Does anyone have any experience or thoughts regarding both schools? Son believes he will pursue law school. Waiting to hear about merit money from both.
Love Bucknell but it’s rural, unlike American, so does your son have a preference? Have you looked at outcomes to see which school has more students headed to law school and the schools to which they have been accepted? That may also make a difference.
Those schools couldn’t be in more different settings and American is a good deal bigger than Bucknell. What kind of setting does your son prefer? Also see what type of pre-law supports are available at each school, internships, etc… Definitely the feel of these two schools is very different. Good luck!
Thank you. We are going to visit both schools this week. My son says he wants to go to law school. He is a really good student and we are awaiting to see if he is awarded any merit money. American is ranked 69 and Bucknell in the 30’s and I’m just wondering if this matters in the real world. I think school in DC must be great experience but I’m not too familiar with American aside from this site. Thanks for any info u can provide
So I guess main concern is the importance of the rankings
American is well regarded, especially if you think your son may steer towards working in government. I don’t think the rankings matter that much but it’s worth asking the question about their acceptance rates to law school. I have a feeling that it will come more down to feel/fit of the campuses. For the record, I LOVED Bucknell. It was my safety when I applied myself and I was sad that my daughter opted not to apply (no opportunity to take classes in her sub interest). Enjoy the visits and let us know what you thought!
Don’t get caught up in the rankings. They are both good schools.
It does not matter which school. If money is not a factor, let him go where he wants. For law school is is only going to be about LSAT and GPA.
Thanks all. Great idea to look at law school acceptances from both schools. Should have thought of that on
my own! Although he was accepted to Emory as well and it is ranked higher than both schools mentioned, he did not want to attend. So, I really do need to move past the rankings.
@seekwaag Usually American’s non-application based merit awards & financial aid package comes with your acceptance packet. The Financial Aid package might be delayed if you had to submit additional information. Are you waiting on a specific departmental scholarship? I believe the Honor’s College ($30,00 merit) has already been selected.
By now you should have your financial aid awards. Decision day is 10 days away.
Bucknell gives primarily need based aid I thought.
What did the net price calculator say for both schools?
Yes, American and Bucknell have very different environments. American is in a near-in, in-town suburban area. There are things to do around campus, though several busy commercial-commuter roads surround the campus, so I don’t really find the area very walkable. Downtown DC is obviously close, but not right next door. If you’ve been to Emory, the main Emory campus is a little more suburban feeling than AU, primarily because of the busier traffic around AU. I think students use Uber and Metro quite often, so I think there could be relatively high transportation costs. Also, there’s lots to do, but I’d imagine it would cost more to go there and take party more fully in social life than at Bucknell.
Bucknell is in a very small town (Lewisburg) and not very close to anything else. The town is really just a street or two with some nice restaurants, bars, etc. The campus and surrounding area are very beautiful, and the campus is very spacious. It’s would be more of an LAC experience, though it does have business and engineering, so something more of a professional vibe than a straight-up LAC. Social life will primarily focus on campus activities and Greek life for most students. Would that be a good fit? It probably varies by student, but I feel like it would be a lot easier (necessary) to spend more money in DC than Lewisburg.
In terms of reputation, I’d agree with above comments. Rankings probably go Emory-Bucknell-AU, but I’ll note that AU has really become much more competitive in recent years. All are very well regarded, and Bucknell could be “better” for a student in one department, and American for one in another. I look at it this way. Grades and test scores will be much more important to grad school admission than any very small difference between Bucknell and AU. Your son will probably do better in an environment that is the best fit for him. So it probably makes the most sense to weight that the most. Good luck!
Re Transportation costs at AU: AU students are given an unlimited metro pass and there is a free shuttle that runs between the campus & the shopping/restaurants/metro stop area. So only Uber would be a cost factor.
Why did the student choose Bucknell? Why did the student choose American? Going back to that basic might help answer the question.
My son loved AU, though he didn’t end up going there. I’m from DC and my mother is an alum. You can go anywhere as an undergrad and go to a good law school. My son liked that AU was in a city, but still had a campus and was in a less urban neighborhood. He was interested in international relations which is one of their strengths. He was also invited to be part of their honors college which was a plus. One of the other things he liked is that many students do term time internships. That’s not possible at more rural colleges.
Hi all. Visited Bucknell for accepted students Day and thought school is beautiful. We have submitted a merit award appeal, which will be decided on Thursday.
Son’s stats as follows:
SAT 1440
GPA 4.0
Weighted GPA 5.1
Ranked 4 out of 370 in specialized high school.
Good ECs And athletics
Hoping Bucknell will give some merit money but somehow I’m not confident.
American said we would be getting some money but have not given final amount.
I look forward to seeing American University this week.
I certainly can envision how drastically different these schools will be!
Will keep you all posted.
My daughter studies International Relations at AU. She’s been VERY impressed with the professors in her field. She’s also had great opportunities to see special events and amazing speakers in DC. AU accepted all of her AP credits so she’ll graduate a semester early… even with a full year studying abroad. (I will admit that the Honor’s Program has been very disorganized. Not what my daughter was hoping for.) She loves the campus feel and access to events in DC. The unlimited metro is now included in the cost of attendance so she can get around without a concern to cost.
Since we’re in TX, flights to and from home were a concern. DC offers lots of competitively priced flights.