Lehigh University | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

John

Class: Senior
Major: Psychology
Gender: M

High School: William Allen High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Lehigh, is known for it's strong business and engineering programs. So much so, people sometimes assume that's what you are doing here if you do attend, and it has some world class research coming out of the faculty here. Most of your classes freshman year will be large lecture type classes, and its not until your upperclassman years that you can really get into the smaller, more personal classes. Some of the teachers though, like any college, are not very good at teaching, so you just need to know who to look out for. They are here mainly for research, as some do not even like teaching. Lehigh, as you may or may not know, is set upon the hillside of south mountain, so there will be a lot of walking up and down hills/stairs to get to classes, but if you don't mind that, it is a very beautiful campus, in any season. The architecture is Gothic/Romanesque and though old, quite nice. The best part about Lehigh, though, is the rivalry. Lehigh vs Lafayette is the oldest college rivalry in the nation, and the week we play each other in football, even if you don't go here, it's worth going to at least once in your lifetime. The entire week is caught up in school spirit, pep rallies, celebrations, events, parties (naturally), and is quite possibly the funnest week (even the professors get into it sometimes!). There is a stark contrast though, between Lehigh and the surrounding area of Southside Bethlehem. There are mostly residents of Hispanic/Latino descent, and is a poorer area of Bethlehem. Relations could be better, but they aren't bad. Southside does offer many small shops (like Main St in north Bethlehem as well) and there is a thing called First Friday (first Friday of every month) where usually music can be heard, and the place comes alive.

Academic Life

Since most freshman classes are large lectures, you shouldn't really expect a professor to know your name, unless of course you go and talk to them outside of class for help (which is common). All professors and Teaching Assistants are required to have office hours, which students can stop by. Also Lehigh has a tutoring center as well if you are struggling with anything, so there is help if you need it. It is suggested that for every credit hour you get in class, you spend 2 hours studying outside of class. I could never study for that long, but I've known people who do study a lot. Honestly, the hardest part about college is managing your own time. No one is calling the shots for what your schedule looks like but you now, so it's a new responsibility, but once you got that down, things get easy. As I've said before, some professors are awful at teaching, but some are amazing, so if you know someone whose had a certain professor, or who has taken the class, ask them about it. You just need to know where to look. Of course opinions can vary.

Student Body

Most of Lehigh's student body is white, middle-upper class, but there is diversity there in itself because there are so many different backgrounds people are coming from. Race has seemed to be a touchy topic at Lehigh recently, groups not exactly wanting to step out and talk to each other, as people tend to settle where they are comfortable, with what they know. There is a place for everyone at Lehigh, I feel. There is a place for lesbians and gays, for multicultural affairs, for substance free individuals (no drugs/alcohol etc.), for athletes, for Greek life, for people of all sorts of faiths (Christian, Jewish, Muslim), for musicians, for theater people. Lehigh has a lot to offer in catering to all these needs. If you are looking for a certain group of people to hang out with, chances are you will find them. I would like though, that there be more intergroup interactions, but its not a problem with Lehigh students, but it's just a problem people have in general stepping out of their comfort zones to meet new people.