<p>I am a Lehigh Physics graduate. At the time I went, quite some time ago, there were nine of us in the class. We were the largest Physics class in Lehigh history. Lehigh is a small world, and physics or engineering physics is a small part of it. They have some excellent labs, and if you choose the applied path, you will have access to the engineering labs as well. We were oddballs and outcasts, but eh, we were physicists. Also we tended to scare engineers (as did the Chem E’s). The classes at that time were hard, demanding and very competitive although we all got along and tried to help each other way more then the engineers did in their classes. There was not a strong practical content. As I recall one instructor tried to make the class practical by explaining how to use physics to remove a tire off a rim. Yep, that was as practical as it got at the time.</p>
<p>But… you really should visit if you haven’t already. The student body is very conservative, the campus life is centered around the fraternity system (which might still be the largest fraternity system in the country, at a pretty small school, so…). They also were the home of the Advanced Placement Society of America which meant as long as you did well you pretty much had no trouble getting a job (physics is notorious for tough job seeking). The students are fiercely loyal to the school usually for life, and they donate like crazy. They also do really really well with financial aid (Lehigh tries very hard to make sure everyone can financially make it, and tries very hard to make sure everyone does make it, something like a 97% graduation rate). </p>
<p>The surrounding city is an old steel town and frankly was not very student friendly so the majority of the time is on campus. The plant is dead and for a while at least the townies took it out on the students. That has probably passed by now, but the school is still the major employer in the area. Lehigh has recently, out west were I am now, began earning a reputation as a startup incubator school, which is cool if you have an entrepreneurial bent, but while you can gather some great connections while attending, I’m not sure if the business side of Lehigh can match some of the other incubator schools out there. </p>
<p>When I left I was a proud Lehigh student. Since that time I’ve attended four other universities and degreed in two. If I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen my back up to Lehigh, Boston U. I found out too late that while the small school, separate from the world lifestyle at Lehigh helped keep people focused on their studies, it did little for personal growth and world awareness. Compared to the life at other schools, Lehigh seems too protective, too narrow minded, more like a boarding school than a life experience. </p>
<p>I know the other schools you list only by reputation, and frankly you can’t go wrong with any of these choices, including Lehigh. So visit. Walk around the campus, see what students do at night, walk the nearby city, and then ask yourself if you want to be here for four years. </p>
<p>Finally if you are truly devoted to studying and that is your only goal at school, then check out what the Physics instructors are doing at the graduate level at each school. See if any of those programs are working in areas your interested in. This way you can get the education and get a sense of what comes next.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>