<p>Being called " very pompous and snoody…" is a personal judgement and unwarranted. I thought this forum was an exchange of information where we tried to help others, I guess I was wrong.</p>
<p>snajean, I understand how hard these decisions are - my son is deciding between Wake Forest and W & L (anyone have any opinions there?) but he also got into Lehigh. He ruled it out because he wants “to go south”. I feel bad because I think Lehigh is actually a perfect match for his varied interests. All of Lehigh’s three undergraduate colleges are top-notch with excellent professors and offerings.</p>
<p>I am a Lehigh grad and I can honestly say that as good as Lehigh was was I graduated 25 years ago, it’s only gotten better. The outstanding Zoellner Arts center didn’t even exist when I went there. The business school building is also brand new, as are many of the “bottom of the hill” buildings. And I couldn’t get over how much the south side was cleaned up. When I attended it was REALLY seedy. And yet my senior year I lived off campus with four of my best friends and we were fine. Actually, it was part of the learning experience (paying rent, keeping the house clean, being good neighbors, etc.) - stuff you don’t necessarily learn in a “bubble” school. I do remember we did call it “the slum” but in truth we were safe.</p>
<p>As a Lehigh alum, I have always hated when people say it is “the same as Bucknell or Lafayette” - we Lehigh alumni know it is not! (Hope I don’t sound snooty - just proud.) Lehigh shares a football rivalry with Lafayette and is in the same state as both. In my book, that’s it. If your daughter’s choice comes down to Lehigh or Bucknell, I say that’s an easy choice - Lehigh hands down. The alumni network and business connections are incredible. People know Lehigh. Graduates get fantastic jobs. And it is a great place - I will admit, it had its problems back then - a skewed M/F ratio, too much drinking, no social alternatives… BUT they’ve fixed all that as far as I can see. We only had three sororities back then and they didn’t even have houses (I didn’t join) but now they are a vital part of the greek life there. </p>
<p>I know exactly how hard these decisions are - I am agonizing over my son’s - it’s not that I don’t believe it will all work out for the best - I know that it will - but, we’ve put so much into this I would like him to pick the exact right one for him. And when the schools are so similar, it’s hard! So whatever your daughter chooses, I know it will be the right thing, and if it is Lehigh, please know it is a GREAT thing.</p>
<p>By the way, that 5th yr free thing is AMAZING - we didn’t have that 25 years ago, but a friend’s daughter is going to be a senior and is probably going to qualify and they are thrilled. (They’ve been thrilled with the whole experience so far.)</p>
<p>Good luck! (and if anyone here has an opinion about Wake vs. W & L, I’m listening…)</p>
<p>Lovemykids, I don’t know about grade inflation at ANY college right now since things have changed so much since I was in college. I mean, I was elected Phi Beta Kappa, which was the top 10% of the class, and I didn’t have anywhere near a 4.0 GPA. That wouldn’t happen now. Even in schools officially fighting grade inflation, the GPAs of the students are much higher than they would have been in my time. </p>
<p>I do know that students have to work very hard at Lehigh. The quality of the undergraduates and the courses designed to challenge them have a lot to do with Lehigh’s rise up in the rankings of national universities. Getting into Lehigh is getting more and more difficult which creates a more selective student body. Snajean’s d’s comment that “most” of the students couldn’t get into Cornell may be true statistically, but the fact is, a healthy percentage of them could and did. Lehigh is such a different school that many choose Lehigh for its combination of undergraduate experience and strong academics. Based on what you said, that’s probably what attracted you to Lehigh. </p>
<p>I have been impressed with the intelligence of the undergraduates. Yeah, there are slackers, and, yeah, there are bitter students who really would have liked to go to one of their “reach” schools, but, by and large, the students are a happy, motivated group.</p>
<p>Cornell’s academics overall are better than Lehigh’s overall, but the undergraduate community isn’t as strong at Cornell. Lehigh’s school loyalty and alumni network rival the smaller Ivies. I know this because I’ve had experience with Dartmouth, Princeton, AND Lehigh. (UPenn and Cornell are known among the Ivies for not having the same school bond.) </p>
<p>A lot depends on the kind of student. If a student is comfortable and capable of carving out a niche in a large university, then I’d recommend Cornell. If a student is looking for an undergraduate community with strong school loyalty, then I’d recommend Lehigh. It also depends on what the student wants to study and what each school has to offer in terms of faculty and courses.</p>
<p>It’s not an easy decision. My own D is probably going to turn down Lehigh, not because she doesn’t like the school but because it’s too close to home. Still, she hasn’t made her final decision. We are waiting for her to visit the last school in contention. So far, it appears that she will choose her college from both an intellectual level (which college offers the best courses for her intended area of study) and a gut one (which campus makes her feel comfortable).</p>
<p>It’s so funny how we all reach our college decisions… I had to choose between Lehigh and Cornell and I chose Lehigh because it was closer to home! (I was 16 and very overprotected.) Now my son is looking to go FAR from home - and of course, in the spirit of doing everything different/better than my parents, I have only been supportive.</p>
<p>Since I was having trouble making my Lehigh/Cornell choice, we had paid two deposits and I actually didn’t choose until July, I think. Does anyone do that anymore?</p>
<p>I’m having trouble deciding between Lafayette and Lehigh and actually have considered doing that as well. although that’s a lot of money to be spending on a college I won’t be attending, whichever that is. I’m leaning towards Lehigh, but worried about the social life. It’s not that I won’t be involved in sororities etc… but people do other things as well, right?</p>
<p>well, I’m old… 
so I do hope you get some answers from younger people, but yes, we did other things back in my day… Most of the girls then did not belong to sororities. We had great concerts, and lectures, and now the facilities are even better. There are academic interest groups, and intramurals, and generally some of the best people around.</p>
<p>Good luck (at least you know you’ll be at the Lehigh/Lafayette game in November!)</p>
<p>At least one of my daughter’s acceptance packages said that it was a violation of that college’s policy for student to put deposits down on more than one school. If caught, the student would have the acceptance rescinded.</p>
<p>For that reason, I don’t advise it. If one is waitlisted at a first choice (or better choice) school, then of course one should put a deposit down on one school while waiting for the other.</p>
<p>Lehigh and Lafayette have a lot of cross-applications, although I think it’s unusual for students not to prefer one over the other.</p>
<p>I find it strange that, at my daughter’s school, about 10 seniors plan to attend Lehigh, one Muhlenberg, one Moravian - but none Lafayette. Of course, Muhlenberg and Moravian are not as competitive as Lehigh and Lafayette, but certainly you’d expect the students who were able to get into Lehigh to be divided between it and Lafayette.</p>
<p>The Lehigh/Lafayette football rivalry is the oldest in the nation. I get a kick out of the good-natured reaction of alumni from both schools as they “excuse” the other for a poor college choice. Smiling, of course. Even outside of the Lehigh Valley, I’ve heard people say, “Lehigh? I went to Lafayette!” as though the rivalry also creates a connection.</p>
<p>It really wouldn’t be a difficult decision between Lehigh and Lafayette for me, but I got a scholarship and Lafayette and didn’t get on at Lehigh, which has made the decision a little more difficult… the same at my school, we have a good amount of people apply to both Lehigh and Lafayette, but many more people attend Lehigh</p>
<p>Scholarships at second-choice universities always complicate matters, don’t they?</p>
<p>…"So, after 2 days, we are back where we started. The million dollar question for her is, “Is it worth working extra hard at Cornell and probably getting a lower gpa, or is it better to get the higher gpa at Lehigh and have a more laid back atmosphere with weekends free?”…</p>
<p>Not sure why you feel that way…but I can tell you my son works extremely hard, even on the weekends. If she wants to success she too will have to work hard at Lehigh.</p>
<p>I didn’t mean any disrespect to Lehigh in my comment. It’s just that I have taken 22 college tours between my 2 oldest and even Carnegie Mellon doesn’t have the same intensity of studying as Cornell. </p>
<p>My daughter will have to work hard everywhere. Maybe the difference is that she will be more academically intimidated with Cornell’s pressure. But then, she feels socially intimidated by the bigger party scene at Lehigh.</p>
<p>Snajean, she’ll do well at whatever college she chooses as long as she has a good work ethic - and her acceptance list suggests that she does.</p>
<p>Thanks for the confidence builder, but her SAT’s of 1360 are not that great when compared to the stats of others at Cornell. At this point, I think fear is settling in so much that she feels no place is right. Her dad votes for Lehigh though.</p>
<p>snajean - I second the comments of Mom…your daughter will do well anywhere she goes.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t concern myself with comparing the SAT scores and stats of others anywhere. Too much emphasis is on the scores and in my opinion, doesn’t really tell a true story of how well someone will do in college. It can be a guide but shouldn’t be the end-all. </p>
<p>Good luck in your decision process…sounds like you have experience at that :)</p>
<p>I second everyone else’s comments - I think everything in the end does work out the way it is supposed to. But I know how much we all wish we could crystal ball this whole process. I know I want to. For the last few weeks I’ve been wishing I could figure out the exact right choice for my son and then I reflected on the irony of our situation - as I said in an earlier post, 29 years ago I had to decide between two great schools, and I couldn’t do it then either, resulting in a July decision and a wasted deposit (although back then deposits were something like $50!)</p>
<p>Anyway, I do have a message in all this rambling - I remember arriving at Lehigh to find out that due to an unexpectedly large freshman class, we were being housed in temporary housing and I was in a single - no roommate which I had been looking forward to - and I practically cried and said “I should have picked Cornell!” My wise older sister sat me right down and told me that if I started with that “shoulda woulda coulda” game I would never have a good experience no matter which school I had chosen. And that was when I finally made the mental shift to Lehigh, never looked back, and did have a great experience. Now I get to remember that and pass that wise advice down to my own son!</p>
<p>Good luck to all. Every little thing is gonna be all right…</p>
<p>Has your son decided, Lovemykids? Is was between W&L and somewhere else, right?</p>
<p>Yes, he has it narrowed down to Wake Forest or W & L - I like both schools but I also love Furman and they gave him a merit scholarship! But once Wake came in, it knocked out everything else for him. Like you said earlier, those scholarships at second choice schools REALLY do complicate matters. As much as you want to say, “you choose the right one for you” it’s really hard to turn down the money!</p>
<p>And then what happens after May 1 when he finally decides and then a waitlisted school comes in (choices Wash U, Emory, or Notre Dame) ???
He loved all of those schools before, though now he’s feeling a little put off by wait list status… But what do we do on the outside chance (very outside, but still possible) that one of those comes in??</p>
<p>(and I still love Furman…) :-(</p>
<p>lovemykids,</p>
<p>Thanks for the kind comments regarding my daughter, also deciding between 2 schools. </p>
<p>I will tell you that for your son to have been excited enough to see the Wake Forest acceptance and knock out all the others, shows you how much that meant to him. We visited Wake Forest for my son, but couldn’t go on a tour as no students were around to give one. Everyone was smitten with the campus. It has a wonderful reputation which means more now than when I went to school, especially since more people are going to college in general. And while W&L would be a great place to spend 4 years, I just don’t think it will impress grad schools and employers the same way Wake Forest would. </p>
<p>As for the wait list, I have heard that it can play havoc with the decision process. If he really would like to go to those schools, I would get on the list. We know a legacy who was waitlisted at Notre Dame in 2004, and he knew that he got in before graduation in early June.</p>
<p>Good luck, but I think he is just going to love Wake Forest.</p>