<p>Can anyone give me information about their experiences at Bucknell? My child is trying to decide between a large university and Bucknell. They are thinking pre-med, but would like to explore other options. Great motivated student, looking for a well rounded college experience. We have not visited the campus, but will soon. Out of state. I am concerned about the frat/sorority influence as that is a major thing that seems to be written about in guidebooks. I was in a sorority, but I am worried about the exclusionary feeling of greek life. Are students happy at Bucknell. Are you left out of the loop if you do not pledge a house? Do sororities welcome most of the girls? How are the academics and overall school reputation? Thank you.</p>
<p>as someone who isnt particularly outgoing i was somewhat worried about the frat scene when i enrolled at bucknell. and while it is certainly there, it in no way dominates campus life. because you cannot rush until sophomore year all freshmen are forced to make friends outside the fraternity scene: in their classes, on their halls, in clubs, et cetera. some of them will go greek. others wont. i didnt.</p>
<p>so while a large percentage of students end up in greek organizations, everyone has a considerable number of friends who pledged with a different organization or decided not to pledge at all. so while it can be difficult to get into a 'good' party if you dont know anyone well enough to get you in, 'exclusionary' is far from the word i would use. as far as sororities go, theres one for everyone. some are definitely of the 'rich, pretty girl' variety, but others are truly great organizations filled with wonderful girls.</p>
<p>are students happy? in general, yes. while i know people who dont love the school, thats the case everywhere you go. the rural location doesnt work for everybody. but one thing bucknell does have going for it compared to other liberal arts colleges is a diversity in its relatively larger student body, which i credit to the schools strength in the sciences and engineering. </p>
<p>as for academics, id say theyre about what youd expect. i have had some professors who have absolutely blown me away and others who were decent. having taken quite a few courses at penn state, however, i can say that the quality of education at bucknell is markedly higher.</p>
<p>overall school reputation? i dont know, thats a rather difficult question to answer. what i can say is that alums (and even parents) are quite active with the career development center and love to employ bucknell graduates. while i am headed to graduate school and therefore havent been active in the process myself, my friends here are doing quite well compared to those who are attending penn state.</p>
<p>id be happy to answer any additional questions you may have or answer anything above more clearly. just let me know. </p>
<p>'ray bucknell.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for taking time to respond. You have been a big help. If my daughter has any other questions. I will post them for you. I appreciate your time. Thanks.</p>
<p>We are also out of state (Texas). My son loves Bucknell, and is completing his sophomore year as a poli sci/philo double major. The rural location has not bothered him. He finds a lot to do there on campus, and does travel to Philly, DC, NYC etc...on occasion. This weekend there is a big Coheed concert in Philly I believe, and a group is going.</p>
<p>He also did not go Greek. He says he just doesn't have time, and he can get in to parties via friends if he wants to. His roommate did pledge a frat this year. I can't speak to the sorority situtation. :)</p>
<p>My son isn't particularly outgoing, but he has met a lot of people through debate, college dems, and classes.</p>
<p>Thanks. That helped a lot too! Do you have a recommendatin for a dorm choice? My daughter does not do drugs or drink, would the CHOICE dorm be a good thing, or would it be isolating? What about the rediential theme dorms?
Also coming in from Texas..... where do you find it easiest to fly into?</p>
<p>We live in south Texas, so direct flights are non-existant. Usually he flies in and out of Houston. There is a shuttle to Harrisburg where you can take flights that go through Chicago or Cleveland, then on to TX. They have also now started a shuttle service to Philly. For the longer breaks, they have a shuttle to JFK for international flights. He hasn't had any trouble learning the shuttle/connecting routine. He's also learned to travel lightly!</p>
<p>There is not a lot of storage anyway, so for out-of-state kids it is good to keep it simple. We mailed two large boxes and he took three suitcases when he moved in. He has since acquired two guitars! Most of the storage is either expensive, not well ventilated/temp controlled, or not very secure. The key is to not bring a lot of unecessary items.</p>
<p>My son lived in McDonnell his first year. He didn't get to pick because he didn't do a res college. It was nice, though. Hotel Bucknell as it is called. There is sub free housing, but that doesn't always guarantee it is sub free---the best thing to do is make it clear on the roommate preference questionnaire your likes and dislikes so they can try to pair you with someone who has similar habits. Night owls with night owls, neat freaks with neat freaks. </p>
<p>Maybe some of the kids on the boards can speak to the res and CHOICE dorms.</p>
<p>if your daughtor does not want to be around alcohol 'choice' is probably the way to go. but if its just an issue of not wanting to drink, there were several people on my first year hall who didnt drink and it was never an issue. is there a stigma with substance-free housing? perhaps a small one. do those people seem to spend a lot more time in their rooms? yes. whether thats a result of the housing situation or those who choose the housing, im not sure. </p>
<p>edit: before i forget, i wouldnt consider drug use to be a major issue in the dorms. i would smell 'things' from time to time, but the age of smoke detectors has pushed a lot of that activity out of the dorms. also, ive heard both good and bad stories about people wanting to switch dorm rooms mid-year, though ive never heard of someone getting denied when he or she had good reason. something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>on residential colleges, that might be the way to go. theyre certainly not substance-free, but the students they attract tend to be a little less into the 'party' scene than the general population. as for the experiences of those in the colleges, i didnt find them to be particularly different than mine (i was not in a res college). freshman halls are generally pretty close-knit and everyone takes a foundation seminar first semester of freshman year (though not necessarily with their halls, which is the case with res colleges). that said, the members of res colleges seem to stick together, and thus not branch out as much as the general population.</p>
<p>the previous poster is correct in regard to dorm selection, except res collleges have established halls in the two nicest freshman dorms (mcdonnell and smith). so youre not so much able to pick your dorm by joining a res college as you are able to know where youre going to live once you join. (this is probably what she meant, it was just unclear.) that said, none of the freshman dorms are bad compared to some ive seen at other schools. beginning sophomore year there is a lottery and students are actually able to pick the room in which they will live.</p>
<p>ericatbucknell and texastaxismom - I can't thank you enough! I have a feeling that my child will be going to Bucknell. It is the college she knows the least about, and will visit soon. It's funny how that works out. The more that we read about Bucknell, the more we are realizing that it is the perfect environment..... more so than some of the others that she has been accepted to. Thank you so much. We are from California and while I went to Penn, this part of the world is unknown to us. It is very exciting and you have helped a lot. If you can think of anything that you wish you had known prior to school starting, let me know. All information is new and needed! For instance, where do you stay when the Best Western and Hotel Lewisburg are booked?
Thanks again!</p>
<p>youre welcome! i cant think of a 'i wish i had known...' at the moment but if anything comes to mind ill post it.</p>
<p>if all of the major chains in lewisburg are booked try the two in new columbia. its a 10 minute drive. selinsgrove, which is on the harrisburg side of lewisburg, is a good option as well. my home is about an hour from the school so i cant help with any specific recommendations.</p>
<p>No to Hotel Lewisburg...... I would try Country Cupboard !! Highly recommend newer parts, clean, nice little complimentary breakfast, or go next door to the original (back in my day) Country Cupboard for their breakfast :)</p>
<p>My cousin's highly recommend the Pineapple Inn, for the B and B experience, and the owner's sons attended Bucknell. But, check her facts, she said that 60% of Bucknellians marry each other.......no way ( although we did )</p>
<p>The only people I know who went to Bucknell are married to Bucknellians. :-) </p>
<p>(Just don't tell the stat majors that I based the above statement on only two couples.)</p>
<p>Ah...and I married a fellow UVa alum. :) I think a lot of people meet their soulmates at college.</p>
<p>Anyway, back to the "I wish I had known".....</p>
<p>I wish I had known how much easier the transtition from high school to college would be for my sons. I had every worse case scenario in my mind, and worried about all kinds of things--from moving in to social issues. Sometimes we parents want to create these perfect educational environments/experiences and you students are quite capable of adjusting to whatever circumstances come your way without us. * feigns shock!* :)</p>
<p>There is no perfect school. There will always be things you like, and things you dislike. How you tolerate and work with change is what makes your experience a good or bad one. That being said, Bucknell has done a wonderful job of making this transition easier for the students and the parents. I never would have imagined that my son could move in, get his orientation things in order, open a checking account, and still have free time before lunch!</p>
<p>To continue with TexasTaxiMom's transitition theme. In October, I talked to the mom from my son's school, who has a Freshman boy at Bucknell now. </p>
<p>She described to me what "move in" day was like for the Freshman, and I have never heard of something so "festive, warm and welcoming".
She told me there were upper classmen there helping with the baggage, a very well organized system with smiling greeters assisting with directions and any questions parents/ students might have. She loved how her son was immediately introduced to his fellow hallmates, and the atmosphere was comfortable and fun.</p>
<p>I think she said a band was playing somewhere, but don't quote me on that, perhaps it was my mind embellishing this day! She was then, and continues to be, 'thrilled' with Bucknell. </p>
<p>Made this alum quite proud :)</p>
<p>More move in day memories.........I am pretty sure there were balloons billowing in the wind, and the sidewalk lined with Bucknell students clapping and singing............ok can someone else confirm this last image...or have I lost it :)</p>
<p>Hi everyone! My daugther didn't get in to Notre Dame, financial aid stinks for Holy Cross, and she doesn't think she wants to head south to Wake Forest. This leaves Bucknell & Colgate. Colgate gave us a pretty good package, and from what I have read in these posts, Bucknell's is usually comparable.</p>
<p>My question is...Do you have to live a substance free dorm in order to avoid smoke. I'm sure my daughter could deal with people drinking around her...she's done all through high school, but cigarette smoke really bothers her. Who want to smell like a dirty ashtray?</p>
<p>Any feedback appreciated!</p>
<p>comments in no particular order...</p>
<p>there is no smoking inside any of the dorms at bucknell, a rule that is quite closely followed because of the smoke detectors (which your daughtor will grow to hate). nonetheless, smoking preference is still an option on the housing survey. there is substance-free housing (called choice) if that is the way she decides to go, however. </p>
<p>as for move-in and orientation, it is an incredibly crazy event. you literally pull your car up to the spot closest to your dorm... and they take care of the rest (of course, you should probably help). my parents, having helped move in several people at penn state, were in absolute disbelief. there are also people everywhere to help answer your questions. as for the clapping and singing, i wouldnt put it past them. its a 'spunky' bunch. (youd be surprised how competitive it is to get a position.)</p>
<p>parents are kicked out after lunch and the students meet with their resident assistant and orientation assistants right away. they then proceed to keep everyone as busy and happy as humanly possible (special dinners, 'color wars', carnivals, concerts, meetings, ceremonies and everything else imaginable) until classes begin in an attempt to minimize the 'i miss home and dont know anyone' factor. it can somewhat annoying at the time, but it works.</p>
<p>just make sure no friends visit unannounced during that time (mine were convinced i had joined a cult). they make fun of me about it to this day.</p>
<p>Oh my gosh! Color Wars! Too bad we can't post pictures because I have the most awesome picture of my son and his hallmates after color wars....they look like refugees from The Blue Man Group! </p>
<p>I don't know much about the smoke detectors, but I do know that playing football inside around sprinkler heads is not advisable.</p>