For Anyone in Doubt . . .

Colleges & Universities A-Z Lehigh University
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<p>In my college days, I visited Lehigh twice in ‘72, the year it first went co-ed. Quite entranced by the beautiful campus and overall experience, I prodded our oldest daughter to apply in ’98. She was a Dean’s Scholar and awarded a great merit and grant package. Not really her first choice, she followed mom’s intuition and ended up with a gratis single in Richards. Originally, at the top of her class as a Business major, she decided to follow her heart’s desire and became a Journalism major, despite meager starting salaries in the real world.</p>

<p>She did indeed join a sorority her sophomore year, something she swore she would never do. She was their Vice-President of Scholarship. And she did ‘play’ on weekends on The Hill. However, as Chairman of the Guest Lecture Series, she met dozens of distinguished speakers and was also the fastest rising Editor of the Brown & White (at the helm during 9/11 and sent a personal note of admiration by President Farrington for her newspaper’s staff’s sensitive reporting).</p>

<p>Lehigh’s infinitely connected network landed her summer internships with a prestigious DC PR firm, a select Dow Jones Newswire SEC internship, stints at Rodale Magazine and Men’s Health. She was published in the Wall Street Journal her junior year. She graduated in three and a half years, was awarded a 5th year Presidential scholarship, but was hired directly by the Dow Jones Newswire NJ bureau, where she again quickly ascended the corporate ladder. She is now an Associate Editor for a well-known Wall Street .com and lives in Greenwich Village.</p>

<p>Her best gift though, remains the many enduring friendships she made during her Lehigh experience, with all sorts of diversified souls. It seems no matter where she travels, she’s always encountering another Lehigh alum, rebonding, re-establishing those lifetime fulfilling connections.</p>

<p>Our son was also accepted at Lehigh, but chose to attend UMD-CP closer to home. Yesterday, our youngest daughter was accepted, named a Dean’s and Eckardt Scholar, and received a nifty merit and grant package. She’s also applied to a number of Ivies, but ever remembers those Family Weekends at Lehigh beginning when she was but 10; the magic in the air, walking the streets of Old Bethlehem, able to look beyond the diversity of South Bethlehem, towards the future and all she might choose. Yes, Lehigh can be EVERYTHING and more, if you so desire.</p>

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<p>thanks for the info, especially about the journalism major- if I choose to attend Lehigh, that would most likely be my major</p>

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<p>My pleasure. I might add that when she was hired by Dow Jones, her boss was a Lehigh alum, also a former editor of the B&W and her current salary is substantially above the norm for most Journalism majors.</p>

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<p>tanglewood - I very much appreciate the info. as well. I was just accepted to Lehigh and received the Dean's Scholarship, which is the only money I have received from any of the colleges I was accepted to. I have not been to Lehigh yet, so I will be attending the Lehigh Life Day on April 14th to get the feel of the campus. I do have one question that maybe you would be qualified to answer - did your daughter ever feel that the school was too small or did she not have a problem with it? From what I have seen, Leigh looks to be a great combination of academics and social life, a balance which is imperative in any college I am seriously considering. Again, thanks for the post.</p>

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<p>Size of the student body was definitely an overwhelming factor in her decision to attend Lehigh. She actually found the balance in the number of students to be quite Goldilocks--just right! Hope this helps. And feel free to ask more.</p>

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<p>How was your daughter's experience with the Greek life? I absolutely want to go Greek at whatever school I go to, and the fact that about 40% of the Lehigh community is Greek is definitely a positive factor. You mentioned that your daughter made a lot of lifetime friends, did this have anything to do with the sorority? I know I will know more after I visit the campus, but I am trying to learn as much about the school right now as is possible.</p>

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<p>She has lifelong friends who were both in and not in Greek life. She never ever thought of herself as a sorority girl in high school, but as noted, she ended up VP of Scholarship at one of the more highly regarded sororities. And despite all of her achievements and hard work, she did indeed find time to 'play' at Lehigh. We never want to lose that childlike spirit, even as adults.</p>

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<p>Lehigh sounds excellent based on that balance between academics and social life, thanks for the help.</p>

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<p>My daughter is deciding betweeen Lehigh and Bucknell and I must admit that it is a difficult decision. Academics are strong at both, and have a similar sized student body. </p>

<p>The biggest differences to me are: safety and variety. Bucknell borders a quaint town, Lewisburg- that is safe full of charming places that are within walking distance to the campus. Lehigh bordersa run down section of Bethlehem and the College ******* book depicts a pretty unsafe area with occasional hold ups in south Bethlehem. </p>

<p>For variety, Lehigh boasts a much larger business program- more offerings and it may have more opportunities being only 90 minutes from NYC. This is my daughter's area of interest, so it is important. </p>

<p>As a parent, I just can't shake a sad feeling to know that going off campus is something to be nervous about, I get this from the College *******. I went to Penn State and never felt nervous about crime. </p>

<p>Do any Lehigh parents/students have an opinion? Thanks</p>

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<p>I am not a Lehigh parent but my d had to choose between Lehigh and Villanova. The safety issue and the surrounding environment was definitely a factor. While Lehigh is such a great school, I wanted her to go to the school that she felt most comfortable. We sent our deposit to Villanova yesterday.</p>

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<p>We are visiting Lehigh and Bucknell next week. We have seen both campuses but are looking at it with a different eye, an accepted student's eye. My daugher also got into Wake Forest, which we saw last weekend. If I could move that school closer to the east she would attend Wake. I too am worried about the safety of Bethlehem, Lewisburg is safer but it so small and isolated. My daughter got into Villanova too, but the reputation at the other schools is better and too many of her classmates go there.</p>

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<p>Yikes. There was a stabbing this past weekend at Cabrini College, just down the street from Villanova. Good thing it's an isolated occurrence. (My daughter was sleeping over at Bryn Mawr, a few miles down the road, when it happened, which is why it stuck in my mind.)</p>

<p>Here's my perspective, since my d got into Bucknell and Lehigh as well as Bryn Mawr, which is about 2 miles from Villanova. I also live in the Lehigh Valley, so I'm aware of the crime in the area. </p>

<p>I've heard parents say they didn't want their kids to go to Bucknell because of the major prison in Lewisburg and the "kinds of people" coming into town because of it. I've heard people say they didn't want their kids to go to Lehigh because of the seedy South side of Bethlehem. And I've heard parents say they didn't want their kids to go to Villanova because of the Philadelphia spillover effect. I've felt safe at all three campuses. None of them are like UPenn or Temple or Drexel or Rutgers or NYU in terms of crime, but, yes, crime does occur. Bucknell is certainly the most remote of the three schools, so that might be the safest. Villanova has the highest amount of traffic surrounding it, but you get a quiet feeling while on campus. The streets around Lehigh are surprisingly quiet, both during the day and at night, and the campus feels similar to Villanova's, only more compact. (Lancaster Ave. can be very busy.) Granted, women shouldn't walk alone late at night, but I wouldn't hesitate sending my daughter to any of them.</p>

<p>I've known young women and men graduates from the three, and none of them had any crime problems or worries while they were there. Each of them has great loyalty for his/her alma mater. Rather than focus on safety issues with these particular colleges, I suggest looking for both the academic fit and the emotional connection your son or daughter has with each.</p>

<p>(BTW, as a caveat, my daughter will probably be attending Smith, instead of those listed above, but not because of crime; she is looking for the best academic fit.)</p>

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<p>It is a real shame that Lehigh can't help with cleaning up the area of south Bethlehem. When we visited last August '05, there was a shoot out with spotlights and police surrounding a building. It's not even something we talk about at home, but I can tell that my heart is heavy whenever I imagine her so close to that area. </p>

<p>My daughter got into Cornell, Villanova and Vanderbilt but it seems she wants to be close to home (Pgh). So that's how we are really deciding between Lehigh and Bucknell.</p>

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<p>I don't remember that shoot-out, but I don't doubt your account. It must have been a domestic disturbance. Bethlehem is nowhere near as crime-ridden as nearby Allentown. The Southside is certainly not suburbia, but one of my daughter's friends lives there and hasn't encountered crime. Yes, it is a low-income area, but it's not a violent, fear-for-your-life kind of inner city. </p>

<p>The Southside is being "cleaned up." The Third and Fourth St. areas is becoming more funky, artsy. One of the best Japanese restaurants I've ever eaten at, The Dancing Fish, is on Fourth; the Andrettis (yes, of the race car fame) frequent it. </p>

<p>Something which may affect future applicants and not our kids is the Bethlehem Works project about a mile from campus. They are converting the abandoned steel mill into a giant retail, commercial, and entertainment complex. All that sounds good until you learn that the developers have applied for a slots-only casino license; I don't like that idea at all, not so close to Lehigh and Moravian.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the heads up regarding Behtlehem's desire to get a casino. Even if is is slots only, I don't want that option nearby. </p>

<p>At this point my daughter is more between Bucknell and Cornell. Lehigh just feels like she is settling.</p>

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<p>Academically, I'd go for Cornell, but I know your daughter is in a bind because of a change in academic interests.</p>

<p>Lehigh is definitely not settling; Lehigh and Bucknell are comparable academically. However, it all depends on where <em>she</em> feels the most comfortable. (BTW, the slots, if they get approved by the state, probably won't be around for at least five years.)</p>

<p>The reputations of Bucknell and Lehigh carry a lot of weight, especially in the Northeast. Finance and engineering are strong at both schools, although Lehigh is better known than Bucknell for engineering. Cornell's reputation trumps both.</p>

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<p>My daughter is deciding between Bucknell, Lehigh and a school in North Carolina. She likes Lehigh as it is closer to NYC and Philadelphia and the internships and career opportunites seem better. When we visit Lehigh and Bucknell next week we will take a closer look at what the areas have to offer.
The two down parts about the schools are the locations. One is in the middle of no where and one is in Bethlehem. It really comes down to where my daughter feels more at home, as each school as it good and bad points. And I guess in that way it is really out of our hands. We do not have to spend the next four years at college, they do.</p>

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<p>The Lehigh Valley is growing tremendously, with a decidedly more upscale bent than in the past. Because of some of the major corporations in the area, local internships are easy to find. Lehigh also hosts a small business incubator on the Goodman campus; those start-ups often employ Lehigh students/grads. Research opportunities are probably also better at Lehigh. </p>

<p>One thing I can definitely say about Lehigh: your daughter will be in excellent shape by the end of her first semester. The hill climbing is great for the heart and legs. :-) </p>

<p>Mom06grad, what does your daughter hope to study?</p>

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<p>RE: Campus Safety. I was somewhat trepidatious when my daughter was at Lehigh . . . but she was my first-born. She lived in Richards her freshman year, and the sorority for the next two. She never felt unsafe, and she tends to be very leery. Eventually, she lived in one of the rental homes in South Bethlehem with two other women. Seemed kind of sketchy to me, but they survived just fine. </p>

<p>Our youngest daughter, accepted to Lehigh as a Dean's Scholar, got into Cornell as well, though with 9K less in scholarship/grant money. She is planning to choose Cornell, so as not to be a shadow in her sister's footsteps, but Lehigh would have been her next preference. And as stated in my original post at the beginning of this thread, the networking opportunities at Lehigh are tremendous, the campus is quintessentially beautiful, and the students are loyal to the school and each other.</p>

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<p>We just got back from 2 days for accepted students at both Cornell and Lehigh. Both campuses are becautiful, yet large -with the steepness of South Mountain at Lehigh especially tough.</p>

<p>I was hoping for that ahhh... moment where she would gleam and say, "I love this place!" But it didn't happen. At Cornell, she felt proud to know that her Presidential Research Scholarship was a bigger deal and more flexible than she realized. She was overwhelmed however, when the Dean of AG and Life Sciences said that 99% of the freshman students said it was harder than they thought it would be. She also looked around the room and said, "I don't even know who I would want to be my roommate."</p>

<p>At Lehigh, she was exhausted from the hillside and just wanted to leave. She said that she just felt like a lot of the kids there couldn't have gotten into Cornell. But we made her finish the day's activities and by the end of the student panel, she felt better to hear how intelligent the older students seemed. She also learned that only 70 students received the Dean's Scholarship, like she did, and that made her feel good. She liked the flexibility of majors, and the challenge that if you get a 3.75 at Lehigh, you are given a 5th year of free tuition.</p>

<p>So, after 2 days, we are back where we started. The million dollar question for her is, "Is it worth working extra hard at Cornell and probably getting a lower gpa, or is it better to get the higher gpa at Lehigh and have a more laid back atmosphere with weekends free?"</p>