<p>I can’t decide and the deadline is Monday!! Both Colleges are very similar. I’m looking into Economics/Management/Political Science, but I don’t really know what I want to do.</p>
<p>Concerns:
How do their reputations compare?
Bucknell seems to be more in the middle of no where
How are the party scenes – I’ve heard the administration is becoming stricter at bucknell?
The dorms - which has better options? (I’m kinda picky)
I have the $13,500 presidential scholarship at Gettysburg. Is it worth paying full price for Bucknell?</p>
<p>GCORBU,
Have you been accepted into Bucknell's Managment program? That is a critical question because if you haven't, then it is very difficult, although not impossible, to transfer into the major. If you didn't get into managment, then you would probably be looking at an econ/polisci double major. Financially, it is a tough call to spend $44,000 a year for a degree when you know there is a scholarship elsewhere. </p>
<p>The dorms and all of the buildings are beautifully maintained at Bucknell. Did you see the academic bldgs, or the cafeteria? I love the charming coffeehouse called the Seventh Street Cafe. My D lived in McDonnell Hall, which is just 6 years old, and her friend from the Penn State Honors College couldn't believe how nice it was. We are very picky too, and the bathroom was cleaner than many hotels I have stayed. </p>
<p>Bucknell seems to have a better reputation and I think they have big plans for the future. Yes, the campus is in the middle of nowhere, but once you make friends that doesn't matter. You'll have fun getting to know your hallmates, cheering for Bucknell Basketball, watching Grey's Anatomy, playing video games, etc. There are plenty of parties if you want that, and I think a growing trend among college students is to drink at off campus apts or houses. There is a non alcoholic dorm called CHOICE for those that want it, and there are plenty of activites through their RA's. The campus also has other events like musical concerts, I think Kayne West and the Goo Goo Dolls were on campus this year. If you are looking for nightclubs or world class shopping, you won't find that in Lewisburg, but I doubt you will find that at Gettysburg either.</p>
<p>Good luck to you. If it is any consolation, we decided to attend Bucknell last year at 11:30 am -May 1st !</p>
<p>I must agree with snajean on this.
I'm a highschool senior, and I chose Bucknell over Gettysburg. I think the fact that you received that scholarship at all (I got the same one), and you didn't get one at Bucknell (neither did I) speaks for itslef--Bucknell is more selective. True, the data and numbers are very similar. However, I noticed a definite trend at my highschool that the kids being accepted to Bucknell were of a generally higher calibur than those being accepted to Gettysburg. Gettysburg seems to have rather lax admission standards, while Bucknell's admission standards are only getting tighter.
I do know that Bucknell's acceptance rate this year is lower (33% compared to Gettysburg's 41%). This number is definitely affected by the fact that Bucknell has more applicants, but this may be offset by the fact that it also has about 1000 more undergrads. You may want to compare the 2005 graduate surveys, but it's difficult to do that because only about 120 grads responded to the Gettysburg survey, whereas 95% of Bucknell's class of 2005 responded to their survey--this may say something about the unity and pride of the students, and I personally assume that the people not responding to the survey may not have acheived as much as those that did. Both surveys were impressive, but Bucknell's survey had too many awesome graduate schools listed for me to ignore.
One thing that I was told by my guidance counselor (and, of course, I cannot know for sure if this is true or exaggerated) is that Bucknell is moving up in the ranks quickly. They sent a letter to my guidance department explaining that they will be lowering their acceptance rate (to about 30%), bringing the school even closer to the ivy-leagues. This could very well be true of Gettysburg too, but I haven't heard anything. I can quote my guidance counselor as saying this: "I'm now telling my juniors not to count on getting into Bucknell." This information gave me the impression that Bucknell is becoming a real "hot commodity," and it would be a good idea to get in on the action now. None of this is completely provable, however.
Perhaps most importantly, you can always transfer from Bucknell to Gettysburg without much trouble--it is easier to transfer down than it is to transfer up. As long as you keep up your grades, you'll probably get the same scholarship to Gettysburg later on, and the schools are quite similar in size, location, and academic concentration. If you don't like Bucknell, or it's becoming too expensive and you're not getting the financial aid you need, the worst that can happen is you'll have to transfer, and Gettysburg seems to be a good bet for transfer.
Keep in mind that this is only my opinion, but I have dona A LOT of research on the subject. Good luck!</p>
<p>thought you might want the perpsective of an actual bucknell student, if you haven't made your decision yet...</p>
<p>if finances are a huge issue, there obviously isn't much you can do about that. but honestly if you're looking for an incredible college experience (i mean the whole package-- parties, activities, club sports, amazing campus, travel opportunities, great classes and profs, etc. etc.) then you really can't beat bucknell in my opinion...and most kids here will say the same. the dorms are awesome, which you realize once you see like half the student body choosing to stay on campus as opposed to houses downtown which actually tend to be cheaper. yes it seems isolated as anything once you drive out here but that's pretty much what cuases the school to be very community-oriented and the students really unify over that fact, which as far as im concerned is why the social scene is so crazy. also tons of kids leave all the time; they have school-organized bus trips to cities and kids bring cars and go visit friends or go to cities, etc (ive been to DC three times, Boston twice and NYC twice this year alone). there's also a lot of funny and quirky "central PA" stuff to do in the area, so you can shake it up a bit. soo as a graduating senior i can tell you i'm so depressed to leave...all my friends have these amazing jobs lined up in NYC and DC and are still having meltdowns over leaving bucknell </p>
<p>also a heads up-- my housemate works in admiss here and says that competition to get in so steep now she doubts any of us could get in if we applied again! schools like bucknell are upping the ante so graduating from here will look really good once you start working....and it comes fast, trust me</p>