<p>Hey, Mike. I applied a day ago RD. What do you think are my chances of getting in?</p>
<p>SAT: 1870 (680 math) (550 CR ( ) ( 640 Writing) I know, they’re really low but its too late to retake them.</p>
<p>SAT II: 690 Math level II 680 Chemistry 740 U.S History</p>
<p>GPA: 9-11th: 94.7 unweighted, 101 weighted. took as many AP classes as possible, my school does not offer IB</p>
<p>Rank: 24/600 ~5%</p>
<p>Senior Year classes: AP chem, AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP Eco(micro and macro), AP Spanish.</p>
<p>Extracirriculars: JV Tennis, DECA (business club) Vice President (11) and Treasurer (12), Physics club, math club, student govt</p>
<p>Awards: Won math competition awards, principles awards in all 5 subjects, and won regional DECA award to qualify for state competitions. </p>
<p>Volunteer: 4 Hours every week at a hospital (~100 total)
-volunteer annually at a Soup Kitchen since 9th grade, 20 hours per year.
-Various other events at library</p>
<p>Ethnicity: Indian</p>
<p>My teacher recs are good. Im hoping my GPA and senior year classes help cover up the hole in my app created by the SAT score. Mentioned Lehigh is my #1 choice school in my essay</p>
<p>Hey Jerseyshor,</p>
<p>Your SATs are excellent, and your AP schedule looks rigorous. Academically, you’re exactly what Lehigh is looking for. Your extracurricular involvement is also very impressive.</p>
<p>If you haven’t already, come by Lehigh for a visit and take a tour. Try to schedule an on-campus interview if you can - they’re optional but they can also increase your chances. And see if you can find any Lehigh alumni in your area to network with. </p>
<p>Like I say in almost all of my posts, Lehigh looks for students who are interested. They log your email correspondences and the events you attend on campus. So be sure to show in essays and visits how much you really want to go here. If you do that, I’m sure you’ll get in.</p>
<p>Best,</p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>Hi bhawk123,</p>
<p>Let’s take what you told me item by item and I’ll try to reason my way through everything.</p>
<p>GPA and APs are good. If certain courses weren’t offered at your school, Lehigh won’t penalize you for it, so don’t worry about the IB issue. Your rank is also great. Your extracurriculars are well-rounded across many disciplines, and the leadership roles you have will help you get in.</p>
<p>Let’s talk about those SATs. Your subject tests are very good, but the regular SAT is slightly below average for Lehigh students. You didn’t mention what college you’re aiming for, and I can’t even guess based on the wide variety of extracurriculars you’ve got. But, if you’re applying to the Engineering college, the SAT might make or break you. If you’re going for Arts and Sciences or Business, I don’t think it plays as big a role.</p>
<p>Overall, I still think your chances are good.</p>
<p>There’s nothing you can do about the SAT now, so make sure Lehigh knows you’re passionate about going here. Email your admissions rep, try to get a last-minute interview, and come back for another tour or event. A lower SAT certainly won’t hurt you if you’re truly interested in Lehigh.</p>
<p>Let me know if you’ve got anymore questions,</p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>I applie ED and I’m probable going to find out next but I cannot wait…lol. Do they 1)email your decision letter also? 2)can you do the email lookup thing on the lehigh website to see if your accepted? 3) what kind of envelope does it come in?</p>
<p>Hi LehighChemE,</p>
<p>I’m Binh. I’m from Vietnam. That means I don’t have any chance to visit campus or attend Lehigh’s events. Does that affect my overall application so much? Should I make a appointment to have an interview? How should I do.</p>
<p>I’m going to apply for ED2. Is there any important difference between ED2 and RD beacause I know that both types have deadline on 1/1/2012?</p>
<p>Here are my information. What do you think are my chances of getting in?</p>
<ul>
<li><p>SAT: 590 CR - 790 Math - 570 Writing. I’ve retaken on December and I hope my CR score could be improved.</p></li>
<li><p>SAT Subject Tests: 800 Math IIC - 800 Chemistry - 760 Physics</p></li>
<li><p>No AP. (My school does not offer)</p></li>
<li><p>GPA: 9.0/10, unweighted. Though my school does not use Rank, but my GPA usually ranks first among my class (Size: 36)</p></li>
<li><p>Awards: Ranked First in the National University Entrance Examination, Outstanding Model in the Patriotic Emulation Movement of Vietnam’s Education Branch, Outstanding Model, Second Prize in the Vietnam Mathematical Olympiad, Typical Young Face of the Year (At my province)…</p></li>
<li><p>Extracurricular: Write book to donate money for disabled children, Class monitor in charge of class learning, Math Club of School, Tutor for 20 high school children (1 month), collaborator at Mathematics for Youth Mangazine (6 years)</p></li>
<li><p>Volunteer work: Participate Volunteer Team to reduce traffic congestion (2 weeks), member at Volunteer for Peace Club (to donate for event “Christmas at Sick Bed”),</p></li>
<li><p>My teacher recommendations are pretty good. I hope my essay will be so (Cause I have not finished)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I know that my ECs are not good. But I come from a poor village in Vietnam and don’t have opportunities to join many events. I take 2-gap years too (Hope it does not hurt me so much). But I think my efforts to overcome my poor situation (I’m orphan) can raise me up somewhat.</p>
<p>I really appreciate your help. Please evaluate my application honestly. Thank you.</p>
<p>Hey Homies12,</p>
<p>I’m glad to here you’re excited about finding out. Here’s the answers to your questions.</p>
<p>I applied ED and did not get an acceptance email, I just got the letter in the mail. Unless they’re changing things, I wouldn’t expect an email.</p>
<p>I just heard about the email lookup this year. When you’re accepted Lehigh creates an email account for you that can be looked up via our online faculty and student directory. You can search via last name or try to look what your email address might be, like abc116 or def216 (initials plus graduating year). I don’t know the time frame for when they create these emails, though, so it might not be the best indicator.</p>
<p>Here’s the link to it: [Lehigh</a> University - Find an Address or Personal Web Page](<a href=“http://www.lehigh.edu/~www/find/email.html]Lehigh”>http://www.lehigh.edu/~www/find/email.html)</p>
<p>My letter came in a regular white envelope with the Lehigh logo and seal in the corner. It looks pretty standard, nothing too flashy.</p>
<p>Good luck. Hope the news is good,</p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>Hey Binh,</p>
<p>It’s great to hear you’re interested in Lehigh. Let me go point-by-point through what you asked me:</p>
<p>Being an international student, it’s obviously not bad if you can’t arrange to tour and visit Lehigh. They’ll understand given your situation. There are other ways to demonstrate your interest.</p>
<p>Interviews are usually on-campus, and are scheduled through Lehigh’s admissions department. You can look all of that stuff up on Lehigh’s website. If can’t get on-campus, maybe admissions can arrange for some sort of phone or email interview given you’re out-of-country. I’d say the best way you could show interest is to make strong email contact with an admissions rep. They log email activity, so the more questions you ask and the more interest you show, the better. Try an find out if there are Lehigh grads in Vietnam to make connections with.</p>
<p>There is a massive difference between ED2 and RD. Early Decision (ED2) means you agree to go to Lehigh no matter who else accepts you - if Lehigh lets you in, you’re agreeing to go to Lehigh, regardless of aid, etc. Regular Decision (RD) allows you to choose between schools. Overall however, ED2 applicants get a better looking at, and they’re more likely to get in, but like I said they agree to go to Lehigh no matter what.</p>
<p>Your first SAT grade is about average for a Lehigh student, but your SAT IIs are absolutely spectacular.</p>
<p>Your academic (GPA) and extracurricular achievements are also very impressive. And given the difficult circumstances you had to overcome, you shoud be proud. When writing your essay, make sure not only to highlight the challenges you overcame, but also how passionate and interested you are in going to Lehigh.</p>
<p>I definitely think you have the potential to get in.</p>
<p>If you have any more questions, please ask them. Good luck moving forward,</p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>@[tangbinh](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13609337-post25.html]tangbinh[/url]:”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/13609337-post25.html):</a></p>
<p>According to [LEHIGH</a> AROUND THE WORLD: SOUTHEAST ASIA](<a href=“http://www.lehigh.edu/international/lehigh-around-the-world/southeast-asia.html]LEHIGH”>http://www.lehigh.edu/international/lehigh-around-the-world/southeast-asia.html) site there is the following activity associated with Vietnam:
[ul]
[<em>]3 alumni (fall '11)
[</em>]1 Lehigh student studying abroad ('10-'11)
[<em>]5 current undergraduate students enrolled (fall '11)
[</em>]2 current graduate students (fall '11)[/ul]</p>
<p>Perhaps you can work with your admissions counselor to contact a few of these students/alumni to collaborate/ask questions/network as part of your efforts to learn more about Lehigh. It would definetely show initiative on your part and go a long way towards ‘showing interest’.</p>
<p>@LehighChemE:</p>
<p>I am really pleased to read your answers. They are great. I also have more hope to apply Lehigh. Thank you very much.</p>
<p>@ StitchInTime</p>
<p>I realize that I should keep in touch more often to admission officials, which I have no idea before. Thank for your suggestion. I will do it right now.</p>
<p>Do you know anything about the biopharmaceutical track of bioengineering at Lehigh? It seems to have a lot of overlap with ChemE but has a more biotech focus. It seems quite unique to me. Do you know how graduates of that program fare?</p>
<p>Hi ClassicRockerDad,</p>
<p>Bioengineering is closely interwoven with other engineering disciplines at Lehigh. In my chemical engineering classes this semester, about 1/4 of the students have been bioengineering majors. So yes, bioengineers take a lot of chemical engineering classes.</p>
<p>In fact, one of my chemical engineering professors actually specializes in work that seems more like biopharmaceuticals than actual chemical engineering. He works on enzymes and drug delivery - really interesting stuff. He also teaches a more advanced bioengineering course on top of the intro chemical engineering course he taught me this semester.</p>
<p>The biopharmaceutical track is one of several concentrations in bioengineering. I know for a fact that Merck actively recruits these students for internships. So I’m sure students in that track fare very well. Lehigh is a great engineering school, and all of our graduates have no problem succeeding in the real world.</p>
<p>I’m afraid I don’t know much more than that. Hope this helps,</p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>Hey LehighChemE,</p>
<p>I want to ask you about financial aid. I know Lehigh does offer aid for international students but it is very limited and competitive. All my scholarship from my government is just about 30k/1 year. Do I have any chances with my application?</p>
<p>I intend to major Business. I am sure that Lehigh is pretty good at this field. But I don’t know whether Lehigh University has Business Co-op Program. Can you clarify about Business Department at Lehigh? What are its noticeable advantages and disavantages?</p>
<p>Thank you very much.
Binh</p>
<p>Hey Bihn,</p>
<p>I don’t know how the financial aid works with international students. Personally, Lehigh took good care of me in terms of financial aid. I’ve heard from other internationals that it’s difficult getting enough money to go here. I’m afraid I don’t know much more beyond that, hopefully if you’ve demonstrated you need aid, Lehigh will pull through for you.</p>
<p>Lehigh’s business school just got ranked 7th or 8th in the country overall, and 1st in the country for accounting. So the business college is definitely growing and becoming more well known.</p>
<p>I’ve heard of business college students getting internships and externships, but not co-ops. It’s an engineering thing. I’m actually aiming for that myself. I suppose that’s the main disadvantage with the business school, a lack of a co-op program. On the other hand, the advantage is that tons of Lehigh business school grads get successful jobs. A lot of them work on Wall Street for firms like Goldman Sachs, etc.</p>
<p>Hope this helps,</p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>ClassicRockerDad - My son is a BioE major in his second year. If you take a look at the website, it shows the classes each “track” takes and the Pharmaceutical route is heavy Chem and Bio Chem as you would expect. Lehigh’s program is inter disciplinary and very demanding. It is considered the flagship program by the National Science Foundation and was recently awarded millions by NSF to build new labs, one for each of the tracks</p>
<p>The students are heavily recruited from Lehigh and there are many research and internship opportunities that will present themselves. My son had a fantastic paid internship summer of freshman year at a local biotech firm and is doing academic research developing new bio materials for implantation at Lehigh with one of his professors. </p>
<p>It is a tough major and your son will have to work hard but the payoff will be huge!</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me with any questions, you can also contact Lori Hertz, she was very helpful to my son when he was decided whether to attend Lehigh’s program.</p>
<p>How hard would it be to get a 4.00 at Lehigh? In the Business School? I’m not trying to sound cocky, but a 4.00 is my goal if I attend. If I study hard enough, can it happen?</p>
<p>Hey Samonuh,</p>
<p>Is a 4.0 impossible? Absoultely not, but it’s damn hard. You have to accept that Lehigh is a difficult school in general. It’s not easy to get A’s and it’s not easy to maintain a high GPA. You’ll have to work really hard. I know some business students have it pretty rough here.</p>
<p>I don’t want to show off my GPA or anything. But I think mine’s pretty high for an engineer here - not a 4.0 - but still much higher than I expected when I started here. Now that I’ve gotten through the “easier” freshman classes, I got slammed with work and I expect my GPA to go down a little.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, an employer or grad school won’t just see a 3.0, a 3.5, a 3.9, or a 4.0. They’ll see that you went to Lehigh, a really challenging school that doesn’t hand out high grades unless you bust your ass to get them.</p>
<p>I hope this answers your question. Best,</p>
<ul>
<li>Mike</li>
</ul>
<p>A 4.0 is rare, but not impossible. My son had one after freshman year, but does not yet have his grades for first semester 2nd year. I hear it is more attainable in Business than in Engineering.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes. Engineering is probably one of the toughest majors as far as grading goes at any school. I’m highly motivated, so hopefully I can get one my freshman year.</p>
<p>Also, a 4.0 depends on how the class gets curved. Some of the classes get curved-up while some of them get curved-down. I’m a freshman and in my Physics class, anything 10 points above the class average is an A (where the class average is usually 75-78), and its quite easy to get an A as long as one scores above the average. However, in the Physics lab class, the student size is only ~22, and the class average has to be an 88. So, we, MOST probably get curved down. That’s what gonna happen in my Physics lab class (as my physics lab instructor told me). I’ve got A’s in all of my classes, and it’s not impossible if you work hard but it also depends on how the class gets curved. Because my physics class will be getting curved-down this semester, i wont be having an A but an A-, although, i deserved an A.
So, just work hard and try staying well above the average.
A 4.0 is hardwork+luck.</p>
<p>Hi, where did you live as a freshman? Any thoughts on Richards House?</p>