Binghamton vs/ Lehigh

Can anyone help me decide between leigh and binghamton (if I am lucky enough to get in). Right now I am deciding if I should ED to Lehigh (which would be my only shot at getting in) or save money and go to Binghamton. I am going to be a business/poli sci major. I liked both campuses when I visited - a little more so Lehigh but both were nice. I am lucky in that I don’t have to take loans out but I am just not sure if the prettier campus, and possibly slightly better reputation and alumni/job support from Lehigh are worth the almost $180,000 price difference ( I am from westchester so get in state tuition at bing). Thanks.

i would like to add that while I am a social person, I am not an excessive partier. It was hard to tell which school would be a better “fit” for me.

  1. None of us have met you and you seem to have visited both colleges. You should be able to answer the “fit” question better than any of us.
  2. It sounds like part of the decision is money based. You should talk to your parents. Determine if you go to Binghamton if they might pay for some additional things (ex. semester abroad, grad school) and if that is appealing to you.
  3. I’d view Lehigh as the more frat driven school of the two.

I went to Binghamton and Lehigh was on my list at some point. Honestly, I loved Binghamton. It is such a great community and a great size. It felt very comfortable, welcoming, and friendly. Binghamton has a huge network of alumni, especially if you’re planning to work in NY. Just knowing myself, I don’t think I ever would have felt as at home at Lehigh.

I think you should apply to both and see where you are admitted - leave the door open to both possibilities. Both are well regarded in NYS, but the price difference is substantial.

Large impersonal public vs medium personal private. Less expensive vs more expensive. This is a classic choice people make.

Personally, I paid in full for both of my Ds to go to private colleges. I feel that they got a great education and that there is value to the extra resources per capita that a private provides. One only goes through college once. My wife and I both went to privates on heavy financial aid, but I wanted my kids to be able experience the same quality. I could afford it though and had been saving for college with the expectation that I would be a full-pay parent. I was not disappointed. Many people on CC do not share this value.

Assuming your parents share my values, then was your visit to Lehigh for the purpose of deciding where to apply or for the purpose of whether to decide to apply ED. One is a shopping visit, the other is a due diligence visit as though you were admitted. If you haven’t done the latter, you might want to revisit and make sure that you can follow through with that decision. See if you can do an overnight perhaps with someone from your high school from an earlier year. If the school does not help organize overnights, see if there is a club on campus, such as a Hillel, that might help you find a host. Visit some classes. Hang around the departments and strike up conversations with people. You really do want the confidence that it would be the right choice for you.

Thank you for your thoughts - and I would agree with the comment that I should apply to both and see where I get it as this may not be a choice if I don’t get into one or both. However, from what I am seeing about Lehigh, I think it is very unlikely I would get in without applying ED.

How do your parents feel about the price difference?

You are the only one who can determine fit. They are both very good schools.

Where would you be hoping to work after graduating?
Personally, we aren’t comfortable enough financially to take a chance on ED financially unless the NPC showed we would expect to receive a lot of aid. I turned down a public for a private when I went to college and paid twice as much as I would have for my education. While I loved my college and the life I have that I wouldn’t have had otherwise (since I married my college boyfriend) career wise I can look back and unequivocally say I should have saved my money. I could have worked much less throughout college and had no loans at my public and had as good if not better (since I’d have had no loans) post grad options. But that’s me. Each person has to make their own choices based on what their own criteria.

Indeed, there is a huge benefit in terms of admissions percentage applying ED. More so than at almost any other school. That’s why it’s important that you are sure before you do it. Are you going to make that decision based on other people’s opinions on CC or are you going to see for yourself and make sure it’s the right fit. You need to talk to Lehigh students. Maybe ask on the Lehigh board for someone to informally host you.

Does your school have Naviance? Are you clearly in the green zone for Binghamton? It’s not an easy school to get into. Additionally- the business school may be tricky depending on your stats. They don’t accept a lot of students. The reason I bring this up is because if you feel that ED is necessary for Lehigh, then Binghamton ( and the business school) might be somewhat of a reach. Of course I say this without having any details about you and your school’s history with these schools.

I guess my point ^ was… if you don’t get into either school, do you have a backup that you are happy with?