<p>BethesdaM: </p>
<p>One word for Bucknell :“Nuts!” </p>
<p>Same for Rochester and Lehigh but at least you are not a legacy there.</p>
<p>@BethesdaM: Wow, that wait-list is really surprising, especially considering the double-legacy status. </p>
<p>@desertcolossus: Brown, eh - brings back memories from my application season. Brown was my first choice, but ultimately I’m glad that I went to Bucknell. It hurt slightly less when Brown rejected me for grad school, too ;)</p>
<p>Hello All,</p>
<p>As a current Junior at Bucknell who is very acquainted with the admissions process, I wanted to offer up some thoughts to those who have either been wait-listed or denied. Ahead of time, I apologize if my words are redundant…My course load here is heavy enough that I don’t really have time to read every page. </p>
<p>The most common reason that applicants who are very qualified fail to gain admission is because they did not effectively communicate that they really wanted to be a student here. If you didn’t visit, then your chances of getting in were automatically decreased. </p>
<p>If you did visit, then there are a myriad of factors that could have led to your being wait-listed or denied. I will not go into those factors. </p>
<p>In response to the comments communicating that people with seemingly inferior GPAs and SATs are getting in, there are a few explanations. </p>
<p>First, being a legacy or having someone affiliated with University support you is a helpful factor. People who have gone to school here have a very good idea of whether or not a student will be a good fit here. It makes sense that the school would value their opinions. </p>
<p>Second, students with lower GPAs usually have something else: an upward grade trend. I personally know several students who had horrible grades in high school, and yet have been on the Dean’s List almost every semester here. Admissions looks for more than just a proven record of success-- they look for potential. </p>
<p>Third, if a student who is “over-qualified” applies here, and hasn’t demonstrated very strong interest in attending Bucknell, then their chances, too, will be decreased. Things are this way for a few reasons, one of which is <em>yield</em>. If Bucknell were to accept every qualified student, then our acceptance rate would go up. However, many of those people would choose to go to other schools anyway, thereby lowering our yield. The school’s goal is to INCREASE yield… Seeing that this is the case, it makes sense to perhaps admit more people who have Bucknell as their reach school, as opposed to their safety. </p>
<p>That’s my $.02 out of a dollar. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!</p>
<p>and also, congratulations to all who have been accepted! We’re ready for you!</p>
<p>Accepted!</p>
<p>The more and more I read about people who were wait listed or rejected from hear makes me shocked that I managed to not succumb to the Tufts syndrome, because this was definitely a backup for the ivies (which all said no)</p>
<p>Stats:
GPA- 3.9 uw and 5.1 w
ACT- 33
Sat II math- 800
Sat physics- 730
AP English lang- 5
AP world history- 4
Varsity wrestler for four years and captain for two
Coached a youth wrestling program regularly
Founder of Junior Statesman of America chapter at my school and elected president
NHS
Selected on scholarship for a few leadership conferences
Lots of community service at many different places
AP course load- Calc BC, Physics C, English lit, statisitics, gov, econ
Conducting an independent study on the field of finance
White boy from north Texas</p>
<p>So excited to be accepted though, can’t wait for admitted students day</p>
<p>^^We’ll see you there. But I guess you’re not the rejectionking after all, are you?</p>
<p>I wish it were so, but even though I’m ecstatic about being accepted by Bucknell, I couldn’t miss the fact that the big packet came in the mail surrounded by nine smaller letters from schools. I actually only applied to eight of them, I got rejected by a school I never applied to.</p>
<p>As a Bucknell alumnae and a mother of a current high school junior, I can tell you that many of the children of my college friends were rejected, despite legacy status. Our daughter is looking forward to taking a tour and seeing the school during my 30th reunion. That being said, there is no guarantee of admission and we will be encouraging her to look at second tier schools.</p>
<p>“I actually only applied to eight of them, I got rejected by a school I never applied to.”</p>
<p>Oh man, I’m sorry, but that’s so awful I don’t know whether to laugh or cry for you! How about a little of both…thank God you got accepted to Bucknell. I’m sure the bad news will fade and you can just focus on the fact that you got into a great school.</p>
<p>swimsoc2013–I am glad that I read your post. You actually made me feel better. I have done a lot of research in the last few weeks and am appalled at the admissions process for Bucknell, especially for legacies and kids with outstanding credentials. I go back to my original post a few weeks ago that it is also WHO you know. Many acceptances had people make calls to existing staff at the school (people their teacher etc. knew personally), and that made a difference. I am sorry for all who did not get in and happy for all who did. And to all who read this, I do not need a barrage of angry responses for my thoughts, I am entitled to feel the way I feel, especially with all that I have learned in the past month regarding the admissions process at this school.</p>
<p>I’m truly sorry for kids that didn’t get the result they wanted, but I believe that there is MUCH more to the admissions process then mere stats. For example, Bucknell is not need blind, therefore applying without checking the financial aid box may give an applicant an advantage. Also, Bucknell tends to admit a sizeable percentage of students during EDI and EDII, where admit rates are higher. This leaves fewer spaces during the RD round, making it more competitive.</p>
<p>The following is a list generated on another site. Perhaps it can be helpful for those with kids yet to go through the admissions process. </p>
<p>Lessons Learned</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Visit schools before the senior year.</p></li>
<li><p>Have at least one Rolling Admission school that is applied to by late September/early October.</p></li>
<li><p>Get the essays done over the summer. Your child will thank you for nagging them about this later!</p></li>
<li><p>Understand the benefits of EA/ED as they apply to your child and each school. </p></li>
<li><p>Prepare a “high school resume” with a brief description of your college/career goals to give to the people doing your recommendations and to attach with the applications (I kept a file in MS Word for each year in high school, so that we wouldn’t forget any activities.) </p></li>
<li><p>Have a financial safety that your child would be willing to attend.</p></li>
<li><p>If a school says something is recommended or optional treat it as required if it’s a school your child is really interested in. </p></li>
<li><p>If the first SAT scores aren’t great, try the ACT (and vice versa).</p></li>
<li><p>Use the new net price calculator tool that all colleges are now required to offer on their websites. This will give use a realistic ballpark of what FA you might receive. Better to know this info upfront - than to apply to colleges that simply will not work out financially.</p></li>
<li><p>Look at the Common Data Set for each college - simply Google “XYZ University Common Data Set” and you will generally find it. A wealth of information on acceptance rates, admissions criteria and test scores.</p></li>
<li><p>Apply to one or more schools where your child’s stats are at or above the mid-range. (You will know this after checking out the CDS). This will provide both an admissions safety school and a great chance at merit aid.</p></li>
<li><p>Start applications in August - particularly for any rolling admission schools. The Common Application becomes available August 1 each year and most other applications are available by mid-August. Anything you can accomplish in August will be a blessing in September/October.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are applying for need-based financial aid - check each college’s website very carefully. Deadlines and requirements vary considerably. Familiarize yourself ahead of time with FAFSA and CSS Profile. Don’t be intimidated by all of the acronyms - these are fairly straight forward forms.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t pay for SAT/ACT tutoring prematurely. Just as you would not head in for surgery without the proper diagnostic tests - don’t get sucked into an expensive test prep program before you know what your child needs. Have them take both an ACT and a SAT junior year. Decide which test suits them better. Decide which sections of that particular test need work. Then - you can do some paid test prep to focus on that specific area. </p></li>
<li><p>The most important lesson of all - and the one that many wise posters taught me last year - is to love your child unconditionally - despite the occasional bad grade - despite their lack of interest in their college process - despite their innate ability to push buttons. No college admissions process is worth damaging the relationship you have with your teenager. If you find yourself veering towards the deep end with stress over the college process - take a deep breath and step back. The nest will be empty soon enough.</p></li>
<li><p>Have your child pick a theme. This theme is their story. It should be what makes them unique. The theme should play out in interviews, resumes, and essays. It can be an after school activity, a charity, a learning difference, or anything. It may sound odd, but it makes sense. You want a story conveyed, that might resonate with admissions.</p></li>
<li><p>Pick two or three schools and market your child to these schools. It is important to set your applicant apart. If these schools are a reach, you need to put a name and story to your child. Don’t rely solely on SAT and GPA numbers to sell your child. Demonstrated interest can be very important. Colleges want to admit kids who are going to enroll. They want high yields. We selected two schools that were reaches for my daughters. We visited, met with admissions, followed up, and set our kids apart. The results so far have been great. In one instance, my D1 personally delivered her application and materials. She told the admissions rep she flew there to hand it to her, because she wanted her to know how much she wanted that school. It worked. Now we hope for one more good result for D2.</p></li>
<li><p>ignore those around you who give you ‘the look’ or question, why that school or comment I have never heard of it. be proud of the school. it doesn’t have to be ivy league.</p></li>
<li><p>fit, fit, fit</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t second guess yourselves. No woulda, coulda, shoulda. Do your research - make your decisions and choices - and live with the results.</p></li>
<li><p>Start taking the ACT early in your kid’s Junior year and take it OFTEN! Many schools use a “superscore” which takes the highest score in each category. Our kids did better each time they took it, confidence comes with practicing a little every day (30 minutes) and focusing on one subject each day. Most problems kids have is getting the section completed in the time allotted and practicing with a kitchen/cell phone timer each day teaches them to speed up the process.</p></li>
<li><p>Make sure it’s their voice that comes through in the essay. It’s fine to have other people look it over to make sure it reads well and is grammatically correct and without typos. But it has to be their essay and don’t let anyone polish it too much.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>That is great advice. Thank you for taking time to post it. My son was wait listed at Bucknell, but my attitude has been, “it’s not meant to be.” I believe things happen for a reason and he has some great schools to choose from. He has narrowed to Allegheny College, Lafayette and West Virginia University Honors College. He was also accepted to Wooster and Duquesne, but he was wait listed at Wake Forest and declined at UVA. </p>
<p>Although this time has been stressful, I have enjoyed it. The road trips, discussions and essay proofing have given us a lot of time together. I have learned so much about my son in the process. </p>
<p>We have another son who is a high school freshman, so we will take the advice and start earlier for him. </p>
<p>Good luck everyone. </p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Wow CrosbysMom - you sound like a terrific mom with a very healthy perspective on this whole crazy college search!!! Your post was very heartwarming - thanks for sharing.</p>
<p>Crosbysmom, he’s definitely got some great choices there. But…if his top choice is Bucknell, I would not go to the “it’s not meant to be” frame of thought yet.</p>
<p>I would advise him to do what he can to get off the waitlist. There isn’t much time left. After May 1st, there will probably be some spots. I would email or fax things to Bucknell, like any current awards, midterm grades (if they’re good), and always with a heartfelt declaration of how much he wants to go to Bucknell, and anything that he can say that might support his case. My kid is on the waitlist at another top school (which I think he’d turn down if called), and when talking to their administration, they said it all comes down to interest now. That he should send something every week, to convince them of how much he wants to go to that school. That would put him on the top of the list.</p>
<p>And if he doesn’t get called off the waitlist, then go to the “it wasn’t meant to be” frame of thought. I think so many kids this year may have gotten so little fa/merit, that they may not be prepared to pay full price for some schools…plus many kids over applied to too many schools. They can’t attend them all!</p>
<p>Well, my son just pushed the button to submit the deposit for Bucknell. We’re very happy! He had some great choices, but Bucknell just seemed better to all of us, for many reasons.</p>
<p>Congratulations! I hope he has a great four years.</p>
<p>Thank you very much, morrismm. Seems like a perfect place spend four years, a little slice of heaven.</p>
<p>Congratulations, Busdriver and S! Your S is probably already aware, but there’s a Class of 2016 FB page: [Log</a> In | Facebook](<a href=“http://www.facebook.com/groups/209139545808046/]Log”>Bucknell University Class of 2016 | Facebook)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Party December7th at the last room on the left at dorm Larson got lots of alco. Lots of frosh will be there, party of the year for dorms.</p>
<p>^^ Really don’t think this is the place for this post? Plus at least spell the name of the dorm correctly ~ Are you a freshman at Bucknell?</p>