<p>texastaximom:</p>
<p>My D has recently decided that she thinks Bucknell is for her. She has not received her admissions letter yet but she did get a likely letter in February. Curious about your thoughts regarding the surrounding area. The school itself is fabulous but does your son get bored with the surrounding area? Also, my daughter is Asian - do you think she will have problems fitting in? Thanks!</p>
<p>Sorry mdmom! I just now saw this! </p>
<p>My son really likes Bucknell. Sometimes it is aggravating to get him to and from since it is definitely more "remote" than a suburban school. He has found that the Univeristy plans a lot of activities that you can walk to (freshmen can't have cars) and they also don't allow rushing until sophomore year---so kids can establish themselves in the Bucknell community. He really enjoys the live music (there are two clubs there, and several concerts per year). A lot of the kids like to go watch the football and basketball games as well, although my son has only been to a few. (not his thing) They have quite a few speakers, chorale presentations, a comedy troupe, and theatre on campus as well. These events are nicely priced for students--ie free. </p>
<p>He has not had any problems finding friends at Bucknell. He's not preppy, and although he is "from" Texas he is not very Texan, either! We are also middle-class. I can't really speak from the minority perspective, unless you consider leaning to the left a minority LOL! I would have your daughter visit separately from the minority weekend to get a better feel. There is a girl from Japan that lives on my son's floor. If you'd like to try to get your daughter in touch let me know. </p>
<p>There are always people going to Philly and Pitt, even NYC on the weekends. My son is at Swarthmore debating this weekend. He's also been to D.C. for debate. </p>
<p>I am definitely biased, because my son really likes Bucknell. :) Did your D's accept come? My son also got a "likely" last year and was admitted. PM me if you want my son's school email.</p>
<p>Thanks texastaximom:
Sorry for my late response - we were in New Orleans for Tulane's Honors Weekend function and I didn't take my laptop (which D found amazing!!) Her acceptance came last Thursday. We did visit once but do plan to go to the Open House on the 16th. Her choices at this point are Bucknell, Wake Forest, Tulane and Syracuse. We found Bucknell to be very nice when we visited but I was concerned about the minority aspect. You know, it's funny that you suggest that she experience it seperate from the minority activities because we also felt that perhaps that is the only way to get a good feel. Thanks for your feedback - I always read your posts and have learned a lot from them. I'll keep you posted on how we do.</p>
<p>I always find that an in-person assessment is best. While I value much of what I read on these boards, a lot of schools (Bucknell and Wake are two) seem to be always pegged as white, rich, and preppy. Others schools have been characterized as nerdy, dull, snobbish or ugly. Half the time this is word of mouth from a friend of a friend of a friend. Your daughter needs to form her own impressions. She has a nice list to work from! Bucknell is much smaller than Tulane and Syracuse, and in a much smaller town than all three. That is a difference that jumps out at me.</p>
<p>I think that minority weekeds are an effort to reach out, but they don't paint a true picture. It's better to go when they aren't having a dog and pony show. That's why I don't like prospective student fairs in the fall, either.</p>
<p>texastaximom:
Something else I forgot to note but thought you would find interesting - D attended an invitation only minority weekend last November. The interesting part of it all was that they served them all fried chicken and collard greens and housed them in minority dorms sort of segregated from the remainder of the student population. She felt very strange about all of that and I don't think she got the real effect of the school population in general. (She actually said that the only thing missing from the menu was white rice!!) The administration however, was very helpful, welcoming and accomodating. That is why she is looking forward to going to the open house - so she can see the real incoming freshman for the Class of 2009. She feels like she will know if she belongs there or not. She does love the school and is going to major in engineering which is such as good program.</p>
<p>marylandmom- i was on the same trip in november and i felt the same way your daughter. it definantly was not the real effect of the student population in general. i did another overnight trip afterwards and it was much different. i still completely loved Bucknell, although it really isn't that diverse. i had originally wanted to go to a campus with TONS of diversity because my high school is the opposite of that. But as I looked further into Bucknell I fell in love with it despite its lacking of diverisity. i think she should go on the minority trip next week just because it's fun, haha, and I'll be there and we can be friends. but she should also if possible try and do something independent of the minority activities.</p>
<p>violeta180:
Thanks for your feedback - good to know she wasn't the only one who felt that way. She has decided she does not want to participate in the minority event and I support that decision. She will however attend on the 16th and I know will be able to decide based on how she feels that day.</p>
<p>MarylandMom said, "The interesting part of it all was that they served them all fried chicken and collard greens and housed them in minority dorms sort of segregated from the remainder of the student population."</p>
<p>I am not a minority and I am offended by this. Seems to me by segregating these students you are only looking to increase your minority numbers on paper and not trying to include the students into the general population. Please tell me I am wrong about this! </p>
<p>My daughter loved Bucknell and would have attended had she not been accepted to her first choice school. BTW, I live in the south and I don't know many kids that would eat collard greens, no matter where there were from!!</p>
<p>pokey318:
Actually I don't think they did it to offend anyone. I think they were attempting to make everyone more comfortable but it achieved the exact opposite effect. It is an excellent school and they are trying to increase their diversity. They just have a little learning curve in the process.</p>
<p>That was my point; someone didn't have their thinking cap on :-( I know that Bucknell is an excellent school and it was my first choice for my daughter! Hopefully each of these smaller, predominant white school will become more diverse. While they are at it, maybe they could include the same students they are attracting in the planning of attracting others.</p>
<p>The private high school my children attended also is trying there hand at diversity. Again, they are going about it the wrong way and the few student they do admit feel they are there just because they are black. Some have had a hard time while others have adjusted well. A good friend of my daughter's (male) really would have liked to take a girl to the prom of his own race. The only other black girl is dating someone else, so he is going with one of his white female friends. I don't think it was that big of a deal, but it sure would have been nice if he had a larger selection of girls to pick from. </p>
<p>When a school accepts just a handful of students that are not white, it is hard for those students to feel part of the group sometimes. Sorry, I know I'm not voicing this the right way to get my point across. I don't even know why I got on this soapbox!</p>
<p>Diversity is and will be an issue for a long time. As the minority college bound population grows, there will be more students to diversify. Most of the uber competitive schools at the top skim off a large chunk of minority applicants right now. And I do agree that it is daunting to be one of the first people to jump over. I can't imagine wanting to pursue any opportunity, no matter how fantastic, if I were going to be the only female, or only "Anglo" as they call us in Texas :) When my son looked at schools, he didn't want to apply to any that had a majority from in-state save for William and Mary. But I digress.</p>
<p>Actually, I think what is needed (not just at Bucknell, at all schools) is ECONOMIC diversity. Many of the minority applicants you see in college share the same economic background, two highly educated parents, private school etc....it's not just about looking around and seeing people who "look" like you, but who also share your background.</p>
<p>FWIW, my alma mater, UVA, is still struggling with this 20 years after I graduated. We used to host "Spring Fling" for minority admitted students, and my last year the other African-American students held a big protest rally that weekend because they felt that students did not get a true feeling of the school when they came that special weekend. I never did understand why there was a "Black Student Union" and a "Black Pre-Law Society" etc...and all of the service fraternities and sororities were also all African American. I always though it would be better to have one organization for everyone, but perhaps they felt that minority needs could better be addressed this way. As for the Black Greeks--they liked it that way as they were not into the typical drinking frat boy things. But UVA is still struggling to admit more minority students all these years later. </p>
<p>At least colleges are trying to correct this problem. It will take a long time, but it's better than just pretending it is not a problem. Hopefully they will get some feedback from students who did not enjoy the weekend, so they can make changes the following year. I always avoid any dog-and-pony show weekend including those for prospectives in the fall etc...because it is not the true flavor of the university.</p>
<p>Anyone want the soap box now?</p>
<p>Bucknell or Loyola in Maryland? Any thoughts? I'm down to those 2 choices.</p>
<p>Bucknell of course! :) </p>
<p>I have no experience with Loyola, but I bet you will find some fans on the Loyola boards to help you. On the parent's forum, someone posted that when looking for the best fit, focus on the person you want to become in four years, and choose the school that will grow and accommodate those changes. In other words, make sure the fit lasts.</p>
<p>Good luck--you have two great choices!</p>
<p>I have to agree with texastaximom - Bucknell is a more challenging university and is on a different level then Loyola in MD. It does depend on what you are looking for and what type of area you will enjoy living in for 4 years as well. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>to the mother of the asian girl considering wake forest and bucknell i got a little insight on the matter.</p>
<p>Im an african american originally from winston-salem, nc (home of wake forest). Ive been living in nyc for the past 12 yrs with my mom. I can tell you that the only reason i even enjoy being in Winston Salem is because of my family. My dad used to live virtually across the street from WFU, its a beautiful school and all, but I will tell you that Winston Salem is boring. There is one more thing, the original krispe kreme doughnuts is in Winston Salem. thought you might like to know.</p>
<p>Winston Salem also has an odd racial climate at times. There are significant factions of the town that are very much a part of the "old south" mentality. I can be hard to deal with at times, though i have never heard of any type of confrontations. Just keep in mind that there are some knuckleheads down there in numbers.</p>
<p>In the end i decided not to apply at Wake Forest for the above reasons. But i did apply at Bucknell and was accepted. Im currently deciding between bucknell and wesleyan. Winston-Salem is alot more urbanized than lewisburg by a long shot, but its still very southern in some ways.</p>
<p>Im not trying to dissuade your daughter from going to WFU, im just letting you in on a little Winston Salem townie info. If you would like to contact me for more info you can get me at <a href="mailto:lordofthe_stringz@hotmail.com">lordofthe_stringz@hotmail.com</a></p>
<p>Thanks thelivinggod - I appreciate your information and insight. Good luck making your decision.</p>