Hi everyone,
Like many others, I’m starting to narrow down my college options as I choose which one to attend next year. I received some great offers from NC State (accepted into Honors College) and Bucknell (received Presidential Fellowship). I’m having a really tough time deciding between these two. I’ll list some info about me to give you an idea of what I might like better; all input is appreciated.
-I live in the Raleigh area, so lots of my friends are going to State or staying in the area, as well as my family. I have no family around Bucknell and frankly the remote location does concern me a bit (family would need to fly into Harrisburg through Philadelphia and then drive about an hour to see me)
-I am set on Engineering as a major (thinking Mechanical right now, though also interested in Biomedical as well as Nuclear if I choose state)
-Planning to do something musical as a minor, possibly music composition
-I am not a party person or Greek life person at all; this raises concerns about Bucknell which I’ve heard has a huge amount of that. Is that true? I of course want to have a normal social life without needing to be a part of one of these things
-I do think I will prefer a smaller university, or more specifically smaller classes, than giant auditoriums. I know Bucknell definitely offers this but have heard State can have some really large classes
-I plan to go to graduate school after this
-I love NC weather but don’t think the cold in Bucknell will bother me too much
With that all considered there are still other things that apply. I am guaranteed a paid internship all four years of college at Bucknell thanks to the Presidential Fellowship; while I know that is unrealistic at State, how good are State’s opportunities? (Being in the Research Triangle I assume State would still have some good things to offer). Cost will not be a factor due to the scholarship at Bucknell and in-state tuition at State.
Considering all of that, I definitely have a tough decision here. It is fairly clear to me that Bucknell is giving me the better opportunity, but is it so much better that it is worth leaving my friends and family for a very remote location where travel to and from will be a hassle? Especially when I would be in the Honors College right here at home? I really appreciate any input anyone could give on this.
More info on the two programs-
Honors College: http://honors.dasa.ncsu.edu/uhp-overview/
Presidential Fellowship: http://www.bucknell.edu/PresidentialFellows
I’ve heard that Bucknell has a pretty vibrant social life and lots of Greek involvement. But the question is not whether they have a lot; the question is whether you can enjoy yourself without being Greek or drinking a lot. Given that 56% of women and 59% of men are in Greek organizations…you’ll be in the minority if you aren’t Greek, and that might affect your social life somewhat. Participation is much lower at NCSU (11% of men, and 14% of women).
Your introductory classes are likely to be large at NCSU, but your upper-level classes will be smaller. Only 6% of classes at NCSU are larger than 100 students; the majority have fewer than 50 students. ALso, since you are in the honors program, you will have smaller classes and more personal attention - like the HON seminars.
How often are your parents planning on visiting you? The process to getting to Bucknell shouldn’t be a burden more than once a year (maybe Parents’ Weekend) other than moving in and out of the residence halls. Lewisburg is pretty isolated, though. I live in State College and often pass Lewisburg on my way into New York. It’s only about an hour from State College and PSU, but much smaller (pop. ~5,000 as opposed to State College’s ~40,000 in the town and ~105,000 in the Centre Region more generally). That could be good - that means that campus life is likely very vibrant and concentrated on Bucknell’s campus, since there aren’t many other places to go.
How much of Bucknell’s cost does the $20K scholarship offset, and did you also get any need-based aid? I’m imagining that the total cost of attendance at Bucknell is around $50K a year, so that still leaves you with $30K, which is probably about what it costs for an in-state student to attend NCSU.
So, it really depends. Your one concern about NCSU seems to be the class sizes, which won’t be as much of a problem in the honors program. Your concerns about Bucknell (its remoteness and the domination of Greek life) are not so easily remedied, so I would lean towards NCSU in this case. Also, if you know that you’d like to return to North Carolina or the South in general after graduation, you might have an advantage with an NCSU degree and alumni network in the area.
Thanks for the answer. For the traveling I suppose it was more of the hassle it would be for me to head back home on holidays and such - not a huge deal but worth noting. I do see how the rural area can actually be of benefit though.
Bucknell will still be a little more expensive than State as I didn’t get any need-based aid, but my family is able to pay that much so it isn’t factoring much into our decision. I also get $1500 every year at Bucknell solely for research purposes as part of the Fellowship.
It’s nice to know that the class sizes at State won’t be a huge problem, which makes it more comfortable for me, but the research experience guaranteed to me at Bucknell is still too good to ignore.
Thank you again for your input; I’ll definitely make use of this as I gather info to make a final decision sometime soon.