I’m taking Colgate over Lehigh. Lehigh is beautiful, but so is Colgate. And I think the town around Colgate is cuter than the area around Lehigh.
But I put Richmond above both for HDD.
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I may have missed it but did HDD ED anywhere? Too undecided about the right dream school by Nov 1?
She did not ED anywhere.
I would add that I have walked the Lehigh campus, it does have a steep hill, but Colgate makes Lehigh look like a mole hill. The incline at Colgate is like an Olympic ski jump. I also agree with your assessment of Bethlehem. It’s tired. It’s an old steel town that unfortunately has definitely seen its better days.
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I have only been to Colgate once, but my recollection is that it is kind of on a hill, but not constant up and down between every building. I have not been to Lehigh. Someone can correct me if I am wrong about that but I don’t remember thinking the hill would be a big deal.
We visited both- Colgate is hilly, but Lehigh felt much more mountain-like to us!
We live pretty close to Lehigh- they’ve actually done a nice job bringing the area back, but not right near campus.
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I have been to both schools–Colgate & Lehigh–several times. Different feel. Colgate seems a bit more like Hamilton, Dartmouth, & Middlebury while Lehigh seems different. Perhaps the overlap schools for each can reveal some qualities about each school.
Colgate overlaps: Middlebury, BC, Dartmouth, Tufts, Bowdoin, Cornell, Brown, & Hamilton.
Lehigh overlaps: WFU, BC, Tulane, Wm. & Mary, Northeastern, Cornell, Villanova, & Bucknell.
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Just thought that I would post that when we visited Wake and Richmond on the same trip, it was at Richmond where we saw hardly any students…we really wondered, as we did our drive around we literally saw like 4! Then on our tour we did see a few more, but so few that someone actually asked about it and our guide said “oh, there is no one out because the weather is so bad” (it was like 55 and sprinkling LOL). Our impression of Wake was plenty of campus activities and social scene (not to say that we felt that it had more than Richmond, it really just seemed to be about the weather and the day).
As for ready to be done, my son in 2017 did not accept his Richmond WL…he was ready to be done and was very happy with his pick. I can understand that from a student.
The odds post was pretty funny about LMU (my D is a senior there). LMU is just announcing appointments for on campus outdoor recreation (walking trail, tennis) which is the first crack in their tightly closed campus. But since HDD is wanting to be done, I’m not sure she will want to wait and try to go out there. I would hope that LMU will be emailing to accepted students any in person tour availability the minute it is available!
I’m going to guess Richmond, Davidson, Vandy, Colgate and LMU.
Taking a risk cutting out Wake but I remember the hesitation when our 2019 kids were looking at colleges, so that added with the quiet visit swayed me.
@EricStratton You made me laugh describing the Colgate campus, our best friend’s daughter slipped on the grass and broke her leg on that hill last fall. Poor girl had a rough first year with a broken leg that required surgery and healing time at home then Covid, but she still loves it there!
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The reason I have Midd on the top 5 list, while many of you think it’s definitely out, is because the OP’s S goes to Bowdoin and they love the experience he is getting there. So makes sense that a NESCAC is on the list as while each NESCAC is unique, they do share a lot of similar and phenomenal characteristics. So Midd may be more of a known quantity than the others for that reason. Also think if Colgate were in a warmer locale it would be perfection for OP’s D. But for now sticking with my list of Vandy, Davidson, Richmond, Midd, Wake. Colgate the alternate. (Maybe SCU because it is in CA is a dark horse?) But she will end up at Richmond
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I went for Davidson, Richmond, Vandy, LMU, and Colgate, but you’re making me think I should possibly switch Colgate in for Middlebury…
You present a compelling case!
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I feel a very strong need to keep Lehigh on the list LOL.
My new list is Richmond, Lehigh, Colgate, and Davidson. She will take a WL spot if it is offered at Vandy, but I still see it as a high reach.
I think the number of students at Lehigh is aligned with what this student wants. She will enjoy the social scene, yet she will also know when it’s time to stop. The campus is gorgeous, and as a dancer she can certainly handle the hills!
Lehigh has some spirit, which I think is a plus. It is also a social campus…another plus.
Lehigh also likes geographic diversity. I see it moving up the list, little by little.
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For those playing along at home (as I am), @homerdog made an arguably somewhat revealing comment on another thread about location: “D21 has some schools (most?) that aren’t a cake walk to get to if we want to still fly SW.” Which, bolsters the cases for Middlebury, Colgate, and Lehigh, for sure. The suspense! 
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If at all possible, based on personal experience, I think Lehigh needs to be visited if accepted and still on the list. Our older kid thought it looked perfect on paper, however, as we drove from the Allentown airport to campus they couldn’t get past the industrial look/feel of Bethlehem. It was bad enough that they refused to even look at Lehigh in the end and we just moved on to the next school. This kid is at a different school on HDD’s list.
Wishing her all the best on this tumultuous journey. I know she will find her place in the end.
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Would you mind sharing where your kid goes to school? Always curious when other kids’ lists overlap and then hearing why they chose the school they did.
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It’s interesting how different kids have different experiences.
We visited Lehigh twice and the surrounding area did not bother any of us. It was never a topic of conversation and my daughter never brought it up.
The campus is gorgeous, but there really is no college town like you see in other places. There is no perfect school- this student is going to have to pick and choose what is most important to her. I see Lehigh as an academic and social fit.
I think in person visits are REALLY important to Homerfamily. They weren’t for us, but I think it is a very reasonable position to want to actually see it in person before making a decision. They have been able to check out most campuses, and I’m guessing will do the same for any more admits they are considering. I’m guessing if they can’t physically get there, any school still on the list ends up in the discard pile.
Which is why LMU is still sitting 45:1. I think if we could sneak her on to campus she would love it. But if she can’t walk around there she is going to head east instead of west.
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We had the exact same experience with Lehigh with my second son. When we rolled through Bethlehem it was not let’s say “aesthetically pleasing” . Very tired old steel town. We are city people so we are not easily put off by gritty neighborhoods, but they’re just not typically at the top of a lot of people’s lists for the ideal college locale. That being said, the Lehigh campus itself is quite beautiful and the school is very solid. My son had been contemplating an ED to Lehigh before the visit. He ended up crossing it completely off his list and being admitted ED to Richmond.
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Location is a factor to consider.
The weight given to this consideration varies by the circumstances & by the person.
For example, I know students who passed on Yale because the student did not like the surrounding city.
And concern about location is not the same as concern about safety or crime. It may be that one finds a certain type of environment to be more motivating than other locations.
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Lehigh has a lot of clubs etc that this student can join. There won’t be a huge need to travel and see the town (or lack thereof). I recall a strip of stores and lunch places right on the edge of campus, where kids hang out and eat.
There are 2 major cities within travel distance (NYC and Philly) if this student wants to spend a day seeing a show or walking the city (let’s hope Covid allows for this). People in this part of the country are very used to travel. Easton is also less than 30 min away.
Lehigh actually has a point system to keep track of demonstrated interest (they actually showed it to me at a local event). They give you “brownie points” when you attend online events etc.
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