<p>I was just accepted to Lehigh for engineering, and am probably going to be accepted to Bucknells as well. I’ve been looking for comparisons of each departement online but it’s hard to find because Lehigh is a university and Bucknell (while having the title university), is technically not one. </p>
<p>If you guys have any comments, stats, or links concerning which program is better I’d appreciate it. Thanks.</p>
<p>I too would love to hear some responses to this.</p>
<p>According to US News, Bucknell is better</p>
<p>Bucknell ---> 3.6
Lehigh -----> 3.3 </p>
<p>Actually, Waleed, that's not true. The two schools are on two different ranking tables - one for non-research universities and the other for research ones. Bucknell is not on the research university list, and so a comparison doesn't fit. It is being compared ONLY to similar types of schools.</p>
<p>If you took the numbers straight from the individual rankings, as you have, then you'll decide that Bucknell is better than Yale, Dartmouth, AND Lehigh. Who could possibly say that it's better to study engineering at Bucknell over Yale?</p>
<p>PhD programs are much more competitive, and therefore to be relatively high on THAT list is much more of an honor.</p>
<p>It's hard to say but I wouldn't doubt that Bucknell does have a better program than Yale. Most of the ivies don't have very good engineering programs, with a few exceptions. The name only goes so far.</p>
<p>The point scale is a good indicator, because I'm assuming they are graded the same way, regardless of what list they're on.</p>
<p>I think it might come down to location for me, Bucknell is the the middle of nowhere and I don't really like small town life. But then again it's soooo perdy!</p>
<p>Bucknell is definately more renowned than yale. Just because Yale is an ivy doesn't mean its good for engineering. In the same table, they have Michigan State, Arizona State etc ranked better than yale.. so don't go for reputation or the fact that it is better overall when judging the strength of the engineering program</p>
<p>Let me back up.</p>
<p>Bucknell is an excellent school and may very well be a better place to study engineering (I don't know), but, from statistical/scientific standpoint, you simply cannot compare the two using the data on those tables. The OP was right. The two are difficult to compare because the they are very different kinds of schools and are not included on the same ranking tables. I'm sure the OP saw the same ranking tables that Waleed found, hence the comment.</p>
<p>Read what USNAWR says about the tables. The rankings are based on peer evaluations - that is, Bucknell was ranked by deans and professors in other schools that did not offer doctorates, and Lehigh was ranked by deans and faculty in programs that did. Those numbers are NOT absolute numbers, which is why you cannot compare them. If you asked me how I would rank the taste of an orange compared to all fruit, with one being the best, I might rate it a three. If you were to ask me how I would rate cake compared to all desserts, I might rank it a four. Does that mean that oranges taste better than cake? No. It means that within their categories, they received different rankings, with oranges being ranked above many other fruits.</p>
<p>The same is true of those ranking tables for undergraduate engineering programs.</p>
<p>Given the strong reputations of both Bucknell and Lehigh, I'd guess that it comes down not to which is better for undergraduate engineering but which is better for <em>you</em>. Look at the courses. Go to campus and visit the facilities. Talk to the professors, if you can. If you have a specific kind of engineering in mind, look closely at that. One school may be better in mechanical engineering and the other in chemical engineering.</p>
<p>I don't think you can go wrong with either school.</p>
<p>thanks for clearing things up</p>
<p>I got waitlisted at Bucknell. I really don't know which one I'd go to. I like Lehigh's location better. But then again, theres that famous quote that goes something like</p>
<p>"I'd never want to be part of a club that would take me as a member". Bucknell seems more appealing because they might be a little too good for me, and if I got in, it's like I got something I barely deserved, which is nice.</p>
<p>What to do, what to do.</p>