I've been looking into Lehigh University and I'm really interested in what it offers, both academically and socially. I've heard it's a great school for engineering, but I'm also considering the overall campus culture and student life. Can anyone share what their experience has been like at Lehigh or anything unique about the campus environment? I also wonder about the kind of support they have for incoming students in terms of orientation, clubs, and career services.
Lehigh University is a medium-sized private research university nestled on the side of South Mountain in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Its undergraduate engineering program is quite strong, consistently ranking amongst the top engineering schools across the nation. The two most popular undergraduate majors at Lehigh are Finance and Industrial Engineering.
The campus is split into three parts - lower, upper, and mountaintop campus. The lower campus houses most of the humanities buildings and freshman dorms. The upper campus hosts the Greek houses and most upperclassmen dorms. The mountaintop campus, which used to be Bethlehem Steel's research site, now holds some of the engineering and sciences buildings.
The university is proud of its student-faculty ratio of 10-to-1, which means you can get a good amount of personal attention from your professors. Given the university's research focus, there are usually good opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved in research.
As for student life, the campus supports a robust Greek Life, with roughly 31-38% of the students involved in it. But don't worry if the Greek scene is not for you - there are over 150 recognized student clubs and organizations on campus, providing plenty of opportunities to socialize and find your niche.
The orientation program - called “5x10” – is designed to help incoming students get comfortable with college life. Students are required to attend 5 out of 10 types of experiences in their first semester. This includes academic events, cultural events, personal growth events, etc.
Lehigh's career center is known for its career expos, job and internship listings, on-campus interviews, and other career-related events. The center offers numerous resources for career exploration and development, including resume review sessions, mock interviews, internships, and job shadowing opportunities.
One aspect to consider is Lehigh's rigorous academic atmosphere. The university is known for its "work hard, play hard" ethos. The coursework is often intense, but students also take time to kick back, whether that's by participating in Lehigh-Lafayette Rivalry Week (the most-played rivalry in college football) or other campus traditions and celebrations.
Finally, Lehigh's location in the Lehigh Valley provides a variety of recreational activities, including hiking, biking, and skiing. New York City and Philadelphia are not far away (about 90 minutes by car), providing opportunities for weekend getaways, day trips, and internships.
Remember to visit the campus (in-person or virtually) and interact with current students to get a better idea of what life at Lehigh is really like. Good luck!
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.