Colgate vs. Lehigh

I think that I want to apply to one of these schools ED2, but am not sure which one. I want to eventually go into business in the future. I want to get some feedback on the differences, and Pros and Cons between the schools. I found them to be fairly similar, so I was wondering if I could get feedback from others.

I am a white male from Illinois, and I don’t need any aid.

ACT: 33 (34 Superscore)
GPA: Weighted: 4.6
Good ECs, LORs should be great.

Also, any tips for interviews for either of these schools?

Colgate places as one of the nation’s top colleges for economics as well as for a range of liberal arts fields such as history, literature and geosciences. Interesting electives in fields such as astronomy also appear on its catalog.

Lehigh’s particular strengths manifest in various engineering fields and computer science as well as in the direct study of business topics such as accounting.

Irrespective of the above, however, you will find substantial academic overlap across these two schools. Post graduation, you could enter a business or finance career from either, particularly if, in the case of finance, you elect relevant math courses.

On a curricular basis, Colgate might compare to schools such as Hamilton, Williams, Middlebury and Colby. Lehigh might compare to schools such as Bucknell and Union.

Bumping for more responses, please!

what major career are you interested in? did you apply somewhere ED1/EA ?

Business, I applied to Villanova EA. Nowhere ED. I am into Indiana’s Honors College, but don’t really want to go there unless I get rejected everywhere else.

Colgate has an extremely strong alumni network and career services is also a strength.

i agree, colgate has a strong network. my ds is being helped a fellow alum even though they are in Canada presently. What more in the US.

Colgate has very strong network. It is very strong in economics, math, geology, physics. Many graduates go into finance. It also has very good study abroad programs. Of course, the campus is beautiful. We used to call Camp Colgate - with a ski slope (I don’t think it’s there any more), golf course, bowling alley, tennis courts, etc.

Lehigh’s graduation rate is 87%, cost after aid is 33K, admission rate is 30%
Colgate’s graduation rate is 92%, cost after aid is 23K, admission rate is 27%

I think difference in graduation rate is significant.

Lehigh places quite well in Finance and Accounting, CS,Engineering, etc. Deloitte’s CEO (US) is a Lehigh grad. The NASDAQ’s President is a Lehigh grad. Lots of kids going to IB, Big 4 and Corp Fin jobs. IBM is also a big employer.

They are both excellent Patriot League schools. I’d say a couple of the major differences are size (Lehigh at about 7,000 students is a mid-sized university while Colgate at under 3,000 students is a LAC) and the fact that Lehigh offers business and engineering majors.

Both schools have excellent academic reputations and all things being equal in the GPA department, I don’t think one school is going to give you a boost over the other in terms of career opportunities. If I were you, I would make my decision based upon fit and cost. Also, I don’t think a 5% difference in graduation rate is all that significant and suspect that this is due to the fact that Lehigh offers engineering and Colgate does not.

Although both have very attractive campuses, the surrounding areas distinguish the two.

I do not recommend applying ED to either school without first visiting in your situation.

Consider adding Bucknell University to your list as an RD school.

Agree completely with @Publisher. Don’t apply ED unless you have visited. I have visited Lehigh with 2 different teens and they both hated it. It has a very quirky campus. It is built into a hillside with about 4 flights of stairs separating each of the different levels. They run a bus around campus to get students to the different areas. Please don’t apply ED anywhere unless you are 100% positive that you love the school.

Cornell’s graduation rate is 93.2% and it has one of more rigorous engineering schools, so I don’t think it is because Lehigh has an engineering school that its graduation rate is at 87%. Top schools’ stats are generally very close, 5 pts difference is significant to me. It also appears Lehigh does not give out as much FA.

In fairness, I don’t think Cornell is a good comparison for Lehigh. I don’t know what the graduation rates are for Bucknell and Lafayette (both of which offer engineering), but they would seem to be better reference points. I also don’t know anything about Lehigh’s FA policy, but if Colgate came in significantly cheaper, that should be a major consideration.

They are both wonderful colleges. They both are well-regarded colleges that will put you on the path toward your career goals. They both have Division One sports. They both have fraternities, if you like that sort of thing. So there are similarities. There also are, however, some significant differences.

If you are seeking a business major and a more pre-professional vibe, Lehigh may suit you better. If you want to immerse yourself in the liberal arts, major in something more intellectually oriented and less immediately practical, like history or philosophy or economics, and then go on to a career in business afterwards, Colgate may suit you. Those majors exist at Lehigh as well, but they are the very heart of Colgate.

If you want more access to “civilization,” Lehigh is your pick. Colgate has a gorgeous campus in a beautiful rural area.

The selectivity of the student body may or may not matter to you. But there is a slight difference, although both student bodies are very smart. In terms of kids I know who have applied to and/or attended each college (and were not interested in athletic recruiting), there was not always an overlap. Colgate makes lists like this one (https://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-smartest-colleges-in-america-2016-10), while Lehigh does not.

As a point of reference, U.S. News lists colleges by four-year graduation rate: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/highest-grad-rate. Lehigh’s rate (76%) falls within a zone similar to that of other schools with notable engineering programs such as Caltech (79%) and Stanford (75%).

Bucknell’s graduation rate is 89% and Lafayette is 90%. Those graduation rates I quoted are for graduation within 6 years, not 4 years. Engineering may be a bit tougher, so some engineering students may take another semester to graduate, but not beyond 6 years. That’s why I do not think it is a factor Lehigh’s graduation rate over 6 years is 5 points lower than Colgate’s.

Totally different student experience and “vibe”.

Colgate is more of a Nescac LAC experience with better hockey.

Lehigh is a super but much more pre professional. The engineering school definately adds a distinct difference in student body.

That is my anecdotal opinion based on visits and feedback/knowing students who have gone to both. I have also visited both but obviously didn’t attend either. I would surely accept first hand reports and reconsider my assessments.