Hi, so I was admitted to Tulane and Bucknell. This decision has been really hard considering they’re both great schools that I feel I would be happy at. Some major factors for me are: school spirit, night life, Greek life, easy travel (I’m from San Francisco), and a “home-y” feel with good people. For both schools, the weather doesn’t seem all that great so that’s kind of a downer for both. Cost of tuition is not an issue. pro/cons, opinions, and personal advice would be really helpful! thanks
Bucknell would be more of a shock weather wise and would be a very long journey. Tulane (and New Orleans) are very lively with lots of kind people. There’s tons of school spirit and plenty to do.
What do you want to study?
I agree that it’s probably easier to get to Tulane. For bucknell you’d have to fly to Harrisburg and get a ride to lewisburg. School spirit and Greek life are big a Bucknell. Both schools seem to have a work hard, play hard mentality.
Tulane, rich in history, strong and underrated academics, deep South, and sounds fun!
Loved Tulane, son almost went there, so close. Great night life and cool city. Bucknell seems more remote. As for the weather, Tulane’s “bad” weather is more in the summer, when it’s hot, but in theory you will not be in school then. Bucknell will have its extreme season in winter, when you will be in school. Both good options though.
@surfcity Not really sure what I want to study yet… Maybe Marketing or cognitive science and then minor in studio art…
As a side note, I’m not really sure I got the “this is it” feeling at either of the campuses, should I be concerned or is that normal? A lot of people I know say they got that feeling and just knew their schools were for them right away
Bucknell does not have a Marketing major AFAIK. Neuroscience is relatively new and popular major.
I would assume that Bucknell’s School of Management’s “Markets, Innovation and Design” major might be the closest to the straight “Marketing” major that Bucknell offers.
Have been trying to weigh Tulane vs. Bucknell also for my senior. -Tulane seemed to have more welcoming and helpful students and faculty although Bucknell’s were also friendly. It seems Tulane has more flexibility (if undeclared) and has strong departments in science and business. Not sure of Bucknell has a better reputation overall for academics?
Let’s clear up a couple of issues. First of all, unless you love bitter cold weather, Tulane beats Bucknell by a mile. As someone pointed out, the really hot weather is only there for about a month of the time you are in school at Tulane. There are a fair number of days in December and January where it will be in the 60’s and 70’s. That will not happen in Lewisberg. It does rain a fair amount in the spring especially, but to me that still beats 4 feet of snow.
Next, the academics are very comparable as the stats of the students entering are very similar. Technically Tulane slightly edges Bucknell, but not enough to really call it a difference. Tulane is a higher level research institution, so that might affect your decision, especially if you see grad school in your future.
For travel, there might be non-stop flights from NOLA to SF on some airline, I never had to check. But for sure you can fly Southwest for a good price and only have one stop and plane change. In fact, I just checked and right now out of the multiple flights per day they have from SFO to MSY (that’s NOLA’s airport code), there is one that stops but you don’t change planes, or what they call a direct (but not non-stop) flight. Otherwise you just change planes once in either Denver, Vegas, Houston, St. Louis, someplace like that. It varies. Travelling from Lewisberg is definitely more of a challenge.
Finally, it is perfectly normal not to get that “I know this is the place” feeling anywhere. You are likely a very pragmatic sort. Nothing wrong with that! As long as you feel like you could be happy at either school, you should be fine. College is very much what you put into it, how much you put yourself out there.
Academically these schools are more similar than different, at least when it comes to quality of the undergraduates and the instruction you would get. I think your choice will come down to your gut feeling about the overall experience you think you will get at each school. Best of luck!
Another thing to consider is Bucknell is literally in the middle of nowhere. I mean it is very rural and very hard to get to too. Tulane isn’t rural. Are you okay with that? My D visited both schools and Bucknell was scratched immediately because it was way too rural for her. The town had hardly anything in it and the town is very important to her. Tulane’s weather is awesome. Bucknell is definitely going to have harsh winters whereas Tulane will have beautiful weather at the same time.
Just pick the school that fits you the best. Only you’ll know that answer! 
http://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/pennsylvania/lewisburg
I would choose Tulane myself, but I must point out that Lewisburg gets only 2 1/2 feet of snow all winter. That’s only five inches more than the average snowfall for all US cities! The average low temp in January is 17 degrees. Balmy compared to Maine! 
http://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/louisiana/new_orleans
In comparison the average low in New Orleans is 47 degrees in January.