<p>I prefer BC! But just visit! or see which one you get into ;)</p>
<p>lol yeah I know.I can't wait to see in March. I hope at least one of hte two.l</p>
<p>I would choose Boston College....cuz i dislike lehigh...okay?</p>
<p>Their academic differences are minimal. Their architecture is similar. Their students are probably quite similar (fairly well off, mostly East coast, white, tending toward jocks). BC has 9000 undergrads, but it's compact and feels like a small school (I went there).</p>
<p>The HUGE differences between these two schools are:</p>
<p>BC has NO frats or sororities, while Lehigh's social life is dominated by them. Frats would seem to be a feature you either love or hate. Social life at frat-dominated schools is very different from no-frat schools. You gotta REALLY enjoy the comraderie of people of the same sex to enjoy a frat/sorority school.</p>
<p>BC is 48% male, and the females have a rep for being very beautiful. Lehigh is 58% male, and the females don't have a rep for being beautiful.</p>
<p>BC is often called "suburban" but the main campus overlaps the line between the city of Boston and the city of Newton (there is no city of Chestnut Hill...it's a neighborhood and a post office address). So while the BC campus is in a very quiet and safe neighborhood, it's literally half IN Boston). So the advantages of the city of Boston couldn't be any closer to BC than they are. Whereas Lehigh is quite a hike from just about any urban adventure.</p>
<p>Which is easier to get into? And what would be better for pre-med?</p>
<p>I would think Lehigh is easier to get into because Boston College I believe gets many more applicants than Lehigh. Both are difficult to get into in general though of course.</p>
<p>I'd rather go to Lehigh than Chestnut Hill College :P</p>
<p>lol and why is that?</p>
<p>Because Chestnut Hill College or Newton Community College isn't an ideal name for a school :P</p>
<p>I think for science and engineering, and for more operationally-focused business management as represented in IBE, Lehigh is superior to BC. </p>
<p>You also benefit from its smaller size and the lower faculty/student ratio, 1:9. On a per capita basis, it is a more well-endowed school than BC.</p>
<p>I agree with others that in many other fields, Lehigh and BC are on-par.</p>
<p>Name the schools that don't have a party scene? Brigham Young, Bob Jones, Wheaton and maybe a few others.</p>
<p>If you think any major college doesnt have a party scene, then guess again. It doesnt matter if they are religiously affiliated or not. </p>
<p>There is a question of degree and how pervasive the party scene is. It can also vary from dorm to dorm, from floor to floor in a dorm, or from frat/sorority to another. </p>
<p>Some of the most prestigious schools in the country have some of the wildest partying going on. </p>
<p>The bottom line is it all depends on you. Whether the party scene is a major distraction for you and you are likely to be "seduced" by it. Or whether you are highly irritated by it and would be very unhappy in that scenario. Whether you are focused and self disciplined and can largely ignore it, and then go out on weekends and attend parties but not drink, do drugs, or "hook up". </p>
<p>Students who graduate with honors like Phi Beta Kappa usually are very focused and dont get into partying regardless of what is going on.</p>
<p>And some students attend colleges because they are looking for a particular party scene.</p>
<p>Name recognition is a subjective thing. It depends on the major, it depends on where you want to work when you graduate, it depends on the alumnae association connections helping you to find jobs, it depends on whether it even matters to you.</p>
<p>Well of course there are parties at every college. Except for the really DRY schools then maybe not. </p>
<p>I know I can handle myself and I have enough self-control to not let the party scene control my life.</p>
<p><em>sigh</em> it's a tough decision indeed. I hope when March comes around I get into only one of them, so I have no real decisions to make. I'd be sad but it'd make my life so much easier so HEY! lol or I could just not get into either. Oh well.</p>
<p>I dont think academics have suffered at BC the past 20 years...if anything they have improved and the quality of students has increased substantially. At many schools with major sports, academics is still the major focus. I think BC fits that category. I think the ACC is regarded as a very academically oriented league as well.</p>
<p>The OP will have to visit both schools again if she gets into both, and then decide based upon her own interests and instincts.</p>
<p>"at least the surrounding area is more intellectual than lovely (not) Allentown, PA."
Hey now. I live in Allentown, PA (the burbs outside the city) and while there are parts that aren't that nice, the city of Allentown is very intellectual if you know where to look.
I agree that the OP should visit both schools. Only then can one decide.</p>
<p>The athletics are somewhat part of why I like both schools. Both have a big jock population, which is alright with me because I have played sports throughout high school and my high school is a pretty above average jock school (at least for the size)</p>
<p>Does anyone know which is better with aid? As in merit scholarships/grants...I know both aren't notorious for giving out the greatest amount of money, but I was just wondering.</p>
<p>By the way, thanks to everyone who replied. Happy merry xmas eve! (or...happy holidays I should say for all those who don't celebrate xmas)</p>
<p>I have heard that BC's financial aid isn't very good....</p>
<p>lol I've heard that too. I was looking through the accepted thread from last year and there were so many people who were like "OH IM NOT GOING HERE because they didn't give me enough" it's kinda disappointing</p>
<p>I've sort of heard the same for lehigh. I heard only the top students get really anywhere near good aid and then everyone else's aid just kinda sucks...is that true?</p>
<p>Some schools have deeper pockets than others. Some give out fewer dollars but to more people. Some are celebrating the recent news about top schools eliminating loans for anyone from a family with income below 60k or even 100k. I see that as evidence of the continued intense competition between schools for the top students. It is sad to see financial aid now being used as a recruiting tool. In a perfect world, your aid would be essentially the same at each school, and your decision would not be based upon financial aid offers.</p>
<p>You will have to weigh the offers when they come in and then weigh the importance of your interest versus the money that is offered. It may be better for you to go to a school that costs more depending on your interests.</p>
<p>Merry Christmas.</p>
<p>BC has a national reputation. Lehigh is more regional. For getting a job, most people today go to graduate school eventually. Depending on where you want to go to graduate school then may dictate your answer. </p>
<p>You have until May 1 to make your final selection. Once you make that selection, you look forward and not backward. And you make the most out of your decision.</p>
<p>Disagree that Lehigh's rep is "more regional". Lehigh is just a smaller school and does not draw the attention of BC's football program. Professionally, Lehigh's rep is just as "national" as BC's...I could argue more so in many areas...especially in sciences and engineering.</p>