Why is Lehigh so underrated?

[AK81493]

<p>I am applying to UPenn, John Hopkins, and Rutgers Honors but I came across Lehigh and it struck me as an incredible and beautiful school. It is also a top school. When I ask people about it nobody seems to know anything about it. Some think it is a community college. Why is it so underrated?</p>

[Chardo]

<p>Underrated? I don’t think so. Compared to what? As a smaller school, if you’re comparing to UPenn (Ivy league), Hopkins (world famous) and Rutgers (flagship state school), then maybe Lehigh doesn’t have the name recognition. However, I wouldn’t say it’s underrated. Particularly for business and engineering, Lehigh is right there just below the elite schools. Nothing wrong with that. It’s a popular “safety” for those applying to Ivies, MIT, etc. That means it attracts many outstanding Ivy-caliber students.</p>

[StitchInTime]

<p><a href=“%5Burl=http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065676242-post1.html]#1[/url]”>quote</a> …When I ask people about it [Lehigh University] nobody seems to know anything about it. Some think it is a community college. Why is it so underrated?…

[/quote]
</p>

<p>For employers, it is definetely not “underrated”:</p>

<p>

[Lehigh</a> grads earn high starting salaries](<a href=“Lehigh University News | Lehigh University”>Lehigh University News | Lehigh University) </p>

<p>Graduates of Lehigh University have a salary earning potential that is among the most competitive in the northeastern United States, according to a new survey issued by Business Week. With a median starting salary of $59,200, they outpace their counterparts from such universities as Dartmouth, Yale and Brown.</p>

<p>The mid-career standing of Lehigh alumni is equally impressive. Though Ivy School alumni consistently report the highest salaries, Lehigh alumni earn $105,000—a median figure that positions Lehigh favorably against other schools of comparable size and program offerings. The survey focused on undergraduate degrees. </p>

<p>Lehigh alumni have historically fared well when it comes to earning potential. This past year, new graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences earned $5,500 more than the national average, while graduates of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science reported starting incomes $4,500 above the national average. CBE graduates earned, on average, $7,000 more than the national average for business school students. </p>

<p>Success comes, in part, because of an aggressive corporate recruiting effort undertaken by the university and its Career Services office. Over 300 corporations visited Lehigh University last year.

</p>

<p>From the [Business</a> Week](<a href=“Businessweek - Bloomberg”>Businessweek - Bloomberg) article:</p>

<p>

…The starting median salary for a Yale graduate was $59,100, the 19th best starting salary in the nation and just behind the median salary for a recent graduate of Lehigh University, a highly selective private university in Bethlehem, Pa. But the midcareer median for a Yale graduate was $126,000, compared with $105,000 at Lehigh. </p>

<p>All of the Ivy League schools made the top 25. Other colleges on the list include Colgate, Stanford, University of Chicago, Bucknell, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Union College, Lehigh, Villanova, Vanderbilt, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke, New York University, and Rice…

</p>

[slipper1234]

<p>All LACs usually have lower name recognition among the general population - that doesn’t mean that they aren’t great schools.</p>

[roderick]

<p>

For employers, it is definetely not “underrated”:

</p>

<p>Would that mostly regional employers - hat is, employer in the NE? My son is from chicago. I wonder how familiar employers are of Lehigh in the MW?</p>

[StitchInTime]

<p><a href=“%5Burl=http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065698169-post5.html]#5[/url]”>quote</a> Would that [be] mostly regional employers - [t]hat is, employer[s] in the NE? My son is from chicago. I wonder how familiar employers are of Lehigh in the MW?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You might want to contact the [Lehigh</a> Club of Chicago](<a href=“http://mylehigh.lehigh.edu/s/1127/indexRtCol.aspx?sid=1127&gid=1&pgid=628]Lehigh”>http://mylehigh.lehigh.edu/s/1127/indexRtCol.aspx?sid=1127&gid=1&pgid=628) to get a sense of the opportunities for graduates. That being said, Procter & Gamble, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, does have a good track record for recruiting at Lehigh. See page 2 of the [Undergraduate</a> Placement Summary](<a href=“http://www.lehigh.edu/careerservices/documents/UGradPlacementReport2008-Final1_001.pdf]Undergraduate”>Center for Career and Professional Development | Career & Professional Development).</p>

[roderick]

<p>stitch, thanks. Now THAT’s a good reply.</p>

[Warricksdunk1]

<p>Lehigh is underrated because it is not a huge school and because it is full of legacy students. However that being said, many people know about Lehigh. It is a great school behind ivys, mit, georgetown, etc. However, its biggest problem is that it is a saftey school for those schools previously mentioned. It is a great school, but most consider it a saftey school for ivys, while most of the students who come here would not go to ivys.</p>

[StitchInTime]

<p>Follow-up to [#3](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065683876-post3.html]#3[/url]:”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065683876-post3.html):</a></p>

<p>Graduate Salary Statistics from [Payscale.com</a> 2010-2011 College Salary Report](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/top-us-colleges-graduate-salary-statistics.asp]Payscale.com”>http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/top-us-colleges-graduate-salary-statistics.asp). </p>

<p>Lehigh is ranked 15th overall…ahead of schools like Yale, Brown, Cornell, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Amherst, University of Chicago, Columbia, USC, Boston College and more.</p>