<p>So,</p>
<p>Hypothetically lets say that you someone was offered a full tuition scholarship at Bucknell University, with no room a board. But they were admitted into the scholars program at UMD (the 2nd tier honors program). Which would you take? and why?</p>
<p>Do you consider Bucknell a good school?</p>
<p>Bump!!!</p>
<p>BUMP!!! i honestly need help here</p>
<p>How were you offered it? ED deadline isn’t even over yet?</p>
<p>Posse Scholarship… its not final but i have to commit by Saturday</p>
<p>BUMP!! which school would you choose?</p>
<p>I think your decision needs to consider what you are looking for since both sound like good options. Do you prefer a small or large school? Do you prefer a school with big-time college athletics or maybe that doesn’t matter to you? What major do you plan to pursue? Those factors should help you decide.</p>
<p>WARNING: BIAS ALERT!!!</p>
<p>This is highly biased input from me, so you should take it with a giant shovel of salt.</p>
<p>I encouraged my S1 to turn down a full ride merit scholarship that comes with very selective honor program at a top tier OOS public school to go instead to U of Chicago as a full pay student. S2 is at Bucknell now as a freshman. Both U Chicago and Bucknell are small private undergraduate schools (note: U Chicago sounds like a big school given how often they are cited, but that’s because there are over 12,000 graduate students for barely 5000 undergraduates). here are my reasons.</p>
<p>(1) the quality of education: I believe the quality of education at a public universities are a hit of miss, even at the top tier schools, especially at a freshmen or sophomore level. I was a Ph.D. student at a top tier public university. I was a TA. Most of the foundation courses freshmen or even sophomores took were taught by TA in a gigantic lecture halls. That was over 20 years ago. I don’t think it got better. If anything with the current state level budget woes, it is probably worse. Honor programs may be better, but I was recently told that in many honor programs, the small class, initiate learning experience are confined to few courses, and the majority of classes are just like any other classes, honor program or not.</p>
<p>(2) Following the points made in (1) above, I worry about what the knee jerk reactions from the politicians to the economic woes would mean for the kind of educational experience at their state schools. I am hearing reports from, even the likes of Berkeley, that the recent economic problems are making it more and more difficult for the students to graduate in 4 years due to the reduction of offers in courses required for majors. This problem is a serious one especially if the student did not pick a major early on: the sequence of course requirements cannot be met with the remaining years if a student decided on a major, say, in a second semester of sophomore year. </p>
<p>(3) I remember meeting classmates at my own graduate school programs. There were those who graduated from a tip tier public undergraduate program, AND, never really had to write long papers and what not. They were more or less able to graduate by taking mostly multiple choice exams. In fact, as TA, we all give multiple choice exams: how could we read 400 papers? Come to think of it, until the senior years, I don’t remember any course we TAs taught that gave regular writing assignment.</p>
<p>On the other hand, my S1 at U Chicago is writing at least two papers for each course he is taking in every term (quarter). He says he has yet to take a multiple choice exam. Faculty members (not TAs) are giving him feedback an equal length or even longer than his own paper. Faculty members are available for very long discussion about the course materials and other related though exchanges. My S2 at Bucknell reports similar experiences. He is writing papers ALL THE TIME. Good thing he is a good writer. Similarly (like his older brother), he seems to be spending one-on-one time with faculty and enjoying it.</p>
<p>(4) About U MD I hear from other parents in the community. Their kids are attending UMD as an out-of-state students. They did not realize it until they got there, but they found out that most of the students are drawn from nearby DC vicinity areas with easy transportation, and it’s not uncommon that a good portion of the dorm is empty over the weekend. Also, when they come to the campus, a lot of them are already coming in with a ready made clique, sometimes it’s hard for the OOS student. This is not my direct experience, so I don’t know how much of this is truly the case.</p>
<p>Now, I also have to say, U Chicago has NO sports based school spirit and no meaningful Greek scene. So, not a typical college experience. I believe Bucknell is not exactly rocking in the well established, school spirit big sport tradition either (they are pretty active with the Greek stuff though). So if this is important part of your college expectation, then, you should seriously consider whether a school like Bucknell fits your profile. Note that Bucknell is also in a very rural environment. We have been there a few times. Nothing going in town. So you are pretty much left with what’s happening at school as your sole lifeline. Note that you can’t escape to any nearby “excitements” either even if you have a car - nothing going with a couple of hundred miles radius.</p>
<p>As a Bucknell parent, I am very happy with the school. There is a GREAT deal of support, guidance, and care the school provides to their students on an individual level - this is the kind of stuff you will hardly ever get from a large public school, honor program or not, regardless of how well established that school is and how high the school is ranked. Please read a reply I posted to another thread on this forum - the link below. Good luck.</p>
<p>(<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/bucknell-university/1217011-some-concerns.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/bucknell-university/1217011-some-concerns.html</a>)</p>
<p>I would echo the above comments. I am an '06 Bucknell grad, and am now doing a PhD at a top ranked private research school. For the most part, I would ALWAYS choose a smaller top tier liberal arts school over a larger public research school. I can’t personally comment on UMD’s academics, since I’ve never been there. However, I do feel like the quality of my undergraduate education was superb. All of my professors were totally engaged in their role as educators, and the small class sizes allowed me to know a lot of them on a personal level.</p>
<p>Given a choice, I’d rather be taught by a professor who loves to teach over a graduate student. No matter how prestigious the research university, I think that the quality of education will be superior at a lot of the top 30 LAC’s.</p>
<p>Also, insofar as you can compare rankings between research schools and LAC’s - I think Bucknell is overall the better choice, and probably carries more prestige. This is probably debatable.</p>
<p>Lastly, if I could go back in time and re-do undergrad at either Bucknell or where I am now (research school that is in the top 10 for undergrad) - I’d say it’s close enough to be considered an actual decision.</p>
<p>I have to agree with antikantian----Hands down, I received a superior education at Bucknell. As an '11 graduate who majored in Biology, was in a fraternity–and took some very difficult chemistry and physics courses as part of my Pre-Med program, I found that the amount of writing I did in all of my classes definitely helped me. I am taking a ‘gap year’ and working now–and was just accepted into medical school— which will begin August, 2012. During my medical school interviews this fall a number of my interviewers commented about the strength of my writing ability in my personal statement. I am very thankful of the personal attention I received at Bucknell and especially for the personal attention I received in the development of all the numerous papers I wrote during my four years–I think it helped me craft a great personal statement for med school. At Bucknell students write–a lot–and all of the time–and I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to develop my writing skill under the tutelage of many great professors in not only science courses, but also in the English and philosophy courses I took. Many of my friends were engineers–they wrote, too---------- and I know employers value that skill in those they hire. Recently, I spoke to a person in HR of an engineering firm recently and I asked him what makes Bucknell engineers different from all of the other engineers you hire–his reply–“ALL of them can write.” If you are looking for a school that will challenge you to critically think and write–Bucknell could be the place for you. I know all of my training in communication will help me beyond medical school.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot aberdeen and antikantian,</p>
<p>This helps a lot especially since i am pretty set on going to med school. Just a quick questions, do you know which medical schools you had friends going to from bucknell? and where students were accepted?</p>
<p>Also, aberdeen you said that there is an emphasis on writing. does that mean there are less MCQ test and more essays. Wouldnt this result in a deflated gpa?</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, Jefferson medical school in Philadelphia has graduated many Bucknellians.</p>
<p>And I can attest to the writing requirement at Bucknell. My D2 is a senior and seems to have papers due regularly in all classes. </p>
<p>Without a doubt, you can get a great education at Bucknell. You can also get a lot more depending on how much you take advantage of opportunities available.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Grade inflation or deflation has nothing to do with whether the grades are based on multiple choice exams or papers.</p>
<p>hyeonjlee,</p>
<p>but is it not true that its harder to perform well on essays as compared to MCQ</p>
<p>first of all, you haven’t seen any of the MCQ tests I put together as a Ph.D. TA years back. They used to kill all the students.</p>
<p>However, that’s besides the point, unless you are uniquely better at taking MCQ than other students or uniquely bad in writing - that would be a major problem.</p>
<p>If not, it’s all relative to what other students are doing. if the faculty decides to apply a harsh grading policy, it does not matter whether it’s MCQ or writing. He/she will give A’s only 10% regardless of whether of the exam format.</p>
<p>I would say this: MCQ is all about (100%) the convenience for the teaching staff and does NOT help students get better education. Giving writing assignment is a colossal PAIN IN THE BEHIND, but paves a ground for much better education. It takes dedicated and not overburdened teaching staff to give writing assignments. As a student, you want the latter, NOT the former.</p>
<p>Trust me, even (may be especially more so) in this day and age of 200 character twit age, writing well is a TREMENDOUS asset.</p>
<p>Haha^^ As a faculty member at another school for over 20 years, I can state with absolute certainty that MCQ tests are much easier to grade. Especially if you have them computer graded. </p>
<p>But I also agree that writing assignments and exams with written and/or problem solving parts do pave a ground for a better education. I never give only MCQ exams.</p>
<p>Interestingly, in the class I am currently teaching that I give MC, problem solving and written part on all exams, students often lose the most or a lot of points on the MC.</p>
<p>Elnaiemd said, "…Also, aberdeen you said that there is an emphasis on writing. does that mean there are less MCQ test and more essays. Wouldn’t this result in a deflated gpa? </p>
<p>I think you will find lots of courses at Bucknell that will include MCQ exams. However, I cannot think of one course I took during my four years at Bucknell that did not include quite a bit of essay writing–including the Pre Med courses. As the largest liberal arts school in the USA, Bucknell courses include lots of essay writing and I think Bucknellians are known for being able to write well. In my opinion, writing generates lots of critical thinking–and I think that is good if you are interested in a medical career–or any career. I spoke to a friend of the family who hires for an engineering firm and asked him why Bucknell engineers were a good hire and he said, “We hire the top engineers…and Bucknell engineers can all write and that is what sets them ahead of many candidates when it comes to hiring.”
I might have written about this before–but, at the conclusion of a number of my med school interviews–some of the people interviewing me commented about my writing both for the personal statement and on my secondary essay responses. Hearing this made me happy. </p>
<p>Where have recent (2010-2011) Bucknell Pre Med (Health)l grads been accepted? At many DO schools and these allopathic schools (or at least of the people I know–and I am not counting the dental schools or the places where grads are pursuing PhDs in Bio or Chem): Univ. of Michigan Med; Wake Forest Med; Vanderbilt Med; Temple Med; Drexel Med; Penn State Med; Jefferson College of Med (Philly); Commonwealth Med (Scranton); Univer. of Connecticut Med; Univer. of Maryland Med; Univ. of Chicago at Rosalind Franklin Med; Univ. of Pittsburgh Med; SUNY-Upstate Med (Syracuse)–these are the schools where some of my friends have been accepted–another great part of the Bucknell Pre Health experience is that we have a super adviser, loyal alumni docs and med students who come back to speak to us on a regular basis throughout the year, a tremendous CDC (Career Development Center) advisory team that helps us obtain internships–and it’s a place where you can get writing help–and mock interview practice! This is a pretty great support package. While other schools can boast of their “name” prestige–either Ivy or Public–Bucknell remains Bucknell–a school where grad school admissions people and employers know they will admit or hire quality grads. While I am no fan of “lists”–this site does give Bucknell high marks as a quality Pre Med School:
[The</a> Best Pre-Medical Colleges | eHow.com](<a href=“http://www.ehow.com/info_8691835_premedical-colleges.html]The”>http://www.ehow.com/info_8691835_premedical-colleges.html)
Best of Luck in your college search–and as for the GPA question–when you get going with your studies–study hard–but, give yourself some time for rest and relaxation, too. I played a club sport, joined a fraternity, and joined a special interest club outside of my science studies to meet other kids and socialize–make sure you take some time for yourself–your GPA will take care of itself if you plan ahead and balance everything you do with moderation. I am happy and proud to be a recent Bucknell grad–I hope this helps you out!</p>
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<p>While I know a few people who ended up going to medical school, I can only remember my freshman hall off the top of my head. One went to the University of Minnesota (I think), and another went to the University of Pennsylvania (although this might not have been for an MD). </p>
<p>While this isn’t necessarily relevant for pre-med, I think it’s interesting. From my freshman hall, I think the majority ended up going to grad school:
<p>Thanks A Lot Guys!!!</p>
<p>So i got my scholarship decision last week and i got the tuition scholarship to Bucknell so I’ve committed and i will be a bucknellian in 2012!!!</p>
<p>So excited for you Elnaiemd! You must be a tremendous leader to get the Posse scholarship and my guess is that down the line your Posse connections while at Bucknell and after Bucknell will give you some tremendous networking benefits! The Posse program, I think, is a great program-Kudos to you! You’ll find that the advising for Posse and Pre Health will be great–and don’t forget that your profs will give you lots of good advice, too. Continue to be yourself and best of luck as a member of the Class of 2016! 'Ray Bucknell!!!</p>