My son and I visited Lehigh and really liked it. However, in reading College Confidential, and am reading horror stories about Lehigh Greek life, the surrounding neighborhood and the overall rowdiness of the campus. They are also saying that if you don’t join Greek life, you will have a hard time finding housing after your freshman year. How does that compare to Lafayette, which appears to be much quieter? Thanks!
Both schools have Greek Life but I think it is more prevalent at Lehigh. At Lafayette there would be absolutely no issue getting housing if one is not part of Greek Life (I can’t speak to Lehigh).
Most liberal arts colleges, including Lafayette, are relatively small, and guarantee on-campus housing for four years. In fact, my understanding is that Lafayette students need special permission to move off-campus.
Lehigh is different. Most universities, including Lehigh, are relatively large, and don’t have on-campus housing for every student. At Lehigh, freshman and sophomores are required to live on-campus, so on-campus housing is guaranteed for two years. After that, most juniors and seniors are expected to live off-campus; there are blocks and blocks of inexpensive row houses in the adjoining neighborhoods.
If you want guaranteed on-campus housing for four years, then a liberal arts college (like Lafayette) will typically be a better choice than a university (like Lehigh). On the other hand, most Lehigh students have no problems living off-campus.
It was the sight of the row houses that steered my DD to Lafayette.