Bethlehem, PA

[iPsych]

I'm looking for roommates to share a 4 bedroom/2 bath house on the south side not far from Fahy bridge.  It's a newly renovated building with new appliances, a washer/dryer and comes furnished.  Message me if you're interested!

[gingin6789]

hope all is working out with the lodging, iPsych!  Hey, I wanted to let everyone know (so far just you, though, iPsych.  Haha!) that there's a farmers market right in the campus square every Thursday until October 30th!  Great opportunity to stock up on fresh goodies, especially if you don't have a car to drive to the grocery store (although there is one within walking distance) very often!

 

EDIT: Waters Edge and Bethlehem Towers look great, especially if you have a car to get to and from campus!

Edited June 11, 2014 by gingin6789

[new here]

Hi everyone,

 

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I was wondering if anyone knew anything about transportation to/from Lehigh University. I live in New York, and I would like to visit Lehigh next week, but I am having some trouble finding train/bus routes to the school.

 

Thanks!

[shadowclaw]

You won't find a train to Bethlehem. Despite Pennsylvania's railroad heritage, there isn't much in thy line of passenger service outside of the biggest cities. There is, however, a bus route to and from Bethlehem. Here's a link:

http://www.transbridgelines.com/daily.htm

[new here]

Thanks shadowclaw!

[shadowclaw]

You're welcome! By the way, if you get the chance to explore Bethlehem at all, I highly recommend eating at Brew Works on Main Street. I've never actually tried their beer (I don't like beer), but several people have told me it's pretty good. I go for the food, and the menu is pretty diverse and they have several good vegetarian and vegan options.

[new here]

Thanks! I don't drink, but I am vegetarian, so this is good to know. Maybe I'll check it out!

[A blighted one]

I recently received a very enticing offer from Lehigh University so I'm bumping this thread to see if anyone else has any info. Never been to Pennsylvania before and I grew up in a large city. I'm wondering if anyone has info on what's going on in Bethlehem on a daily basis? What's the culture like (I'm from a liberal state and city)? Any info at all is appreciated. Thanks!

[shadowclaw]

I didn't go to Bethlehem too often when I lived in PA, but it's a nice little city. If you're from a big city like Philly, Chicago, etc., then it will seem quite small. There are some great restaurants (my favorite is Brew Works) and shops. It also has a vegan bakery which makes really delicious desserts, even if you're not vegan. There are outdoor street festival type events when it's warm, and on New Year's Eve they drop a giant Peep (like the marshmallow ones) in a similar fashion to the ball in NYC (the Peep factory is in town somewhere). 

One of the things that makes Bethlehem great is its close proximity to some bigger cities - Allentown is very close and Philly is a little over an hour away. NYC isn't too far, either. There's a great amusement park nearby (Dorney Park) and a cute little zoo just outside of Allentown. If you like hiking and other outdoor activities, there are plenty of state parks and natural areas north of the Allentown-Bethlehem area, and a really great nature preserve next to the zoo. If I remember correctly, it has a lot of mountain biking trails.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about the politics and culture in town, having not spent a lot of time there. PA as a whole is Democratic, but there are areas that are predominantly Republican.

[gingin6789]

On 2/4/2016 at 1:18 AM, A blighted one said:

I recently received a very enticing offer from Lehigh University so I'm bumping this thread to see if anyone else has any info. Never been to Pennsylvania before and I grew up in a large city. I'm wondering if anyone has info on what's going on in Bethlehem on a daily basis? What's the culture like (I'm from a liberal state and city)? Any info at all is appreciated. Thanks!

Hi there, I'm at Lehigh now.

The university and campus are nestled into the side of South Mountain, with the town of South Bethlehem near the bottom of the mountain.

There are restaurants everywhere! Coming from a small urban town, I wasn't used to having so many places to eat within walking distance! It's pretty sweet!

The undergraduate student population is largely white, wealthy, conservative, and involved with Greek life. Greek life is a huge deal to undergrads here, and I was shocked coming from campuses that were more a mix of socioeconomic statuses, races, and political ideologies. If I was shocked, you'll be shocked if you're a TA by the conservative-ness of campus. Despite any political leanings, the undergraduates are polite, nice, and pretty open-minded, overall, to me as a TA! 

Among graduate students, there's a definite mix of races, socioeconomic statuses, and political ideologies. I'd describe the graduate student community as liberal, overall, at least in the programs I've interacted with. Over half of the graduate students here are international students.

There is some tension between Lehigh undergrads and residents of South Bethlehem. Undergrads call people from Bethlehem "townies" and think that the residents are "ghetto" and uneducated which peeves me because I'm from a town a lot like Bethlehem. I don't know too well what residents think of Lehigh students, but those I've talked to have been really nice.

If you live in south Bethlehem, there are grocery stores and a Rite Aid within walking distance, as well as many restaurants to choose from. I don't drive, and everything here is walkable, which is nice.

If you have any other questions, let me know!

 

[gingin6789]

23 hours ago, shadowclaw said:

I didn't go to Bethlehem too often when I lived in PA, but it's a nice little city. If you're from a big city like Philly, Chicago, etc., then it will seem quite small. There are some great restaurants (my favorite is Brew Works) and shops. It also has a vegan bakery which makes really delicious desserts, even if you're not vegan. There are outdoor street festival type events when it's warm, and on New Year's Eve they drop a giant Peep (like the marshmallow ones) in a similar fashion to the ball in NYC (the Peep factory is in town somewhere). 

One of the things that makes Bethlehem great is its close proximity to some bigger cities - Allentown is very close and Philly is a little over an hour away. NYC isn't too far, either. There's a great amusement park nearby (Dorney Park) and a cute little zoo just outside of Allentown. If you like hiking and other outdoor activities, there are plenty of state parks and natural areas north of the Allentown-Bethlehem area, and a really great nature preserve next to the zoo. If I remember correctly, it has a lot of mountain biking trails.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about the politics and culture in town, having not spent a lot of time there. PA as a whole is Democratic, but there are areas that are predominantly Republican.

YES to all of this! Brew Works is awesome: great beer and food. Vegan Treats is a nationally-known vegan bakery and located on the north side of town across the bridge from campus. 

There's actually a little bus station right behind my apartment building where students often take buses to New York City for the weekend.

Also about vegan-ness: Veg Fest happens in August and is an awesome vegan/vegetarian festival! I'm not even vegetarian, but the food was PHENOMENAL. 

[A blighted one]

Thanks @shadowclaw and @gingin6789 !! I grew up in a large city (4 million people, 10 million if you count the suburbs, which, in this particular city are relatively urban and basically a part of the whole) but I have lived (and currently do live) in a smaller city. A few years back I lived in a college town with about 50,000 residents that was about an hour and a half away from the nearest large city, so I'm guessing it will be somewhat similar (in size and resources) to Bethlehem. This isn't something I'm too worried about as long as there's decent coffee, a natural foods market, a least a smidgen of an arts/underground scene. The privileged white undergraduate population makes me a little nervous, but I do feel that most colleges are populated in such a way (my undergraduate institution is majority non-white and is somewhat of an anomaly in that sense). It will be a bit of a transition that I'm sure will be fine.

The undergrad frat life is a bit bizarre to me. I came from a school without a large greek presence so in that respect it will be interesting. I've also heard that there's a casino in Bethlehem. Is that right? Seems bizarre! 

@gingin6789 , since you are a current resident, can you give me an idea of the cost of living? How much does the average 1-bedroom cost? How about renting a room in a house with roommates? How much is the average coffee at a cafe? This one might be weird, but how much does a good sandwich cost? (My friends and I have a little theory about the price of a sandwich in relation to minimum wage and the cost of living in an area, haha).

Thanks for all the information!

Edited February 5, 2016 by A blighted one

[gingin6789]

11 minutes ago, A blighted one said:

Thanks @shadowclaw and @gingin6789 !! I grew up in a large city (4 million people, 10 million if you count the suburbs, which, in this particular city are relatively urban and basically a part of the whole) but I have lived (and currently do live) in a smaller city. A few years back I lived in a college town with about 50,000 residents that was about an hour and a half away from the nearest large city, so I'm guessing it will be somewhat similar (in size and resources) to Bethlehem. This isn't something I'm too worried about as long as there's decent coffee, a natural foods market, a least a smidgen of an arts/underground scene. The privileged white undergraduate population makes me a little nervous, but I do feel that most colleges are populated in such a way (my undergraduate institution is majority non-white and is somewhat of an anomaly in that sense). It will be a bit of a transition that I'm sure will be fine.

The undergrad frat life is a bit bizarre to me. I came from a school without a large greek presence so in that respect it will be interesting. I've also heard that they're a casino in Bethlehem. Is that right? Seems bizarre! 

@gingin6789 , since you are a current resident, can you give me an idea of the cost of living? How much does the average 1-bedroom cost? How about renting a room in a house with roommates? How much is the average coffee at a cafe? This one might be weird, but how much does a good sandwich cost? (My friends and I have a little theory about the price of a sandwich in relation to minimum wage and the cost of living in an area, haha).

Thanks for all the information!

Yeah the privileged white undergrad population threw me for a loop, too, but all of my students have been wonderful so far!

And the Greek life is HUGE here. About 30-40% of the undergrad population is involved in Greek life. It was a shock for me, too, coming from a community college and a larger state school for undergrad with not much Greek presence.

Yep, there's a casino, the Sands casino, built on the bones of the now-defunct steel mill. The small town I come from was a small branch of the steel mill in Bethlehem, so it was nice to have a sense of home, being from a family with generations of steel workers.

Classes at Lehigh tend to start on 10 past the hour (like 1:10 and 3:10, for example) because, back in the day, steel workers would get off work at 4:00 and would need time to get to campus for classes. Fun fact.

Cost of living isn't bad if you have roommates. It's steeper if you live alone. Finding housing information is tough, so I ended up in the basement of an apartment building, in a two-bedroom unit by myself. It's a small unit, and if there were two people, it would be around $500 per month, including rent and utilities. For me, living alone in the two-bedroom unit, it's around $1,000 a month. it's a nice apartment though, besides my bedroom being under the stairs and hearing folks go up and down the stairs.

There's this company called Campus Hill that controls a lot of the off-campus housing. If you go with Campus Hill, know that they do quarterly payments, so you'll be paying rent once every three months instead of once a month.

My other TA friends rent out bedrooms of houses with roommates, and they only pay $300-$500 per month.

I may be paying a lot, but the good news is that even paying $1,000 is doable on my stipend. Money can get tight, but it's doable.

Average coffee, plain, would be about $2, I'd wager. Fancy beverages are in the $3 - $5 range. There are cafes everywhere. Chains such as Saxbys, standalone places such as Deja Brew, breakfast-y diner-y places like the Blue Sky Cafe and Alexandra's Bistro, and even the crepe place, Full of Crepe, has excellent coffee. And of course there is a Starbucks attached to the school booskstore.

Lehigh actually has a semi-famous sandwich shop nearby called The Goosemen (aka The Goose aka the Goosey Gander). Definitely an authentic, family-style feel to that sandwich shop, and they take their sandwiches very seriously. Fantastic sandwiches. They run about $3.79 a sandwich.

Edited February 5, 2016 by gingin6789

[A blighted one]

49 minutes ago, gingin6789 said:

Yeah the privileged white undergrad population threw me for a loop, too, but all of my students have been wonderful so far!

And the Greek life is HUGE here. About 30-40% of the undergrad population is involved in Greek life. It was a shock for me, too, coming from a community college and a larger state school for undergrad with not much Greek presence.

Yep, there's a casino, the Sands casino, built on the bones of the now-defunct steel mill. The small town I come from was a small branch of the steel mill in Bethlehem, so it was nice to have a sense of home, being from a family with generations of steel workers.

Classes at Lehigh tend to start on 10 past the hour (like 1:10 and 3:10, for example) because, back in the day, steel workers would get off work at 4:00 and would need time to get to campus for classes. Fun fact.

Cost of living isn't bad if you have roommates. It's steeper if you live alone. Finding housing information is tough, so I ended up in the basement of an apartment building, in a two-bedroom unit by myself. It's a small unit, and if there were two people, it would be around $500 per month, including rent and utilities. For me, living alone in the two-bedroom unit, it's around $1,000 a month. it's a nice apartment though, besides my bedroom being under the stairs and hearing folks go up and down the stairs.

There's this company called Campus Hill that controls a lot of the off-campus housing. If you go with Campus Hill, know that they do quarterly payments, so you'll be paying rent once every three months instead of once a month.

My other TA friends rent out bedrooms of houses with roommates, and they only pay $300-$500 per month.

I may be paying a lot, but the good news is that even paying $1,000 is doable on my stipend. Money can get tight, but it's doable.

Average coffee, plain, would be about $2, I'd wager. Fancy beverages are in the $3 - $5 range. There are cafes everywhere. Chains such as Saxbys, standalone places such as Deja Brew, breakfast-y diner-y places like the Blue Sky Cafe and Alexandra's Bistro, and even the crepe place, Full of Crepe, has excellent coffee. And of course there is a Starbucks attached to the school booskstore.

Lehigh actually has a semi-famous sandwich shop nearby called The Goosemen (aka The Goose aka the Goosey Gander). Definitely an authentic, family-style feel to that sandwich shop, and they take their sandwiches very seriously. Fantastic sandwiches. They run about $3.79 a sandwich.

Wow! Ok, so a (really crappy) studio apartment where I live is $1400 (probably more now, actually, as I was house hunting 2 years ago).  I have roommates now and my room is still $1050/month (I share my room with my partner, so luckily I pay $550). And a good sandwich is $10, minimum. A crappy sandwich would still be $8. Coffee is more like $3.50 for a plain cup here. I usually make coffee at home, but I do like to study/read at cafes, so it's good to know.

I knew it was going to be cheaper in PA than where I live, but that sounds amazing. I moved to this city for college and the cost of living as been killing me the entire time. I'm so ready to live somewhere where my rent doesn't take up 65% of my monthly wages. Thanks for the info!

I was on Bethlehem's Yelp page the other day looking at coffee shops/grocery stores out of curiosity and I saw Full of Crepe. Hahaha, the name made me laugh.

Edited February 5, 2016 by A blighted one

[gingin6789]

6 minutes ago, A blighted one said:

Wow! Ok, so a (really crappy) studio apartment where I live is $1400 (probably more now, actually, as I was house hunting 2 years ago).  I have roommates now and my room is still $1050/month. And a good sandwich is $10, minimum. A crappy sandwich would still be $8. Coffee is more like $3.50 for a plain cup here. I usually make coffee at home, but I do like to study/read at cafes, so it's good to know.

I knew it was going to be cheaper in PA than where I live, but that sounds amazing. I moved to this city for college and the cost of living as been killing me the entire time. I'm so ready to live somewhere where my rent doesn't take up 65% of my monthly wages. Thanks for the info!

I was on Bethlehem's Yelp page the other day looking at coffee shops/grocery stores out of curiosity and I saw Full of Crepe. Hahaha, the name made me laugh.

FULL OF CREPE IS LIFE. You seriously must go there. Living around the corner from that shop is dangerous for my wallet! Ahhhh you will love it!

Dang, sounds like cost of living will be awesome for you here! Everyone back home was shocked at the cost of living for me. I went to undergrad in Lancaster, PA though ... quite rural. My husband had a nice, two-story townhouse-like apartment in Lancaster with two roommates and it cost $1250 total, so only about $400 a person. So my friends are like "Dang, your Bethlehem apartment is expensive!" but I'm like "it could be worse!"

Lehigh's funding for my program is very generous. I hope it's the same for English! Are you coming to visit before you make your decision?

I know your main concern is with cost of living, but I should reiterate the mountain aspect again. I took the flat campuses I attended in undergrad for granted. This place might leave you winded if you're not used to a campus on any type of hill. 

Edited February 5, 2016 by gingin6789

[A blighted one]

@gingin6789 I'll have to check out Full of Crepe. I'm not sure if I've ever had a crepe, if I'm being honest.. Haha. I did have something really similar to a crepe when in Thailand a few years back that was filled with bananas and Nutella. I'm more of a savory food person. Do they have savory crepes?

I was invited to the recruitment day next month and I'd really like to attend. I'm pretty sure I'll be there. I'm nervous though!

My minimum stipend will be about 25% more than what I've been making at home for the last 3 years as an undergrad, so needless to say It should be a LOT more affordable for me to live in Bethlehem if I decide to go to Lehigh. I was nominated for a fellowship (which I'm not counting on getting because it's competitive) that would be almost 50% more than what I'm currently making at home. 

It's mostly flat where I live, but I do work on top of a hill and either walk to bike to work. My undergrad institution was on a hill as well, but the campus itself was only slightly hilly. I think I'm in pretty decent shape, so hopefully I won't be gasping for air all the time, haha!

[gingin6789]

7 minutes ago, A blighted one said:

@gingin6789 I'll have to check out Full of Crepe. I'm not sure if I've ever had a crepe, if I'm being honest.. Haha. I did have something really similar to a crepe when in Thailand a few years back that was filled with bananas and Nutella. I'm more of a savory food person. Do they have savory crepes?

I was invited to the recruitment day next month and I'd really like to attend. I'm pretty sure I'll be there. I'm nervous though!

My minimum stipend will be about 25% more than what I've been making at home for the last 3 years as an undergrad, so needless to say It should be a LOT more affordable for me to live in Bethlehem if I decide to go to Lehigh. I was nominated for a fellowship (which I'm not counting on getting because it's competitive) that would be almost 50% more than what I'm currently making at home. 

It's mostly flat where I live, but I do work on top of a hill and either walk to bike to work. My undergrad institution was on a hill as well, but the campus itself was only slightly hilly. I think I'm in pretty decent shape, so hopefully I won't be gasping for air all the time, haha!

Oh em gee DO they have savory crepes! Only super wonderful delicious savory crepes! I swear I am not a paid spokesperson, just a huge fan and perpetually hungry grad student!

I also prefer savory to sweet, so if I love them, you should too. Like you, I never had a crepe before trying theirs! 

Excellent news on thefunding front! Lehigh has great funding for students. Even summer funding is very attainable through strohl grants and teaching assistant summer fellowships, and sometimes even research assistantships. Don't be nervous about the visit! From what I know, Lehigh's English department is  awesome. I actually took feminist theory with an alum of Lehigh's English PhD program! She's no longer teaching at lehigh, but she's easily one of my favorite professors. 

[A blighted one]

1 hour ago, gingin6789 said:

Oh em gee DO they have savory crepes! Only super wonderful delicious savory crepes! I swear I am not a paid spokesperson, just a huge fan and perpetually hungry grad student!

I also prefer savory to sweet, so if I love them, you should too. Like you, I never had a crepe before trying theirs! 

Excellent news on thefunding front! Lehigh has great funding for students. Even summer funding is very attainable through strohl grants and teaching assistant summer fellowships, and sometimes even research assistantships. Don't be nervous about the visit! From what I know, Lehigh's English department is  awesome. I actually took feminist theory with an alum of Lehigh's English PhD program! She's no longer teaching at lehigh, but she's easily one of my favorite professors. 

That's great to hear! (both about the crepes and the English dept ?) I guess I'm just nervous because I just graduated with my BA a few months ago and I feel so unprepared and and basically shocked that I have this opportunity!

Also, wow, I didn't even think about summer funding. I'm really excited, but if I'm being honest, having to be a smart grad student who's always on point is kind of scary because I definitely don't feel like a smart grad student! Haha

[gingin6789]

1 hour ago, A blighted one said:

That's great to hear! (both about the crepes and the English dept ?) I guess I'm just nervous because I just graduated with my BA a few months ago and I feel so unprepared and and basically shocked that I have this opportunity!

Also, wow, I didn't even think about summer funding. I'm really excited, but if I'm being honest, having to be a smart grad student who's always on point is kind of scary because I definitely don't feel like a smart grad student! Haha

Aw I totally understand! But you've got this! You can still be yourself while being a "smart grad student" though. There will be some bumps as you transition to grad student life, but we all go through that. For now, just be excited!! :-)

[A blighted one]

3 hours ago, gingin6789 said:

Aw I totally understand! But you've got this! You can still be yourself while being a "smart grad student" though. There will be some bumps as you transition to grad student life, but we all go through that. For now, just be excited!! :-)

Thanks, I'll try to focus on the excitement. Have any tips for moving to Bethlehem? What's a good time of year to look for housing? Are there any resourses for finding other gead student roommates? I'll probably be moving alone and I'd like to have roommates, at least at the beginning, so that I'm not too lonely.

P.s. You've got me all excited to try Full of Crepe and the $3.79 sandwich place!!

[gingin6789]

14 minutes ago, A blighted one said:

Thanks, I'll try to focus on the excitement. Have any tips for moving to Bethlehem? What's a good time of year to look for housing? Are there any resourses for finding other gead student roommates? I'll probably be moving alone and I'd like to have roommates, at least at the beginning, so that I'm not too lonely.

P.s. You've got me all excited to try Full of Crepe and the $3.79 sandwich place!!

Good time to look for housing for August is... Now-ish! I signed my lease in mid-march, so start browsing some websites now. 

I'm actually on the dean's grad school advisory council for the college of arts and sciences, and we're trying to work out how to make resources for finding roommates easier.

For now, if you have Facebook, search for the Lehigh grad student life office page! I've seen people post there to find roommates. Plus it might be useful just for you to check out for more info about Lehigh:'s grad programs. 

I'll also ask some of my friends and contacts in the college of arts and sciences what they recommend! 

I actually avoided having roommates cause I didn't know anyone here at first, so I'm sorry for not having better advice ahh! 

 

So glad you are looking forward to the delicious food!! Even talking about it has made me crave crepes and sandwiches :-)

[A blighted one]

35 minutes ago, gingin6789 said:

Good time to look for housing for August is... Now-ish! I signed my lease in mid-march, so start browsing some websites now. 

I'm actually on the dean's grad school advisory council for the college of arts and sciences, and we're trying to work out how to make resources for finding roommates easier.

For now, if you have Facebook, search for the Lehigh grad student life office page! I've seen people post there to find roommates. Plus it might be useful just for you to check out for more info about Lehigh:'s grad programs. 

I'll also ask some of my friends and contacts in the college of arts and sciences what they recommend! 

I actually avoided having roommates cause I didn't know anyone here at first, so I'm sorry for not having better advice ahh! 

 

So glad you are looking forward to the delicious food!! Even talking about it has made me crave crepes and sandwiches :-)

Oh, geez. I'm still waiting to hear back from 9 other schools! There are only 2 I'd consider over Lehigh, and although its unlikely that I'd be offered comparable funding, I guess it's possible. That makes finding housing now seem impossible. I don't have Facebook anymore, actually, but I was thinking of one making one if I go to grad school so that I could better keep up with my friends in other cities. Maybe I'll just make it early...

Thanks so much for asking around for me!!

 

[gingin6789]

4 hours ago, A blighted one said:

Oh, geez. I'm still waiting to hear back from 9 other schools! There are only 2 I'd consider over Lehigh, and although its unlikely that I'd be offered comparable funding, I guess it's possible. That makes finding housing now seem impossible. I don't have Facebook anymore, actually, but I was thinking of one making one if I go to grad school so that I could better keep up with my friends in other cities. Maybe I'll just make it early...

Thanks so much for asking around for me!!

 

Don't feel the need to make a decision early purely based on housing! The "roommate needed" posts continue far closer to august than one might think! If you wait until April 15th to make your decision, you will still find housing. It just might be harder to find online/might be more expensive. Don't panic about housing yet! 

[Different_Name_111!!!]

"Yay!  I recently got accepted to Lehigh - let's check to see if there's information about Bethlehem."

On February 5, 2016 at 10:27 AM, gingin6789 said:

The undergraduate student population is largely white, wealthy, conservative, and involved with Greek life. 

"Ugh."

On February 5, 2016 at 10:27 AM, gingin6789 said:

There is some tension between Lehigh undergrads and residents of South Bethlehem. Undergrads call people from Bethlehem "townies" and think that the residents are "ghetto" and uneducated...

"Shit."

On February 5, 2016 at 10:27 AM, gingin6789 said:

[Rent is super affordable.] [Good-sounding restaurants and coffee]

If you live in south Bethlehem, there are grocery stores and a Rite Aid within walking distance, as well as many restaurants to choose from. I don't drive, and everything here is walkable, which is nice.

Wow! This is excellent news, I'd love to stay car-free.  What's the public transportation situation?  Where exactly is south Bethlehem?  Is it just south of the river around the Lehigh University area?  Reading online, the population density seems all over the place because there are several cities/towns really close to together.  I looked at Allentown and noticed there were two colleges there as well!  Should I be concerned about my SO finding a job outside of academia in this area? 

Another concern.  I read that there was about 30" of snowfall there last month.  Is this typical weather for Bethlehem?  I'm visiting the first weekend of March, will there be snow then?  I also read it's very humid in the summer - the buildings are cooled, right?  I only ask because I know there must be some old buildings on campus...

[gingin6789]

@SickSlickensides Yes, those two things suck sometimes, but as I mentioned, the students are also very willing to learn! However, I still felt the need to mention it because those two things really shocked me when I first came to Bethlehem. 

30" of snow is NOT typical. Most winters, we get a bunch of small snowstorms, only snowing like 1-4" at a time. So don't worry!

Yes, most of the buildings are cooled in the summer. Having evening classes in Maginnes during the warmer months, I was freezing because they have the AC so cranked! I remember Christmas-Saucon being warm though (sometimes referred to as Christmas Sauna). Christmas-Saucon is the "math building," but they put one of my sociology recitations in there during my first semester.

But you're in Earth Sciences, yes? Congratulations, you have one of the newest buildings on campus that isn't far up the mountain at all. STEPS is a very nice building and is known for being energy-efficient, etc. STEPS is always comfortable.