The Story of Bach at Lehigh University

In 1954, Bill Murphey didn’t have any idea that is Friday afternoon class will turn into a concert. During he was in middle of his lectures, suddenly one of the students named Strauch stood up and declared to all his students that he is going to compete with the bach and if the students want can follow them. Taking Murphey and half of his students to the lawn by Packer Memorial Church and silently sat there and was listening to their competition, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. They were performing for annual Bach festival inside the Gothic church and separate the music everywhere.

And from that very day Murphey became a fan of the best-known, oldest Bach Choir in America and a half century later, he becomes the part of the financial helper for the Bach Choir support. And since then he had helped to make this spiritual practice of spreading love through this beloved music to enter the list of Lehigh University. The student is free to perform any of the genres they like that ranges from Johann Sebastian Bach to the Phillie Phanatic. The community of singers, soloists, listeners, scholars, actors, dancers, celebrities and more became the part of the Bach festival.

Some then Lehigh University is becoming the Bach center with the help of the choir and in turn this university was able to help the choir to be an educational institution and gave a lot of importance to them as well. People from all the communities come together and show their immense love and care for one of the oldest music in the world, Bach’s music and the reason to do so, was the fact that this music is extraordinary in its own term. If you are bake to attend Bach festival at Lehigh University, then you will be able to feel the deep affecting and love for the spirituality of the music and won’t be able to get over it for a long time.

The relationship between Bach festival and Lehigh University has become very strong and consistent from a very long year. Most of the employees and the students who have attended this festival earlier can be seen almost every year with their friends and family. Lehigh University is one of a kind, as it is able to celebrate the different type of festival throughout the whole year and encourage their students to actively take part in it.

Student Tips For Midterm Exams

Many students in their first year college life have found their grades to drop, this can be for many reasons like depression or homesickness. The new friends might often try to influence towards a new lifestyle, which includes partying, boozing and staying out till late nights, one might feel to change themselves to keep up with the habits of their new friends which results in negative affects.

The causes of depression is mainly due to the new transition which a student might not be able to adjust, they should seek the help of mentors and counselors who are available in college hours to help the students who need support, depression can lead to a drop in academic grades, thus its very important for the students themselves to be aware of such bad habits, they need to take responsibilities of their own life.

Since your parents wont be around to take care of your life you need to be the boss of your own life, enjoy your freedom in a positive manner, stay up till late nights discussing about your ambitions to your room mates, go out with your new friends and explore the new place. Only you can choose which way your life should turn so choose it wisely.

Opportunities at Lehigh

When considering which college to attend one must contemplate many different factors. First of all, the school should provide a quality education that can later be reputable in different job searches. Lehigh is most certainly able to provide this in any major, but especially in engineering fields.  Secondly, one should feel comfortable on the campus, which is all personal preference.  In my opinion, Lehigh is a beautiful campus that has lots of social opportunities, but someone else may think otherwise.  Find the school that has an atmosphere that you can see yourself living in for the next four years.  With this, one must decide whether a big or small school is the right place for him or her.  Personally, Lehigh is great for me because it is on the slightly smaller size of traditional institutions.  Growing up, I wanted to attend a big school and be a part of the massive student sections that you see at collegiate sporting events on TV.  Thankfully, I didn’t pursue this route and think others should consider smaller schools as well.  My next few points will serve as possible incentives to choose smaller schools, but Lehigh more specifically..

• The freshman class, which I am a part of, is about 1,300 students which is the largest Lehigh has ever had.  On average, it ranges from about 1,100-1,200 students.  For me this is great because it is larger than most high schools, including mine.  I do not feel like I am going through high school again, but also am able to get more one-on-one connections than most larger schools can provide.  Socially, I see many people that I met in different classes or at different events which I like.  At some larger schools, you may meet someone the first day and not see them for the rest of your four years on campus.  Academically, it is much more beneficial.  Lehigh still has lectures with large numbers of students, but it is easier to get to know the professors.  Most of my professors already know me after only three weeks of classes which is something that may be difficult to find at other schools. These are just things to consider when looking for a college that best suits you.
• Specifically for engineering, Lehigh does very well with networking and job-placement opportunities.  Most of the possible engineering fields have clubs in which students of these majors can all connect.  I joined the American Society of Chemical Engineers and was able to meet many upper classmen who will hopefully be able to provide guidance over the next four years.  The club is also hosting a job fair in which members are able to present their resumes to some of Lehigh’s leading partners in the chemical engineering department.  Companies that will be attending include major groups such as Air Products and Exxon Mobile.  These opportunities are incredible and a big benefit of attending Lehigh University.

Ultimately, I can only speak from my experiences.  To me, Lehigh is an incredible school for many different reasons.  It provides academic and social freedoms that may be difficult to encounter at some other schools.  In this upcoming college search process, consider the schools that you feel will help you fulfill the “college experience,” as well as reach your goals for after school.  These should be some of the bigger influences in your decision and they should hopefully lead you to the right place.

LAST DAY

Wow. As I write this, I get closer and closer to being finished with my last day of classes of freshman year of college.

I still have finals, but hey–this still feels weird, and somehow, finals seem less of a milestone than last day of classes.

Bizarre. It’s been a heck of a year, guys.

So what’s everyone’s summer plans? I’m going to try to apply for a job at Home Depot–I’m finally over 18, so they can actually hire me (I’ve been hoping to get a job there for at least a year or two now). I’ve also got a few projects lined up–a prop blade a la Assassin’s Creed, a foam-sculpted latex mask (new technique–I’m pretty eager to try it out), and a laser harp using Arduino. Oh, and I might dye my hair again. Depends on how quickly the current color grows out. I’m also going to try doing some exercise more regularly–I might even see about buying a bike to bring back to Lehigh.

It’s pretty odd looking back on this whole year, but it’s been fun, and next year should be even better. I’m already excited for some of my classes and I haven’t even finished this year yet.

I hope everyone’s finals go as smoothly as possible. The end is in sight! Congrats to all graduating, good luck on finals, and have a great summer!

Exams: Don’t Expect a Walk in the Park

After a long February, my first round of “should i sleep, study, or procrastinate?” every night for three weeks is over. I was unlucky in that all the snow we’ve been having this winter caused a couple of my exams to be delayed and instead of one week from hell, I had to go into every Monday knowing that sometime that week I had an exam. It was rough but now that I’m done I can finally get back into the normal everyday life at Lehigh. Although it is challenging, its nothing compared to exams, and its definitely doable.

So as my grades trickle back in, and one by one a little more weight is lifted off my shoulders, things get better and better and I get a little more confident. The exams here are made to be extremely difficult, going in expecting a 100 is often times naive because the average grade on Lehigh exams can be as low as a 40. Think about that, people from across the world, all at the top of their respected High School classes, all being challenged to such an extent. Half the battle is keeping your cool as you go through a 5 part test and not understanding the first 3.

Study hard and don’t expect a straight forward exam. Professors expect you to get some things wrong because the tests here are not about doing problems exactly from the book. Exams at Lehigh are about testing your ability to apply what you’ve learned to different situations, because in real life, problems are not from the book. Averages will be low, but grades will be curved. So when you go to a difficult and prestigious college like Lehigh, prepare to be stumped on tests, but don’t worry, if you’ve learned what you are supposed to have learned, you’ll still end up with the grade you deserve at the end of the semester.

A College Classroom

When I started picturing myself attending college, I realized that I had no idea what a college classroom would look like. At first I thought that everything would be in a huge auditorium with hundreds of people and one professor on stage. Then as I started to browse college websites I noticed that most colleges browsed about their low student:faculty ratios. So I went from expecting huge classes to wondering if anything would be different from high school.

Overall I had no clue what to expect in my classes at Lehigh, which is a little weird to think about because thats what we come to college for right? class? So to anyone who wonders what its going to be like in college, here are some examples from Lehigh

This is where my very first class was held. Packard101. This is that huge auditorium with hundreds of students. Some people might say that you can’t learn much in this setting. I would disagree, saying that the weekly guest speakers are what truly helped me solidify my decision to become a civil engineer.

 

Ive had the bad luck of experiencing this room twice, with my midterm exams this semester and last semester, but outside of this dreadful situation,  a room like this is most practical in a university setting. It is large enough to hold many students, but small enough so that personal discussion is still possible.

 

Finally, in rooms like these you learn hands on with 20 or fewer students. This is where all the knowledge you gain from large classes finally gets put to the test.

So when you read about a schools average class size, remember that sometimes you will still end up with a concert hall with a class, even if the average is less than 30. But this isn’t a bad thing, not all classes need to be personal, save the extra faculty for when things are more important.

Packard Lab

I’ve finally found my favorite building here at Lehigh. Most Lehigh students love Linderman Library for its architecture, the Alumni Memorial Building for its sheer size and Ivy covered facade, or Packer Church because of its history and purpose. However, out of all the places to take a seat and enjoy your day here at Lehigh (and there are a lot,)  my favorite is Packard Laboratory

Built in 1928, Packard Lab, or Packard for short, is home to the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering here at Lehigh.

The Gothic Style building was named after James Ward Packard, the inventor of the Packard Automobile and founder of The Packard Electric Company and the Packard Motor Car Company.

Packard features numerous labs and several large lecture halls. Its peaceful and beautiful yet alive and central. As I write this I’m sitting in the first floor lobby, gazing at the stain glass windows of the front door, watching people going to and fro class, pondering the age of the marble walls, and appreciating the importance of the the 1899 Packard One Automobile resting next to me. Here, I can get my work done while taking in the history, the beauty, and learning that takes place in this building. A sentence can’t really describe the atmosphere, so I’ll just use words. Content,  At peace, ambitious.