What will I miss if I don't go to Bucknell

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bucknell University
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<p>I’ve had a similar post in another forum. Basically I’m comparing UMD and Bucknell. I don’t know how to compare them becasue one is public and one is private and becasue of that they come with their own characteristics. </p>

<p>What will I miss if I don’t go to Bucknell? Here is the detail from my other post. Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>I’ve been accepted to UMD College Park - Honor program and Bucknell. My major will be Computer Engineering.
I live in Maryland.
Cost is not an issue in this discussion. (I got some scholarship to cover partial cost from both schools).
I’ve visited both schools.
I don’t know if I want to go to a PHD program or not. I want to find a job after I graduate.</p>

<p>So far I don’t love one school over the other since they represent two different types of schools.</p>

<p>UMD: higher student-teacher ratio. Better ranking (?) More internship opportunities and summer opportunities (?)
Bucknell: lower student-teach ratio, nicer campus? (Campus doesn’t matter that much between this two schools.)</p>

<p>I can’t find much information comparing the (undergraduate) academic between the two schools directly. Does any one have any more information? Is UMD College Park much better than Bucknell academic wise?</p>

<p>It seems that going to UMD College Park will offer me opportunities due to its location. But that could be because I live in Maryland and know more people who work in MD/DC/N.VA area who were graduated from UMD. I’m not sure Bucknell will offer me the similar opportunities.</p>

<p>What would I miss from Bucknell if I don’t go Bucknell?</p>

<p>I’m not into sports. I will join the engineering clubs, and volunteering groups at both schools. People said “fit” is important. I can see myself fit in both schools.</p>

<p>When I went to their open houses, I heard all the nice things from both schools and students, of course. So I’d like to hear you guys who had experiences with UMD or Bucknell or both. I put “?” in some of the statements b/c there is no statistics, or I’m not aware of.</p>

<p>I just want to toss a coin now. Please help!! Thanks </p>

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<p>Bucknell is actually a more competitive school than UMD. However the social life at Bucknell is very heavy on Greek life, so I don’t know how you feel about that. I am not familiar with the social life at UMD, which is also a great school, just a tier below Bucknell. I believe Bucknell is rated mostly competitive and UMD is rated highly competitive. </p>

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<p>THANKS for replying! Is that for Engineering College/program as well? At UMD, ENG is limited admission-they have a cap, and whole school is not. I don’t care much about greek life. I don’t know about Bucknell’s internship opportunity/job opportunity. When I asked, they sent me to their career center. I don’t know that’s a good sign or not. The engineering college doesn’t keep that type of data. </p>

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<p>What made you apply to both schools? IMHO they are very very different. Large public campus vs smaller private and rural. </p>

<p>Bucknell offers an extremely strong alumni network. I can’t comment on UMD in any way but the smaller close-knit student centered atmosphere is very desirable for some students. </p>

<p>Engineering is pretty respected at Bucknell in my experience. Grads get good internships and jobs. The website has good data on jobs and available research etc. </p>

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<p>Sorry, but I am really not too familiar with UMD’s engineering program. I do know that the program at Bucknell is pretty well respected. The only engineer I worked with that graduated from Bucknell was definitely a more than competent engineer. </p>

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<p>Thank you for your input, suftcity and crazymama.
I live in Maryland and applied the Maryland public schools and few selected private schools. UMCP and Bucknell both are match for me. I will check their web site again. When I was talking to few professors/teachers from the engineer department at their open house, they didn’t know much about their students’ summer internships or post college careers. It seems there is no job fairs for engineering students at the school either. 1 or 2 engineering student I talked to was undecided engineering and he works at school non-engineering related job. I was hoping to find information to compare the academic aspect of the two schools directly, but since they are in two different categories public and private, they are on different ranking list (ie, US News)</p>

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<p>Here is info on post college bucknellians. There is a detailed list of employers and stats on percent employed etc. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/CDC/Post%20Grad%20Results/Postgrad%20report%20full%202012_noblanks.pdf”>http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/CDC/Post%20Grad%20Results/Postgrad%20report%20full%202012_noblanks.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Here are a few internships students have gotten. IMHO the career services website has all the information you are looking for. And also check the engineering section as they list research opportunities and summer opportunities. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bucknell.edu/Internships”>http://www.bucknell.edu/Internships&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Appreciate the links, surfcity!</p>

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<p>Hello there! I am currently a student at Bucknell University so here is just my view on things. First, let me respond to your points and then I’ll answer what you’ll be missing if you go to Bucknell.</p>

<p>Bucknell is currently ranked as number 32 on US News and World Reports list of Liberal Arts schools. It is hands down one of the best universities in the country and there is no doubt you will receive a challenging and worthwhile education. The engineering program on campus is extremely strong and is an ideal school for any student wanting explore any field of engineering. I recommend you try to visit Bucknell through our A Day in the Life program that will allow you to meet current engineering students and faculty as well as sit in on a class and get a tour of the engineering facilities. </p>

<p>According to the Princeton Review, we have a 9:1 student faculty ratio which honestly sounds just about right. I have become close with many faculty members and these connections not only help inside but also outside the classroom. Students also have many opportunities, especially in engineering, to work with professors on projects outside of the classroom. While Bucknell is not a research institution, it does provide students with that experience if they so desire. </p>

<p>Bucknell has one of the strongest alumni networks in the country and many students have no problem finding internship or job opportunities. Many engineering students have internships during their summers after their sophomore and junior years. I’m not sure where you heard that we don’t have career/internship fairs but that is just not true. We have several every semester with big companies (GE, Lutron, Dow Chemical) that regularly recruit Bucknell grads. For me, this was on of the deciding factors for attending Bucknell and as I approach my final year, I rest very comfortably knowing that this network exists. The Career center is very active on campus and can help you not only find jobs and internships but also to practice interview schools, research grad schools, and to improve your resume. The reason why you probably were sent that link is because that is the best answer we can give: a highly efficient and engaged career center that will work with you throughout every step of your college career and beyond. </p>

<p>WHAT YOU’LL MISS: A lot, you will miss a lot. Many are quick to judge Bucknell because of its small size and rural location but for me, these are highlights. Bucknell is a close community that students are constantly and fully engaged in. You’ll miss the opportunity to not only be involved in many clubs and organizations but to also be a leader in several organizations. Unlike big state schools, students at Bucknell are active leaders and members. Because of this, you’ll not only have many opportunities to make friends and enjoy doing the activities you love to do but you’ll also have the chance to build leadership and teamwork skills in several organizations and environments. </p>

<p>Yes Greek Life here is big but it is not over powering or dominating. Some quickly exaggerate and over-hype it’s influence but if a student doesn’t want to go Greek, they don’t need to go Greek to still have an amazing life at Bucknell. The school offers endless programing and entertainment all year round that students can not only attend but help plan and set up. Whatever you want to do social at Bucknell, you’ll find or you’ll be given the opportunity to create. I have many friends at large state schools and while they were given the same “pitch” about social life, they have found it very difficult with such a large student body. I think you’ll find the social side of Bucknell to be very welcoming and exciting. I’ll attach a link below as an example.</p>

<p>Let me know if you have any questions and feel free to message me too! I don’t know much about UMD but I do know a lot about Bucknell and my friends’ experiences at larger, comparable state schools. I’ve given some basic links below which you might have already seen, but since I referenced them I thought it couldn’t hurt. Good luck with your choice and 'Ray Bucknell. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bucknell.edu/news-and-media/current-news/2014/april/late-night-klarc.html”>http://www.bucknell.edu/news-and-media/current-news/2014/april/late-night-klarc.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Bucknell University - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews”>http://www.princetonreview.com/bucknelluniversity.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Plan a Visit to Bucknell University | Lewisburg, PA”>http://www.bucknell.edu/Visit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/bucknell-university-3238”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/bucknell-university-3238&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;