<p>I am trying to decide right now between Bucknell and Colgate and I’m really freaking out because that May 1 deadline keeps getting closer and closer!! I really loved both schools and they seem so similar. I feel like I may fit in better at Bucknell, but I just can’t write off Colgate because it seems to be more presitigious.</p>
<p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>first, as i am seemingly starting all of my posts, congratulations!</p>
<p>the biggest problem i think i have with the cc forums is that there is such a huge emphasis on miniscule differences in prestige. i have no problem with someone wanting to go to a good college. i did. but i do have a problem when people cant stop debating over the relative prestigiousness of cornell and duke. first, i have no idea how one would even base a claim for either school being more prestigious. and second, even if one could, the difference would be insignificantly small, rendering such a debate pointless. </p>
<p>a persons ultimate success has much more do to with what he does in college then where he goes (and that includes the kid who goes to mit and the kid who goes to bunker hill community college). so given the miniscule difference in prestige between colgate and bucknell, id go where where i felt id be more comfortable, and therefore most successful. and that works for you in the same way as it works for someone who got into bucknell and franklin and marshall (in fact, see my post to the girl who was considering washington and jefferson). if you were choosing between bucknell and a third tier lac or bucknell and williams... then prestige can and should come into the conversation. it doesnt mean that williams should win every time, but it should be considered.</p>
<p>...probably shouldnt have tried to answer questions at 2am in my somewhat impaired state. oh well! good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Eric,</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your quick response. I probably shouldn't have emphasized Colgate as being more prestigious than Bucknell because I know that they are both very amazing schools. It's just the only difference I have been able to find between the two is that Colgate is ranked slightly higher by many college resources (CollegeConfidential, CampusDirt.com, US News, Princeton Review). </p>
<p>I attended both schools Accepted Students Days in the hope of making a real distinction between the two, but I left both thinking that I could be very happy at either school. The students at Bucknell really blew me away with their friendliness and willingness to help--every person I met was like the nicest person I ever met in my entire life, but that's not saying that the people at Colgate were at all unfriendly. I did feel though that the administration at Colgate was much more eager to meet the accepted students and talk with them. </p>
<p>Do you think that there is anything about Bucknell that makes it different than other LACs? I'm planning on majoring in English and Political Science and I was wondering if you had any opinions on the strength of those departments at Bucknell. Also, how do you feel about Greek life at Bucknell? I know that it adds a lot to the social scene, but do you think it is too cliquey? From reading your other posts, you seem to be interested in so many things and I was wondering if you ever felt that there was any area that you were held back in at Bucknell.</p>
<p>I'm so sorry for all the questions--it's just I'm having such a tough time right now and I don't want to make the wrong choice. If you could answer just one of those questions, it would help a lot. Thank you so much.</p>
<p>Eric,
Don't bother answering because I'm going to Bucknell next year and I couldn't be happier. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>wow... eight minutes late! congratulations!</p>
<p>Congratulations - how did you make your decision?</p>
<p>I changed my mind again. haha. I thought I was decided but now I'm back to being completely confused between the two. My guidance department insists that Colgate is Ivy League (I showed them that it was not), but they said that I would have much better job placement if I attended Colgate. I'm really quite confused right now.</p>
<p>Take your GC's advice with a grain of salt....S's GC argued with him two days that Bucknell was in New York. If they can't speak with any authority about which schools are Ivies, what makes you think they know anything at all about Colgate vs. BU in job placement?</p>
<p>heh... my gc had never heard of amherst. however, she did personally drive my penn state honors college application to the university so it wouldnt be late. so i guess it evens out!</p>
<p>i tried to find statistics on colgates job placement numbers, but they provide absolutely NO information on their wesbite. however, i was looking at mits report the other night. starting salaries for mit students in most majors are very, very similar to bucknells. so unless colgate grads make more than mit grads, your gcs argument is in pretty serious trouble.</p>
<p>yeah, I probably should have ignored everything that they said, especially considering they are typically called "misguidance." (we are so clever at my school...haha). My dilemma between schools still exists though because I am finding it increasingly difficult to differentiate between the two.</p>
<p>The schools are similar....If this helps you at all...how do you feel about the cold?? You'll get much, much worse winter weather in NY....Lewisburg does have a cold winter season, but much milder (and likely shorter!) than Colgate.</p>
<p>Sadly, I do not really mind the weather. I'm a pretty easygoing person when it comes to stuff like that. Thanks for your advice though--if only it were that simple.</p>
<p>I know the party life at bu is dying...
if thats a consideration</p>