<p>looking for some feedback on how Bucknell grads do in fields related to lifesciences, biochemistry, research… I am not sure, but they do not seem to have many graduate programs themselves. Do grads do well getting jobs and do they do well getting into strong masters and phd programs? Are there opportunities for undergraduates to get involved with research? They seem to be strongest in engineering.</p>
<p>the combination of an active research faculty and a lack of graduate programs is one of the primary strengths of selective liberal arts colleges. faculty are doing research. there are few (if any) graduate students around to fill the labs. so theyre filled with undergraduates, who are in turn getting real research experience.</p>
<p>biology/biochem majors from my entering class are working on phds at places like cornell, penn, rochester and virginia tech. others entered masters programs at places like columbia and duke. and, of course, there are tons of alums pursuing various medical degrees.</p>
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<p>is bucknell perhaps best known for its engineering programs? sure. does that make them bucknells strongest? not necessarily. </p>
<p>but the programs do have a tangible benefit on those in the sciences, as they force the school to hire the additional math and science professors necessary to teach the the math/science classes engineers are required to take. that means a larger faculty (with naturally more diverse research interests), more opportunities for undergraduate research and, best of all, no more math and science majors to fill them.</p>
<p>Hey volley123, I’m a current freshman at Bucknell and I am double majoring in Biology and Classics. I can elaborate on undergraduate research. Since we have a very small graduate program at Bucknell much of the research done here is with the help of undergraduates. My friend, a freshman Bio/chem major, will be staying this summer to do research with a professor and will continue that into next school year. I will be starting to do research with bacteriophages next year as part of a new program called Phage Hunters. Bucknell recently recieved a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (along with some other universities) to do research in finding and isolating bacteriophages and studying their genome. There is a real possibility that we will have the ability to contribute novel data to the scientific community as sophomores. There are so many undergraduate research opportunities available to Bucknell students.</p>
<p>thank you for your response. Sounds like you are doing quite well. Congratulations. A few questions please. How did you get your research opportunity? Are you part of the Presidential Fellowship program? What do you think of the fellowship program. Also, do you have any idea what graduate schools for advanced degrees in sciences and what medical schools Bucknell students have gotten into.
So very appreciative.</p>
<p>Thanks! Actually this particular research program I will be a part of is open to sophomore biology, biochem, or neuroscience majors. I had to apply for the program, and I will get .5 credit for each semester, meaning that i will get 1 credit for the entire year. I am not a Presidential Fellow, so I can’t comment on the Fellowship opportunities for those students. I know that bucknell does a great job in preparing students for medical school and grad school in the life sciences. I am hoping to get my PhD in Biology. As for which particular schools that Bucknell students end up, I am not sure of which ones exactly, but I assure you that Bucknell pre-health and life science grad students are well prepared for any school, even the Ivies.</p>