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ericatbucknell · 03-10-2008, 05:21 PM

i visited all three schools in the fall of 2003, eventually applying to colgate and bucknell (hamilton seemed too small for me). i was accepted by both bucknell and colgate and, obviously, chose bucknell, graduating in 2006.

people can split hairs all day long about these three schools but, at the end of the day, any of the differences that arent obvious (such as the size of bucknell vis-a-vis hamilton) are going to be fairly insignificant.

on average, are hamilton students perhaps slightly less pre-professional than bucknell or colgate students? probably. however, bucknell actually produces phds at the highest rate of the three, both in absolute and per capita terms. colgate comes in second, producing about 10% fewer (per capita) than bucknell, followed by hamilton, which produces about 10% fewer (per capita) than colgate. again, though, a small difference. (and in response to the alleged 'competitiveness' over cooperation at bucknell and colgate, i can say its absolutely not the case at bucknell and probably not the case at colgate, either.)

greek life is probably largest at bucknell, with approximately 38% of students involved. that number is around 31% at colgate and 24% at hamilton. however, based on finaid and pell grant data, bucknell has the least wealthy student body, with hamilton in the middle and colgate on top. bucknell is also the least diverse, at about 86% white. both colgate and hamilton are around 77% white. hamilton is the most liberal with about five liberals per conservative, with colgate in the middle and bucknell the most 'conservative' of the three, with a liberal-to-conservative ratio closer to 2 to 1.

one of the major differences in the schools is the presence of engineering at bucknell. this draws a number of nerdier, geekier students to bucknell who i did not see at either of the new york schools and serves as a real counterpoint to the stereotypical 'greek' scene. it also results in very large math and physics faculties, which will prove highly beneficial if thats where your interests prove to be.

at the end of the day, though, for most students the ultimate choice should be based on fit. if your gut tells you to go to hamilton, go to hamilton. if it likes colgate, go to colgate. if it likes bucknell, go to bucknell. the prestige each degree carries is virtually identical and as such, theres no going wrong.

good luck, and if you have any specific questions about bucknell, feel free to let me know.

03-10-2008, 05:21 PM	#2
ericatbucknell Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 578	i visited all three schools in the fall of 2003, eventually applying to colgate and bucknell (hamilton seemed too small for me). i was accepted by both bucknell and colgate and, obviously, chose bucknell, graduating in 2006. people can split hairs all day long about these three schools but, at the end of the day, any of the differences that arent obvious (such as the size of bucknell vis-a-vis hamilton) are going to be fairly insignificant. on average, are hamilton students perhaps slightly less pre-professional than bucknell or colgate students? probably. however, bucknell actually produces phds at the highest rate of the three, both in absolute and per capita terms. colgate comes in second, producing about 10% fewer (per capita) than bucknell, followed by hamilton, which produces about 10% fewer (per capita) than colgate. again, though, a small difference. (and in response to the alleged 'competitiveness' over cooperation at bucknell and colgate, i can say its absolutely not the case at bucknell and probably not the case at colgate, either.) greek life is probably largest at bucknell, with approximately 38% of students involved. that number is around 31% at colgate and 24% at hamilton. however, based on finaid and pell grant data, bucknell has the least wealthy student body, with hamilton in the middle and colgate on top. bucknell is also the least diverse, at about 86% white. both colgate and hamilton are around 77% white. hamilton is the most liberal with about five liberals per conservative, with colgate in the middle and bucknell the most 'conservative' of the three, with a liberal-to-conservative ratio closer to 2 to 1. one of the major differences in the schools is the presence of engineering at bucknell. this draws a number of nerdier, geekier students to bucknell who i did not see at either of the new york schools and serves as a real counterpoint to the stereotypical 'greek' scene. it also results in very large math and physics faculties, which will prove highly beneficial if thats where your interests prove to be. at the end of the day, though, for most students the ultimate choice should be based on fit. if your gut tells you to go to hamilton, go to hamilton. if it likes colgate, go to colgate. if it likes bucknell, go to bucknell. the prestige each degree carries is virtually identical and as such, theres no going wrong. good luck, and if you have any specific questions about bucknell, feel free to let me know.