<p>I accompanied my son to a Lehigh campus visit last week. It was a good visit. My son liked the campus and could see himself happy there. This was great. </p>
<p>Regarding the original question that started this thread, we continue to weigh several key factors. Perhaps, we need a bit more time and try the ED II, rather than ED I. </p>
<p>I must, though, thank the thoughtful responses and replies. I have seen, in some other school forums, questions about the school that may not be 100% positive immediately get slammed with very rude, defensive and obnoxious replies from current students. The replies on this board was anything but. That makes me feel like this is a nice community of people. Of course, this may not be representative of the wider community, but still, we are all human beings, it leaves a powerful impressions. </p>
<p>Thank you. You have done a good marketing job for Lehigh by being cordial and thoughtful in your replies.</p>
<p>Glad to hear you had a good visit to Lehigh. I think it’s always to good to be sure to make the right choice and if that takes a little more time, so be it.</p>
<p>One thing we liked about Lehigh was that everyone seemed very friendly and helpful. It stood out to us right from the beginning.</p>
<p>I agree Deb, The openess and friendliness of the kids was very noticable to us when we visited and very stark contrast to the Ivies and CMU. It is one of the many reasons my son chose Lehigh and he loves it.</p>
<p>My daughter is also considering applying to Lehigh, I know it has a strong reputation for academics but we have heard about the greek life and the heavy drinking that goes on and that has us reconsidering it as an option for her. I know drinking goes on at every campus but it seems like a major issue at Lehigh, any comments would be appreciated.</p>
<p>this is actually a great concern for us too. I read/heard the same thing: that is, the drinking problem on Lehigh is way over the top, and kids who don’t go Greek and don’t drink heavily become social islands. You may want to make this an independent thread: I would like to hear from diverse people on this issue.</p>
<p>My son had real concerns as well, he is a very happy Lehigh freshman right now! He is not a social outcast and in fact loves his room mate, the kids on his floor and kids in his major. He was very nervous about it at first, so selected CHOICE housing in which you sign a contract that you will not come back to the dorm drunk and will not drink in the dorm. That way he does not have to deal with it all the time, just when he decides to.</p>
<p>He does not feel it is any more a problem at Lehigh than at any other campuses. He hears the same thing from all of his friends. College life, for some, is just one big party.</p>
<p>There is alot of partying on the 'hill", but there are also many activities going on at the main campus for those who do not feel like being S—faced all the time.</p>
<p>His major is very demanding, so most of his friends party only once in a while. </p>
<p>Myrecommendation is that you make sure you spend time on campus, daytime and night time - drive up on the hill Thursday night and see what you think. I did and my son is now attending Lehigh!</p>
<p>I think this is mostly about the economy. My son was a high-performing student last year that applied and was accepted to Lehigh, as well as many other high-caliber schools. He was part of the 5-year trend of kids that have been applying to “many” acceptable schools (11 apps) looking for the right fit, which includes long-term financial considerations. I truly believe that that this scholarship chase is driving the number of applications through the roof at private schools. School like Lehigh and Bucknell have not dipped as far into their endowments as other private schools, and are losing a number of kids to state school (or to the private schools that provide more merit support). All these colleges use enrollment managers and scholarship money to drive their statistics…Lehigh has just not done as much as others. In the end, the true measure of a top-tier school is it’s perception in the business community: how successful the graduates are in the workforce and how committed the alumni are to hiring from the school. By this measure, Lehigh is one of the top-tier school at least in engineering, business and sciences. The admission statistics will eventually reflect that again.</p>
<p>I agree with ncmentor. If you’re not COMPLETELY sure that a school is THE PLACE THAT YOU WANT TO BE, no questions asked, you should not apply ED. Not only do you miss the chance to compare financial aid packages, but you are making a binding commitment to attend a school that might not be the right place for you. The last thing you want to do is lock yourself into a position at the wrong school!</p>