We are working through the selection process for DD2. She has been admitted to Lehigh for engineering and several other academically comparable, ABET-accredited engineering schools (Wisconsin, Illinois, Northeastern, Case Western, Purdue etc.).
I am trying to find out what the completion rate is for engineering students (number of students who graduate from engineering divided by the number of students who begin in engineering), basically the same as the USNews 6-year graduation rate, but for engineering specifically.
I see that the overall 6 year rate is 87% which I think is solid, but I know that it can be significantly different for engineering, and can vary a lot by school. When she visited Purdue, they told her it was 60%, at Rose-Hulman they told her it was over 80%.
I called the admission’s office and they said 85% graduate in 4 years, They have many programs where kids need to stay around for a fifth year of study - Presidential Scholars, IBE, IDEAS. or the 5 year Arts and Engineering degree. So there are lots of very positive reasons some Lehigh students stay for a fifth year. The admissions office does not have the records of how many kids participate in those programs. But, you could go back and add up how many kids get accepted in each of those programs to estimate the participation in those 5 year programs.
Also, I can tell you the engineering kids have spaces reserved for them in all their required classes. Never was my son unable to get a required class. Also, my son got a business minor. You apply freshman year and are given a spot - there is a limited acceptance into the program. There was never a problem getting into the required classes. I have heard of students at other schools experiencing required classes being full. Also, if your student struggles with a required class freshman year I know that most of the main required engineering classes are offered in summer school. There were a couple of kids who struggled with a class or two freshman year and they went to summer school and finished with the class.
http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2014/majors-that-pay-you-back
It is much easier to pay back any college loans when you are making so much more right from the start. Lehigh has great connections with industry and Wall Street. And the alumni at Lehigh are extremely devoted to their school. As a parent go to a Lehigh event with alums and they will all give you their card and offer to help your child - and they mean it!
@kikkydee That you for that information. I appreciate it. That graduation rate for engineers strongly suggests to me that the school does of good job of supporting students when they have difficulty and helping them be successful instead of “weeding them out,” which is the approach at some schools.
Your alumni comments are also consistent with my experience. The Alums seem to be quite connected to the school, and have had a positive experience at Lehigh that goes beyond the classroom.
Yes, they offer a huge amount of student support. There are study groups for all the big required classes freshman year. My son finally got comfortable going to the TAs. I think he was at almost every office hour for his Physics TA. But, he got an A.
Also, there are lots of research opportunities. We went to Parent’s Weekend. The different colleges are speakers and opportunities to meet with the professors. I went up to one professor after his talk and told him my son was shy to ask for a research opportunity. So the professor emailed my son. Our son didn’t answer. He emailed him again. Then they connected. His research project did not appeal to my son. So the professor took the time to help him connect with another professor. Wow. Now that is a commitment to the students.
They really recommend the engineers staying on campus sophomore year to do research. Our son also took some summer school classes. He was able to get two minors. Then junior summer he was able to get an awesome internship. By September of senior year he had his job offer. What a piece of mind that was.
Go to the paren’t Weekends if can. We went every year. So much fun to meet all the kids too!
@kikkydee Was your daughter in Greek Life? DD2 is interested in it, but I am concerned about any potential pledging/hazing.
Can you tell me about your experience? Her big sis has had a very positive Greek experience at Penn, but I know that it can vary significantly from school to school and sorority to sorority within a school.
My son went to Lehigh thinking he would not participate in the Greek system. A good friend had him come along to a rush event. He found he really liked the guys in the fraternity so he joined. Lehigh views the Greek community as a leadership development program - which it is. I can not begin to list all the ways the fraternity brothers have helped my son. They helped him find research positions on campus. There were study groups. He made honor roll while living in the house. They helped him write his resume. And a fraternity brother helped him find his internship - which resulted in his job.
Here is the link to some information about Greek life. http://studentaffairs.lehigh.edu/content/accreditation
You can see how much responsibility and work the fraternity and sororities are expected to do. Lehigh keeps a very very tight rein on Greek life. They have demonstrated the courage to make the Greek alumni angry by closing down misbehaving houses. Very few universities do that.
Yeah, I get your concern. I found Lehigh to be very serious about safety on campus including Greek life.
@Much2learn Just adding on to Kikkydees’s comments.
We were also very interested in grad rates when my S was making his final choice a couple years ago. One of the reasons he selected Lehigh was the 4-yr grad rate for Engineering students. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but I remember that Lehigh’s rate was higher than the other schools he was considering. S is now a Jr. in Civil Engineering and has never had trouble registering for a class he needs. He has picked up a minor in Spanish is on-track for graduating in 4 years. He was home for Spring Break last week and I asked him if all his friends were still on-track and he said they were. Re: your questions about Greek life, my S is not in Greek Life. He has had no trouble meeting others through the activities he is involved in (Christian groups, Campus Tour Guide, Rugby). Good luck on your D’s decision.
Such a helpful post regarding engineering, frats and graduation rates. Thank you. Trying to help my son with his college decision. Planning to go visit again on Monday, April 18th for Lehigh Life Day. Visiting again will be helpful. Best of luck much2learn with your daughter’s decision.
Oh, I am so glad you are visiting the campus. Choosing a school is such a personal decision. I think there are many good schools - certainly no need to put any other school down. All that is important is what school your child feels the most connected to. Hope you have a great weekend at Lehigh!!! We always loved staying at the Comfort Suites just because it is only a block from the bookstore. We would start our day there at the bookstore’s Starbucks. Hope you have a great time!!!
I believe you can get the data you need on graduation rates at profilesXaseeXorg. Replace the Xs with “.” If that does now or google for American Society of Engineering Education Online Profiles. Think of these as similar to common data sets but for engineering.
@kikkydee- my friend’s son is a freshman at Lehigh and she told me to book at the Comfort Suites too. All booked up so we are staying at Hotel Bethlehem the night before the visit which looks nice. I noticed that Lehigh has an interim Dean in place for the Engineering school. Do you have any info about that Kikkydee?
No information on the interim Dean. I can’t imagine the interim Dean having much influence on the undergraduate program.
The Hotel Bethlehem is a nice place. I remember them having the best macaroni. Hahah. There are lots of great restaurants in that area. I would go up and down the street and note the restaurants you might want to eat at if your child decides to go to Lehigh. The restaurants get very crowded on weekends and anytime parents come to visit. I would recommend making reservations in advance before any visit. There are also some great restaurants in the Promenade Mall.
Feel free to just call the admissions office directly and ask them your questions about graduation rates. They were more than happy to answer my questions. Really, I would ask them directly. They really love having parents call.
I am thinking of you all! This is such a wonderful exciting time!!!