Lehigh vs Villanova
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Anonymous
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They seem similar in some ways — what are some differences? My DD has only been able to tour Lehigh. She wants a mid-size school that’s not that far from the DMV. She thinks she might like the proximity to a city better but worries Villanova may be too conservative for her. She likes the “big sports” part of Villanova but also wants to be at a place where people care about studying.
To me, the similarity that is a big problem is that they both are too expensive and super stingy with merit aid. |
Anonymous
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Biggest difference is religious. Villanova is more insular than Lehigh.
You’re right about stingy with aid. Don’t count on it. Lehigh is much more engineering and tech driven. What does she want to study? There are plenty of other schools that meet her criteria, some quite close to Amtrak stations. |
Anonymous
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I have a cousin that went to Lehigh as an Iococca scholar
It was a pretty significant award, iirc |
Anonymous
Lehigh has a strong engineering program, but as a whole, the school isn’t tech focused. They have a lot of business majors and campus recruitment is especially strong in accounting and consulting with the big 4. |
Anonymous
| Also, Lehigh is a lot easier to get into. Keep that in mind. Villanova is weirdly competitive. |
Anonymous
That’s surprising. I grew up in the NE hearing that Lehigh was a more prestigious school. |
Anonymous
They’re honestly about the same. Lehigh was in the 20%s for quite a while when Villanova was in the 40%s, then Lehigh spent two years trying to expand by 300 students/year and fill their new college of health so they spent the last two cycles around 50%, but they dropped back down to the 30s this admissions cycle. |
Anonymous
| Villanova takes a lot of catholic school kids, so it has a more religious/conservative student body. Some go for the basketball games, but they’re not always easy to get into. |
Anonymous
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The look and feel of campus are really different so it would be good if she could visit. Lehigh is hilly and woodsy and comes down the hill right to the edge of a city (Bethlehem), whereas Villanova is flat and open. Also, while Villanova has proximity to Philadelphia, it is situated in a totally suburban area and feels more suburban, whereas Lehigh abuts a "city" area. I think from Villanova you could walk to some shops in Bryn Mawr (coffee shop, ice cream shop) but Villanova itself doesn't have a lot right there.
Villanova seems very "white" to me, based on driving by the campus frequently. Not a lot of kids of color, and the kids have a homogenous look. I don't think Lehigh is as homogenous. The Nova grads I know really loved it though. |
Anonymous
Catholics aren’t necessarily conservative. There’s a whole liberal, progressive wing. |
Anonymous
72% of Villanova’s and 68% of Lehigh’s domestic students are white. Lehigh has about 2.5 times as many international students. The biggest difference between the two is the frat culture at Lehigh, which has at times been out of control. Villanova also has fraternities, but they don’t dominate social life in the way that they do at Lehigh. |
Anonymous
| Agree, both similar and both on DC’s list. I though Villanova had a nicer campus and less Greek life. Visits to these types of schools make a big difference. We know kids at both who are happy. |
Anonymous
That’s true, but some are comfortable enough at Villanova to hang “Don’t Tread on Me” flags in their dorm windows. |
Anonymous
Lehigh keeps a pretty tight rein on their greek life, though. The sophomores in greek life are required to live in greek houses on campus and those are subject to the same rules as the dorms. The upperclassmen are split between the greek houses and off campus, but violations have them cycle on and off probation/suspension until they get dissolved. |
Anonymous
It used to be more prestigious back in the day. |