Trying to decide between Lehigh and Northeastern. Social sciences, possibly pre law or government. Not really into partying but not opposed to joining a frat for the community and friendships.
Congrats on the acceptances.
Assuming they are equally affordable there seem to be enough differences that one school should feel like the right fit for you. Ex. Do you prefer urban or suburban location? Do you want a co-op program? This is a case where two reasonable people could make two different choices.
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Does your son have preferences as to what kind of town he likes? Boston is a larger city, Northeastern campus is more of a modern architecture look.
Bethlehem, PA is more of a smaller town feel, and the campus has a mix of buildings but the main campus and most of the buildings are more collegiate gothic, stone, old world look. And I mention architecture only because it was a big deal for my son. He loves the old stone buildings.
My son committed to Lehigh last week. We were at Lehigh Fest for admitted students and everyone there was really friendly, we met some girls in one of the bus stops on campus (couple of Indian students who had just finished celebrating their Holi day with all the colorful dust and all that out on the lawn) and they were so sweet and telling my son “You should definitely come here, we love it here!” It is very hilly with lots of stairs so he will definitely have great legs after 4 years, haha.
My son is not a partier either but as I understand, the fraternities are not as big a deal on campus now than they were years ago. Plenty of students don’t party and are thriving socially.
I don’t have any experience with Northeastern, full disclosure.
Are you able to or have you already visited both campuses?
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I agree with others, I think these are generally peer colleges. If you look at NCES College navigator, and primary majors in Poli Sci or IR (what I think of as the core social sciences for people interested in government), it is 161/4498 at Northeastern (about 3.6%), 53/1266 at Lehigh (about 4.2%), which is functionally identical.
So assuming cost is not a factor, it is all about where you think you will be happiest and thrive both academically and non-academically. That is a very personal decision, and while if you have specific questions we can possibly help provide you with information, in the end it is really just up to you. But you are not going to make a bad decision here.
You’ve answered your own question.
Assuming both are affordable, NEU seems like a better fit. The social scene is immersed in the city- there are parties if you want, there is a pretty vibrant greek community too. But it isn’t like Lehigh- which has a reputation for being a party school.
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Thank you!
I graduated from Lehigh in the 90s (transferred in from NYU), and my niece is at Northeastern. These are just my observations, take them with a grain of salt.
Lehigh was, and is, a big fraternity school. Not big like an SEC school, mind you. There is still hazing (with alcohol) at some fraternities according to current parents I’m friends with. However, there were always fraternities where that was not a thing. So you can find a relaxed fraternity if that is what you are looking for. It is harder as a guy to not be in a house. I have several friends that weren’t and they enjoyed their time at Lehigh. There is a lot of school spirit at LU, and it’s where I made my college friends.
Northeastern, according to my niece, is a slog. She likes it - she likes being in Boston, has a good friend group and a serious boyfriend. She also started during covid when classes were online. It reminds me a lot of how NYU was (for me) - going to classes was kind of like going to a job. NYU did not have a college feel since there wasn’t a campus. But also, my experience was that when you are in school in an active city, so many kids hang out elsewhere in the city b/c there’s so much to do. At Lehigh, there’s really not much to do of interest nearby, so everyone stays on campus - which makes it fun.
In the end, my conclusion is that you have your whole life to live in a city, but only a few years to experience the college campus life. After graduating from LU, I moved back to NYC (for several decades), and it was more fun then, b/c I had work and money, and time without studying to enjoy city life.
Either school is a good call, it’s up to you what feels right. In reading the above, perhaps you can see yourself in one camp or the other. Let us know what you decide. Best of luck!!!
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Thank you for your detailed and thorough feedback, advice and recommendations! I went with my gut and committed to Northeastern! I loved Boston and that really decided it for me.
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