Bucknell Engineering

My S was admitted to the Engineering schools at Bucknell, Virginia Tech & Ohio State. He is having a tough time making a decision. Even after weighing the pros & cons of each, he is not sure which program to pick. Any thoughts from those who may have or may be having the same or similar dilemma? They are three very different programs etc. Trying to determine which program would be best for future job prospects.

Congrats on the great choices.

What type of engineering is he interested in and are there any other considerations that are important? You can check some stats about each program here:
http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/7078/screen/21?school_name=Bucknell+University
http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/6890/screen/21?school_name=The+Ohio+State+University
No info there for VA Tech

Would need more info to try to help further.

My son also had to decide between Bucknell and Virginia Tech. To make matters worse, he was not accepted to engineering at Bucknell, but they did agree to let him take the first semester of engineering classes and try to transfer into the program.

His heart was with Bucknell. His head said Virginia Tech. He went with his heart and good thing because engineering turned out not to be his path.

He is now a very, very happy applied math major at Bucknell. His younger brother will be attending in the Fall (ED).

If the sole focus is future job prospects, and any of the schools have co ops, I would go with that. Getting internships while being in a remote location has been challenging.

But honestly, I would avoid over analyzing and go with his gut more. They are three great programs.

How certain is he that engineering is right for him? That’s also important. Can he readily switch to his second choice? Is there a good program for his second choice? Lots of kids drop engineering!! Maybe ask for that statistic from the dept. What percentage of kids who start in the program finish as engineering majors?

@amarylandmom and @CA1543 Thank you so much for your incite. He is currently interested in electrical/computer engineering. VT & OSU start all students out in general and then you declare a specialty after your first year so he may ultimately change his concentration. I think his one concern about Bucknell is that it is such a small program and even though the school has a great reputation and alumni support, does that reputation hold true for Engineering and future name recognition for job placement after graduation.

Not sure where you are from, but if your son wants to live in the Mid Atlantic or the Northeast, I don’t think the reputation will be an issue at all with Bucknell. Educated people definitely know the school. Lots of engineering oriented companies hire from Bucknell. In fact my son complains that the job fair is dominated by companies seeking engineers.

However, I do think that nationally Bucknell is not as well known. So if you are thinking your son really wants to work in Austin or Silicon Valley, I am not sure.

Does your son feel enthused about a larger school setting? I feel like the big schools actively try to weed out kids early with big general classes and tough grading. Are they taught by TAs? Do they guarantee the specialized area he wants or are some types of engineering limited to a certain number? These are things I didn’t think to explore until after the fact!

Bucknell does deliver a very well rounded education so your engineering student will graduate with the writing skills that even engineers need to some degree.

We loved VT too, much more than our son actually did, so definitely not trying to persuade you one way or the other. Just pointing out a few things I would have explored further if I knew then what I know now lol!

@amarylandmom We are from NJ so we certainly know what a great reputation Bucknell has here. You have given us some important things to think about! We truly appreciate a parent’s knowledge who has gone through the process already! lol

Good luck with the decision making!!! I am sure you and your son will come to the right conclusion. . You have three great options so can’t go too far wrong. Congratulations to your son on the culmination of the application process.

@amarylandmom Thank you so much! I know he wants to make his decision in the next few days. Who knows, he may become a Bucknellian too!

I hope you will report back! Especially if our sons will be classmates!

Definately!

Regarding employment prospects, please see:

https://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/CDC/2014PostGradReport.pdf

Bucknell engineering graduates have done well. It has also done well according to US News and World Report – which is not necessarily the defining authority. There just isn’t a lot out there that compares schools.

See: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/bucknell-university-211291/overall-rankings

The biggest difference between your son’s options seems to be the size of the school. OSU and VT are much bigger whereas Bucknell is a small college town liberal arts setting. He’ll get a great education wherever he goes – the setting where he is most likely to succeed is key. Best of luck.

@nohelicopters Thank you! We appreciate the info. I think at this point he really just needs to decided size and location.

amarylandmom, can you share why your son changed out of engineering at Bucknell? And I was wondering what AP Physics and Calc classes he had at time of application? My daughter as sophomore decided engineering was her thing. As junior she has AP physics 1 and LOVES it, honors pre-calc. She is taking Physics C and probably BC calc next year (with tutoring to prep over the summer to get ready). She has taken two robotics classes, an engineering design class, coding class and loves all these too. She will take IB engineering design next year also.

But I still worry about a school like VA tech, if she does change her mind. I also worry about BC calc, which is why I am mandating the summer tutor.

@maddy23, I PM’d you, but my short answer is that I don’t think you need to worry. And also you will be surprised at how much Virginia Tech has to offer should engineering not work out. They have a very robust course offering there.

My son really didn’t like physics at all, and he wasn’t accepted to the engineering program at Bucknell that he wanted. I think those issues led to him deciding applied math was a better route to pursue.

@SALSRL Did your son decide where to go?