<p>S has been accepted to Lehigh, Bucknell and Boston College to their respective schools of business. He is also very good at math and the sciences, so may be interested in engineering, just doesn’t really know what engineering is and if right for him. Has visited all three for candidates days over the past couple of weekends, and loves all of them. He thinks he wants Greek life, which would rule out BC, but BC still has a great social scene. BC would also be out if he wanted to explore engineering. However, BC has the 6th best undergraduate business school in the nation, according to Bloomberg/Business Week, so would probably be the best choice for business (although Lehigh is no slouch either, and their business school presentation was impressive). Lehigh is more flexible than Bucknell in allowing transferring between business and engineering colleges, and also has the IBE program if he wanted to pursue. Bucknell has a great campus, Greek life and overall reputation, not really sure how business stacks up against BC or Lehigh, but my feeling is that it is not quite up to par with the others. At present, S thinks he wants to work in NYC in accounting or on Wall Street. We live close to Lehigh, and I am an alum, so he has been there often and is very comfortable there. Lehigh’s net cost after aid is the lowest, and proximity to home would save even more in travel, etc.</p>
<p>He’s really struggling with his decision… any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Bucknell-do not underestimate the School of Management at Bucknell and the ability to place potential workers into major firms-especially in NYC. Bucknell’s reputation is solid in business and if you look at the data from the graduated Class of 2011 you will observe the high level of graduating seniors who were selected to be employed in business-related jobs–Bucknell would be a hard place NOT to attend. Here is the link to the report: <a href=“http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/CDC/Post%20Grad%20Results/PGR12_Text.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/CDC/Post%20Grad%20Results/PGR12_Text.pdf</a>
Good luck with the decision-all three schools have unique opportunities for undergrads-as always it gets down to “fit”–which place did your son feel most comfortable and which place made him feel as if he “fit”–I knew when I stepped on to the Bucknell campus that the “fit” felt great and I could see myself going to school with the people there. To top it off, I wanted the experience of joining a fraternity and Bucknell felt like “home” in that area, too. As a Bio major, I worked hard-but had a fair amount of time to socialize-- I felt that Bucknell supported their fraternity system–and I was correct. Now as I end my first year of medical school-I feel I received a great education at Bucknell–the folks I met who were involved as Business/Management majors-all secured jobs before graduation-Bucknell has a very fine Career Development Center on campus to help you prepare for life after graduation in any field–I felt I received a great education and met great people that will be my friends for a life time. The CDC helped me not only with resume review–but also gave me a place to practice interviewing 1 on 1–how many schools offer this? Bucknell does-and I think it’s a sound reason why people find their “home” at Bucknell to have access to the many internship opportunities that exist for the student body. You can check out Bucknell’s CDC program here: <a href=“http://www.bucknell.edu/CareerDevelopment.xml[/url]”>http://www.bucknell.edu/CareerDevelopment.xml</a> Also, here is some more data for you on the School of Management-hope it helps. <a href=“http://www.bucknell.edu/x70166.xml[/url]”>http://www.bucknell.edu/x70166.xml</a></p>
<p>All excellent choices. Bucknell is more remote, location wise. My choice would be Lehigh by a hair. Congrats to your son for having those choices.</p>
<p>Re: Why isn’t Bucknell ranked?
Bucknell’s School of Management is making rapid progress toward AACSB accreditation - the process should be complete within the next several months. Only schools with the AACSB accreditation are considered by BusinessWeek and USNWR when they come out with their annual rankings of business schools. As a result Bucknell isn’t yet eligible to be part of the “rankings” but Bucknell grads and employers will certainly attest to the quality of the business program relative to its peer group and other top-ranked UG programs.
All the best to your son Yocco1 - he has three wonderful options and will most certainly be happy and thrive at any of these exceptional schools!</p>
<p>I agree with NYGmen. It appears Bucknell is about to get AACSB accreditation. And it is about time. </p>
<p>The reason they didn’t get it sooner is not because it is not a quality program. It has more to do with internal politics, often the case with a LA school with a business program. It also has to do with their structure and not having a business school dean. In other words, AACSB is expensive and has very strict expectations and standards to get the accreditation. As usual with such things, there is resistance from others who may be threatened. As I said, politics. But also as I said, the quality of the program is not an issue.</p>
<p>Bucknell has a very strong presence on Wall Street, accounting students get jobs at the top accounting firms and it has some well known alumni working in business.</p>
<p>Please don’t misinterpret what I said about the business program at Bucknell… my S would not have applied there if it were not top-notch. The ONLY reason I stated it might not be up to par with the other two schools was the lack of accreditation for now, but I do realize they will most likely become accredited soon, and my understanding after visiting this past weekend is they plan on forming an actual College of Management in the future as well. And all three schools have phenomenal alumni support in NYC. </p>
<p>I thank you all for your thoughtful, candid comments and observations… they are all excellent and meaningful and will certainly be helpful to my S as he struggles with his decision over the next few days. I always taught him that if he worked hard, he will have many wonderful choices in life. Another life lesson learned - when you have many wonderful choices, the choices aren’t so easy! However, better to have many choices than none at all. </p>
<p>If you have any more comments to add, please keep them coming! Thank you again.</p>
<p>I found this quote from a report authored by the advisory committee on the creation of a college of management:</p>
<p>“AACSB accreditation will neutralize the ability of competitor institutions to assert that the Management program at Bucknell ‘is not accredited’; such claim, however deceptive, undermines the credibility of both the program and the University”</p>
<p>So, the University is quite aware that it is at a disadvantage when competing for students (e.g. Yocco1’s situation). I hope that the pursuit of AACSB accreditation doesn’t undermine the University’s mission to provide an outstanding liberal arts education.</p>
<p>“I hope that the pursuit of AACSB accreditation doesn’t undermine the University’s mission to provide an outstanding liberal arts education.”</p>
<p>I do not understand this. Bucknell has had a Business major for a very long time. My Dad was a business major graduating in the 1940’s. So clearly a Business major has been part of Bucknell for a long time.</p>
<p>Perusing excellance in any subject, major, field should not undermine anything, AACSB requires excellance and support of this excellance ( called assurance of learning) and that you prove it. Showing, doing, proving. What is wrong with that?</p>
<p>The pursuit of AACSB accreditation has effected a revision of the Management curriculum. My hope is that the revision has not placed an even greater professional focus on the curriculum.</p>
<p>AACSB accreditation aside-let’s look at the big picture.Buckenell is a great place to spend four years and if its job placement that you desire than the track record for business, finance, and management majors speaks volumes-Bucknell places its students in jobs after graduation and does a great job of training leaders. Because the structure of the curriculum is based in the liberal arts, graduates can draw their knowledge from many areas of expertise. The fact that John Bravman, President, has accepted the Board of Trustees offer to stay on through 2020 only means that Bucknell will become an even better place to spend four years.The school attracts quality students who do go on to success and it’s a beautiful place to spend four years gaining confidence in yourself and your abilities to critically think–just what the business world needs to move forward.</p>