<p>I know Bucknell is no where near many state schools and lower tier schools when it comes to partying all the time, but partying seems to be big at Bucknell with parties every weekend.</p>
<p>It seems understandable with the school being in a rural location without much to do on the weekends. </p>
<p>Well, I’m trying to determine what those students do that do not go out and party every time Friday and Saturday rolls around. If I choose Bucknell, I will be a Presidential Fellow. I want to be focused on academics and relieve some stress through clubs, other activities, and the occasional party.</p>
<p>Is it hard to fit in and have a good time at Bucknell if you are not into parties every week? I’m also slightly fearful of the preppy atmosphere at Bucknell. I am not the biggest fan of this type of atmosphere, and it can become irritating if the students only seem to care about parties, nice clothes, and expensive cars.</p>
<p>this is a really common misconception about BU so i feel compelled to reply im a senior at Bucknell right now and can definitely say (after four years of experience) that the party scene isnt everything here. there is certainly a healthy party scene, but i would say it includes about half of the student body and varies between greek stuff, house parties, and the bar scene. there are only three or four bars downtown here, which is pretty limited, but its also fun if you want to get off campus and have a drink because its mostly seniors and is a more sophisticated change of pace from other parties (or as sophisticated as a college bar can get). we also have a quasi-club on campus called Uptown where they have a lot of events and a way more low key bar-type atmosphere. other than drinking there is a ton of stuff to dolectures, movie series, comedians, concerts, sports games, open mic nights, trips to the city, trips to the surrounding community to do fun stuff with friends, whatever. the school is trying to get away from a drinking image so they go out of their way to provide a lot of alternatives-- the kids who dont want to do anything but party tend to get bored before those who dont drink as much, so youll find plenty to do. if you want to see some examples of stuff planned you can also go to the campus planning organizations (called ACE) events calendar (<a href="http://www.bucknell.edu/documents/CAP/ACE/WeekendPosterSpring10.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.bucknell.edu/documents/CAP/ACE/WeekendPosterSpring10.pdf</a>)</p>
<p>like i said, i think only around half (if that) party all the time, so you definitely wont feel left out or isolated if you arent getting sloppy drunk at a party every weekend. the majority of kids spend their time doing normal things i think its just a small minority of crazies that give us the party school name</p>
<p>in terms of the preppiness issue, i can definitely relate. i was pretty freaked out by how rich and preppy the campus seemed when I first got here, however i think you notice the kids that are dressed really nicely more so than the kids who dress normally, so you overlook the fact that most people here are down to earthagain a small margin of the students tend to negatively reflect on the campus as a whole. i am by no means a preppy girl (i laugh at anyone with a popped collar) and i still have a lot of friends who are both preppy and who refuse to wear anything other than sweats. in general the preppiness issue is an inside joke here so even kids who dress like they walked out of a j crew catalogue can laugh at themselvesthey just choose to wear what they like (case in point: my roommate, who i make fun of every day). its really mixed id say, but the size of the student body is such that youll come in contact with and befriend people from every group and creed and background and the details of what you wear or do on the weekend really dont determine who you become friends withits more of what you make of it and how outgoing and accepting you are.</p>
<p>that was long-winded in general youll have a blast here and trust me when i say that once graduation comes around, it will break your heart to leave!!</p>
<p>Too bad my son is abroad this semester, JJS. He is not preppy, could dress a tad better in my opinion, has long hair and a beard, is majoring in Poli Sci/Philo and plays in a band. He's not had any trouble finding friends and things to do.</p>
<p>no problem... i see BU get slammed for the party scene all the time and it seems ludicrous to me. the honest truth is that the school offers pretty much anything a kid could want (in my opinion), and students just choose what they wanna do. you could see on that link that there are weekend events and stuff, but also keep in mind that a university like bucknell pretty much leaves open to all students a TON of activities and stuff to do on a day-to-day basis which i guarantee you will not find with other schools. this goes for sports, clubs, travel outings, non-Greek organizations, etc. etc... most people I know, even those who do division I sports (a lot, since we have a ton of sports teams and a small student body) and/or have incredibly hard majors, like to keep really busy and will join clubs, do student gov, write articles for the paper, work on campus, you name it. if i went somewhere else I doubt I would have been able to play club lacrosse, ride for the equestrian team, write for the paper, do an on-campus internship, travel to peru for a community service trip, study abroad in germany, etc. etc... by the way i never had experience with these things beforehand or had to qualify for them in any way</p>
<p>all in all...the price tag is rather high, the campus is a bit isolated...but honestly what you get in return is a very unified student body and this huge spectrum of activities and opportunities laid at your feet. </p>