Chances of getting into Lehigh?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Lehigh University
1

Hi! I’m a rising high school senior and I intend on applying to Lehigh ED this upcoming fall. I’m currently working on my application, and I was wondering if anyone could give me some insight on my chances of admission as well as advice for the application process.

Stats:
SAT: 1450 (700 R/W 750 M)
GPA: 3.54 (unweighted 4.0 scale), 4.82 (weighted 6.0 scale)

I’ve taken mostly honors/AP classes with the exception of one course and my elective (band) which doesn’t have a higher placement. I’m a committed member of the band program at my school - I participate in concert band, marching band, musical theatre, etc. I plan to continue my interest in music at Lehigh by participating in the Marching '97 and their Symphonic Band, and I feel as if this will help my chances a little bit.

As for my other ECs, my main commitments are GSA (president), Spanish Honor Society (recording secretary), and Yearbook (design team). I’m also in theatre art crew, NHS, do political canvassing, and am the school captain for an initiative to increase voter turnout. I’ve spent my summers volunteering (ex. hospital) and interning with an assemblywoman. I recently started working at Kumon, and I’m hoping to shadow a psychologist before summer ends, as Psych is my major.

  1. Most of my ECs reflect an interest in politics, as I have some local connections. I don’t have much to put for Psych aside from the possible shadowing and a 1-week program. Would I have a better chance of being admitted if I applied as a Poly Sci major and then switched to Psych? I would be switching from a B.A. to a B.S.

  2. I might not include all of the activities I do since I don’t play as active of a role in them, or I only did them for one year. Would this be a bad decision? Also, when I talk about my ECs, should I talk about my passion and stuff, or just explain what we do and the role I played?

  3. Lastly, I’m struggling most with the main common app essay (leaning towards #2 and #5), as I have no idea what to write. Are there any books/articles/videos that you guys recommend can help me come up with a good topic? And if there are any people reading this who got accepted, what were some topics you covered in the supplemental?

I want to show as much DI as I can. I’m gonna visit the campus for a tour and interview later this month. Is there anything else I can do? Also, I’m an Asian-American from NJ, if that counts for anything. Thanks in advance for anyone’s help, and if you’ve made it this far without closing the tab! I know that this is super long, but I’m not sure where else to turn to, so I hope someone can help me out! Good luck to anyone else applying :slight_smile:

2

you won’t stand out too much as a regular applicant, but if you show your commitment by applying ED then I think you have a good shot. The band thing should help a lot if you make it clear that you plan to continue that for Lehigh. There is always some luck involved- i.e. does Lehigh have a need for your particular instrument at this time?
I don’t think you need to falsely state your intended major. It shouldn’t hurt you that you haven’t done a lot in the psychology field yet- how many high schoolers have?

3

My son is starting in the class of 2023 and got in ED with very similar stats to you. He was also very committed to band and wrote his essay on that and talked about the marching 97 in his why lehigh question. ED is definately the way to go for you. He applied to Engineering and visited three times. Good luck.

4

thank you! any ideas of what can make me stand out more aside from band?