<p>HI my daughter was accepted to both..does anyone know what school has the better science program</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>I think these are both excellent schools, but the types of questions you should be asking at this point should be specific to your daughter’s needs. When looking at schools in general and geology and environmental programs in specific, I would go out to each school and find out - </p>
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<li><p>How do the “weeder” classes taken by science and engineering majors and pre-meds work? What is the typical attrition rate in these classes? Do honors sections siphon off students who are especially well-prepared? (And would your daughter be one of these students, who might prefer an honors section?) How steep is the curve? How does your daughter’s preparation compare to that of other students in the class? If your daughter is less prepared than others, or if many outstanding students are re-taking the class rather than moving on, would she be willing to stick with the class for the duration of the semester, studying many hours, possibly getting a disappointing grade or having to do a re-take of the class? Or would she drop the idea of majoring in geology on the basis of a bad grade in a “weeder” class? What type of help is available for students who are struggling?</p></li>
<li><p>How are the opportunities for undergrad research? Can any student participate, or is access very competitive? Can a freshman with no research experience from high school access opportunities, or do professors prefer freshmen with experience and selected upperclassmen? Are research assistants paid, and can they continue working on their projects through the summer? If students do not stay on campus for research during the summer, where do they typically go and what do they do?</p></li>
<li><p>How many majors does the department typically graduate? If the number of majors is small, are courses canceled if enrollment is small? How often are most courses offered, and how many elective courses are typically offered per term? If the department has graduate students, are undergrads neglected?</p></li>
<li><p>How does the school do with grad school and job placement? Where do most graduates go?</p></li>
<li><p>If your daughter were to develop other interests and take on a second major, change majors, or complete a cluster of courses, within or outside of science and engineering, are there other strong departments in areas likely to interest your daughter?</p></li>
<li><p>Can your daughter take courses in geology or environmental areas as early as freshman year, or must she wait until prerequisites are completed?</p></li>
<li><p>How do most students complete their field camp requirement?</p></li>
<li><p>How comfortable does your daughter feel with professors and upper class geology students? (Make an effort to meet professors and visit departments and labs when you visit.)</p></li>
<li><p>Will your daughter be required to complete a capstone project or senior thesis, and if so, how much support is given to students who go this route? Can you access a list of recently completed projects? If there is a student research session at an accepted student day, be sure to visit, take a look at posters, and talk with students who have done research.</p></li>
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<p>I am sure that there are other concerns, as well as concerns about social fit, but hopefully these will help you get started in figuring out what you need to know before making your decision, especially if your daughter will be turning down less expensive options to attend either school.</p>
<p>Also, Lafayette is a college, so no grad students and Lehigh does have grad students. Both have great science depts. My son is a Jr. at Lafayette and the other son was just accepted there and is deciding now too. Lafayette is much smaller than Lehigh and has been great for our son. He was doing research by the end of his Frosh year. Has had research presented at conferences soph year and this year as well.He is an environmental engineer but has collaborated with bio and geology depts. Very cooperative profs interested in students. Smaller frat/sorority/party scene at Lafayette. Good luck in deciding!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the very informative information…my daughter has a tough decision!</p>