Hi, I am a junior interested in business. I like both of these schools and am considering applying ED to one of them. I don’t really know how strong Bucknell’s business program considering they are not ranked, but they recently received accreditation. I have heard given the choice between undergraduates of both schools that Bucknell students are given the better opportunity over Richmond students in the field of business. I want to confirm this. Is this true? Which school has a better business program? What other schools have the same program strength of Bucknell?
I’d say it is a toss up. Richmond is probably ranked higher but Bucknell has more alumni in the Northeast if that is where you want to work. When you visit, ask about career and grad school placement at each school. I don’t know your stats but places like Lehigh, Bentley, Babson, BC Villanova might be worth reading up on. Look at the list below and see what interests you. I’m not big on rankings but it is a good list of undergrad business schools.
@happy1 So you think that whatever school I like more is the one that I should go ED? Does that mean that Bucknell and Richmond have basically the prestige in terms of the business program? Also, out of the schools that you mentioned I am looking at BC, Villanova, Bentley and more. Good to know that Bucknell is around the same level of those schools as well.
I always think you apply ED to your favorite school. I would ask at Bucknell about placement etc. when you visit – the b-school doesn’t seem to be ranked but the school as a whole is very well thought of. I would think that placement is good but I have no facts to back that up. It is worth dong some homework before committing ED to any school.
I’d also look at Lehigh (unless you saw it and didn’t like it) because it may have a lot of attributes you are looking for. You can consider applying non-binding EA to a school like Fordham so you know if you are in by December…
@happy1 Yeah I visited Lehigh and did not really like it. That is some good advice about Bucknell, but it is kind of hard to research about the strength of the program because there is not a lot of info about it. That is why I’m trying to get multiple opinions and confirmation.
If you visit you can ask to speak with someone in the School of Management, the placement office etc. or maybe go to an open house where different departments give presentations. I looked quickly and it did not look like a typical b-school program with all of the traditional b-school majors so you need to decide if the program fits your interests and needs. (PS my D did not like Lehigh either)
Bucknell has had a School of Business for more than 75 years. It only recently got AACSB accreditation because, in the past, it did not need it. But, more and more, students are looking for this accreditation. It also basically means a school will not rank high, or at all, without it.
Bucknell got AACSB accreditation very quickly. I know this for a variety of reasons, including a H who is a member of visitation teams that determine accreditation, or in H’s case, re-accreditation. He knows many consultants and people associated with AACSB. Bucknell received AACSB accreditation quickly because they had already been doing all of the things required for many years.
Not really sure why happy1^said it did not look like a typical b-school program because AACSB looks for or requires certain classes. Maybe happy felt this way because there was not the menu of majors offered at other larger b-schools.
Bucknell has a large presence on Wall Street and in business. (Les Moonves, a top 10 paid CEO in the US and CEO of CBS is a grad, as is multi- billionaire Ken Langone, co- founder of Home Depot) I truly expect that in the future it will have a highly ranked b-school for undergraduate as its College of Engineering does.
Haha, obviously I would go with Bucknell.
@morrismm Great! Thank you that was just what I needed to hear. Do you know much about the business program at University of Richmond? If so, is that the level that you would consider Bucknell’s business program at?
No I do not specifically know about it. I think both schools are closely ranked. But I know Bucknell business majors have a strong presence in the northeast.
@morrismm Okay thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
@morrismm What I meant is that when I looked at the Bucknell School of Management it appears that only four majors are offered – Accounting & Financial Management, Managing for Sustainability, Global Management, and Markets, Innovation & Design. Nothing at all wrong with this as long as the OP has interest in one or more of these areas or has checked the courses online to be sure that the classes he/she wants are offered. One should be able to get whatever they need but it is just not the more typical choices of majors such as accounting, finance, marketing, information systems etc. found at most b-schools. Again, this is not a bad thing as long as the OP has done the research and can get what he/she wants out of the program. Bucknell is a great school with a strong reputation, particularly in the northeast.
@happy1 Yes, you are absolutely right. The majors are different than a typical business school. However, I believe that the majors and courses provide the students with all the knowledge to succeed in their field. From what I have researched, it looks like the courses simply give the students more hands-on experience. I would probably declare an Accounting & Finance Management major, which seems closest to the typical majors anyways.
@CTkid47 Sounds great then. I wanted to mention it but it sounds like you’ve done your research. As long as the choices work for you, Bucknell is a fine choice.
In terms of the business world, which of the two schools gets more recruitment and gets better opportunities. That’s my main focus because at the end of the day, I am trying to get a job. Therefore, I want to know which school looks better in business when trying to find a job.
Check out this report on where Bucknell grads land. It’s got salary and company info.
http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/CDC/2014PostGradReport.pdf