<p>Hey guys, </p>
<p>How would you describe the Bucknell student body. Is it easy to make friends or is the school very “cliquish?” Just from visiting the campus I got the sense that kids are very “exclusive” or were the “popular” kids in high school but I could be completely wrong. I guess my main question is, is it easy to fit in at BU? Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Our personal experience (based on not a lot of knowledge yet but take it for what it’s worth): My D was accepted last year and is now taking a gap year so will be a freshman in Fall 2014. At our first visit to Bucknell during her Junior year, her impression of the students was similar to yours, but she visited again the next year and had a chance to spend some time with faculty and students in her major and she found that while students might superficially look like the stereotypical popular kids in HS, everyone she met was incredibly friendly, open and welcoming. She was really impressed by the student speakers who presented at a dinner we attended and she felt like she could fit in. Bucknell is certainly not as diverse racially as it could be (or as my D’s HS) but they are trying and my D feels great about her choice for next year.</p>
<p>If you like Bucknell and it’s feasible, try to visit again and attend classes, etc. so you can interact with some students and see how you fee.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that I only have a sample size of one, but since you are not getting a lot of other responses to your question - I’ll give it a whirl.</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore at Bucknell. And while there are certainly the stereotypical “beautiful people” walking around campus (as at any other school), there are also many other types of kids. On his hall in his dorm were students from very privileged backgrounds, middle-class students, students with parents in blue-collar jobs, and students from quite challenging backgrounds that were there with a full-tuition scholarship. And all of these different types of kids became extremely close, and all of them also developed friendships outside of the dorm as well. </p>
<p>I think the key is to get out and meet people. Join a club or play a sport. Become involved in student government, etc. Whatever your interest, you will find other students who share that interest. Good luck!</p>
<p>As a current student, you should have no worries about finding your niche. To help with the adjustment, they have a variety of pre-orientation programs which leaves you with a group of friends before orientation even starts. There’s also the opportunity to live in interest residential colleges (ex: arts, humanities, languages and culture, etc) which can really help since you know the people you’re living with will already be interested in the same things as you! While it sometimes may seem like everyone has their own friend group, it’s amazing to see how varied they can be. Everyone is very passionate and driven and I don’t know of anyone who isn’t involved in SOMETHING. It takes different amounts of time for different people to adjust, but if you make a little effort to talk to the girl on your hall or grab dinner with someone you met at orientation, everyone is in the same boat and is just as eager to make friends as you are.</p>