<p>I’m deciding between UF and Lehigh. With bright futures I can go to UF for roughly 12k a year (housing, food etc) or I can go to Lehigh with little to no aid for roughly 45k a year (my family isn’t really eligible for aid…). I’m torn because Lehigh is a better school academically and has a much different environment than UF but if I go to UF (still a good school) I know I have a lot of money available for whatever grad school I decide to go to. What do you think?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>There is no right answer. I’m a Lehigh grad, followed up with grad school at MIT, and have spent my entire career in R&D. My son is finishing up his PhD at UF. So I have opinions about both schools. </p>
<p>Lehigh is a bit unique as an undergraduate institution because, for a school its size, it has amazing labs and research facilities compared to its peer-institutions. It can therefore provide the benefits of a smaller school with good faculty interaction along with the research opportunities of a larger school.</p>
<p>That said, I think Lehigh would be worth the additional expense only if you are likely to benefit from an environment like that. Many kids are independent and do not benefit from smaller class sizes. For them, a larger school like UF might actually be better if they can get involved with the greater variety of research opportunities. Further, because of the reduced cost, it is likely that a motivated student could take a number of graduate-level classes prior to obtaining an undergraduate degree, which could certainly be an advantage for either grad school or employment. If you think you fall in to this category, I wouldn’t hesitate to attend UF and save money. On the other hand, if you think the size and distractions of UF could be overwhelming, it might be wise to attend Lehigh.</p>