I have been accepted to Lehigh with free tuition and free housing. I would have to pay for books and a few plane tickets to come home for the holidays(California). I also have a 2/3 ride to UC Santa Barbara. I would end up paying the same as Lehigh after scholarships and living and everything. I am going in as a biology major and looking to go into med school. My main concern is that both schools are party schools. The only difference is that Lehigh is more rural than UCSB. I am not looking to get hammered every night, but I’m also worried about the 200+ lecture halls that UCSB will give me. I went to visit Lehigh and it did not meet my expectations. All everyone did was party Monday-Saturday and it seemed like no one was as serious as the prestige of the school made it seem. I’m also concerned that Lehigh is more likely to continue my very generous financial aid whereas no one can really predict what will happen with the UCs once the tuition raises. I am very confused and am looking for some guidance because both seem like very amazing schools.
I don’t know about Lehigh, but I can’t imagine anyplace being a bigger party scene than Santa Barbara. My D goes up there to visit friends sometimes and she’s exhausted and says no way could she stay there more than a couple days. The kids are very bright there though so most of them figure out how to balance it.
Do you want to work in New York? If so, Lehigh’s alumni network is unparalleled – Is weather a factor for you? Big change fro SoCal. Lehigh is work hard/play hard but not a party school in that the academics are rigorous. And what about class size? Lehigh has few large-scale lecture courses and lots of opportunity to know your professors and departments. Have you learned about Lehigh’s Mountaintop experience?