Lehigh vs Bucknell- which is better? (Philadelphia, Bethlehem: dorms, neighborhoods, schools)

[Daytonnatian]

In your opinion, which is better, Lehigh or Bucknell? Also, please say why. Thanks.

[JHG722]

Depends on what you want to study. I'd rather not be in BFE (essentially), so I wouldn't go to either, although Bucknell's basketball team is actually relevant, so that's a plus. Lehigh is better known for business, though.

[Icy Tea]

Bucknell was rated one of the best looking campuses and its closer to Penn State for football games.

[Daytonnatian]

Two new notes:

I am also considering Lafayette and
I got a 1350 SAT composite, 2100 overall

[drshang]

Bucknell

[toobusytoday]

Location-wise, Lehigh is next to the cool town of Bethlehem and an easy bus ride to either NYC or Philadelphia. Lafayette has more of a liberal artsy vibe (and many more women) then Lehigh, even closer to NYC. All three are great schools!

[HeadedWest]

Lehigh and Lafayette are situated where it is easy to get to either NYC or Philadelphia. It's easy to take a 'day trip' to either city to attend a game or concert.

Bucknell isn't close to any major cities, but the campus is very nice.

If you're a city person, Lehigh or Lafayette. Small town fan, Bucknell.

Also, it depends on your major. I'd go to Lehigh for engineering or business. Lafayette or Bucknell focus more on liberal arts.

[CHIP72]

Lehigh's campus is on the south side of Bethlehem, an area with some cool amenities (though also relatively close to some semi-rough neighborhoods. It definitely has more of an urban feel than either Lafayette or Bucknell. I'm pretty sure it is the biggest of the 3 schools, and it may be the best of the 3 schools, though it is close with Bucknell. Finally, one drawback is the sports facilities (Goodman Stadium and Stabler Arena) on the other side of South Mountain and not walkable from the main part of campus.

Lafayette is in the north side of Easton, which has a medium-sized town feel even though Easton is a small city. The area near the campus is primarily residential and is pretty nice. It is definitely the smallest of the 3 schools, and although it is a very good school it probably is a little below Lehigh and Bucknell in terms of quality (which is more a statement about Lehigh and Bucknell than a knock on Lafayette). Finally, I'm pretty sure the campus is very compact, at least based on the times I've been to sports events there.

Bucknell is on the south side of the borough of Lewisburg, one of the nicest towns in all of Pennsylvania. I haven't really spent time on campus near the academic buildings and residence halls, but I believe the campus is more spread out than Lafayette's campus but less spread out than Lehigh's campus. Bucknell is in a much more rural area than either Lehigh or Lafayette. Like Lehigh, Bucknell is considered to be an excellent school.

[JHG722]

All three are excellent schools.

[BjhMachine]

Agreed that all three are excellent schools. Either will provide a quality balanced education.

Based on national rankings, Lehigh has the best overall quality of the three, and is strongest in engineering and business.

More specifically, Lehigh ranked as the 25th best business school, in the company of Carnegie-Mellon, Fordham, and William & Mary; and ahead of Penn State (#38), Drexel (#65) and Pitt (#77). Neither Bucknell or Lafayette placed in the top 100.

South Bethlehem may not be for everyone, but it does provide numerous off-campus entertainment options and is close to NYC and Philly (as is Lafayette/Easton). The campus of Lehigh is wooded and sloped with gothic architecture, and will certainly help with preventing the 'freshman 15' with all of the steep climbs up to the dorms.

To second the recommendation from "Headed West" - Lafayette or Bucknell for liberal arts, Lehigh is your best bet for engineering for business.