Hi all,
I am an intentional student from the UK thinking of apply to Lehigh ED
Here are my stats:
GPA - presumably around 3.9 (dont have this in the UK so it might be higher or lower but i have a very strong academic record, only 1 B the rest A* or A)
ACT - curently have a 24 (i know, cringe) but suspect i can get that to a 30/31 now i know what i am in for. That being said realistically i cant get it higher than a 31 as my ACT is in September
EC- I was a prefect (think Harry Potter if you dont know what that is), have taken Drama for 10 years now, volunteered at a war memorial event earlier in the summer and organised a RSPCA fundraiser which is comingup soon, also will mention my sport commitments, weekend job, a dissertation i wrote for Cambridge Uni, a international realtions programme at Nottingham Uni, i was also a (what my school called) “code leader”, I interviewed teachers and organisations open days typa thing, and now am on my school marketing team which i suggested and co lead. (Not sure how good all of those are, but i never planned anything to look good to US unis!)
Essay - i know this counts a lot, i hope to write something quite creative and show a vibrant side to my personality. I am a decent writer so not too concerned.
I know my ACT is not in the range right now but i reckon i can make a 30.Can someone please tell me if they think i am in for a shot, please be honest if you think not!
If anyone also goes to Lehigh or knows a lot about it, it would be great to here your thoughts on the school/ anything you consider to be “must knows”. I am also interested about the personality of the student body, is it quite laid back? And are people friendly?
Thanks!
Hi,
I’m about to be a freshman at lehigh. I can give more information about the student body later, as I get more familiar with the school. If you get your ACT to a 30, you would have a decent chance because you intend on applying ED. I’d say, if your ACT stays the same, your chances of admission are slim.
GCSES
English Lang A
English Lit A
Science Core A
Science Add A
Maths B
History A*
Geography A*
Textiles A*
Philosophy and Ethics A*
(My school had a 29% passrate so the max we could take was nine just to clarify, and most took 7-8)
My AS results
Law A
Gov and Politics A
Economics N/A
History N/A
Predictions for the end of A2 I havnt officially been given though I expect …
Gov and Politics A/A*
History A/A*
Economics A
(Dropped law at AS because teacher was leaving for a baby and the supply teachers are rubbish - i know because she left before for 3 months and it was VERY stressful so decided it wasnt worth it)
I am however taking EPQ, i plan to study the Iran hostage crisis. I have no clue for a predicted grade on that but i would suspect an A as i take very essay heavy subjects and consider myself a good essay writer when they are academic in context.
I am really interested in Lehigh because it has by far one if the best International Relations courses i have come across. Lots of the proffesors also specialise in topics i am intrested in and thus academically it seems a good fit for me. They are D1 which i would like, sounds cheesy but as a brit we dont have these things and i would like to experience that atmosphere + the Laf rivalry is think is so cool. It’s a perfect size, just enough people to meet someone new all the time but not to many i feel lost and homesick. The staff i have seen in videos always seem lovely and welcoming, the move in day videos always make me smile. They have a few clubs i am intrested in like the worldaffairs club I believe it is called and the serve trips are something i would like to be invloved in. Of course they have demonstrated need for international students which is good. It isnt a super nice/studenty area, might seem odd that i like that, but i want to feel like i am in real America, not some student city with lots of tourism. Beyond that, i guess i have always had a feel for the place, its one of the very first colleges i looked at and liked a lot and the only one i still feel as fondly about now.
With no disrespect to Lehigh is not in the same league academically as you are. IR programs more in line for you would be Georgetown, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, George Washington, William & Mary, American. Most of those will have most of the elements you mention liking, and all have notably stronger IR reputations. The D.C. ones (Georgetown, GW, American, JHU/DC campus) have internship options that are what turns an IR course into something that can actually get you a job in the field.
Take a sample SAT test to see which test suits you better, then make a short, sharp study effort to lift your score.
Sounds as if Lehigh was your first crush, but there are lots of good fish in the sea…
Aww well thank you. I actually have been intrested in Vanderbilt, but everyone in that thread basically said I wouldn’t get in so i kinda went back to lehigh. I’m actually really faltered you think i am good enough for all of those schools, but unfortunately i will need alot of financial aid and so i dont think i will be as competitive as you think. I already know that Tufts isnt for me, i had a session with their admissions officers and i just didnt get the feels if you know what i mean. I also had a poor experience with on of their students, i watched her be very rude to another person and i kinda got put off thinking thats not the people I’d want to be around (though of course i realise that’s a huge generalisation, but im sure you knkw what i mean when you have experiences like that) I believe the only other one on your list that offers international students financial aid, is John Hopkins, but i always figured i would never get in. I will certainly give it a look.
Vandy is famously test-centric, so don’t be put off by that feedback.
You would be a star at Lehigh, which will be helpful for getting funding.
If you can get a 30+ (ACT) or 1400+ (SAT) your realistic choices go up significantly, such as
University of Richmond and University of Pennsylvania might be interesting for you- they are need aware, but meet full need.
If you are female you might add Barnard (which is puts less weight on SAT/ACT) to your list. You can cross register with Columbia, which has a great IR program, and they do have some scholarships for international students.
I have looked at richmond and i did really like it! UPenn however scares me because they dont seem like very nice people, i met an admissions officer and she just lived up to that name. Its also very cutthroat i hear.
Barnard i have also looked at, but i am not a fan of New York city at all, i just don’t think i could love there.
Are vandy so test centric that they would turn their nose up at a 30 ACT as well?
What are your thoughts on Cornell and bowdoin?
P.s thank you for helping me with ideas i’m really appreciating it!
The challenge is that there are a lot of international students all chasing the same funds. Your GCSEs & A-level predictions put you in the top tier, but there are plenty of students who have similar marks with higher test scores (and/or something else shiny on their CV). So, if you can manage a 30+ / 1400+ by all means apply, b/c you never know.
Based on what you have said about what you are looking for in an undergrad experience, I wouldn’t be sold on your loving Cornell. Bowdoin will be as tough an admit as the others above, but (guessing) it would be closer to what you are looking for (esp if you are cold tolerant!). fwiw, the business school at UPenn is famously cutthroat, but the few IR types that I know there are very social and friendly, but I am by no means pushing it.
Another that may have slipped by your radar: Dickinson College, which meets need, has a pretty international outlook, has a DC semester option, and does not put as much emphasis on ACT/SAT as some do. You would be a strong candidate (esp if you can get your test scores up a bit).
Have you tried the SAT? some people seem to do noticeably better at one test format than the other. the
@dayna: I concur with the assessment of Vandy as probably being out of reach for you – at this point, anyway. And, yes, they would “turn up their nose” at a 30 ACT; I know a number of students with higher ACTs than that who were not accepted; you will probably need a 33 or 34 ACT to be competitive for admission there. Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and W&M will probably also be tough for you to get accepted; but I second the suggestion of looking into GW, American, and Dickinson.
As the other poster stated, “there are lots of good fish in the sea . . . .”
Didn’t know that about the ACT & Sutton- thanks for the info. So, studystudystudy for the ACT. The key to the ACT is speed (for example, in many cases reading the whole question is not necessary)- look up ACT study hints.
If you are for-real interested in Dickinson I would reach out to them for confirmation about the language requirement for international students. For one thing, they might be flexible (though you would certainly have to take a foreign language if you attended D, but pretty much necessary in most IR programs anyway). For another, Dickinson is a school that notes ‘interest’ from applicants, and is a school whee some amount of interaction could be helpful.
I have met the admissions officer for dickinson and she said that the language requirement can be missed if you havnt had the opportunity however of course i did have the option at gcse and alevel. But i will still take a second look.
Do any universities similar to Vandy come to mind? Even if they arnt in the south? I was really keen on it, if it wasnt for the ACT i would have applied ED.
Davidson & Wake Forest, but they aren’t great for international money.
Imo, you didn’t really “have the opportunity” at A level- you have to choose your subjects based on the likely requirements for the course you are applying for. I wouldn’t be put off by it- just (if you really are interested) make it clear that you will be expecting to get up to (if not beyond) the level expected of Dickinson graduates before you graduate.
Go through the lists of top LACs (Wesleyan/Williams/type places, including the women’s colleges (all of which are in consortiums anymore). Bryn Mawr in particular might suit you.
