I’m a current student at Lehigh University (Junior Electrical Engineering/Astrophysics in the IDEAS program). If you want to know anything about Lehigh, its programs, its engineering dept., etc I’m here to answer your questions.
Personally, it hasn’t been once that I’ve heard of an employer caring about a ranking in a magazine or site that derives profits from advertising. It hasn’t mattered once. If you have come to the conclusion that it isn’t good enough for your child, then I wish you and your child the best. Work hard, play hard. That’s why Lehigh graduates kill it in getting the top jobs and pay. You state that you’ve visited the university and spent considerable time and have reached your conclusion. You’ve stated that you already know the answers to your questions.
It is a wonderful university. The internships and research opportunities that students at Lehigh get are wonderful. The diploma from Lehigh is wonderful. The pay and job offers for Lehigh graduates are wonderful. I wish my child could pass on his personal experiences with the physics program, but he’s frankly too busy studying and working his bottom off, then when he has free time and it’s the weekend, he’s off fly fishing, sailing in Annapolis, hiking in New Jersey, going to jazz clubs in the heart of Manhattan, etc, all with current and former students that he’s met at Lehigh. School breaks are spent out of the country with his peers. I wish he could tell you about the projects that they are required to do together in teams for major corporations. He is working hard. He is playing hard. He’s offered jobs every single time he flies home or flies anywhere and he’s sitting next to an executive that asks where he goes to school. Not once has an executive or owner of a company asked about a ranking in a for-profit magazine that sells advertising, just pushed their card in his hand and told him to call them. It’s been mind-blowing, honestly, what the life of Lehigh student is.
Hi Info Sec,
I’ll do my best to give you a student’s (my) perspective of Lehigh’s Physics/Astrophysics/Astronomy program.
First, I’d like to preface this by saying that Lehigh’s Physics program is quite small, first simply because Lehigh is a smaller school. In addition, it is also small in proportion to other high-ranked research universities (I would say that there are between 5-15 physics majors per class of ~1200). My best guess for this relative small size is the fact that, because Lehigh’s reputation for engineering is so positive, many students who like math/science, and are accepted to Lehigh are swept up into engineering majors. In addition, Lehigh has many integrated programs, where students take many courses in the physics department, but do not necessarily get the major.
What a lot of people tend to forget is that college physics programs are ranked higher based on their graduating class, money, amount of big fancy machines, etc. No, Lehigh’s Physics department does not have the same resources as “Big State U” or an MIT, Cornell, Stanford (which is why Lehigh is ranked as low as 95, which is unfair, in my opinion). However, when you’re getting an undergraduate education, the most important element of those four years, is well…your education! There is no amount of number rankings, money, or new shiny toys that will help you with your education. It is your passion for the subject, and the work you do in and out of class that defines your education…
…which is why I’m happy to report that our Physics program’s small size is much more of a blessing than a curse. For me, at least, the part I enjoy most about my physics courses is that fact that they are small, as it allows me to interact with my professors on a more personal basis. When there are only 15 students in a class, I have the freedom to ask whatever questions I want, start a dialogue, and find out whether I am on the same page as my classmates. This would not be possible in larger classes 50, 75, 100+, as the professor simply must go by their notes with as little interruptions as possible. As a result of this, I feel as if I’ve been able to get a lot more out of a lecture, and even forge friendships with my professors. I can’t seriously say that every professor in the physics department is good, but, for the most part, all of my physics course experiences have been positive. Also note that, for a physics major, courses start becoming small in your late sophomore/early junior year. Once you reach this point, there is literally no physics course with more than 25 students (I would say that 15 is about average.)
Another positive of our small program is the fact that the entire ecosystem of the department is close knit. We hold many weekly programs, from discussions, to public talks, to hosting famous scientists, all of which are open to anyone, where physics students are encouraged to attend. We have many professors who genuinely care about sharing their excitement for physics with their students, and this is evident through the many programs we have in place that create a dialogue between students and professionals.
Here’s a quick story: Every Thursday, the Physics department holds a colloquium, where a physics researcher either from Lehigh or across the world comes to lecture about their work. Late in my freshman year, I attended a lecture by a Lehigh professor of Astrophysics. When the lecture was done, I asked her if she could give me any information about doing Astrophysics research at Lehigh. We discussed it for a short while, and after a few emails, I was given an opportunity to do research with her the next semester (which was fantastic, I might add)! Simply put, many professors here want their students to succeed, and because of the small department size, they have the freedom to do things like take on an incoming sophomore as a research assistant.
I would also like to add that the department recently added some new professors whose area of research are very exciting! One of which studies exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system), and works to discover new planets. Another is a leading theorist for String Theory (physics of the fabric of our universe, The Big Bang, etc.). I have taken courses with both professors, and they were great!
I hope that this answered your questions, and additionally gave you my perspective as a student. If you, your daughter, or any other person has questions about Lehigh, please feel free to contact me!
What a thorough and detailed perspective, firsthand by Luian217! This is exactly what I hear when I chat with my child or hear from friends. It is so much more than a ranking which is assigned on behalf of a for-profit magazine or site. Sounds like you are getting one of the most meaningful educations, and that’s what I love about Lehigh. There isn’t some big marketing push with free applications or need to game rankings systems. It has always seemed like it’s about the student finding themselves and reaching deep through hard work and collaboration with their peers and professors to be the most well-rounded and well-educated young people out there. Lehigh is bringing the world to you, and for that, I love Lehigh.
Hi luian217,
thank you so much for you well thought out and detailed response. This is the exact feedback and first hand experience I was looking for when I posed my question. I had a feeling that Lehigh’s small but intimate Physics program could offer the kind of benefits that you describe. At many of the larger schools I do believe that it would be much harder to develop some of the relationships that you have both with your professors and your classmates.
Thank you as well for you specifics on Astrophysics and the opportunity you spoke of to do research. My daughter is interested in research opportunities.
I also did see where the Department has recently hired two professors. I was delighted to see both were women. I also know that Lehigh has close to 40% of their overall Physics student population made up of women. That is one of the highest percentages of any major Physics program. Very impressive.
Thank you again for taking the time and providing such valuable insight into your experience at Lehigh and within the Physics program. Best wishes for continued success!
marky95,
Wow. The good news is you don’t have a chip on your shoulder about rankings. Smile.
I think if you go back and read my posts carefully, you will see that you made some mistakes in characterizing what I said. Nowhere did I state I have reached conclusions or say I know the answers to my questions. I asked my questions to specifically gain the kind of insight you can’t get in magazines, rankings, etc. and can only get from students who spend their day in the actual programs. That is why luian217’s insight is so valuable.
I certainly wasn’t criticizing Lehigh. In fact if you again read my posts I think you will see I made multiple statements about how impressed both my daughter and I were with Lehigh. It is a wonderful University. However, each school, no matter how strong, has certain pro’s and cons, and an objective person uses facts, data and insight to come to conclusions. What is right and important to one person may be very different from what is important to someone else. Because someone might come to a conclusion that there are certain areas where one University might offer a little more than another University in a certain area, doesn’t mean that the first University is somehow deficient. It just means there is a difference.
It is clear that you are a passionate supporter of Lehigh University. Your son has had a great experience there and sounds like he is doing fabulously. You are obviously very proud of him, as you should be.
Should my daughter matriculate at Lehigh I know I will become as passionate a supporter as you. We can together sing Lehigh’s praises from the top of the mountain!!
You are correct that I don’t have a chip on my shoulder about rankings since there’s no need to worry about those. Does a change in a ranking position somehow make one university better than it was before that issue of a magazine was published? It’s only here that I see those numbers making or breaking some sort of decision or prestige. I’ve never met someone hiring or getting top internships thinking it is anything but marketing. It’s a magazine, and it wouldn’t be hard to find a magazine or site that will have some ranking to “prove” or convince someone that somehow, one university is superior to another one. Why did I think that you have reached conclusions? These are your words:
“Having visited Lehigh, and spent considerable time with my daughter after the regular tour, going over to the Physics building and viewing their Lab facilities, research projects, infrastructure, talking to current students, etc, it just simply does not compare with the top programs.”
You visited and spent “considerable” time investigating the buildings, lab, projects, infrastructure, and you spoke with current students. You stated you spent “considerable” time doing all of those things, including talking with current students, and your written conclusion is that it doesn’t compare with top programs. Smile.
I didn’t attend Lehigh, but I do wish that I had. I wouldn’t know the rankings if others hadn’t posted. Honestly, I haven’t checked online to see if those are correct because it really doesn’t change the phenomenal education that Lehigh provides. If Lehigh appeals to someone and it lights a fire inside of them, then it will be the perfect fit. If a ranking attributed to it by a magazine is a consideration, then it probably isn’t the right university. There’s no marketing ploys or gaming the ranking system that I’ve ever seen by them. They don’t have to play that game. The kids there are working hard. It is not easy having a successful career there. Those young men and women are earning their success through hard work, intelligence, and dedication. They are known for being some of the most desirable when it comes to hiring. To get a meaningful education and college experience was our goal for our son. He made the right choice, even if it meant turning down admission offers and scholarships to universities at the top of the rankings. He made the right choice.
Well you just moved the goal posts from your original characterization of my statements. I do appreciate you admitting that you have think I have reached my conclusions based on some things I said, versus me stating I have reached any conclusions. Since that would not be accurate.
Strangely, I think you and are are advocating the same thing. Again, my original post was written in order to get feedback from actual students in the program. As I think we would agree, it is not all about the buildings, infrastructure, lab facilities, rankings etc. It is about the students experience and what they ultimately gain from their experience at Lehigh. The learning environment, the professors, their classmates, etc. This is as important as anything else, and that is why I posed my question.
On rankings though some additional perspective for you to consider. There are many more rankings out there besides the ones from USNWR. Many are from the Physics community. Physics Associations, etc, that are not for profit, and have no agendas. Just straight talk about the benefits of the Physics programs at a set of schools. Pro’s, cons, specialties, etc. Valuable information when making choices.
You certainly don’t need to defend your sons choice of attending Lehigh. At least not to me. I am not questioning that. He sounds like he has done great, it has been a wonderful experience for him and I wish he and you continued success.
Let’s see if I can figure out what in the world is going on here. As someone that has enjoyed great personal success, it has given me the opportunity to learn from others. One of the most essential things is for one to own their words, which also includes acknowledging and knowing the difference between stating something that is a fact and stating something that is strictly one’s opinion, educated or non-educated. Your statement, and I quote you yet again, “Having visited Lehigh, and spent considerable time with my daughter after the regular tour, going over to the Physics building and viewing their Lab facilities, research projects, infrastructure, talking to current students, etc, it just simply does not compare with the top programs.” While it is written like you claim it as a fact, it is more helpful to acknowledge that it is your opinion, and only that. There are other things to address to clarify that it’s an opinion and not fact, but we’ll end there.
I must confess that I am somewhat baffled by some of the things that you write. I’m not even sure why you wrote “Smile.” in an earlier comment, but I tried to use it, thinking that might help us communicate, but I’m left even more confused.
College admissions is a business. It is a big business and a lot is at stake. Decisions now can have long-lasting and far-reaching effects for years to come. It also plays into endowments and grants, which I know first hand as one that has been blessed and has chosen a path of philanthropy. We heard many things when choosing colleges, met lots of advancement staff in addition to counselors, and worked closely in consultation with an Ivies counselor because we wanted the best for our son. He was offered admission at several prestigious universities, and without money being a factor, he was in the enviable position to be able to make his choice for himself. Along the way, rankings are a nagging subject during the process, as is the marketing push during college visits. Because we rose above all of it and saw the colleges for what they truly offer, the experiences that each provides young men and women, and the opportunities based upon a meaningful education rather than a name or ranking or more scholarship money from one versus another, my son was able to choose his path. He chose Lehigh, and still says that he made the right choice.
Feel free to reply to me if you’d like, but luian217 has written a lot of good information that should be helpful to your daughter and others. His/her experience has been very similar to my son’s, as they share fields of study.
*It is beyond self-evident that a statement such as “I visited X and it didn’t measure up to Y”, in the context of a university overall or a particular aspect of it, is an opinion. It hardly needs to be prefaced as such.
Beyond that, picking on every negative or even every non-superlative comment about a school creates an unwelcoming environment for other members. It is similar to going on a school’s forum and doing nothing but tear it down. We don’t allow that either.
I am going to leave those last posts up so my moderation has context, but future behavior like that will not be tolerated. It is quite easy to post factual or other counter arguments without creating a forum that makes people feel like they will be attacked every time they post something less than glowing about Lehigh.*
This thread is huge and over 5 years old. Maybe it would be helpful to close this down so posters could participate in current discussions???
It’s true that this has hung on for awhile, but I guess it never quite went dormant. Still, schools change in all sorts of ways so it does make sense to start a new one. If someone does start a new “General Questions” thread, they should paste the link to this one in the initial post. As soon as I see a new one has started, or even better someone send me a PM to tell me, I will close this one and post the link to the new one.
*Per above, closing this thread and referring everyone to the new thread http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/lehigh-university/1816413-lehigh-university-general-questions-thread.html *