<p>Hi, all. I’m glad to say that I’ve been accepted to both the Honors program at SUNY Geneseo and to Bucknell University. However, I now find myself faced with a very difficult choice. My goal is to go to the college that will give me the best academic opportunities possible, as well as to the college that will look best to graduate schools. So far, guidance councelors have not been of much help. So, which college do you believe is a better choice? Geneseo Honors or Bucknell? (Money is not the deciding factor here, however the vast difference in tuitions would push me towards Geneseo if the two colleges are of nearly equal quality). I have less than a week to make this decision, so quick responses would be GREATLY appreciated.</p>
<p>P.S.
I realize that Bucknell’s campus is of higher quality, but this is not my deciding factor. I find Geneseo to be perfectly livable, so please do not answer based upon how each school looks. Thanks!</p>
<p>some info. on what you want to study would help. if you want information on grad. school, jobs, they are here in this post-graduate survey of bucknell's class of 2005. (it is rather detailed but quite informative). </p>
<p>I haven't selected a major yet, but I'm deciding between biology, psycology, animal science, and political science as majors. I know that both colleges have strong classes in these disciplines, as they are both focussed toward liberal arts.</p>
<p>I suppose the real question should be: Is Bucknell so much better (or does it open up so much more opportunities) than the Honors College at Geneseo that it warrants spending my entire college fund (leaving me to rely on loans and other means for graduate school)?</p>
<p>since you are interested in majoring in biology, psychology, animal science, and political science, i found some graduate school/job placement info. , basically post-graduate stuff for geneseo. You can compare that with bucknell's post-graduate survey results and see how graduates do.</p>
<p>Thanks for the links, but I've already compared these surveys--Bucknell's is MUCH better. I don't know if this is due to the fact that many kids at Geneseo can't afford top grad schools (although they DO give financial aid and there are many alternative methods to pay for grad school), or if it's because Geneseo is mainly recognized by other SUNY institutions. Based on this info, however, I find it difficult to argue against Bucknell--some of the names on that list of graduate schools are astounding!</p>
<p>By the way, satn87, I realize that most people wouldn't go out of their way to help some clueless highschool senior--your help is VERY MUCH appreciated!</p>
<p>oh it's no trouble. sometimes it's interesting to go digging through college websites for information. you seem very thorough in your own research as well. so maybe you've already seen this or maybe it won't help, but since i am posting links here's one more. this is a wikipedia article about SUNY geneseo(kind of the obvious place to look): </p>
<p>i don't know too much about SUNY since i am an international student at bucknell, so it's out of my knowledge base kind of. if you come to bucknell, you won't be disappointed, i certainly wasn't. if you decide to go to Geneseo, and that seems like quite a good school from the wikipedia article, then perhaps you won't be disappointed either. there are some stats/ranking info in the article that might be of interest. </p>
<p>Eric might be able to help more when he writes.</p>
<p>So far, I've gathered that the SUNY schools tend to respect eachother (as well as other NY schools), but out-of-state schools tend to overlook them. Coming from a SUNY school, you just seem to be much more limited in your selection of graduate schools and employment (this is clearly shown in the post-grad surveys, as most of the Geneseo grads seem to stay in SUNY or other NY programs). Personally, I HATE the idea of being limited.
I've also gathered that Honors at any school doesen't mean as much as you might think--any school can start an honors program and put anyone they like into it. It's comparable to honors courses in highschool in that it does indeed speak for your character, but it does not push you too far above your peers, and it isn't nationally recognizable like AP courses in highschool. I believe that I overestimated honors programs in general.</p>
<p>thought you might want some input from an actual bucknell student, if it isnt too late!</p>
<p>i always say that if finances are the make or break factor, you can't really argue that...a man needs to eat. however, i also made the choice between two schools, one offering a ton of aid (villanova) and one (bucknell) offering far less. i have never regretted my decision...i do have loans to pay off but im pretty sure bucknell had a decisive role in getting me my job for next year which will pay off my debts very quickly!</p>
<p>in terms of majors...i know nothing about SUNY schools but the fields you are looking at are some of the strongest at Bucknell, and do NOT have a cap on them...you are free to float around as you wish, which can be a godsend (Geneseo might lock you into one major?). also, you can CHOOSE to pursue an honors program here if you do well enough and want to write a thesis later. honestly ive heard from a lot of people that the very alluring honors program they went into at other schools were nothing but glorified academic clubs and weren't really worth sacrificing all other universities for. academics here are hard, and definitely competitive within those majors, but if you got in here your definitely smart, and if driven to do so can still do honors here.</p>
<p>that leads me to the equally important factor of social life. simply stated, you cannot beat bucknell for the "typical" college experience-- gorgeous campus, incredible social scene, friendly and helpful profs, tons of open activities and trips, travel opportunities, connection to the administration, a friendly community environment..blah blah blah. it's really incredible, and im so happy to have gone here. i know for a fact i wouldnt have been able to do all the stuff i have at other schools (hmmm....play lacrosse, ride for the equestrian team, write for the paper, do outdoor environmental labs, do an on-campus internship, travel to peru to do community service, study abroad in german, etc. etc.)</p>