Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 13:26     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
Anonymous wrote:I had an internet friend who is a professor at a suburban Philly area university warn me about DeSales being almost fundie Catholic and crazy conservative. That would be a very wrong fit for our children.


I grew up nearby and it seems like a normal Catholic regional/commuter college to me. Great theater productions. A fair amount of older/non-traditional students. It used to be called Allentown College. I don’t know why you’d go from out of state but I have never heard of weird religious overtones. The area is conservative compared to DC.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 13:14     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
Interesting re: the Boston poster just above. My kiddo's top school is in a small town in the Boston burbs, but right next to a commuter train station. She is so excited about the opportunity to take the train into Boston from time to time. The campus is super small, but in a very cute little town that I am sure she will walk around from time to time, too.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 11:52     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
Anonymous wrote:Folks, if depressed PA urban areas are your thing, then look at Lehigh Valley colleges.

I consider their locations the worst of both worlds. They are located in depressed, small cities with little to do for a college kid (and even next to nothing right by the campus). Crime doesn't really touch the campuses...but it is not far away.

The reason I would pick Lehigh is that it actually has a bunch of stuff going on, even if that is lots of fraternity parties or what not. It is much larger than the other schools, which adds to its appeal. Downtown Bethlehem is quaint for 50 year old couples for a nice weekend around the holidays (which is maybe why parents like it)...but again, not much for 18-22 year olds.

There are so many college options in dynamic or quaint or interesting places. I just don't see the appeal of Lehigh Valley schools.



I wouldn’t say that the location is an attraction, but I also don’t think kids should be isolated from what normal American life is. My kid has grown up in a blue collar part of the DMV, but he goes to a private school and also sees a lot of very wealthy families/neighborhoods. I’d absolutely appreciate him spending four years in a place so different from home.

I went to college in Boston. I rarely left campus. We did go to the movies occasionally or to a bagel joint. Everything I needed was on campus, and Boston was just immaterial. People are different and need different things but at least for my family an upscale suburb or city isn’t one of them.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 11:38     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
Folks, if depressed PA urban areas are your thing, then look at Lehigh Valley colleges.

I consider their locations the worst of both worlds. They are located in depressed, small cities with little to do for a college kid (and even next to nothing right by the campus). Crime doesn't really touch the campuses...but it is not far away.

The reason I would pick Lehigh is that it actually has a bunch of stuff going on, even if that is lots of fraternity parties or what not. It is much larger than the other schools, which adds to its appeal. Downtown Bethlehem is quaint for 50 year old couples for a nice weekend around the holidays (which is maybe why parents like it)...but again, not much for 18-22 year olds.

There are so many college options in dynamic or quaint or interesting places. I just don't see the appeal of Lehigh Valley schools.

Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 10:47     Subject: Re:Lehigh valley PA colleges
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.


I think we will go see it this summer. My son actually likes Scranton - he’s a big The Office fan and the rust belt vibe doesn’t bother any of us. I have no idea whether only 33% men would be a turn off - he will be a recruited athlete so he’ll spend hours every day in an all male environment with built in male buddies, so it may not matter much to him.


I like Scranton, too. It's got character. Good luck on your journey!
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 10:22     Subject: Re:Lehigh valley PA colleges
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.


I think we will go see it this summer. My son actually likes Scranton - he’s a big The Office fan and the rust belt vibe doesn’t bother any of us. I have no idea whether only 33% men would be a turn off - he will be a recruited athlete so he’ll spend hours every day in an all male environment with built in male buddies, so it may not matter much to him.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 09:34     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
Anonymous wrote:Had a girlfriend at Lafayette a generation ago. Pretty, historic campus. Bunch of dorks. Took in a dress rehearsal of their choir, which was abysmal.

Bottom line: lots of legacies and other rich kids, good pipelines and connections to industry and grad school. Superficially shiny but actually mid, as the kids say.


Why are you posting about a generation ago? That plus your hasty judgments make you look like a dork.

Mine considered Lafayette and Muhlenberg. Very impressed with people on both campuses. Nice campuses.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 09:28     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We toured and DC loved Lehigh. Liked the midsize (they are rare), beautiful campus and the overall vibe. We stayed at Hotel Bethlehem and I didn’t understand the gripes people had about Bethlehem…it wasn’t Darien, CT but it was fine. We also toured Lafayette and I thought the campus was quaint and it would be a great place to go to school. DC vetoed it because it’s small.


People gripe about South Bethlehem, which is adjacent to Lehigh’s campus. There is a bit of crime there, unfortunately, and sometimes the undesirables make their way to campus or Lehigh kids become affected. Kids from the DMV would be nonplussed, but if you are from a sleepy little town with no crime, it might be a concern.


That word does not mean what you think it means


Sadly, nonplussed has come to mean both surprised AND not surprised in common usage in the US.

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/60869/nonplussed-defines-its-own-antonym#:~:text=The%20double%20s%20occurs%20because%20the%20second%20syllable%20is%20stressed.&text=North%20American%20informal%20not%20disconcerted%3B%20unperturbed.&text=In%20North%20American%20English%20a,clearly%20trying%20to%20appear%20nonplussed.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 09:02     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
I had an internet friend who is a professor at a suburban Philly area university warn me about DeSales being almost fundie Catholic and crazy conservative. That would be a very wrong fit for our children.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 08:43     Subject: Re:Lehigh valley PA colleges
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.
Anonymous
Post 04/12/2024 08:13     Subject: Re:Lehigh valley PA colleges
Anonymous wrote:With Lehigh, more than the area is the Greek-heavy vibe. Almost no other social activities to speak of. Then people say it’s only 90min from NY or so, that is not what you want in a college, you should ideally not want or have to leave for a social life.


I know a kid who is transferring back to UMD after one year at Lehigh- way too Greek for him.

A preprofessional vibe/frat bros is what came across when we looked at it.
Anonymous
Post 04/11/2024 21:49     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
Anonymous wrote:We toured and DC loved Lehigh. Liked the midsize (they are rare), beautiful campus and the overall vibe. We stayed at Hotel Bethlehem and I didn’t understand the gripes people had about Bethlehem…it wasn’t Darien, CT but it was fine. We also toured Lafayette and I thought the campus was quaint and it would be a great place to go to school. DC vetoed it because it’s small.


You say it wasn’t Darien like that’s a bad thing.
Anonymous
Post 04/11/2024 21:44     Subject: Lehigh valley PA colleges
My kid is considering Lehigh for engineering. She received a great merit award. We’ve only been there in the summer so we are heading back soon.
Anonymous
Post 04/11/2024 21:41     Subject: Re:Lehigh valley PA colleges
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!
Anonymous
Post 04/11/2024 21:23     Subject: Re:Lehigh valley PA colleges
With Lehigh, more than the area is the Greek-heavy vibe. Almost no other social activities to speak of. Then people say it’s only 90min from NY or so, that is not what you want in a college, you should ideally not want or have to leave for a social life.