the work. With the parties and events on campus it's very easy to get caught up in the fun that the college encourages, but they expect you to put in the work to earn those!

There is almost always something going on around campus that's college sponsored, but outside of that it's a very "make your own fun" kind of town. There are a host of bars in Lake Forest itself, but not a huge (or even middle sized) selection.

Lake Forest is tough but fair. The professors do an outstanding job of teaching subjects and help bring out the best in you... if you let them. The work load depends very heavily on the departments, and even on professor within the departments.

Wonderful food, wonderful staff. LFC goes out of it's way to provide great food for it's students.

Extremely safe, with a safe that takes its job very seriously.

Lake Forest encourages students to learn, offering many opportunities to those who attend. They make a great deal of effort to make students feel at home with both their facilities and their staff. If you put in the effort, LFC will pay you back 10-fold.

Lake Forest College is so far the harborer of a fantastic learning environment. The administration pushes their students to becoming better writers with skills in reading comprehension and organization in all of the available majors. The small class size offers the opportunity for a first name basis and a personal and comfortable learning experience.

When considering Lake Forest, understand that just because Lake Forest is not a household name, does not mean that the school isn't going to challenge you, socially academically or otherwise. That said, there are so many amazing opportunities at Lake Forest, no matter what your major and the location is amazing. Choose a school that is going to offer you a little bit of everything so that you can learn as much as you can about yourself.

The science department at Lake Forest College is definitely challenging, but also remains very fair. The professors at Lake Forest push their students to be the best they can be and build personal relationships with their students to encourage the use of office hours and outside resources.

The dorms at Lake Forest have lots of character. There are many old buildings that serve as housing for the students that do need a little bit of re-working but everything is functional and clean and the size of the rooms are usually quite generous. In addition to the older buildings, there are also newer ones that are an effort of the college to be more practical and modern and I assume that as the years go on, there will be more new additions.

The dining experience at Lake Forest is pretty good. There is always something that I end up finding appealing and themed food nights add a little excitement to a busy student's life. On Sundays there are usually less options because the kitchen is getting ready for the week but other that that it is great. Also, there is a smaller cafe called Boomer's where sushi and other options are served regularly.

Because Lake Forest is so close to the Lake Forest train stop, Chicago and all of its glory is only a train ride away. More locally however, there are many cute shops and restaurants a walk away from campus. In the surrounding towns there are also many options for entertainments which the provided shuttle from the school will bring you to.

Lake Forest seems expensive at first but they give some of the most financial aid I have ever heard of.

A few times every month Lake Forest has ACPs or All Campus Programs which allow students to go out on the weekend and dance and eat and have a good time away from their studies.

Lake Forest has a little something for everyone I truly believe. I have friends of all kinds and they all have found a place that fits them at school. From music to art to science and community service, there are groups of people passionate about anything you are!

Lake Forest has an amazing amount of groups and clubs and furthermore makes is so simple to apply for and create your very own club or organization involving any topic!

Greek life is lively and fun but not nearly as competitive or scary as it is in other schools. Very few are turned away and there are no designated housing spots for frats or sororities.

I always feel very safe at Lake Forest and public safety are amazing about responding to any issues a student has. In addition, the residence life staff are amazing and make everyone feel not only safe, but welcome and needed.

Every Teacher adds his/her own personal experience in what they are teaching, they are always excited about what they teach and are very helpful!

Students are very nice as well as professor and everyone working here! the Cafeteria is great! Especially since its being renovated...the food is great---buffet style!

Financial Aid is awesome and they have great payment plans!

Get the most of what is being offered....you're paying for it!

I transferred to LFC from a larger school of over 15,000 students. The class size at the larger school made learning and studying extremely independent. Coming to a school of less than 1,500 students was a big change. The smaller lectures and lab allow the professors to interact more with the students. The material is challenging, but interesting. As a science major, there is a lot of hands-on lab work which is really important.

The community of students and professors is one of the best things about Lake Forest College. There are so many organizations to join, activities to participate in and events to attend. Getting involved is worthwhile at this school because of opportunities to show leadership

Lake Forest College has been well worth my time and money. In terms of education, there are huge opportunities for internships, studying abroad and research. The college has great facilities, opportunities and resources that extend beyond the campus.

Choosing a college should be based on what is best for you as a student. Consider your needs as a student. Learning from my own mistakes, a college should never be chosen or not chosen out of fear, or social pressure.

In general, Lake Forest College is great for anyone who wants to be challenged academically with interesting material. Lake Forest is definitely for someone who wants smaller class sizes where professors are extremely accessible and enthusiastic about their work.

lake forest college is a very diverse school. it is very small, but every student is personally recognized by their professors. also, work load is very much tedious, but it keeps you on track of everything going on.

make a schedule for yourself; in any college, it is very hard to get sidetracked and your main priority should be academics.

a lot is expected; as it should. we all have a lot more potential than we think we do.

i currently live in the oldest building on campus, but regardless it is very well taken care of, and i easily can call it home.

i believe that lake forest college dining is much better than any cafeteria i have ever eaten in. you are not to expect a five star dinner but it does it's job better than you'd think.

it is very easy to get involved around campus in all the clubs and activities that are offered. not only will they look good on a resume, but they are genuinely such fun times as well. also, downtown lake forest is located about ten minutes away from campus and so is the beach.

as i mentioned before, there are unlimited opportunities to get involved in clubs and activities. there are also always new clubs all the times. for example, this year, some of my friends and i just opened up a new club called united middle east (ume). ume is a cultural organization that brings together the middle eastern students of lfc and all students interested in middle eastern cultures.

lake forest is known for being one of the safest places to live in in illinois. campus is just as safe if not more. although it is a small college, there are always people walking around so you are never really alone. also, public safety are amazing. they are always available for any kind of help that is needed, and are very quick to respond.

I came to Lake Forest College hoping to find a small, tight-knit community. I wanted to be someone and find myself. Instead of finding a school, I found a home.

LFC is what you make it... if you want to have a party-hard social life here, you can do that; but if you want a quiet dorm full of people who like to play board games and watch tv at 2 in the morning, you can find that, too. LFC is diverse in its student body and you can always find someone who has the same interests and goals at heart. My biggest piece of advice is to make sure that you want a small school; because oh man, is this school small. I came here wanting to be part a close-knit community where I knew most of my classmates and I got just that. I love it, but I know people who don't. It's a really personal preference.

I've taken 4 classes (one semester) at LFC and it's been challenging, but well worth it. I loved all of my classes. I struggled a lot with economics (I'm not very good at it anyway), but my professor was always there to help me. It really is what you make it.

I live on North Campus in Lois, which is a pretty old dorm, but I love it. The halls on South are more updated, as is Deerpath on North, but I wouldn't live anywhere else. All dorms are really conveniently located.

It's cafeteria food; sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not. They have something called the Mongolian Grille where they have different kinds of things than the general pizza/hamburgers/salad/wraps. It's usual some sort of make-your-own-pasta bar, but they have the best falafel and I've definitely seen burritos, tacos, nachos, and other things before.

The student group SPARK throws really cool events open to students every week. Some of the coolest things I've been to have been a mentalist, a comedian, a magician, and dueling pianos, but there's been a load of other things, like a Build a Bear type thing and an exotic petting zoo. There's also a school-sponsored All Campus Party (ACP) every other week. The train station is a ten minute walk: my favorite place is go is Evanston, which is a 20-30 minute ride, and downtown Chicago is only an hour away.

Lake Forest is a quirky, international, close-knit liberal arts school that's a Metra ride away from the city of Chicago (which needs no introduction). The coursework is difficult, but professors treat students individually and encourage experiential learning. People here come from literally all over the world, and our campus is both historic and beautiful.

My academic experience at Lake Forest has been excellent. Professors here are challenging, inspiring, highly knowledgeable, and more than willing to meet with you until you understand the material fully. I am a neuroscience major, and from what I've heard from friends at large state schools, an education this personal simply isn't possible in a class with 200+ students. This is the boon of a liberal arts education in any subject, and Lake Forest exemplifies the closeness, rigor, and inability to fade into the woodwork that this kind of education affords. The coursework at Lake Forest is not easy. I graduated from a competitive STEM-education boarding school, and have found classes to be just as challenging, and oftentimes more so than what I experienced before. This is also a writing-intensive school. Be prepared (and know how to) write, no matter what discipline you're entering. For help with schoolwork and papers, the Writing Center is available and staffed by LFC alumni. Like many other liberal arts institutions, Lake Forest stresses internships and study-abroad opportunities: many students will study abroad in Spain, Greece, or New Zealand, and the Groner Foundation offers fully-paid service internships all over the world, and the college just opened a new In the Loop internship program in Chicago.

The dorms at Lake Forest are hit-or-miss. South Campus dorms are always where the party's at, and most likely where freshmen will be placed. Many dorms on South were built in the '60s: their Modernist style looks dated and clashes pretty badly with the rest of the buildings at the College and in the town of Lake Forest. A new residence hall is being constructed in place of old Moore Hall, and is expected to be completed by Summer '13. Nollen and Deerpath are the most recently renovated dorms, and Harlan and Blackstone on Middle Campus are very near most of Lake Forest's academic buildings. Residence Life is very open to letting students make their own decisions when it comes to how they live. This is why the residence halls are co-ed (except for Lois, which is all female), and why students can choose to live with a roommate of the opposite sex if they want.

Aramark's food quality varies. Some days, the Caf serves what seems like restaurant-quality fare (made-to-order Reubens, pasta creations, and stir fry), and some days you're greeted with pizzas, burgers, and fries. To be fair, there is always an excellent salad bar and wrap line, and sushi and other food can be purchased with a meal plan outside of cafeteria hours in the student center. In general, food is very fresh. Students sign up for an on-campus meal plan that includes a certain number of allotted meals per week and some flex dollars. These can be spent at a number of cafe and convenience store locations on campus. On the whole, the food at Lake Forest is significantly better than most other college cafeteria food that I've tried.

Many people here complain that there's nothing to do in Lake Forest, but that isn't exactly true. As background, Lake Forest is one of the wealthiest cities in Illinois. The town essentially closes down by 10pm, so most students will visit nearby Highwood for its nightlife. However, LF hosts multiple art fairs during the fall, as well as a weekly farmer's market in the square. Lake Forest's public beach on the shores of Lake Michigan is stunning and just a few blocks from the College. The city has hundreds of acres of restored prairie and forest, as well as an excellent park system. I personally think that just walking around the town and looking at the ravines and 19th century mansions that abound is interesting. Of course, Chicago and Evanston are readily accessible by the Metra for those who want to get off campus. For a larger campus social scene, many students go to Northwestern on the weekends, which is just a 25min train ride south from Lake Forest.

Lake Forest College isn't cheap, and with tuition increases, it costs about $47,000 a year to attend. However, the college is top-ranked for its financial aid, and most students here receive some grant or scholarship from the school. The education that you receive here, however, is well worth the sticker price.

Campus is divided into three separate sections by deep wooded ravines, which can only be found along a two-mile stretch of the Lake Michigan shoreline. The ravines are probably the most beautiful part of campus - I go down there from time to time to read and do homework. There is also a restored savanna behind the science building bordering one of the ravines.

The school is perfect for intelligent, driven students who can appreciate the richness of a liberal arts education in close proximity to Chicago.

Greek life here is not nearly as ubiquitous as it is at some other schools. Only about 20% of people at Lake Forest are Greek, and the city banned the use of fraternity houses, so frat parties here are basically nonexistent.

Public Safety are always around patrolling campus. There is a daily crime log for the college that students can access online. All in all, it's a safe campus in an even safer location.

Lake Forest College is a small school with a great sense of community. Small class sizes make the classes interactive with professors who care. Athletic scene a close knit and is prominent here as well even for being a Division 3 school.

Visit the school to make sure you like the small town, small school feel; It's not for everybody.
Also, if you're interested in a sport even if you're not recruited, go talk to the coach! It's 100% possible for non recruits to make teams.
Once you're here, BRANCH OUT! This school is friendly and has a wonderful sense of community that you should be apart of.

Small class sizes make professors know who you are and accountable for attending class. Professors are tough bu are always open to office hours and tend to make personal connection with students.

Dorm rooms and location determine the time of living environment.
Middle campus building are older and tend to consist of doubles and singles. These location encompass both partying and academics side of school, and is ideal location for getting anywhere on campus in a reasonable time.
North campus has the nicer/newer dorms and are excellent for academic students. Tend to be doubles, singles, and triples.
South campus is the louder side of campus. In all honesty it's hard to study here on weekends. On the plus side, the social atmosphere is great! Mostly consists of quads and singles.

The Caf as it's called has amazing food! It's by far one of the best cafeteria's (as determined by not only us, but by visiting students from other schools).
There is also Boomers - a small to-go cafe, the POD - a small food store, along with cafe's in the library and two dorm buildings.

The beach is a great place to hang out during the hotter months.
The train station is a ten minute walk from campus and an amazing way to get into Chicago if for those without (or even with) a car.
This school also has a lot of on campus activities. For instance, ACP's (all campus parties) are dances hosted by the school on a monthly to bi-monthly basis. Along with this, organizations are always throwing events. Hard to get bored on weekends even if your just staying on campus!

In my opinion the small class sizes and unique experiences I have had here are worth it. Small class sizes make learning easier and more applicable to real life. There are also so many opportunities for internships and future jobs here due to the small community who is willing to help every student.
It's a little pricey, but this school gives great financial aid as well.

Any student who is willing to branch out of their comfort zone socially and academically driven.

Club and intramural sports are fun and welcoming to anybody. Great for people who want to stay in shape but don't have Varsity experience in a sport. This also goes along with any other club on campus. As long as you are willing to try, they are willing to have you.

Greek life is a small part of LFC. While it's fun for all Greeks, it not necessary to have a good time on campus. Greeks have their own lounges but no houses due to Lake Forest City housing rules.

Public safety is a little over bearing on weekends but they keep the campus in check. I always see patrol cars roaming around campus for security and will escort you to any place you need to be on campus (even the train station).

Diversity is a major factor here at LFC. Your professors will challenge you as well as take an interest in you due to the size of the college. Close-knit community that serves as a springboard for a wide variety of futures.

The expectations from professors can seem a bit drastic at first but they mean well. Ideally, stay ahead of your work and don't let your freshmen year tank your gpa. Lastly, GET INVOLVED!!! With the large amount of clubs, club sports, and varsity sports, don't be afraid to try something new.

With the high acceptance rate into graduate schools, LFC has a challenging curriculum to prepare its students. Stay ahead of your work and keep active dialogue with your professors to succeed.

Some dorms are nicer than others but all in all, they're acceptable. I recommend Nollen Hall because its brand new and has a mini store/kitchen on the first floor open until 2am most nights. NEW BUILDING ON THE WAY!!

One of the best things about the college. The food here is amazing and is constantly taking complaints or concerns from the student body to better themselves. Wait until you meet Ruben, Omelet Master Chef.

Apart from regular Frisbee, clubs, and sports, they're are parties to satisfy the craziest of party animals. Mud tug of wars, freshmen activities which are a fond memory. PLAYFAIR!!!

Great financial aid but otherwise, rest assured your money is well spent here.

Relay for Life, TOGA PARTY, AROUND THE WORLD PARTY, paint dust fights. The most interesting I would say, is the one day new Rugby players streak through the quads touching every quad door.

Students who want to take the next step forward and become a well rounded or extraordinary individual while having fun!

So.... many.... clubs...... and ...... activities..... :)

No crazy frat parties here. Mostly a way to meet new people while doing something good for the community.

They will annoy you from time to time, but they protect us.