So why did you choose...?

miawrites · 04-06-2009, 05:42 PM

I'm very, very confused about where I should go to college. I'm debating between Kenyon, Middlebury, Hamilton and Bucknell. I want to major in Creative Writing, Probably double in Film, and minor in Spanish.

I was wondering if some current students could share what it was that really made them choose Bucknell. Obviously, I'll have to make my own decision in the end, but I'm just completely, utterly confused!

ilmor · 04-06-2009, 06:07 PM

I wanted to major in computer science/ computer engineering. My final three schools were Case Western, Rose-Hulman, and Bucknell. All three have solid reputations in CS, so I basically had to narrow in on the non-academic details. Case Western is located in Cleveland, and all the hustle and bustle was a huge turn off. Rose-Hulman is dominated by males which is a negative. Bucknell is located in a quaint, calming setting with a good male to female ratio. It seems silly that my decision came down to those factors, but I had draw the line somewhere. I know my story isn't all that relevant to your situation, but focusing on non-academic aspects of each college will help you narrow down where you want to be. I believe you mentioned previously that you received a scholarship from Bucknell, so if financing college is a huge issue, then I would probably choose the cheapest of your final four.

Iamsoconfused · 04-06-2009, 06:23 PM

Here is a vote to consider Kenyon. S did not apply to Bucknell so we can't compare but everything I have seen and heard about Kenyon seems superlative to me.

Cmain · 04-06-2009, 09:58 PM

Did you visit all of the schools? Out of the four I've only seen Bucknell which was very nice. My friend visited Kenyon but did not like it as much as he expected. A visit really makes a difference though.

SeattleBU · 04-07-2009, 01:32 PM

In terms of non-academic, non-finance related matters, I think ilmor draws a good point. If you've visited all of these schools or at least have some kind of idea of what each environment is like, maybe that's a good way to make your decision. The academics of course are great here like they are at the other schools you've listed--but I'd be weary of choosing the social scene. Everyone I've known to transfer from one college to another with equitable academic reputations, transferred because they didn't like how the social system works at the school which they initially enrolled. And how you fit in or find your niche is really going to impact how happy you are wherever you go.

hudsonvalley51 · 04-07-2009, 01:57 PM

"I want to major in Creative Writing, Probably double in Film, and minor in Spanish."

This sounds more like Middlebury to me than the other schools you are considering. Both Kenyon and Middlebury have exceptionally strong creative writing programs within their English departments. However, Kenyon does not offer a major in fil, while Middlebury does (Film and Media Studies Program). Middlebury's foreign language departments are also uniformly strong.

Kenyon is indeed "out in the cornfields" but all of your choices are in small, rural communities so "isolation" doesn't appear to be a concern of yours. I envy your opportunities; those are four great schools.

miawrites · 04-07-2009, 04:27 PM

Thanks guys. This thread had more posts than the ones for the other schools.

Yeah, I've visited all of them. And they're all in nice, quite little towns. I don't mind the isolation, as long as there is a lot to do on campus. I'm definitely going to look into the social scene more now...

I really do have great opportunities. I'm very grateful, hah, but still confused...

I don't want to make this just about me, so any others could share what it was that made them make their final decision.

bucknell12 · 04-08-2009, 03:39 PM

i'm an engineer, so my process was slightly different; i chose bucknell because i loved the balance between all the different areas of study as well as academics/social life.

my roommate is actually a creative writing scholar or something and actually planned on going to another, more creative writing -focused school (that she was also accepted to... honestly, i'm not really sure why she eventually chose bucknell) but ultimately came here and loves it. she seems to be really happy with her program and the opportunities she has here academically, but she also has a lot of friends and likes the social scene.

definitely think about what kind of people you want to go to college with, what kind of location, what you want to do on weekends, etc, before you make your final decision. the majority of your time wont be spent in class, so choose somewhere where you can see yourself living.

BucknellBubbly · 04-10-2009, 08:54 PM

For me, Bucknell felt like home. I feel comfortable here--I think that's something about Bucknell. Everyone feels like we belong here.

One of the things that convinced me this was the school for me is the 'work hard play hard' life. Everyone here is very intelligent and grades matter, but we also believe in having fun. (You see deep debates on philosophy in frat houses during a game of pong, which I think is pretty excellent.) And the sense of community is unlike anything I've experienced at any other school.

The banners on the lightposts here say "Welcome Home". At least for me, it's true. I hope you figure out where you fit in best; it would be great if it was Bucknell!