@merc81 Yeah, I have heard that Lehigh’s engineering program is excellent. But because of the fact that neuroscience is interdisciplinary and spills into areas of engineering, I think that you are right in saying that it could have a respectable neuroscience program (fingers-crossed XD). And on the other note, I don’t think that the fact that it has a party aspect will necessarily bother me. Just more of a case of whether I decide to be involved in that or not. It still seems to be an exceptional school, regardless. But thanks so much for the heads up! Also, I was going off of the rankings by StartClass. I’m still in the mix between Lehigh and Brandeis, though. And I’m also Jewish, which, although not affiliated, is another aspect of Brandeis XD. So I’m not completley sure, but I think im leaning towards Lehigh.
@twogirls My mother has, I personally have not. And thank you so much for suggesting that. I literally just booked an interview for the 23rd…
“Well, according to CollegeRaptor, it estimated that my out-of-pocket cost for Lehigh is under 10,000 a year.”
I am not familiar with CollegeRaptor. My understanding is that universities each have an NPC (Net Price Calculator) web site. Have you tried this also?
$10,000 per year is quite a good price if this is the total that it will cost you.
@HerbDoctor17 : In terms of the rankings you mentioned, I’d strongly recommend you disregard them entirely. They are that site’s rankings of colleges with neuroscience, but not rankings of the neuroscience programs themselves.
Good luck on your interview! We were told that students receive “extra points” for attending these events. I have a good feeling about you and Lehigh… but please remember that pre-med will not be an easy path and you will be taking the prerequisites with some incredibly strong students. Keep this in mind when choosing a school because YOU don’t want to be the one weeded out ( not saying you will).
Good luck!
@twogirls Thank you so much for all of your suggestions! I went through a virtual tour last night and fell in love with it even more – I have a good feeling about it, as well. It will be no easy road, but I’m willing to work hard. Again, thank you so much!
All three of these schools would put you in good stead for grad school, assuming you do well. That said, Emory and Brandeis have much stronger research reputations than does Lehigh. In addition to the regular academic science departments, Emory also has a med school. Brandeis, for its part, is one of the smallest members of the AAU (Association of American Universities), which is an invitation-only group of research universities. Emory is also a member, whereas Lehigh is not. This doesn’t mean that Lehigh isn’t strong in research, just that it doesn’t have the kind of ongoing, high-level research that Brandeis and Emory have. Lehigh is definitely more of a traditional college, with frats and rah-rah spirit. Emory and Brandeis are much less sports oriented (and both belong to the UAA (University Athletic Association), which is a Div III league for nerd schools (Brandeis, Emory, Chicago, Case, WUSTL, NYU, CMU, and Rochester). Lehigh is in Div I, in the Patriot League with Army and Navy, so its sports programs tend to be better funded and more a part of the school experience.
Emory is also a very large school with several grad schools (med, law, biz, etc.), so the experience there will be quite different than at Brandeis and Lehigh, which are both more undergrad oriented.
As for location, Emory is pretty much an integral part of Atlanta. Brandeis is about 10 miles outside Boston, which isn’t an issue if you have a car. If you don’t have one, you’d end up reliant on school-sponsored shuttles or the commuter rail, which stops on campus but isn’t the most convenient way to get into the city. Still, access to Boston (and all the other colleges) is a plus for Brandeis. Another plus for Brandeis’ location is that the concentration of high-level research universities in the area means there’s a lot of interaction among the science depts and labs at the various schools. Lehigh is in Bethlehem, PA, which is experiencing a renaissance but is still basically a Rust Belt town that’s seen better days. I wouldn’t go to Lehigh if access to urban resources and other univerisities is important to you.
Academically, I’d say Emory > Brandeis > > Lehigh. Socially, I’d say Lehigh > Emory = Brandeis.
Admissions-wise, Emory is a bit of a reach for you. Brandeis and Lehigh aren’t safeties for your stats but your chances are better.
For example, Lehigh has a football team (which won the Patriot League championship last year), a big rivalry game (with Lafayette) that sells out the stadium, and a large (and enthusiastic) marching band. Emory and Brandeis have none of these things, although they are both are great academically, and have stronger research reputations than Lehigh.
I went to Brandeis (as did my husband and brother, both of whom are doctors) and my daughter attends Lehigh. They are VERY different, with Emory (to me) feeling somewhat of a compromise between the other two, in a general sense. Lehigh has (by far) the most school spirit/party social vibe, Emory is the preppiest (and prettiest to me, but not my kids) and Brandeis is the most quirky and “intellectual”-- I would say Lehigh and Emory are more academic but not intellectual, if that makes sense. Emory is the hardest to get into academically. There are aspects of all three that are wonderful, and we did visit all three, so I understand why they might all be considered in a group, but they are VERY different schools. Happy to provide more detail if helpful.
According to Hillel, Lehigh and Emory both have significant (15-20%) Jewish enrollment.They don’t match Brandeis in this respect, but few schools do.
In another thread, you indicated that you are in marching band. If you would like to continue with marching band in college, then reaching out to the Lehigh Marching 97 might be a good way to demonstrate interest and fit, which Lehigh values. The band is a longstanding, high-profile student organization, with “freshman managers” that are specifically tasked with the recruitment of new members. https://www.marching97.org
I’m actually a freshman at Lehigh and can answer questions you may have. With a 29 ACT, I’d say applying ED to Lehigh would be important. Realistically Emory may be a bit out of reach, but applying ED to Lehigh would give you a decent chance of acceptance. @HerbDoctor17
@obsessedwcollege
@HerbDoctor17
Emory is not out of Reach if you apply ED1. However of your not sure RD is the best route for all of the schools you’re applying to.
Wow, I went to school and came home to many more helpful comments!
@sheepskin00 I wasn’t aware of the AAU, and that’s very helpful information that I will consider. As of right now, I am still leaning to Lehigh as my first choice, but am now concerned about the quality of premed there considering it is an engineering school. Do you have any information regarding their pre-med program? I figured that it is important to pick a school that I am somewhat up-to-par with academically. As for Emory, especially, I don’t know if I would be that. I say this because I have to retain an outstanding GPA for Med School. I feel like Lehigh is a good balance between rigor and similarity to my own tendencies as a student. Would you agree? The connections that Brandeis has has always been attractive to me, so losing that at Lehigh is a bit of a downer, but I don’t think it is justifiable to remove Lehigh from my first choice. And referring to your rankings, would you say Lehigh is really that much under Emory and Brandeis as to say “>>”? But I also think the social scene at Lehigh would grow on me – I have always been pretty outgoing while still being dedicated as a student.
@taliecharley I would love more information! How does your daughter like Lehigh? Is it what she expected? Visiting all three schools, what did she see that stood out at Lehigh? Is the cost reasonable? Lehigh appears to be the prettiest (in my opinion, anyway. So I may have to agree with your children haha), but what did you enjoy about Brandeis when you attended? Did it give a one-up in medical school apps for your husband and brother? I do love intellectual atmospheres, but do you think Lehigh still has somewhat of this same feeling? I’m sorry that I’m bombarding you with questions, I’m just really interested considering you seem well versed in Lehigh vs Brandeis.
@Corbett Yes, marching band is one of my interests, as I am Head Drum Major of my band currently. I have an interview with a Lehigh admissions adviser on Saturday and intend on asking some more questions about it. From what I’ve read, Marching 97 seems like a program full of really amazing people and is something I’d definitely consider joining.
@obsessedwcollege Being a freshman at Lehigh, how is the atmosphere there? Do you like it? Is it what you expected? How are the students? Is Bethlehem as drab and underdeveloped as people say it is? And referring to your “…applying ED to Lehigh would be important” statement, is it true that I would be at the lower end of students academically? My GPA is a 4.29, btw, if that changes anything (not sure if it does). Do you mind if I ask the credentials you had when applying? Did you apply ED? Also, do you know of any premed students? Or is the student population primarily engineering?
@VANDEMORY1342 Well, as of right now, I am leaning towards ED for Lehigh. Although I could see myself at any 3 of these schools, I think an increase in admission chance would be worth it if I could declare a favorite – Lehigh. Would you agree?
I just looked at current stats for Lehigh. The 25th percentile ACT is a 29. Lehigh is a reach for you. Being from Texas, attending a local event, and applying ED will help, but it’s still a reach. I would think carefully about what it means for you moving forward with pre-med. You really want to place yourself wisely in order to succeed. Again… I am not saying you won’t, but I am saying you need to think about it and understand the caliber student you may be with. Remember… most premeds change their career plans either because they develop new interests… or get weeded out. I don’t know how grading works at Lehigh but you may want to investigate. How big are classes such as orgo?
If you decide to ED to Lehigh, do you have a back up plan in case you decide not to attend medical school? Hopefully it sill work out for you, but I would consider a back up just in case.
Please do not think I am discouraging you; I am trying to get you to consider everything before applying ED. Lehigh is a great school and I wish you the best!
The kinds of students who apply ED tend to be likely to have better chances of admissions in the first place: they have done their college research earlier, and thus tend to be more prepared students; they tend to be be wealthier students who probably have had more money for prep and more college-educated role models in their lives helping them (also because they’re not as worried about comparing financial aid packages). Legacies and athletes are also more likely to apply ED. I’m not saying that no individual student is going to benefit from ED, but the bump may not be as big as people are expecting - and there are lots of different reasons why the ED admissions rate is higher than the RD one.
The fact that Emory and Brandeis are in the AAU, and Lehigh is not, is kind of irrelevant for an undergraduate student. AAU schools are basically listings of the cutting-edge, high-level research funding that universities are doing; all of the AAU schools are R1 universities. Perhaps an important consideration for someone considering faculty positions or postdoctoral fellowships, or even a doctoral degree. But for an undergrad? It doesn’t really matter.There are several really great R1 universities not in the AAU, like Boston College, George Washington, Georgetown, Northeastern, Tufts, and Notre Dame. I wouldn’t necessarily tell an undergrad to go to the University at Buffalo or Iowa State University over Boston College or Georgetown or say that the AAU membership of the two former schools is any kind of point in their favor. Undergrads can get excellent research experiences at small liberal arts colleges and other undergrad-only schools that aren’t even eligible for AAU membership; they can definitely get it at an R2 like Lehigh (or William & Mary, or Dartmouth, or Southern Methodist, which are also all R2s and thus not AAU schools).
Lehigh isn’t an engineering school. It’s a comprehensive liberal arts university that offers majors in a lot of fields. It was originally founded as a university to blend engineering with the liberal arts - but that was over 100 years ago. It happens to have an engineering school, but the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is actually the largest college, with 40% of the students majoring in a major in that college. Only one engineering major is in Lehigh’s top 5 majors.
Lehigh also is not a small liberal arts school. It actually has more undergraduates than Brandeis. It’s a Research 2 university, which is the term used for universities who do lots of research but not the very highest amount of research. It’s in the same classification as Dartmouth, Marquette, Duquesne, American University and the College of William & Mary.)
I don’t think you should apply ED for any of them, but if you are determined, your posts make it sound like you really like Lehigh the best and are only doubting yourself because Brandeis and Emory are ranked higher (and Emory has more prestige and research).
@HerbDoctor17 My “ranking” of the three schools is based on my sense of how they’re perceived in academia. That in NO way means that a Lehigh alum with a good record wouldn’t be as competitive in grad admissions; it just means that significantly more “serious” scholarship and research come out of Emory and Brandeis in my experience. It’s much rarer to see professors from Lehigh at academic conferences, whereas those from Emory and Brandeis pop up everywhere.
@juillet You’re right that membership in the AAU isn’t determinative of academic quality and that many fine schools (Lehigh included) are not members. But I mentioned it just to give a sense of the difference in research spending/output between Brandeis/Emory and Lehigh, since research was a concern of the OP. And since Brandeis is so small for an R1, with relatively small grad programs, there’s an excellent chance that a motivated student could end up working in the type of lab that at a larger school would hire only grad students.
AAU membership, or lack thereof, would be something to consider if you were looking at schools for a PhD. Most (not all) of the top doctoral research programs are at the ~60 AAU schools.
But for a bachelor’s degree, it’s not a factor. Non-AAU schools like Dartmouth, William & Mary, Georgetown, Williams, or Lehigh are great options for undergraduates. In fact, non-AAU schools often have unusually high levels of alumni loyalty (as measured by giving rate), perhaps because they are less likely to prioritize research at the expense of the undergraduate experience.
@Corbett Again, membership in the AAU has nothing to do with the quality of undergrad instruction. However, the OP asked about research and in that context the membership of Emory and Brandeis in the AAU is one way to distinguish their research activity from that of Lehigh. If a student just wants to work in a lab, it’s irrelevant. Any school with science departments will have labs. But if s/he wants to work in a lab where high-level, innovative research is being undertaken, membership in the AAU is something to consider, even as a prospective undergrad. It’s one factor among many but it is indeed a factor. I’m not sure why this is at all controversial. If the question were about instructional quality, it would be silly to talk about the AAU. But the question was about research and that’s exactly what membership in the AAU involves.
@HerbDoctor17 Take this all with a grain of salt. There will be research opportunities at all three and the “best” of the them will be the one where you feel most comfortable personally.
Being a freshman at Lehigh, how is the atmosphere there?
I would say that the student body consists of a mix between preppy fratty kids, academically focused students, and artsy kids. Those would be stereotypes obviously and people mix between the stereotypes or don’t fit any. The work hard play hard phrase most Lehigh students use seems to be fairly accurate, although currently the police are cracking down on the party life.
Do you like it?
I’m definitely enjoying my time here so far. I’m mixed on the frat scene, but have found some frats I like a lot more than others. Greek life is big, but there are other activities to get involved with on campus too.
Is it what you expected?
School has generally met my expectations so far.
How are the students?
Answered this in first question.
Is Bethlehem as drab and underdeveloped as people say it is?
It really depends on where you’re from. If you’re from NYC then probably, but if you’re from a small town then there’s plenty going on. I personally come from a suburb and find Bethlehem to be sufficient.
And referring to your “…applying ED to Lehigh would be important” statement, is it true that I would be at the lower end of students academically? My GPA is a 4.29, btw, if that changes anything (not sure if it does).
Your act is slightly lower, but within range. I’d say your GPA, depending on the system your school uses, would be above the normal Lehigh student. Applying ED would definitely strongly improve your chances here though. I have a friend that got waitlisted then accepted with a 30 and above a 4 gpa, but was a recruited athlete.
Do you mind if I ask the credentials you had when applying? I had a 32 and about a 4 weighted from a competitive private school in California.
Did you apply ED?
No, I applied RD
Also, do you know of any premed students?
I know a pre med student, but unfortunately not well enough to be of help
Or is the student population primarily engineering?
Student pop is a large mix with engineering and business seeming to be dominant
Just to give you another opinion my son is premed and was seriously looking at Lehigh before deciding on Franklin and Marshall. He is now a freshman and is loving his decision. What decided him against Lehigh is that their financial package wasn’t as generous. It is a full meets school though. As premed he would be in the college of arts and sciences instead of the engineering school. I would say the reputation of Lehigh in the PA area is probably higher than Brandeis or Emory. Bethlehem has really been improving and is on par with other large suburb and it is only an hour and change by bus to NYC.
PS If interested I would definately apply ED. Our school’s valedictorian with a 32 ACT did not get into Lehigh applying regular decision.