<p>What are the people like at Bucknell? Does the social life (which I’ve heard consists primarily of drinking and frat parties) get boring after a while? I’m interested in Greek Life…is it hard to get into a “good” sorority at Bucknell? (What ARE the “good” sororities at Bucknell?)</p>
<p>The school sounds great academically and aesthetically, I’m just trying to determine if I’d fit in with the people. Any thoughts/experiences/recommendations would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Let’s face it. Bucknell is a fairly small elite liberal arts school in the middle of PA. It isn’t in a city and is not the top ranked LAC. It’s students are mostly white from middle to upper middle class.</p>
<p>But my D, who opted not to join a sorority, managed to have many friends of diverse lifestyles, backgrounds and ethnicity . </p>
<p>She also had many friends in sororities. She sometimes mentions a sorority, when talking about a friend, and states its reputation on campus. But since you would not pledge until your second year, you would be able to figure out the one that you felt was best for you. </p>
<p>There are so many things to get involved in besides sorority life ( which, by the way,has mixers with frats and formals and community service, etc) There are clubs, speakers, concerts, etc. if you get bored, it is your own fault.</p>
<p>Thank you. Is your daughter happy with the choice she made? </p>
<p>Also - I vaguely remember hearing that Bucknell requires applicants to send in a photo of themselves with their application…is this true? I think I read it in a Fiscke Guide or the Insiders Guide to Colleges but I’m not quite sure.</p>
<p>Well, they didn’t require a picture last year when my son applied. And after a quick scan of the application requirements on the Bucknell website, it doesn’t look like they want you to send in a picture this year either.</p>
<p>You’ll be asked to submit a photo if you’ve been admitted and decide to enroll; the photo is for your student ID card.</p>
<p>Got it, thanks. Any other experiences with the people and/or social scene at Bucknell?</p>
<p>morrismm, who are you that you have so much time to constantly monitor this site and reply to so many questions about Bucknell?</p>
<p>Haha. Well I do not have so much time. Look at my becoming a member time and posts vs many other posters joining at the same as me. Some of them have 3x or more the amount of posts.</p>
<p>Since my D was a Bucknell student (just graduated in May), this is one of the sites I regularly checked out. Since she graduated, I will probably do it less often. My D1 attended Cornell. I often posted on the Cornell thread. Folks use to ask me things. I do not post on that thread nearly as often since she graduated. My S graduated from Colgate several years ago. I never post on their thread anymore.</p>
<p>^^Like morrismm says, that is not a high post count for being on cc for over four years. She is just considerate enough to check this site, unlike many of us who visited when our kids were applying, and then no more. I think the posts don’t add up when you post on the parents cafe and forum, or it would be scary how large some of our post counts would be.</p>
<p>First off, I took a look at this thread because I have a son who is a junior at Bucknell and I was curious about what was being said about the school. We have a daughter who is a senior in high school and so we’re back in research mode as far as colleges go. NSDAD, who are YOU? If you are a Bucknell parent then I’m surprised. Every Bucknell parent that I have met over the course of 2 1/2 years has been kind, respectful and engaged in their son’s/ daughter’s education. The fact that Morrismm had a few things to say about Bucknell does not infer that she has “so much time to constantly monitor”. She’s just being helpful. Good grief. It’s called giving back, and I understand because I did check these threads when our son was applying. In short, readers here should know that your sort of attitude is NOT the prevailing attitude of parents at Bucknell. 'Nuff said.</p>
<p>Our son is about as happy as a 21 year old college guy can be at Bucknell. He’s a business major with fabulous roommates, teammates, fraternity brothers and friends. The school is small enough to garner the personal attention that is so important at this level, and yet large enough that he meets new people all of the time. The professors are stellar and invested. Since class sizes tend to be smaller, professors hold the students accountable for attending class. This is more like real life in that you don’t just skip your 8am because you were out late and felt like sleeping in - chances are that if you make that choice, you will be penalized. Athletes must communicate any absences to professors before they leave campus for games, and must make particular arrangements to take exams or turn in papers before or after the games. Again, they are held accountable and do not get free passes. If you asked me to state a negative about the school, I would seriously be hard-pressed. Perhaps it would be the fact that it is located at least 3 hours from major airports (Philly, Newark, Baltimore), although Harrisburg is very close. The location is more of a fact than a negative, I guess. The tuition is high as well, which is probably another fact as opposed to a negative, to be fair. I’m happy that the school recruits top professors and pays them top dollar. It pays off when employer recruiting season hits. Speaking of recruiting, the accounting department recently took interested students via shuttle to New York City to attend a PwC recruiting event sponsored by a PwC partner/Bucknell alum. This partner wisely called in Bucknell alum from all over the city to attend the mini-conference, so as to broaden the experience for students. Pretty cool, and it was a great success.</p>
<p>There are students here from all areas of the country, and you’ll see them in pick-up trucks, luxury cars, beaters and bikes. I truly feel, based on what I have seen and what my son tells us, that you are accepted for who you are; your dreams and worth ethic are more important than your socio-economic background. Be aware: the students here work very, very hard. They are smart, driven, and poised to succeed. Employers are standing in line to hire solid Bucknell engineers and accountants. These are the two majors that I have direct knowledge regarding and thus cannot speak to the rest, but I have to believe that students who make the grade will get the job with a Bucknell degree.</p>
<p>The student body is divided politically, but I have never heard of an unhealthy, divisive attitude on campus. My son has a roommate who leans liberal, and another who is very conservative. My son falls in the middle. They get along like peas and carrots. Wish our country could say the same.</p>
<p>Social life? Trust me, it’s there, no matter what it is that you enjoy. They get excited about everything from mixers, to bowling night, to attending concerts on campus. There are classical concerts galore that I wish my son would find the time to attend. The little town of Lewisburg is as charming as a small town can be, and the students do walk uptown all of the time to eat, hit Barnes and Noble, Bull Run Inn for a burger, etc. It is like something out of an old-fashioned painting, to see them all wandering around town with the fall colors bursting through at every corner.</p>
<p>Is it perfect? No, I guess not. I’ve been told that rush week for the girls can be quite stressful, but I’m sure it’s nothing like some of the southern schools, and I haven’t heard that anyone did not get into a sorority if that is what she wanted. Fraternity rush is more relaxed. Another imperfect issue in my mind is that I wish that the students would be happy living on campus for all 4 years, instead of moving over to houses on 7th street like they tend to want to do by junior year. It is a small town, however, and so the campus is close by no matter where you live.</p>
<p>In sum, from everything I have witnessed and heard from my son, the Bucknell kids are just simply nice kids who work hard, play hard (that saying still scares me but I take it with a grain of salt), and enjoy life. I can see that every year brings even better things for my son. He came home last weekend for fall break sort of tired and a bit worn down, but still so happy. He LOVES his school, and for this parent, that makes life much less complicated.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the thorough response! Much appreciated. Any other thoughts/opinions/experiences?</p>
<p>Like Morrismm I occassionally look in on the Bucknell site, since I have a daughter at Bucknell. First, she is a very happy camper with lots of friends, professors she knows well enough to call by first name, and a very (probably too) active social life. Now that I have kids at different colleges, I can see that what S was looking for was different than D. Not better, not worse. That is the trick - to find the fit. In my view, Bucknell is full of super bright, motivated kids, who mostly want to be sucessful in life, including financially. These kids often become engineers (a terrific and large engineering school) accountants, lawyers, etc. They drink a lot in their spare time and they tend to be a sociable group (half go greek). This is NOT your contemplate your navel type student body … the Bucknell kids don’t tend to spend most Saturday nights discussing Kalfka (this is a generalization, I’m sure there are some who do). If that is who you are (aka, my son-- who is also brilliant and wonderful, but not your Bucknell mold), this may not be the right fit - look to Oberlin, Vassar or Wesleyan. For D, she walked onto a beautiful campus (it really is spectacular), full of energetic, motivatated (and, strangely, remarkably attrative) kids, and it had her name written all over it. Its been a great experience for her.</p>
<p>I should add that there are a fair number of artsy kids (actors, acapella singers, dancers, etc) like my D, add these to the D1 athletes, engineers and liberal arts majors, who all run in the same circles given the relatively (I.e. compared to a typical university) small school, it’s a pretty dynamic environment for the kid looking for a more intimate university experience</p>
<p>I have to echo what DKJAMEI (just a great honest, and truthful post!) wrote and continue the conversation…I am a 2011 grad now in medical school and I majored in Biology while at Bucknell. I had the chance to get a great liberal arts education–and while I worked very hard–I also had a great time with a lot of activities which included being in a fraternity and playing a club sport. I lived on campus all four years and had great roommates who were in the Engineering School and the Management School. All three of my roommates were hired and had jobs just after the December break in their respective fields…Bucknell’s alumni are great at endorsing Bucknellians for jobs and recruiters come to the campus-- and if you are an engineer or you are business oriented–chances are you will be hired. My roommates all had their jobs secured just after December break! The “Work Hard-Play Hard” mantra exists…but from my experience most everyone seemed to do it at their pace. The Biology Department was terrific in preparing me for medical school and the work required in obtaining admission. Having an excellent Pre-Health adviser personalized the experience…and this made it easier to get everything completed. FACT: Getting into medical school is hard for everyone even for an Ivy League type there are lots of hoops to jump through–Bucknell made it manageable and simplified the process. I had the opportunity to do an “externship” my sophomore year and I had a paid internship my junior year–all sponsored by Bucknell alumni in the medical field. If you are looking to go into medicine–Bucknell alumni doctors come back to the campus to speak and are helpful with the guidance they provide during their talks. Like anything in life–you get out of it what you put into it–I love Bucknell for its beauty–but most of all–for the people I met there. I met friends for life and my professors were “hands on”–it was worth the sacrifice of taking out loans–I was well-prepared. There was plenty to do, I liked the Lewisburg atmosphere and was not bothered that the school was located in the middle of PA…that will not stop you from doing what you want to do…it was a great four years!</p>
<p>My son is a freshman there, and is really, truly happy. He is on top of the world, and has made so many friends that he is probably happier than I have ever seen him. Likes his classes quite a bit. He says there is a rather dominant greek culture there, but he is not involved in it, as there are so many other options. Seems like there are many very friendly, happy, motivated, upbeat kids there. What a great place.</p>
<p>And I admit, I sneak a look at his fb page every now and then, and he posts pictures of himself surrounded by girls… everyone looks so happy I think oh well, obviously life is good at Bucknell.</p>
<p>So many of these posts are mentioning Fraternities/Sororities- what if a student chooses to opt out of these things? Is social life centered around these, or can it be separated? Thanks!</p>
<p>Do not despair! Not every person joins a fraternity and a sorority–and yes–you can find like minded people and plenty of activities to do!</p>
<p>Our D who is not part of sorority and finds there is absolutely no social life outside of it. Everything seems to be dependent on Greek life. You can’t even go to the parties till after midnight and even with some of them, you have to be invited. Pledging for girls is absolutely brutal. I understand last year many girls got turned down, more so than in previous years. And if you don’t have a car, you are really stuck in the middle of nowhere. Even the bookstore is not located on the campus. Yes there is a bus you can take but to not have a store on campus to buy emergency items makes no sense.</p>
<p>socasd, so sorry your daughter is having a tough time. I hope she’s able to find other activities…my D is involved in ACE which plans campus-based activities as an alternative to Greek events. Not sure that she has any interest in Greek life but a new sorority is coming to campus this semester and I believe they will be open without the competitive rush process. I have to say that my daughter has friends who did not elect to rush, including two of her suitemates, and they seem happy. I hope your daughter finds her happiness.</p>
<p>socasd - she made it through the first year - why is the second year that much worse? there are other opportunities there.</p>
<p>you have to find the fun and/or make it - that is the beauty/challenge of a LAC in a rural area</p>