<p>Outside of PA, how prestigious is Lehigh? Is the equivalent of New York University, which around here is so and so? Is it just known as the party school? Some people I know just label it as the same as Penn State but richer kids? However, yesterday I saw someone make a post comparing Lehigh to Vanderbilt and Emory, which I clearly thought was a misplacement? Also, Lehigh is known for its engineering program, so is me majoring in biology here the equivalent of majoring something such as PGM at MIT?</p>
<p>Lehigh is a quality school. While I wouldn’t compare it’s engineering to that of MIT as it is a small step behind imo it does have a very good engineering program. I would compare it to Emory or Vanderbilt for sure though.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, as for the MIT thing I wasn’t necessarily comparing Lehigh’s engineering to MIT’s engineering but rather the fact MIT is known mostly for its engineering program as is Lehigh. Maybe a better comparison would Lehigh to Georgia Tech? And comparing to Emory or Vanderbilt, maybe its because I have the US News rankings drilled in my head, and do not really see it as that prestigious</p>
<p>bump, any other opinions</p>
<p>It’s been a while, but I went to Lehigh undergrad and then to MIT for grad school. I was a teaching assistant at MIT so I got a broad perspective of undergraduate problem sets in a number of different classes. You may be surprised to hear this, but at the time I felt Lehigh was actually somewhat more demanding in what was expected of the students.</p>
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<p>Thats another thing I was worried about. How good is Lehigh at sending graduates to top grad schools? Especially when going to Medical School, it is common? Or is it usually an awe moment when someone gets accepted into Harvard?</p>
<p>Lehigh is also well known in the northeast for its business program.</p>
<p>I don’t know how good it is for pre-med. There certainly are other colleges in eastern PA that have more of a pre-med emphasis, such as Franklin and Marshall and Bucknell.</p>
<p>Lehigh has a very extensive fraternity system and is known for drunk rich kids who drive nicer cars than the faculty.</p>
<p>Lehigh has a very good national reputation. It has a solid history and is not jumped up like NYU. At every expensive private university you will find privileged rich kids, and I’m sure Lehigh is no exception, but it is not a “rich kid’s school.”</p>
<p>Traditionally Lehigh has been known for their great engineering school, particularly in the Northeaset part of the US, including NYC and Philadelphia. In fact their mascot was previously the “Engineers”. Recently, however the undergraduate business school has been getting a good name for itself and is currently ranked #24 in Bloomberg/Businessweek rankings of undergradudate business schools.</p>
<p>Comparable to Lafayette, Bucknell. For pre-med Colgate and Holy Cross are strong. All very good schools. Holy Cross is need blind for admissions same as Ivies.</p>
<p>Sorry for not responding quickly, but in my personal opinion I thought Lehigh was a step above New York University? Maybe I am just saying that because all the kids in our school that go to New York University have been the artsy, drama type people, not that intelligent. And Lehigh in comparison to Lafayette? I always though Lehigh to be significantly better than Lafayette, I though that is how the phrase, “The only way to go to Lafayette from Lehigh is failing first semester.” I often see Bucknell compared to Lehigh which I think is a reasonable assumption, in other words Lehigh is certainly not that prestigious, still befuddled about Lehigh being as prestigious as Vanderbilt and Emory</p>
<p>If you are really concerned about relative prestige of certain programs, you should not ask the general population. Instead, look up guidebooks that rank particular academic programs (i.e. engineering, biology), not overall institutions. Call up Lehigh and get information from the school about its graduate school placement. Asking random strangers is not going to provide accurate or valuable information for you. Also, prestige and reputation are almost always highly regionally biased. There is no absolute answer to your question.</p>
<p>I think you can tell from this thread that Lehigh has a very good general reputation among people who are interested in education. Beyond that, you will have to go to different sources to get the answers you seek.</p>
<p>P.S. when I said that NYU was “jumped up,” that was not praise. My personal belief is that NYU is grossly overvalued and has risen in the rankings via aggressive marketing and academic faddism. I don’t feel that way about Lehigh; hence the descriptor “solid.”</p>
<p>Why does that even matter since you were accepted EDII to Lehigh?</p>
<p>Please spare the condescending attitude on Lafayette. Both are fine schools, Lafayette probably recognized more as a liberal arts school, Lehigh for engineering, both good in Economics and science. I have great friends who have done well graduating from Lehigh as well as Lafayette-in manufacturing, research, medicine and dentistry and law. </p>
<p>Lafayette placed fourth in the country in salaries for liberal arts school graduates:
Top Liberal Arts Colleges Starting Median Pay Mid-Career Median Pay </p>
<p>Harvey Mudd College $68,900 $126,000 </p>
<p>Colgate University $48,700 $119,000 </p>
<p>Bucknell University $55,800 $115,000 </p>
<p>Lafayette College $54,800 $107,000 </p>
<p>Washington and Lee University $50,300 $107,000 </p>
<p>[Top</a> Liberal Arts Colleges By Salary Potential](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/top-liberal-arts-colleges.asp]Top”>Best Liberal Arts Colleges | Payscale)</p>
<p>As stated in another post, for additional info, do your research-the small population that post on this site may offer some insight but should not be a major influence on such a major life decision.</p>
<p>Lehigh is situated between Philadelphia and New York, and has a beautiful campus. Lehigh also has great sports and a beautiful football stadium that offers a great view next to the mountain in the autumn when the leaves are turning colors. Lehigh is part of the Patriot League and plays Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette etc. and many of the IvyÂ’s (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etcÂ… in football every year). The annual Lehigh - Lafayette football game is the most played rivalry in college football. Lehigh is also always ranked nationally in Wrestling. The Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, Allentown, and Easton) has a lot of good Restaurants and Pubs. The Triple-A Phillies are in the Lehigh Valley, and the Philadelphia Eagles Summer Camp is at Lehigh. There are also a couple -100,000 people living in the area. Bethlehem (the Christmas City) has great annual events, such as the Music Fest, and Celtic ClassicÂ… as do the other Cities in the Lehigh Valley. The Lehigh Valley is home to Lehigh, Lafayette, Cedar Crest, Muhlenberg, and Moravian Colleges. There are many cultural events in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding colleges, and the activities and social life are 2nd to none.</p>
<p>I don’t understand the reference to Bucknell. It’s fair to view Bucknell and Lehigh in the same light, you say, but then you suggest that that undermines Lehigh’s prestige. In the Northeast, at least, I think that Lehigh and Bucknell are viewed similarly (although perhaps with different strengths). Lafayette might be a fraction of a notch below them. Emory and Vanderbilt a notch above in overall reputation, perhaps. Emory and Vanderbilt probably have more national name recognition. Is your focus on recognition or quality?</p>