I recently visited Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where I toured campus and learned about the latest trends in admissions. Here are some takeaways from my visit:

· Well-known for its engineering programs, Lehigh also offers majors in business, the liberal arts, education and health, along with a variety of interdisciplinary programs. Its 6,000 undergrads are granted a good deal of flexibility to explore and combine subjects during their time at Lehigh. Classes average 30 students but can range from approximately 12-150.

· Career services are rated unusually highly by students, 91% of whom intern or complete some form of experiential learning. The career center does active outreach to companies, and some courses even connect students directly to internships.

· The campus, a mix of gothic stone structures and more modern buildings, is built into a hill on the south side of Bethlehem, a historic, walkable and picturesque small city that once hosted Bethlehem Steel (now the site of a large arts center and prominent annual music festival). Students can easily walk into the city, where over 30 types of international cuisines are available within five minutes of campus. Bethlehem is only 90 minutes from NYC and 70 minutes from Philadelphia.

· The campus is very residential: students are required to live on campus their first two years, and while most students move off campus by senior year, many live in student-only buildings adjacent to campus. Greek life is popular (30% join), but students report that you don’t need to participate in order to enjoy Lehigh’s active student life. Lehigh’s 160-year-old rivalry football game with neighboring Lafayette is a major annual event.

· Academics are rigorous but often collaborative. There are extensive research opportunities beginning freshman year, including for student-directed research.

· The College of Health offers a range of unique public health aligned majors like biostats and population health. Premeds benefit from the extensive network of healthcare institutions in the Lehigh Valley and Lehigh’s proximity to St. Luke’s University Hospital, Temple’s teaching hospital.