What if you are not into Greek life? At Bucknell will you feel out of place? Does Greek life ‘dominate’ student life?
My D is a senior at Bucknell. She loves Bucknell and has been a tour guide, junior fellow for residential college and an orientation assistant, among other activities. She is also in a sorority. She will tell those who ask that Greek life is definitely big at Bucknell and pretty much defines the “mainstream” social scene. There are plenty of other things to do though. She has friends who never rushed and those who have de activated. Her opinion is that if someone doesn’t want to rush it is a good idea to have at least one other group/activity–whether that be a sports team, a singing group, a club, theater, etc – to help find a community/home base for social life. And she recommends the residential colleges for first years as a great way to build a community outside of and/ or in addition to the party scene. Affinity houses for later years also exist to continue that experience if desired. So plenty of fun to be had at Bucknell with or without Greek life but it’s definitely a strong presence on campus.
momofzag’s comment is right on point. I have two daughters there, both in sororities and both active in other things and I couldn’t agree more. Also, rush isn’t until sophomore year and by their senior year, many women are focusing on other things, so it is not a four year, all encompassing thing.
Current bucknell student here. The two comments above are a bit misleading, so I will clarify. If you aren’t in Greek life or a varsity athlete, you will have no social life, especially if you are a boy. The kids who aren’t in Greek life are either on a sports team or they are the type of students who aren’t into partying and drinking, or international kids who hang out amongst themselves. Bucknell is a small school, so when more than half the visible student body are athletes or in Greek life, there is a lot of social pressure to join. There will always be little groups of GDIs or girls who can have a social life without being in a sorority, but if you want to get the most out of your experience, you should join a Greek organization.