<p>We've visited Lehigh twice. Good school but politically it feels conservative at worst and apathetic at best. Definitely not liberal like some of the LACs we've visited (Oberlin, Swarthmore, etc). My D is really taking to the school, in part because of it's proximity to home, but spouse and I have our concerns. Greek Life is HUGE at Lehigh. I mean it dominates the campus social life. But only 3% of school is African American. Despite high math SATs on average (700s) and big focus on science and engineering, and East Coast location, the school has very few Asians or Hispanics. We met a sophomore female who had joined a sorority and admitted that at least a couple of the houses were "very stereotypical," Hollywood central casting: rich white girls, driving BMWs, from New York and New Jersey, who only accepted other rich and attractive white girls.</p>
<p>I'm real concerned about this. My D grew up in suburbia and is used to friends of all races. Frankly, she's had very little experience with social groups of AAs because of where we've lived. However, she isn't used to racist whites either. I'm afraid if she goes to Lehigh she'll get a rude awakening--either socially segregate with the handful of black students there, something she's never done, or encounter racial rejection by white exclusionary types, something she's never experienced. D is biracial and grew up in upper middle class suburbia midwest, not East Coast. </p>
<p>What's the real scoop at Lehigh? What I read at College ******* made me even more nervous. Is it any better at Cornell? She's also considering that school. I'm pushing her toward Oberlin, an ultra-liberal school with zero Greek Life. Help, please!</p>
<p>I don't have any direct knowledge, but we lived in the Allentown area for several years and I know several people who either attended or had kids who attended. I think your caution is legitimate. Lehigh is a very good school, and it definitely is NOT full of a bunch of hard-core right-wing racists. But it is a pretty conservative place, socially. Politically, I would go with "apathetic" -- the general feel is conservative Republican, but not in a very active way. It's a very big Greek school, and more than a couple of fraternities (less so the sororities) do fall into sterotype territory. </p>
<p>I'm not trying to trash Lehigh. It's a very good school, and the majority of the people that attend are nice people. But if you're daughter would feel uncomfortable in a very white, very conservative, very Greek environment, then it wouldn't be a great fit. </p>
<p>Exceptions to every rule, of course. I'm sure that there are minority, non-Greek students there that are happy, and I hope that others on this forum can give you a different perspective.</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply, Iderochi. "Very white" is not the problem. In fact, that is all she's known. It's the "very conservative" "very Greek" part that concerns us as parents. Unfortunately, our D seems to be leaning toward matriculating at an above average school close to home. Swarthmore and Haverford seem to be more attractive (liberal) alternatives but I don't know if she can get in to those schools. </p>
<p>The toughest part is having the conversation with her and figuring out how to explain our concerns to her in a way she'd understand.</p>
<p>I can't speak to Lehigh, but my daughter is a sophomore at Cornell. She came from a very diverse high school.</p>
<p>My daughter is white. Her roommate is African American. Her best friend is Hispanic. Several of her other close friends at Cornell are Asian. </p>
<p>Although the percentage of minority students at Cornell is not particularly high, the number is substantial simply because Cornell is a very large school. </p>
<p>Despite all of the above, though, Cornell does not feel as diverse to my daughter as her high school did. There is a tendency of some groups of students to self-segregate. That's an idea that took some getting used to. My daughter was disappointed, for example, that so many of the Asian-American students would keep to themselves. She had many Asian friends in high school and never felt in any way unwelcome in their company, but at Cornell, some (not all, but definitely some) of the Asian students were clearly uninterested in becoming friends with her. I think that there may be a similar pattern among African American students. There are some who prefer to associate almost exclusively with other African-American students. There are others who are comfortable being friends with anyone. </p>
<p>Greek life is huge at Cornell, as it is at Lehigh, but it's also possible to avoid it completely if you want to and still have a perfectly satisfactory life. One of the important things to remember about Cornell, in my opinion, is that the school is very large (by private college standards). There are thirteen thousand undergraduates there, but nobody needs thirteen thousand friends. You need maybe a couple of dozen. You will find them.</p>
<p>My daughter, who is not in the Greek system and knows few people who are, says that liberal views dominate at Cornell, and that a substantial number of the students are on tight budgets. A fraternity or sorority member might reach different conclusions, though.</p>
<p>Plainsman, what was it about Lehigh that attracted you and your D in the first place? The size? The location? What she wants to study? If you can name a few things, I'm sure we parents can suggest other schools with those attributes that may be more diverse or politically more in line with your daughter's leanings. With more than 3,000 four-year colleges in the U.S., there's something for everyone.</p>
<p>Also, is your daughter currently a junior or a senior?</p>
<p>My daughter is also a sophomore at Cornell. She is half Asian and half white. I would second Marian that Cornell is somewhat segregated, which is a surprise to my daughter and us. She has tried to reach out to some Asian girls, especially last year in her dorm, for some reason they didn't want to have much to do with her. Her next door neighbor was a black girl, they never talked either. She said typically Asians study a lot more and do not go out as much.</p>
<p>When I go up to visit my daughter, I often see Asians walk and eat together. We usually frequent some of more ethnic Asian restaurants, it would be very rare for me to see mix of white, Asian or black eating together. It is a shame because it doesn't appear things have changed that much in 25 years since I graduated from Colgate (also a very white school). I am not sure if it's any different at other schools. I would be interested in hearing from parents or students on this matter.</p>
<p>My daughter is in a sorority at Cornell. She is very happy with it. I am reserving my opinion for a few more months on the pros and cons of Greek life. It does take up a lot of time, but it's less drinking than I would have thought. For every event they go to (mixers), few girls are assigned to be sobers (to keep an eye on the girls to make sure they don't get too out of hand). There are a few girls that do not drink or party, but they are in the minority.</p>
<p>Marian is correct that at Cornell, Greek life is big, but it doesn't dictate the social scene. It is so big that one can always find things to do. A few of my daughter's good friends go to Haverford. It is opposite of Cornell. There is one dining hall, and most nights there will just be one party that everyone goes to. You would most likely see the same people over and over again.</p>
<p>Lurkness: Lehigh is a small, highly selective, private university. There are three main colleges: Engineering, Business and Economics and Arts and Sciences. Other good things about Lehigh:</p>
<p>*Only 4,700 undergrads and only 2,000 grad. students, so not that much bigger than a large LAC.
*You can switch majors at will and without a lot of justifying. Theater to Engineering or vice versa, whatever you want, as soon as you realize you need to change. Great flexibility.
*35 minutes from our house.
*Gorgeous campus of 1,600 total acres
*Bethlehem is the only Pennsylvania city on the Best Places to Live (in America) list, and my D loves hanging out on the beautiful, gentrified north side with her friends (stay away from the south, east and west sections)
*7-year B.S.-M.D. program with Drexel U Medical School; similar program with U. of Penn Dental School
*5th year totally free study for Presidential Scholars (undergrads with 3.75 gpa or higher)--can earn a Masters with the free 5th year in almost any concentration.
*A Lehigh degree is almost guaranteed employment or grad/professional school admission. 83% of Lehigh grads who apply are accepted to med school; 92% to law school. Upwards of 300 companies recruit at Lehigh every year, especially for engineering, business, and the sciences, a number most LACs can only dream about.
*An education major from Lehigh has automatic certification in 37 states</p>
<p>My D is a high school senior. She is biracial (white & black). She makes Halle Berry look plain. She's as beautiful on the inside as on the outside and frequently volunteers to help the less fortunate. </p>
<p>Growing up where she did in lily white but liberal Minnesota (we've been in PA for three years) she never heard the N word spoken by a live person (only on TV). That has changed since we've been here. It's never been directed at her (most of her classmates didn't know she was African American) but she's witnessed it directed at others and it hurt her. For these reasons, I'm just real concerned about her attending an East Coast school. I sense a lot of self-segregation by group. That will be problem for her. What group does she join? But it seems you have to "choose" a group, whether it's a sorority, ethnic-themed dorms (I've heard Cornell has them---I don't like that idea at all), or racially pure clique. I feel I should protect her from that nonsense. So I have her looking at schools like Oberlin. We really don't want her far away, which is the only reason we've avoided thinking of other liberal midwestern colleges like Carleton and MacAlester, both in Minnesota.</p>
<p>Marian and Oldfort: Thanks for the info about your daughters at Cornell. My D has a two-night stay scheduled at Cornell next month. I hope she likes it. </p>
<p>IvoryK: My gut also tells me "not a good fit." However, as you can see from the above list, there is a lot to like about Lehigh.</p>
<p>It seems like you are really limiting the choices by your geographical restriction. Has anyone suggested Vassar yet? I also would recommend Rice- it is a very accepting environment without a Greek scene.</p>
<p>Plainsman--can you daughter please date my son?? :)</p>
<p>Seriously, you should consider Haverford. They take their Quaker roots very seriously and racial atmosphere is quite good. They are smaller than Lehigh (and no engineering) but the community is HC, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore. Add free (and easy) access to Penn classes and the community blossoms. Also the Main Line is a great (and safe) environment. Plus Philly is a 15-20 minute train ride away.</p>
<p>I would not be seduced by the Drexel Med plan. If your daughter truly excels in college HC has an excellent placement record at first tier medical schools. If med school is the goal I must put in my plug here for Bryn Mawr which has an outstanding placement record for med school acceptances.</p>
<p>Plainsman - I second a lot of the information already posted (Haverford, Swarthmore, Vassar, etc), and would add Tufts to the list as well. Diverse campus, friendly student body. There is a small Greek scene for those who wish to partake, but it does not set the tone for social life on campus.</p>
<p>I agree that Lehigh (along with Bucknell and maybe Gettysburg) has a more conservative lean.</p>
<p>My son just started his freshman year at Lehigh for engineering and absolutely loves it. He is generally a quiet person (or at least he was!) so I was a bit anxious about how he would do being a good distance from home (we are 20 miles south of Boston). However, he sounds wonderful when I talk to him. He feels Lehigh did a fantastic job with orientation and getting all of the freshman class together. He feels he comfortably knows a lot of people and has met a great group of friends. I should add that he is a white male with a middle class background. </p>
<p>I wish I could add a view regarding the racial atmosphere. I cannot. However, I thought I might add my two cents about my son's wonderful experience so far at Lehigh. I, myself, knew when we visited that Lehigh was a perfect fit for him.</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your daughter in her college searches.</p>
<p>I second Bryn Mawr, cousin goes there, she is African American. Also came from a very white suburban area and had limited social interactions with other African Americans in her school. Bryn Mawr offered her the most money to attend and she is really liking it. Her parents are also very happy with the environment. It is all girls but they share with Haverford and other schools in the area. It is considered one of the top LAC's.</p>
<p>Plainsman, I have a friend whose D (ethnically Latina adopted by white Jewish family) had a negative experience at college her freshman year due to a) vocal racism and antisemitism of a kind she had never hear before, b) segregation resulting partially from sorority rush. She was accustomed to having friends from all ethnic and racial groups, but this was basically not accepted at her school. (She came from Maine. I'm not going to mention her school for confidentiality reasons, but it is in the south.) She went on leave second semester, did some other things, and decided to go back and give it another try.</p>
<p>I would say that the problem is not "the northeast," but the type of school in question.</p>
<p>BTW, my S is at Dartmouth, and I noted on move in day that his very friendly RA is a black student, and that there were lots of black women assisting with move-in at his dorm, and multiracial asian/black/white groups of kids roaming around and going to dinner together and so forth. I don't know if there is a tendency towards eventual self-segregation, hope not, but so far so good. They also have an engineering school and a medical school, and about 4,000 undergrads. You might want to take a look. :)</p>
<p>Lastly, I know this subject was discussed on the Middle Class Black Posters thread some time ago. Probably more than once.</p>
<p>Plainsman, we had similar concerns re: Lehigh, and colleagues who were alumni, said our instincts ere correct: too conservative and too Greek for D. </p>
<p>If you're looking for a school with less selective admissins than Swat/Hav, I think Bryn Mawr would be a good choice. There's also Layafette, though my sense is that it is very similar to Lehigh.</p>
<p>If your D is willing to travel farther from home, there are lots of great schools in NY (Vassar, Bard, URochester), CT (Wesleyan - - though on par w/ Swat and Hav for selectivity) and MA (Smith, Clark). We generally found the PA LACs (other than Swat/Hav/Bryn) to be too conservative.</p>
<p>I don't know if I'd rule out Lehigh all together. This is an upper-middle class suburban girl for whom racial identity has not been much of a factor. If she's successfully navigated her suburban high school she can probably do the same at Lehigh.</p>
<p>We are not a suburban family, nor are we upper-middle class by NYC standards, but D attended (thanks to generous finaid) a tony girls school and then boarding school. Racial idnetity was not much of an issue for her either - - in Manhattan (day school) and western Mass (boarding school), where both the schools and surrounding communites were palpably liberal. </p>
<p>The "feel" of many college campuses and their surrounding communities, however, was decidedly conservative - - and it was something even D could sense immediately upon setting foot on campus. The difference was evident from the attitue of the tour guides, the respone from random students she approached and the apparent absence of inter-racial social networks. </p>
<p>Negotiating a conservative residential campus is very different than navigating your local school, presumably with like-minded students whose families share your family's values. And, in high school, where even if one feels alienated or alnoe during the school day, s/he retuns, every afternoon, to the protective bosom of his/her family.</p>