Hey everyone,
I’m a transfer and I’m starting to wonder if Lehigh is really worth the money. My situation is that in order to go there I have to work full time, take out the max amount of loans, and commute from home. I wasn’t really worried about my situation earlier because I was super excited to go to school here but now some things have changed. Lehigh is rejecting a bunch of my transfer credits (still haven’t figured out the total amount,) told me the major I applied for doesn’t exist (WTH did they admit me under it then?) and that for the closest major to what I applied for I’d have to change colleges which can only be done after one semester. The best part is that I’m only figuring this all out now after I started to pay because the Office of the Registrar’s never bothered to put my final transcripts into the system (they refused to until I went to their office to politely scream at them.)
So, as a past or current student, do you think Lehigh is worth the money? Also, thanks for reading and sorry for the rant Im just very frustrated and unsure of whether or not I should try and beg my old school to take me back or trudge forward with Lehigh.
Hi FUSCRNMS,
Based on what you are saying, I would be very hesitant if I knew I would have to work FULL time, commute and still end up with lots of loans to pay back. Lehigh’s academics can require a lot of time which you would also have to fit in. It’s a great school and I’m a loyal alum but it IS now very expensive. I would really do some hard thinking about exactly why I want to transfer and what my remaining college experience would be like having to balance all those things.
As far as the transfer credits and lack of your desired major, that sounds like it’s on you; lack of planning and communication. I don’t think admissions considers those issues.
But…don’t get frustrated…life will probably throw you worse curves than this. Take a breather for a day or two, discuss with parents and friends and think about it. Make a list of pros and cons. Then decide.
One other commenter on this forum usually has good advice with these types of issues. Maybe she’ll respond.
Good luck!
Hi Fuscrnms,
I think this is hard to answer without knowing your major. Lehigh is listed as one of Forbe’s top 25 schools with the best returns. But, I have to guess the business and engineering majors are driving that. My son is an engineer and his starting salary was much higher than any averages I could find online. So I would say the Forbe’s article is pretty accurate. But, if you are majoring in some general area of study that is not one of Lehigh’s specialities that are proven to have incredible paths to high paying jobs I would get this a second thought. I would try to look up jobs you reasonably believe you could get out of school and what there salary range is. Here is one link I found when I googled “income student debt ratio”.
https://studentloanhero.com/featured/student-loan-debt-to-income-ratio/
I like using the website glassdoor to look up salaries. Here is a general link to them that might help you.
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Glassdoor/Salary
For a 20 year old to start taking on huge amounts of debt will impact on the rest of your life. You really have to think this through. I would be careful even taking the advice of friends and family unless they have a proven track record of being good with their own money!!!
I am also concerned about you going to Lehigh while working full time and commuting to school. The Lehigh experience most students have will be nothing like yours. I am worried about you having time to develop strong friendships with your fellow students. I also wonder if over the years you will end up resentful of your situation- working full time while the other kids don’t have to.
I am really impressed that you have are having the courage to stop and rethink this decision. You are asking all the right questions. I am confident you will make the right decision for you. Would you please keep us posted?