<p>My son is very interested in Lehigh - great academic options (engineering/business), loves the feel of the campus, the school spirit and likes the idea of joining a fraternity.
I hear so much about the "play hard" lifestyle (along with the work hard) and it's hard not to be concerned.<br>
Obviously it is up to the student to make good choices, but is it likely that someone attempting to "play with moderation" will be able to pull that off and be involved in a fraternity at Lehigh. Can anyone help me with what the pledging experience is like now? Thanks for any help you can give me!</p>
<p>My son is a freshman right now so I can’t completely answer your question. However, I can say that he loves Lehigh!! He is enrolled in the bioengineering program (he also wants to minor in business). He says that he plans on pledging this year for a fraternity. Apparently, there are tons of fraternities which all can be very different. So, I am guessing that some fraternities would have more studious types of young men and others not.</p>
<p>At this point, it sounds as if the students do take work seriously. They study hard, have study groups, and then go out and have fun on the weekends.</p>
<p>bonmar - thanks so much for your feedback - glad you son loves it - sounds like he is off to a good start</p>
<p>My daughter is a junior who is in a sorority. While I can’t speak about pledging a fraternity, I can give some insight about her experience with campus life and partying.</p>
<p>I believe Lehigh is undergoing a culture shift with respect to the administration tolerating underage drinking. When my daughter started, Lehigh was #3 on the Princeton Review’s list of top 20 party schools. It is now off that list. While not a “police state”, my daughter says the Campus Police seem heavy handed with respect to stopping students who seem drunk and breathalizing them – the Walking While Intoxicated. She knows of girls who were breathalized and their only crime was trying to walk on campus in stiletto heels. Since Lehigh is on the side of a mountain, that is no easy feat. (In contrast, I never heard stories like this from my son’s school and it has a pub on campus in a campus building.)</p>
<p>You can also access the Campus Police Crime Log on line. About a dozen students were cited for underage drinking in September alone, plus 2 DUIs. I’m sure my daughter is one of the work hard/play in moderation types – either because we raised her to make good choices or she knows what will happen if her name shows up on that list. </p>
<p>With respect to fraternity partying, a significant event happened in the spring of 2008. One of the fraternities lost their charter after a pledge event landed two pledges in the hospital with alcohol poisoning, one on a ventilator. About a dozen students were charged with underage drinking; the president and vice president were charged with serving alcohol to minors. I don’t know how this carried over to the fall semester with respect to fraternity parties; pledge events are much smaller in the fall because freshmen cannot pledge until the spring of their first year.</p>
<p>I asked my daughter straight out if she thought you could work hard/play in moderation and be in a fraternity and she said yes.</p>
<p>As a current freshman at Lehigh, I am in the College of Business & Economics. Lehigh definitely is a party school.. and that is not a lie. It may be just my dorm, but students go out on Wednesdays (middleof the week relaxing), thusday, everyone on fridays, and saturdays. However, Lehigh does maintain it’s study hard attitude, although this doesn’t reflect everyone’s mentality. I work at the library on Sunday night from 9-12pm and there are over 200 plus studying there (I know this bc I have to do a body count). But, it really depends on the person to make up his own schedule. Early on, it’s good to find a balance and aroutine.. or else if you party too much.. your grades will take a huge hit. Many people don’t realize this but Lehigh’s not high school.. you actually have to study to get good grades! </p>
<p>I hope this helps, good luck to your son.</p>