Lehigh University | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Lauren

Class: Sophomore
Major: History
Gender: F

High School: Wayland High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

I could go on about Lehigh forever. One of the greatest things about our school is that no matter which college you apply to-be it engineering, business or arts and sciences-you can switch into one of the other schools by simply signing a waiver-no reapplying like at most other schools. While Bethlehem as a college town kind of sucks-it does fit all our needs-I am in walking distance from grocery stores, gift shops, eateries, and both a cvs and rite-aid. There's also movie theatres and a good mall complete with a cosi only about ten minutes away, so location isn't much of a problem. Another awesome thing about Lehigh is the size. I had such a hard time finding a school that was bigger than 2,000, but small enough that i had a sense of familiarity. I am a really outgoing individual and yet I still feel like i am continuously meeting people. Being a freshman on this campus might be the best place to ever be a freshman. Greek life caters to freshman as they aim to attract the best new member classes in the spring, and sports teams love new additions of their freshman recruits. Even freshman boys have it good-always being wined and dined during rush and pre-rush, playing paintball and being treated to steak dinners in phili. What would I change? While people do come to sporting events I wish we had a little more school pride, and people went to the games and not just the amazing tailgate (especially for a smaller school.) Our rivalry with Lafayette is infamous and incredible popular, and basically all our spirit is ignited in o ne week of Lehigh-Lafayette festivities. The best part about Lehigh is the people- I had a very common misconception that everyone here would be rich, spoiled and self serving, but i have honestly made the best friends, with the most real and generous of people.

Academic Life

Academics at Lehigh really depends on major and more importantly on which college you are a part of. I've been in large classes wtih three hundred people and smaller classes with about seven. The smaller classes and even history survey classes deffinitely promote class participation, where as bigger classes are lecture based. Even still, my economics professor made sure he took at least five students out to lunch in the faculty dining room each week-taking full advantage of a program Lehigh offers to promote professor-student interaction. Students deffinitely work hard but it doesn't stunt their social life. I don't feel like I am competing against my peers that much, except for job interviews and I think it's great that Lehigh tends to foster a less competitve environment. People tend to want to do well for them-not in comparison to others. Requirements are structured but not lofty-I only had to take one math class (thank goodness) and foreign language is not required. Professors are really personal-my advisor for the last two years made sure he got to know me, what sports teams I liked and alot about my family-not just my course load. In fact some of my friends even went to their professors house for the Jewish Holiday. While Lehigh is deffinitely learning oriented-the teachers all really want you to learn for learnings sake, it's deffinitely preparing you for a job. Our career services and alumni network is formidable and really helps you do what you want to do and then find a job where you can do it. My only complaint is that our Study Abroad office is beyond lame, and because our school is a bit small the range of classes we can take is limited.

Student Body

Lehigh has a predominantly white middle class population. The few exceptions is a decent amount of Indian and Asian students, however blacks and hispanics are few and far between. Religious wise, there is a substantial Jewish Population, but other than that Christianity dominates. There are some openly gay individuals on campus-none of which are ridiculed or excluded from groups like fraternities-but Lehigh is not a particularly liberal campus open to all forms of differenes. It doesn't matter if you dress up or not for class. Boys and Girls alike sport sweatpants or jeans. Spandex, uggs, a northface fleece, and big sunglasses are a classic stapple for girls, where boys in polos or a t-shirt and jeans is typical for boys. The majority of Lehigh students hail from New Jersey, and then New York, Pennsylvania and perhaps Connecticut. Being a red sox fan is rare, and not always easy. Students are very career focused and all have a desire to be very successful. Politically, the campus is inactive and pretty split down the middle. As for different students interacting-not so much, unless you are in a leadership oriented environment like student senate, or the association of student alumni.