<p>I'm currently deciding between Hamilton and Lehigh for ED II
I need all of your input please!</p>
<p>I know that Hamilton is a very inclusive school with a great education...a school that builds great bonds and relations with teachers. With only a couple of hundred freshman students, it seems like a great place to actually learn and not sit in giant lecture groups. </p>
<p>Lehigh on the other hand is a more career focused type of school...i'm probably going to study economics and the program at lehigh is great. I just might want a more 1 on 1 type of school...and lehigh is not too big...but i'm still having my doubts.</p>
<p>I need your opinions on:
1.) location
2. )recruitment
3. ) student life
4.) Alumni relationships
5.) A future in law</p>
<p>D2 was forced to make a similar decision a few years back. She choose Hamilton over Lehigh for some of the following reasons. </p>
<p> Liked the smaller campus 450 in her class.<br>
Was playing a sport and did not want to compete D1.
Thought learning at Lehigh was more competitive and at Hamilton more collaborative.
Felt Hamilton was a bit stronger academically although Lehigh had preprofessional schools that would better prepare her for a job straight out of college.
Bitter Clinton winter/isolated location was not an issue.<br>
Wasnt sure if she wanted business or IR/law and felt that it would be smarter to double major in economics/IR at Hamilton. Wasnt sure if/how this would work at Lehigh.
Because Lehigh had a grad school she thought Hamilton may have better opportunities for undergraduates.
Wanted a school with a residential campus. Most of the Lehigh kids move off campus by jr. year.</p>
<p>They are both good schools. For her, she thinks it was the right decision. From a parents perspective I like the way Hamilton forms its classes. They are kids eclectic but seem to mesh well. </p>
<p>We have family who went to Lehigh for engineering. They are doing well. </p>
<p>Although your experiences may differ, the outcome from attending either school may be the same. Perhaps you should pick the school you like best because that is probably where you will do best.</p>
<p>Academically, I think Hamilton is clearly superior (and Lehigh is very, very good).
Neither is in a great town - Bethlehem vs Clinton. Yech on both counts.
Lehigh is mid-size; Hamilton is small.
Lehigh is more into athletics and is more of a party school.
Hamilton has a terrific reputation for developing communication skills, both written and oral. I suspect that you can pursue a career in law equally well from either school, but this focus on communication skills, plus the intimate nature of the academic environment, favors Hamilton in my opinion.</p>
<p>If you believe you can get in Lehigh's College of Business and Economics, Lehigh is a better choice. The business and econs program at Lehigh is better than at Hamilton, for sure.</p>
<p>Hamilton is a purely liberal arts college and does not have an undergrad business program.
As for economics, I am not so sure I would give the edge to Lehigh, as I think that the students (and possibly the faculty) at Hamilton are academically superior to those at Lehigh, and I think that the very intimate atmosphere adds a great deal to one's education.</p>
<p>I would think Hamilton would be considered better from a selectivity perspective with somewhat smarter, well-rounded peers. 450 a class would probably be too small for me, though, so would look at other similar, but larger schools that would be as strong academically like Colgate, Bucknell, Middlebury. It would seem that if you are considering Hamilton and Lehigh that you should look at Colgate and Bucknell too. In different Wall St positions I've had, I've actually run into more from Hamilton than Lehigh, despite the size differential.</p>
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The business and econs program at Lehigh is better than at Hamilton, for sure.
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<p>I'm not sure what you base this on, but in my experience it would not be true for Wall Street placement, PhD or MBA admissions.</p>
<p>^Last year's acceptance rate differential was larger than it has been historically with Middlebury's acceptance rate at 17% vs Colgate at 24% vs Hamilton at 28%, but the SAT medians of these three schools are within 10 points of each other. Bucknell and Lehigh are ~ 50-60 points lower.</p>