Lehigh University Top Questions

Because Lehigh is so expensive, many kids come from wealthy backgrounds. Sometimes the ones who don't stand out. Half of the campus is from NJ. Campus is not very diverse; the minorities tend to stick together.

If there were four tables of students in the dining hall: 1. The track team. All in their athletic practice gear with ice bags on their legs. 2. Football team. All in their athletic practice gear coming straight from practice. 3. A group of freshman girls that seem to be rushing a Sorority. 4. A mixed table of guys and girls that look as if they just came from the library with their backpacks on the chairs.

Lehigh is currently trying to expand diversity. Right now, the majority of students are white males. The male to female to ratio when I applied was somewhere around 60:40. Lehigh is working to balance that out. Lehigh is also working to attract more diverse applicants with things like Umoja house, which is diversity housing, and I believe there is some sort of Islamic Studies facility in the works for years to come. I personally have not had any experience with Lehigh's LGBT population, but I am familiar with a place called the Rainbow Room, where LGBTQA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Ally) students can go to feel safe and accepted should they ever feel otherwise. Many offices around campus also display the pink triangle sign, which means that the room is a safe zone for LGBTQA students if they ever need someone to talk to. There are also counseling services freely available in Johnson Hall, which is our Health Services headquarters. Another great feature at Lehigh is a group called Break the Silence, which is a student organization that exists to help students of all sexes, races, religions and sexual preferences. Break the Silence runs a hotline that students can call should they ever feel depressed, scared or oppressed and also if they were sexually violated in some way. Break the Silence is an invaluable part of Lehigh's community, a safety net for students should they ever feel alone or if something bad happens to them. Most of the students I have met are from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New England or Long Island. There is also a surprising (to me, anyway) number of Californian students as well. Lehigh is also host to a large population of international students. I have met students from Vietnam, Malawi and Jordan, and those are only the girls on my floor! Based on the people I know, most Lehigh students come from middle- to upper-class backgrounds, but Lehigh is also very good about giving financial aid to those who need it. I have heard many students talk about money and how much of it they hope to make someday. I met one guy at the beginning of the year who said he wanted one house on the beach and another in India! He said he would have servants and everything. I would be lucky to get an apartment that didn't have water damage and some kind of infestation, but that doesn't really bother me. I honestly don't know how much the average journalist makes, but I'm willing to bet it's not enough for a mansion in New Delhi. Students here are politically active on both sides of the political spectrum, though I would have to say that Democrats outweigh the Republicans by a decent margin. The political groups on campus are always active, hosting talks and events to raise awareness. Presidential candidate Barack Obama has a particularly active following here. Students for Barack Obama had tables set up all over the place, getting people to register to vote in the Pennsylvania primary.

I am not really involved in those type of groups. I think everyone should feel welcomed at Lehigh and students wear anything from sun dresses to sweats. Lehigh doesnt fit in to your typical cliques minus sororitys and frats. Most lehigh students are from the jersey, pennsylvania, ny area. People generally have money. Students are very politically aware and very liberal.

I'd say any students who are not white or asian would feel out of place at Lehigh. Most students were sweatpants or jeans to class. Different types of students interact when required to for class assignments but not so much outside of class. Four tables of students in the dining hall would consist of a sports team, sorority girls, frat boys, and socially awkward kids. Most students are from PA, NJ, and NY. Most students are very wealthy and drive expensive cars. I don't know about politics at Lehigh.

Well the Movement is making a big effort to fix these problems on campus. I'm not sure how these students feel because I don't fall into one of these categories, but I've heard some big horror stories. There's not a big mix of diversity on campus, so that makes people who are "different" stand out.

Lehigh is known to be somewhat of a homogeneous campus, however recently admissions seems to have increased diversity. I think the only type of student that would feel out of place at Lehigh is someone who is unwilling to meet new people because you have to be very outgoing to meet people on this campus.

There are many groups focused on diversity at Lehigh and they get there message out, but Lehigh is still a white school and about 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} male.

No negative experiences really, I noticed that different races tend to shy away from others. A non-white student may feel out of place, however there are tons of non-whites (including one of my best friends) who feel fine and represent what diversity really should be. Students don't wear anything unusual to class for the most part, every now and then a student will be dressed in a suit (for an interview usually), but there are also some super-preppy kids who don't hesitate to wear a pink polo with a popped collar and khakis to class. Different types of students interact, however they tend to group together whenever possible. Four tables in the dining hall: 1) athletes 2) greek/preps 3) studious/quiet/shy kids 4) any frat boy or sorotity girl that doesnt dress ridiculously on a daily basis. A good amount of Lehigh kids are from jersey, PA, or Long Island. Wealthy financial backgrounds are most prevalent. Students aren't nearly as political as students in places like DC (georgetown, GW, american).

I come across a lot of different groups on campus and everyone is really accepting and open. I can't think of a student that would feel out of place here. We have people of every shape, size, color, and orientation. Most students wear sweats or jeans and a t-shirt to class, as well as Uggs, if they are female and it is currently colder than 50 degrees outside. Almost everyone is really casual, but there are still some people who dress up a bit more. One of the four tables would be athletes. One would be musicians and thespians. One would be female engineers, and the last one would be the craziest of the craziest frat brothers. They all get along though. Some people would sit at a different table every day.

Lehigh has a predominantly white middle class population. The few exceptions is a decent amount of Indian and Asian students, however blacks and hispanics are few and far between. Religious wise, there is a substantial Jewish Population, but other than that Christianity dominates. There are some openly gay individuals on campus-none of which are ridiculed or excluded from groups like fraternities-but Lehigh is not a particularly liberal campus open to all forms of differenes. It doesn't matter if you dress up or not for class. Boys and Girls alike sport sweatpants or jeans. Spandex, uggs, a northface fleece, and big sunglasses are a classic stapple for girls, where boys in polos or a t-shirt and jeans is typical for boys. The majority of Lehigh students hail from New Jersey, and then New York, Pennsylvania and perhaps Connecticut. Being a red sox fan is rare, and not always easy. Students are very career focused and all have a desire to be very successful. Politically, the campus is inactive and pretty split down the middle. As for different students interacting-not so much, unless you are in a leadership oriented environment like student senate, or the association of student alumni.