Readmission to Lehigh varies from student to student

As thousands of students return to Bethlehem to begin their spring semester, some students choose instead to visit foreign countries, attend a different college or spend a semester at home. The readmission process for those students varies from that of regular university admissions.

Students have a variety of reasons for transferring or taking a temporary leave from Lehigh. According to Lehigh’s Office of Student Affairs website, students who decide to take a leave of absence should contact the associate dean of students office and complete a leave of absence petition form. This form must be signed by the student’s faculty adviser and the associate dean of the student’s college and submitted to the Standing of Students (SOS) Committee for review and approval.

Readmission to Lehigh is possible with appropriate paperwork, as detailed on the website for the Office of Student Affairs. Students who wish to return to Lehigh and were granted a leave of absence must submit the readmission form prior to the semester they return.

“We encourage students to connect with their adviser and college associate dean as part of the process, so they can think through any academic implications of the time away,” Katherine Lavinder, associate dean of students, wrote in an email. “It can be quite different depending on academic program and where a student is in their degree program.”

Chandler Coggins, ’18, left Lehigh to attend Minerva, a liberal arts and sciences undergraduate program where students learn from seminars taught through an online video platform. Minerva emphasizes global immersion so students live in seven cities worldwide over their college career.

“I felt I was kind of in a bubble here at Lehigh,” Coggins said. “I really wanted to explore the world more.”

After a few weeks into the term at Minerva, Coggins left because said the school didn’t feel right to her.

“I missed my campus,” Coggins said. “I missed the class structure. It just felt like a lot of marketing spiel instead of something that was real. When I was trying to get back here for last semester and for this semester, Lehigh has been so helpful. There would be people emailing me two seconds later with an answer to my question.”

When students take unofficial leave of absences, they must contact the associate dean’s office to see if an SOS petition form is required for their readmission. If an SOS petition form is required, it must include why the student left Lehigh, how they spent their time away from school and the reason for requesting to return.

Marissa Flores, ’16,  took a leave of absence because of medical reasons.

“The fact that I had an adviser that supported me, that was something that was important for me leaving,” Flores said. “Coming back felt more like I was just making natural progressions because I left and then I came back every couple of weeks just to visit anyway.”

Students who take a medical leave of absence must contact the dean of students office to partake in the Health Review Process. Once the review is completed, students may submit their readmission form petitions. If the student attended another institution during his or her time away from Lehigh, copies of unofficial transcripts and dean certifications from the institution must be submitted.

Both Flores and Coggins viewed their semesters away from Lehigh as time to gain new experiences and connect with what they wanted to do upon returning to Lehigh. Flores said it was a learning experience, and she has found it is not uncommon for students to take time off.

“A surprising number of people do it,” Flores said. “A lot more people end up doing fifth years or an extra semester. So it’s not as strange now.”