<p>@mathmomvt</p>
<p>Good questions!</p>
<p>What I like most about Lehigh: Its flexibility.</p>
<p>I’ve mentioned how flexible Lehigh is with regards to changing majors and schools, and that’s a pretty good representation of how much emphasis the school encourages students to explore other interests and become well-rounded students. I don’t know how it is at other colleges, but students can register for other school’s courses without much trouble. For example, I could take an introduction to bioengineering class despite not being a bioengineer last semester, and friends in the business and engineering schools have been able to take sociology classes with me.</p>
<p>Professors are also willing to help you get into their classes as much as they can as long as you ask. As a freshman, I was able to take a 300-level (the highest level) sociology class without a problem, and the professor even encouraged that I do so. She just had to process an override, which isn’t too much trouble. Another biochemistry major friend asked to take a 300-level journalism class as a freshman and the professor was delighted to accept her. That friend also took a 200- or 300-level biology class as a sophomore, even though science majors don’t finish all their prerequisites until the end of spring sophomore year and officially can only start taking those classes as juniors.</p>
<p>As for what I wish was different (some people may disagree with me about this): Its lack of academic and intellectual rigor.</p>
<p>I can only speak from a College of Arts and Sciences standpoint, but the courses here are easier than I expected, which really disappointed and honestly kind of demotivated me. Many of my friends have said the same. Students can get away with not doing the reading and still do fine, and the comments offered in class aren’t as higher-level thinking as they could be. I earned an A in the 300-level sociology class mentioned before, and though I had to work for it, I put considerably less effort into it than I did in many of my high school AP classes, yet it was supposed to be a class targeted towards juniors and seniors?</p>
<p>Now that statement could just be targeted towards more of the liberal arts, like the humanities and social sciences, but based off what people say, this is overall through all of Lehigh’s colleges. To give a counter example, UC Berkeley, are much more rigorous. I was a science major for over half my time here, and they were easier than expected. When people say that so and so class is hard, I can guarantee that most of them did not take the time to study or go to class, which are both apparently lauded and bragged here by the student body. As a sociology major, I understand that some students come from more disadvantaged backgrounds and are less prepared, and I do take that into account, but I get the feeling that most of the students simply do not give that much effort into it. Engineers here can party very frequently, but at UC Berkeley, engineering students are pushed so hard academically, according to my high school friend. They say that in college, students need to choose two of the three: good grades, friends, or sleep, but at UC Berkeley, you can have only one.</p>
<p>Also, outside of class, the environment isn’t intellectually serious, as many of my classmates have also pointed out. While people could argue that it depends on who you surround yourself with, the reality is that overall, there is a greater focus on fun, partying, and drinking. Even most extracurriculars are not taken seriously and are poorly organized; aside from a select few organizations, the vast majority here just do the bare minimum, are naive, and don’t have much drive, which is indicated by them having one meeting at the beginning of the semester after the club fair, then disbanding. I can go onto the list of organizations on the Hub and definitely say that more than half of them are not active. Compare this to Harvard, Duke, and UC Berkeley, where students are given thousands of dollars to manage and put on fantastic events. (This comparison may be considered unfair since they are thought of as the “elite” schools, but those schools are called “elite” for legitimate reasons. Because the overall student body do care enough, and they are given enough opportunities and funding to show that they care, and if Lehigh really does want to become top-tier, then it needs to start.)</p>
<p>Furthermore, there is a phenomenon called the “Lehigh bubble” here, and it represents the student body’s social and political apathy. My high school had more campaign posters hung during student elections than here, where those flyers are nonexistent when it comes to student council and senate elections. People here really don’t care, and when there are a few who care, the opportunities here number much less than those elsewhere. And frankly, I was very motivated in high school and believed that college would accelerate that motivation and help me make a change in the world, but no.</p>
<p>Of course, since I haven’t taken any college classes outside of Lehigh, maybe I shouldn’t consider myself an expert in these matters, but if nearly all of my high school AP classes were more rigorous than all of my college courses so far, then something’s a bit awry here. For some background, I went to a public high school in a Philadelphia suburb that’s considered to be decent but it’s no Julia R. Masterman (message me for the name). But despite not being the best in the state, at least I could count on there being several impressive insights from the students there everyday. So basically, if you’re looking for an intellectually stimulating climate, go to a school that would be more conducive to it, like UChicago and Swarthmore that are known for being so.</p>
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