Bethlehem, PA: Looking for colleges is probably one of the most confusing events in a teenager's life. I realized this when my sister began her college search. She and my parents agonized for months over the many choices. Here I am, two years later, and it's my turn to go through the same madness. So far my experiences have been good, although one stands out in my mind.

In September I visited Lehigh University, the college my sister now attends. It is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on a beautiful mountainside. The campus is breathtaking. It has an abundance of old stone buildings, park-like areas, and was undoubtedly the cleanest college I had ever seen. When I arrived, I was greeted by a number of friendly students. They were eager to show me around and show off their school, of which they were obviously very proud. After a lot of uphill walking, I finally reached Taylor dormitory, where my sister lives. Taylor is a specialty dorm known for its cleanliness and courteous inhabitants. I was amazed at the size of the rooms. Of all the dormitories I visited, Taylor's rooms were the nicest. Besides having nice living quarters, there were recreation rooms furnished with pool tables, kitchens, televisions and sitting areas. After I finished exploring Taylor, my sister took me around the campus. She showed me some of the classrooms, the campus center, and what many people fear: the college cafeteria. Let me start by saying the food was not bad. It is a common myth that college food is horrendous, but Lehigh defies this theory. Not only is it good, the cafeteria hosts an extensive menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner food.

By eight o'clock I was absolutely exhausted from all the walking. My sister and I returned to her room to recuperate. I looked through the incredibly large course catalog she had. It was filled with courses pertaining to what seemed like every imaginable occupation. I was happy to find a number of courses in Biology and Psychology, two fields that especially interest me. I regained some of my strength, so we headed out to visit a couple of places downtown. We went to some shops in Bethlehem and a great little coffee shop right off campus. It seemed that there were a lot of things to do both on and off campus. The next afternoon I left Lehigh. On the ride home I assessed my visit and felt it was a very impressive place. With the perfect balance of nature and city life, academics and social life, I believe Lehigh can make anyone happy. I'm strongly considering applying there, but first I have to make it through the rest of high school and my crazy college search.




Reviewed in 1996