Lehigh valley PA colleges

[Anonymous]

I respect the pro-Lehigh Valley posters, but these are not dynamic places - not the towns or campuses or the weather or the athletics. If you are going to spend that kind of money, at least check out similar-sized schools that are closer to major cities.

Wake - 250,000 people in Winston and better weather, sports and campus
Villanova - main line location 30 min to Philadelphia - a train stop is on campus
Miami (FL) - Coral Gables is beautiful on the edge of Miami

If willing to go further:
SMU - plug into Dallas
Santa Clara - basically in Silicon Valley

Or choose one of 20 schools around Boston (BC, BU), or DC (American, GU, GW). Please folks, position your students well - Lehigh Valley schools, especially at full pay, are not the ride they once were. The network your student has access to - whether by size, location or professional interest, is even more important than ever before with the current job market for young people and AI taking entry level responsibilities.

[Anonymous]

00:13 did you attend a college or university in LValley? Do you live in Lehigh valley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I respect the pro-Lehigh Valley posters, but these are not dynamic places - not the towns or campuses or the weather or the athletics. If you are going to spend that kind of money, at least check out similar-sized schools that are closer to major cities.

Wake - 250,000 people in Winston and better weather, sports and campus
Villanova - main line location 30 min to Philadelphia - a train stop is on campus
Miami (FL) - Coral Gables is beautiful on the edge of Miami

If willing to go further:
SMU - plug into Dallas
Santa Clara - basically in Silicon Valley

Or choose one of 20 schools around Boston (BC, BU), or DC (American, GU, GW). Please folks, position your students well - Lehigh Valley schools, especially at full pay, are not the ride they once were. The network your student has access to - whether by size, location or professional interest, is even more important than ever before with the current job market for young people and AI taking entry level responsibilities.

The Lehigh network is very connected to NYC jobs, especially for business and engineering jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I respect the pro-Lehigh Valley posters, but these are not dynamic places - not the towns or campuses or the weather or the athletics. If you are going to spend that kind of money, at least check out similar-sized schools that are closer to major cities.

Wake - 250,000 people in Winston and better weather, sports and campus
Villanova - main line location 30 min to Philadelphia - a train stop is on campus
Miami (FL) - Coral Gables is beautiful on the edge of Miami

If willing to go further:
SMU - plug into Dallas
Santa Clara - basically in Silicon Valley

Or choose one of 20 schools around Boston (BC, BU), or DC (American, GU, GW). Please folks, position your students well - Lehigh Valley schools, especially at full pay, are not the ride they once were. The network your student has access to - whether by size, location or professional interest, is even more important than ever before with the current job market for young people and AI taking entry level responsibilities.

The Lehigh network is very connected to NYC jobs, especially for business and engineering jobs.

That poster is an idiot. This is a thread about Lehigh Valley schools and they're suggesting SMU in Dallas and Santa Clara in California? Really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I respect the pro-Lehigh Valley posters, but these are not dynamic places - not the towns or campuses or the weather or the athletics. If you are going to spend that kind of money, at least check out similar-sized schools that are closer to major cities.

Wake - 250,000 people in Winston and better weather, sports and campus
Villanova - main line location 30 min to Philadelphia - a train stop is on campus
Miami (FL) - Coral Gables is beautiful on the edge of Miami

If willing to go further:
SMU - plug into Dallas
Santa Clara - basically in Silicon Valley

Or choose one of 20 schools around Boston (BC, BU), or DC (American, GU, GW). Please folks, position your students well - Lehigh Valley schools, especially at full pay, are not the ride they once were. The network your student has access to - whether by size, location or professional interest, is even more important than ever before with the current job market for young people and AI taking entry level responsibilities.

The Lehigh network is very connected to NYC jobs, especially for business and engineering jobs.

That poster is an idiot. This is a thread about Lehigh Valley schools and they're suggesting SMU in Dallas and Santa Clara in California? Really?

And Coral Gables? Lol

[Anonymous]

The Lehigh Valley schools largely draw from the suburbs of Philly and NYC and are for kids who want to be away from home with a real residential college experience but not be too far away. For good or for ill, the students aren't there to put down roots in the location. And the region is populated enough that what it may lack in excitement it makes up for in numerous basic conveniences that more purely rural schools lack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Lehigh Valley schools largely draw from the suburbs of Philly and NYC and are for kids who want to be away from home with a real residential college experience but not be too far away. For good or for ill, the students aren't there to put down roots in the location. And the region is populated enough that what it may lack in excitement it makes up for in numerous basic conveniences that more purely rural schools lack.

What's a comparable region to Lehigh Valley? Can be anywhere in US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of talk about University of Scranton on this thread. I know it very well and it's an excellent school with lots of practical offerings and very good outcomes. Students love it and are very happy, and it gives lots of merit aid to the better applicants. It has strong medical school placement and highly regarded health sciences programs, an excellent business school, good law school placement and is pretty much the complete package.

Marywood, on the other hand, is way behind and doesn't hold a candle to it.

Agree! I have a happy Scranton kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Lehigh Valley schools largely draw from the suburbs of Philly and NYC and are for kids who want to be away from home with a real residential college experience but not be too far away. For good or for ill, the students aren't there to put down roots in the location. And the region is populated enough that what it may lack in excitement it makes up for in numerous basic conveniences that more purely rural schools lack.

What's a comparable region to Lehigh Valley? Can be anywhere in US.

Probably Worcester in MA (with Holy Cross, WPI and several other schools)...kind of a depressed urban area that is relatively near some dynamic areas that has a cluster of colleges.

[Anonymous]

I am not the 00:13 poster but I understand the point - if you are full pay, that is a lot of $ to spend to be isolated a bit. I actually spent time in that area for work at least once per quarter for a few years, so I do know the area a bit. Yes there are some breweries and cute restaurants, but honestly correct that it is not dynamic with outlets beyond greek life, the gym and academics.

FWIW if my student were determined to stay in the Northeast, I would at least situate them near NY, Boston or DC. Lehigh is not particularly close to any of those, meaning 30 minutes or less by car or train. Social outlets, culture, professional contacts you can access all matter.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Bucks County, not far from Lehigh and Lafayette, and still have a lot of family and friends in the area. I looked at both schools with DCs, and they both had Lafayette near the tops of their lists. Easton, in particular, has changed a lot since I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, and it now has a surprisingly good restaurant scene and a small but vibrant arts community. It's definitely rough in places and lacks the resources of a larger city, but it's not the for wasteland that some seem to think it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could also toss in Scranton, which is just about an hour north of Lehigh. It's a little gem ... crappy town but strong academics and happy, spirited students. I've had nieces and nephews attend and they were very happy.

+1 My friend's daughter just decided to go to Scranton and she's very excited about it.

My son is thinking of Scranton but it’s an academic reach for him. He’s been recommended to look at Marywood - anyone know anything about it?

I only know that it used to be all female. I'm never sure about the male/female dynamic at these colleges. But why not check it out? Scranton is not nice, per se, but there's plenty to do in the area, especially if your kid likes to ski.

OK, I just looked up Marywood, and it's about 67% female and 33% male. Not sure how your DS would feel about that ... could be great!

The odds are good. But the goods are odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bucknell isn't in the Lehigh Valley but it's a highly regarded rural PA school with a fun, outgoing student body and lively campus vibe. It also sends a ton of graduates to The Street.

Is there any special conduit by which they are transported to The Street?

Like a pipeline or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not the 00:13 poster but I understand the point - if you are full pay, that is a lot of $ to spend to be isolated a bit. I actually spent time in that area for work at least once per quarter for a few years, so I do know the area a bit. Yes there are some breweries and cute restaurants, but honestly correct that it is not dynamic with outlets beyond greek life, the gym and academics.

FWIW if my student were determined to stay in the Northeast, I would at least situate them near NY, Boston or DC. Lehigh is not particularly close to any of those, meaning 30 minutes or less by car or train. Social outlets, culture, professional contacts you can access all matter.

I have family nearby. There is industry - tons of big pharma, Air Products, Mack Trucks - and big hospital systems. The area is not without opportunities, they just aren’t glamorous. The proximity to nyc may not be that useful to students but it makes a huge difference in the ability to bring in arts and music faculty. That’s part of why Muhlenberg is so strong in theater and Lehigh has a great music dept. there are a lot of artists around priced out of NY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a bunch of lesser-known colleges, too -- Desales, Misericordia, Wilkes, Kutztown (a state school). I don't know much about them, just thought I'd chime in.

If we were talking about another state, I would assume you made that up, but Pennsylvania has an unlimited number of colleges, so I know this is true.