<p>How is the social life at Lehigh, are the a lot of good parties activities and stuff to do that people get involved or is it strict academics , i got accepted and im deciding between Lehigh and a couple other schools</p>
<p>Lehigh's reputation is that the students work hard and play hard -- something that makes this mom cringe.</p>
<p>My daughter has NEVER called home saying she is bored.</p>
<p>my d is a freshman at lehigh, it was not her first choice school and she is still not sure if she made the right decision.lehigh has a huge greek life and if you are not part of it there is truly not a lot to do, there is no college town and bethlehem is pretty scary.my d is in a sorority now [pledging was a nightmare] but they pretty much just go to frat parties and all they do there is drink, now lehigh has a VERY strong police presence and they are VERY strict on underage drinking and if they even suspect you are drinking you will get cited now while that makes this mom VERY happy.... you know the rest.There is not a lot of school spirit, nor a lot of interest in sports. plan on spending a lot of time in the library [it is beautiful] d has made the best of it ,she loves her new friends and her classes, but does sometime get bored, because there is nowhere else to go.the best advice I can give you is to do an overnight if you can, and really think about what is important to YOU and stick with that. my d first choice was b.c[waitlisted] and it is a completely different school.In contrast my senior daughter will be attending northeastern in boston next year!</p>
<p>I get confused when I see a few posts like this by people because I did spend a weekend there and came away thinking Lehigh is definitely one of the schools I'm gonna apply to next year. Comparing bethlehem to boston seems pretty silly. I want lots of things to do -- though not badly enough to go to a barely usnews top 100 school like northeastern -- so what should I look at besides the obvious that not all good schools are in big cities? What are the "things to do" that are lacking at lehigh that exist at other schools outside of the major cities???</p>
<p>I don't believe that I was comparing bethlehem to boston , quite the contrary I believe I was trying to make the point that my d FIRST choice was boston and when that did not work out she chose lehigh, which in fact was quite different than what she was 'looking' for in a college. My point was to really evaluate what is important to YOU. For my d in hs she was very involved with the schools teams ,we had great school spirit and excellent teams and everyone got involved, lehigh is not like that at all, if that is important to you than lehigh is not the school for you.I am not trying to steer anyone away from lehigh, just trying to give facts on social l;ife there.Also try not to let us news rankings guide your decision, they just are not that well respected by the people you should care about.</p>
<p>I guess it depends on how you define school spirit. When I was at Lehigh something like one in five students were division one athletes or in direct support activities like band, cheerleading, dance team, trainers, etc. At a smaller school like Bucknell or Lafayette the percentage is even greater. So if there aren't a ton of people who live and die by the results of every sporting event then a part of it might be that lots of them are busy actually contributing something of substance to that effect or making up for lost study time. </p>
<p>Plus, your daughter's less than a year at the school has included the worst season in ages for the wrestling team, an uncharacteristically mediocre football team and a typically craptacular basketball team. Everyone loves a winner!</p>
<p>mr moutain hawk, i have been reading your posts for some time now and you always make me feel better about lehigh!My d is going to root for the lax team , maybe they will have a better season!Btw if she wanted a sports only school, she certainly could have gone somewhere less academically challenging[and cheaper!]</p>
<p>collegenutx2:
bethlehem does have restaurants, an art scene with first fridays, festivals, a theater, an ice rink (these are off campus and walking distance). if your daughter is bored then suggest she look at the morning call (local newspaper) online and see some of the local offerings-- not trying to be sarcastic, just helpful. student government and other organizations are often organizing trips to malls or Philly, bringing in speakers, and more.
i've seen plenty of school spirit and interest in sports, especially compared to other schools that are this academic.<br>
and as for quaint little bethlehem being scary--that's not my impression of the city, and certainly it is small beans compared to the phillys and nyc of the world.</p>
<p>counselorandmom,
do you have a current student at lehigh?I agree the other side of bethlehem is really very nice . cute shops, nice restaurants, we have been there a few times already, but unfortunately she does not have a car , and will only walk there with friends during the daytime ONLY, the part of bethlehem right next to lehigh is very depressed and dangerous at night, and again I agree , one wouldn't walk in nyc or philly at night either[in certain areas]There just does not seem like there is a lot going on at campus except these frat parties.She did try going to a few football games, again not a lot of school or team spirit and you cannot walk there.I just wanted to give another side of how someone might feel there , depending on what you are used to!my d is happy with the school overall, just looking for more to do at night but frat parties</p>
<p>Collegenutx2, It wouldn't be fair for me to comment on your daughter because obviously her complaints are coming here second-hand but I'm getting dizzy following the logic of this.</p>
<p>Are you saying nobody goes to football games? Because even after a couple of "down seasons" that isn't close to the truth. Football attendance rankings of division 1/1-AA schools are readily available online. And I think that you and your daughter might have a misguided notion of how well-attended non-revenue sporting events are at most other schools. But what I really don't get is what keeps her from curing her "boredom" by attending games and cheering the teams on? You seem to be suggesting that it isn't really love of watching competitive sports that she's missing out on but some deep-seated need to have her passions validated by lots of other people. That's certainly something to contemplate.</p>
<p>With regard to things to do off-campus, it certainly is a bit of a challenge for a freshman ... without a car ... and who apparently dislikes walking ... to not feel landlocked. But what I really don't get here is what exactly it is that she's looking for? </p>
<p>Clearly it isn't restaurants because there are tons of good, cheap ones right off campus and upscale ones right across the river. </p>
<p>It isn't live music because the Funhouse (indie rock), Godfrey Daniels (folk music makes my skin crawl but others like it) and Wildflower Cafe (jam bands, etc.) are right off campus and other neighboring coffee houses and restaurants have music and such on the weekends. </p>
<p>It isn't art because there are a bunch of galleries on both sides of the river and on the first Friday of every month the ones on the southside all have receptions/live music that are well-attended. </p>
<p>It isn't bars because she isn't old enough but there is a decent, eclectic mix of them off campus. </p>
<p>As far as shopping (who does that on weekend nights anyway?) there isn't much right around campus but that's economics 101. There isn't a year-round critical mass of students to justify mall-like retail that caters specifically to them like there would be at a larger school. But there are a growing number of boutique-y shops (especially on third street) with an artsy sensibility that cater to people with actual money to spend. They aren't largely relevant to a typical Lehigh student but I would expect parents to have enough sophistication to recognize gentrification when they see it. It's one thing for an 18 year old Lehigh kid to conflate some poor surrounding areas with a downtown that has lots of artsy-eco-pinko retail and find neither appealing. But the two things are separate matters and the shopping is hardly indicative of an area in decline. Anyone who doubts that should research the massive Sands/Bethworks project which will have its first phases completed next year. Regardless of how one feels about gambling, the retail and entertainment components will be a huge benefit to students.</p>
<p>Not trying to be a shill or anything, but I can't really wrap my head around complaints that offer zero insight into someone's interests. Normal college students go to parties at night on weekends. Or bars. Or cultural events. Or movies. Or restaurants. Or coffeehouses. Or music venues. Or visit friends at other schools. Sometimes they do two or three of these things in one night. I loved fraternity parties, but yes, they do get stale which is why many people mix things up once the novelty of them wears off. Based on what you're saying it just sounds like your daughter is trying to pin her failure of imagination on anything/anyone but herself.</p>
<p>Collegenutx2, I think you're making some very good points, and these are things ( about Lehigh) I've heard before. Nothing new to me. what I can't understand is why some of the other posters seem to be so defensive of Lehigh and Bethlehem - and even aggressive in disagreeing with you. I think you've made it very clear that these are your and your D's opinions. I can't see any reason for others to be hostile about that.</p>
<p>I'm not sure where you see hostility. Personally I'd be more inclined to respond in the manner you suggest to a post like yours which adds zero value to the board. </p>
<p>I disagreed about a variety of things - as did counselorandmom - by offering facts for general consumption and suggestions for her bored daughter. Its kind of obvious that her daughter had her heart set on Boston and a school that competes in big time athletics and that has colored her outlook. That's fine. She has every right to share her freshman daughter's feelings here. Though I'm not sure how it is that you weren't sharp enough to pick up on that yet seem to possess the magical ability to divine some sort of nefarious motives on our part in responding.</p>
<p>The "work hard/play hard" image at Lehigh is so strong that my daughter's college counselor has actually discouraged her from looking at Lehigh because she is not a "party girl" which I find silly. There must be students who do not engage in heavy drinking, etc... on the weekends in a school the size and academic reputation of Lehigh. The academic programs that Lehigh offers are very appealing to my daughter so I hate to see her overlook it. My bigger concern is the safety factor. My view on that aspect has always been tainted by a very tragic rape/murder of a young coed that happened years ago (we knew the family of the girl). Perhaps MrMountainHawk or another CC member who has experience on Lehigh's campus could respond to "how safe is the campus and the surrounding Bethlehem area?" Thanks!</p>
<p>Kelly67, From what I understand the rape/murder in the 80's(?) you're talking about was committed by another Lehigh student. The family has done a great service in her memory by highlighting security issues on campusses, but I don't know if any school can ever be so safe that a fellow student who is that sick in the head can't do something like that. The campus is heavily patrolled. </p>
<p>The areas off-campus to the east and west are sketchy and not a good idea to walk alone at night. There aren't any stores or anything else to assure eyes on the street so there are occasionally people who take advantage of the relative isolation to prey on students walking alone. I was never uncomfortable off campus - and maybe that's why people get careless? - but enough things happen that it is reasonable for you to be concerned. The commercial part of the area abutting the north part of campus is fine.</p>
<p>and to add to MMH's response...a majority of students that do walk at night, do so in groups, and not alone. My son lived off campus and was not uncomfortable either but I preferred he travel with company. He spent most of his time on campus and in the labs.
Give Lehigh a good look yourself. Don't overlook it because she isn't a "party girl". That's poor advice to give a student.</p>
<p>Thanks MMH and laxmom - We will definitely take a visit and give it a good look. </p>
<p>MMH - You are right the incident was in the 80's and I am sure every campus has some incidents of violent crime in their history... because we knew the family it has just been a tough one to shake. But I know that is not rational.</p>
<p>hi everyone! i’m current lehigh student and i’m with mrmountainhawk–there’s plenty to do in bethlehem (he already listed a lot of options). i’m a senior girl who lives off campus (although i’m admittedly very close to being on campus) and have definitely walked home by myself at night safely and have never had any problems. there are frequently a lot of students around in the neighborhood directly off campus, and students who live either on or off campus are unlikely to venture off into neighborhoods where students don’t live that might be a bit less safe–why would they? </p>
<p>that said, clearly everyone here has a different experience and way of enjoying life at lehigh. usually the nights i’m “bored” is when my roommates and i have sat around watching tv for awhile because we were feeling lazy, not because there weren’t things to do on or off campus at the time. i didn’t get a chance to experience much of south bethlehem when i was a freshman–we didn’t always want to walk down (or back up) and had enough to do on campus. junior and senior year, though, i’ve come to really like bethlehem for its restaurants, bars and newer stores (shuze, a boutique-y shoe store, is great!) and really feel at home here.</p>
<p>Since this post is trending and the latest reply is over 4 years old… i figured I would tell people how I see the university today… in 2014! I personally belong to the CHOICE community, which focuses on not coming back to the dorm drunk and not having drugs/alcohol/tobacco in the rooms. Personally this is a great choice for me because thats the kind of people I like to hang out with. However At Lehigh there are plenty of options as far parties and go. (1/2 of the school goes greek). So to be honest you could be a partier, someone who doesnt drink at all, or someone that goes to a party once per semester. Its all up to you, and the best part is that you will always find people similar to you in this respect because we have people from across the world, and across the entire scope of social scene. I’m friends with some serious alcoholics… some serious straight edges… and then completely average people. So you won’t ever have to worry about not fitting in. you will :)</p>
<p>As far as info goes, parties are kind of word of mouth, but other activities on campus and off you can read about on our lehigh student blog!</p>
<p><a href=“http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/”>http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/</a></p>
<p>and here are some specific posts I like
<a href=“Trip to the Mall | First-Year Lehigh Engineers”>http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2014/01/29/trip-to-the-mall/</a>
<a href=“Movie Night in Dravo | First-Year Lehigh Engineers”>http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2014/01/20/movie-night-in-dravo/</a>
<a href=“Masquerade Ball | First-Year Lehigh Engineers”>http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2013/11/13/masquerade-ball/</a>
<a href=“6 o’clock dinner | First-Year Lehigh Engineers”>http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2013/11/06/6-oclock-dinner/</a>
<a href=“Little Town of Bethlehem | First-Year Lehigh Engineers”>http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2013/10/23/little-town-of-bethlehem/</a>
<a href=“Not Just an Egg Drop | First-Year Lehigh Engineers”>http://luengineer.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2013/09/25/egg-dropping/</a></p>
<p>Lehigh was #12 in the country for most fun colleges in America …they need to try harder!</p>
<p><a href=“The 20 Most Fun Colleges in America”>The 20 Most Fun Colleges in America;
<p>I have concerns, as a parent, about the safety of parties at Lehigh. All schools have parties and drinking but some schools seem to have a better handle on those parties and the amount of drinking. I don’t think that the administration at LU is doing that great of a job. The fraternities live on campus but have party houses OFF campus, in the neighborhood. The school is not responsible for the safety of those houses and I guess their thought process is, “out of sight, out of mind.” Knowing what I do now I may not have allowed my child to attend for this reason. If LU wants to really work on the problem they would have all fraternities have parties ON CAMPUS where everything can be monitored.</p>