<p>My daughter has been accepted to Lehigh University and plans to major in Biochemistry. I know that it is hard to predict what the economy and the job market will be like in 4 years, but assuming that both will be okay, what will the job prospects be like for being able to obtain a position in that field with only an undergraduate degree? Would graduating from Lehigh make any difference as opposed to graduating from a State Flagship University with everything else being equal? </p>
<p>The alumni at Lehigh are extremely close. I went to an out of town football game and all the alumni were handing me their business cards telling me who they would love to help my son get an internship or job. And they really meant it. I have never seen alumni so passionate about supporting their school. </p>
<p>My son did get an internship at a Fortune 500 company that has a Senior VP Lehigh graduate. As soon as he and his fraternity brother submitted their resumes they were offered interviews. My son thought they were looking for Lehigh kids. My son had his job offer by September of his senior year. </p>
<p>Another friend’s dad is senior management at a Fortune 500 (ranked in the top 50) manufacturing company. He says their company would love to hire Lehigh grads but they can’t afford them! Lehigh is very well regarded in business and industry. </p>
<p>Congratulations on your daughter’s acceptance! Best of Luck!</p>
<p>Thank you kikkydee for your reply and congratulations! I know that there are no guarantees in life but it’s helpful to hear about the Lehigh alumni network! Lehigh is my daughter’s dream school and I know that it is the right fit for her. But I been a little nervous about the high cost of tuition there compared to our State Flagship University and conflicted about where she should go. I think that I was looking for some reassurances which you and others have provided! Thanks again!</p>
<p>Pay careful attention to your choice of a major if a job after graduation is your objective. Engineering and Business seem to offer the best opportunity right now. Not sure about biochemistry. Keep your eyes and ears open and NETWORK and SOCIALIZE! Learning those skills is a huge part of college education at Lehigh. Academics are important but it’s not all in the books.</p>
<p>I was thinking exactly that Sono with Engineering and Business offering the best job opportunities with only an undergraduate degree. My daughter took an accounting course in high school and liked it but enjoyed science courses more. I suggested to her to try a college level accounting course over the summer at the local community college and she is considering it. She can then decide if she would want to pursue accounting as a career and make the switch sooner than later. Although several speakers at the Candidates’ Day touted how easy it was to switch majors even between the different Colleges at Lehigh, after speaking with some individual professors, it became evident that sooner a switch of major is made the better chance of being able to graduate in 4 years. It would kill our budget with no financial aid available for a 5th year. </p>
<p>Goingfast - Best of Luck to your daughter. Tell her not to overplan though. Enjoy the college experience that Lehigh can provide: make some great memories, hopefully lifelong friends, be a part of campus life, clubs, go Greek if you like. Explore the up and coming Lehigh Valley, Amish country to the SouthWest, Poconos to the North. Big state universities are excellent but Lehigh is a tighter community and there are many advantages to that. I enjoyed it.</p>
<p>Lehigh is very flexible about majors and minors. If you go to an engineering talk it seems Lehigh thinks engineering works with just about anything. You could probably major in Biochemistry and minor in business for example. They also have summer school courses online. You sign up for a time and the entire class meets at that time and the class is held. Great way to be home in the summer and get a couple courses out of the way. Also, they really recommend sophomore summer at Lehigh to do research. My son’s research experience sophomore summer got him a job junior summer. </p>
<p>Congrats to your son Kikkydee!</p>
<p>SInce the poster’s child is in the sciences, I can tell you that the students my son (BioE) knows have all done extrmemly well, with job placement in the 75k-100 plus range, most of them in engineering, but some in sciences like your daughter. Also those who want to pursue more schooling, like my son, have placed in top schools in their field over and over again. </p>
<p>Lehigh is very well respected in the graduate and employment community.</p>
<p>Check out their ROI stats in US News and World Report. Last I checked they were ranked at number 6, tied with MIT and higher thank many of the Ivy League Schools.</p>