<p>I'd like some help comparing these two LACs. I know they're both great schools. We're looking for a typical liberal arts education, with grad school or professional school down the road. Is one stronger/more prestigious than another?? Is there a major that's particularly strong at either. Economics may be strongly considered. Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>Most people would consider Colgate more prestigious. Bucknell has engineering in the context of a LAC; Colgate does not have engineering. Campus culture pretty similar (Frats, preppy, drinking scene.) I know a student at each school; both are ecstatic. Another question to consider is whether or not music comes into the picture. Bucknell takes conservatory/audition approach; Colgate does not. Both are stunningly beautiful, although Bucknell is a bit too manicured for my tastes. I think most people would also consider Colgate more remote and colder.</p>
<p>Being a Lafayette Economics grad, I'd suggest adding my alma mater to your list (especially math based Econ), but I think any of the three would provide a good liberal arts base and preparation for grad school. I'd look into research opportunities, whether all classes are taught by professors (probably the case at all three), internship/externship possibilities, etc. and flexibility of concentration (accounting, auditing, econometrics, etc.) if Economics ends up being the major of choice. Good luck!!</p>
<p>My son visited a friend at Bucknell last fall for a big concert weekend there. He felt that the campus was dead (despite the concert) and boring. His friend who goes there loves it, though. Son (and we) also visited Colgate. I loved the campus and town- one of my favorites. The students said it is never boring and that the school tries really hard to bring in great speakers and entertainers since the place is in the middle of nowhere.
I think both are excellent schools. Our tour guide at Cornell had transferred to Cornell from Bucknell because Bucknell felt too small to him.</p>
<p>My son absolutely adores Bucknell, and doesn't find it boring in the least. There is quite a bit to do there in a variety of activity areas. My son travels some for debate, the College Dems are quite active, and he plays in a rock band. Then there are the things he isn't involved in...the plays, choral groups, intramurals and so forth. The campus athletic facilities are nice if you like to work out. Getting to NYC for a weekend is easy, he's done that a few times. The live music scene is very active and several of the local bands are very popular. Bucknell does host one or two big concerts each year in addition to the Crysalis Ball. (I would have enjoyed Parliament Funkadelic!) They try to vary the genre of the music. House Party weekend is a big deal in the spring.</p>
<p>I loved Lewisburg in the fall, it's very lovely and not quite as remote as Colgate--but not much less. :p It was a choice between Colgate and Bucknell for my son, and he chose Bucknell because he really liked the students he met on his visit, and his admissions representative for the south/west region. He decided to eschew "prestige" for fit, but to each his own.</p>
<p>Both schools seem to have the reputation of being party schools (for whatever that's worth) Any first-hand experience with that aspect of my comparison? S seems to be a bit more impressed with Bucknell, although he is stuck on attending a prestigious school. USNWR ranks Colgate a few clicks above Bucknell, but I'm not convinced that means very much. Guess I'm just not that impressed by prestige, but I am the adult here and he's doing the choosing, after all! Whats the word here? Are they comparably prestigious?</p>
<p>D visited and was accepted by both. Bucknell has the feel of a bigger school because of the presence of engineering and a flatter, more spacious campus. Colgate clings to the slopes of a VERY steep hill. </p>
<p>Lewisburg looks like a very neat, yet small college town. Hamilton seemed like nothing, even with a prestigious school in the middle of it.</p>
<p>Hamilton has a great sushi restaurant, believe it or not. I liked the college bookstore, too. It's in "town".</p>
<p>Bucknell also has more students so it would have a bigger feel.</p>
<p>Might want to look at Holy Cross-another Patriot League school. Unlike Colgate and Bucknell, Holy Cross is located in a mid-size city-1 hour from Boston. Like Colgate, Holy Cross has very strong alumni network.</p>
<p>D got into both schools. The feeling we got was that both were severely lacking in diversity of color, socio-economics and political thought. Both clearly were socially centered on greek life and the weekend parties at the frats. We did feel the kids looked very happy at both schools interelating in groups of friends. </p>
<p>D and wife and I really loved Colgate. The administration had its act together. The sense we got was of a tight knit community where the profs knew their students and cared about them. The school just completed a gorgeous new library and was close to completing a new science center. The campus was to die for it was so beautiful with its own golf course. There is a wonderful zen-like religious studies center. </p>
<p>We found Bucknell sterile with no discernable feeling of intellectualism. Our D preferred Lafayette much more than Bucknell. We found Lafayette had much more in common with Colgate than Bucknell did and would strongly recommend applying to Lafayette.</p>
<p>What finally convinced my D to choose Wesleyan over Colgate,Lafayette and Bucknell was the diverse, eclectic intellectual nature of the student body. The kids were so interesting in their differentness. The school was bubbling with so many things to do all of the time. The key is have your child visit at least two times the schools at the top of their wish list and do an overnight at accepted schools. If your kid knows him or herself then the tangible and intangible differences ever so subtle between the schools will be evident to your kid and yourself. </p>
<p>If it is between
Colgate and Bucknell we all chose Colgate in our family. It is a great school.</p>
<p>Dana's Dad</p>
1 Like
<p>I think Bucknell is larger, which would be a plus. Small college/small town can feel a little confining for some. We visited Bucknell with DS and he liked it. Lovely, quaint town and great campus with good food service (although we had a hard time finding good food off campus). He ended up choosing a much bigger school, however.</p>
<p>Colgate is very rural.</p>
<p>Search for Bucknell and Colgate on urbandictionary.com for some funny comparisons.</p>
<p>Both schools are of a similiar stature in terms of academic reputation. Neither is a "party school", but instead are places filled with extremely intelligent, well-rounded young adults who way more often than not are people who will stand out throughout their lives for their social skills and charm. These are students who get their work done, and then love to get together with each other in big groups to socialize. They for the most part like to do the kind of socializing that they will continue to do when they are running companies or partnering in top law firms in the real world. There are sightings of serious partying, but not many. Just consistent, ongoing socializing when the hard work is done. </p>
<p>These students also manage to keep all the balls in play in terms of gaining leadership positions, internships, and the like. Being in rural areas forces a climate of resourcefulness on the part of students, as well as bonding. There are always really creative and funny things going on as the student body creates a vibrant world in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>Colgate is a bit more remote, and perhaps a tad less jolly (it may be the cold temperature). Bucknell is 3 hrs. to NYC and 2.5 to Philly when you need to stage a landing at another college for the weekend (or enjoy the cities). Lewisburg is in the middle of Menonite country. The town is so cute and you can go get some shoefly pie at the farmer's market on the weekend. The landscape is gorgeous and the campus looks like a postcard. It is fairly flat which makes it a pleasure to walk to class. </p>
<p>You should visit both schools for a weekend and see what your gut tells you. Lastly, if you are a basketball fan, you have no choice but to go to Bucknell.</p>
<p>I went to Colgate many years ago, my daughter also applied this year and was accepted. It is a very tight knit community, great alumni network. It is heavily recruited by investment banks and other employers. It also has good science programs - biology, physics - great science facilities. </p>
<p>Colgate has a very personal application process. Dean of admission wrote a personal note to my daughter when she was accepted, which I later found out they did it for everyone. After she declined the offer, they wrote to give their best wishes, then they asked her to fill out a lengthy survey. No other school did that.</p>
<p>I enjoyed my four years at Colgate and it has served me well later in life. Hamilton is remote, but the campus is very vibrant. When I was there, there was something to do every weekend - from cultural events to frat parties. We also took advantage of Syracuse and other surrounding colleges, Hamilton and Cornell. Twenty years later, based on our recent college tour, Colgate has only gotten better. Colgate students (and alums) are known to work hard and play hard. It's a great place to spend 4 years if it's the right size for you.</p>
<p>Patriot League has 5 very good schools in Holy Cross, Bucknell, Lehigh, Colgate and Lafayette. Holy Cross has perhaps the best location-1 hour from Boston,while Colgate and Bucknell are rural. For major sports HC-basketball,football,hockey, Colgate-football and hockey, LEHIGH and Lafayette-football(great rivalry) Bucknell-basketball. HC has perhaps slight edge over Colgate in alumni giving rate.</p>
<p>Tough call. I have passed through Bucknell several times via my way to DC and back. I'm still amazed how the kids get off campus to this "town." It looked like Bucknell probably uses a shuttle or something whereas Colgate is literally next to it that almost everyone walks to it.</p>
<p>True- the differences in landscape does make a difference in the campus size feel. I think with the loonngggg walk uphill, the campus does seem big!</p>
<p>Colgate is simply more prestigious and has a bigger alumni network and name recognition by companies than Bucknell. I think Colgate is much better on the long run as I have seen so much improvement since the fall of my junior year in high school 6 years ago (yikes!!!) and Bucknell doesn't seem so.</p>
<p>^Actually Bucknell is a couple blocks from the town, and people just walk in and out. The university and the town are one.</p>
<p>I'm not sure but I think Bucknell has always had a larger student body, and therefore the alumni network would be bigger. Additionally, Bucknell's students become unusually bonded, and the connections throughout a lifetime among alums are legendary.</p>
<p>I think the prestige difference between the two is small. Colgate may have a very slight advantage there, but it isn't much. Bucknell does win in terms of the charm factor - there is something unique about it in terms of friendly warmth that you just have to have a long visit to get. A friend's little sister chose Colgate over Bucknell because after visiting both schools, she felt that she really wasn't social enough for Bucknell.</p>
<p>As far as name recognition with future employers, maybe they aren't sure if you are listing your school on your resume or your preferred brand of toothpaste? (JK!)</p>