Social Life/People at Bucknell

DKJAMEI
Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:33:01 +0000

First off, I took a look at this thread because I have a son who is a junior at Bucknell and I was curious about what was being said about the school. We have a daughter who is a senior in high school and so we’re back in research mode as far as colleges go. NSDAD, who are YOU? If you are a Bucknell parent then I’m surprised. Every Bucknell parent that I have met over the course of 2 1/2 years has been kind, respectful and engaged in their son’s/ daughter’s education. The fact that Morrismm had a few things to say about Bucknell does not infer that she has “so much time to constantly monitor”. She’s just being helpful. Good grief. It’s called giving back, and I understand because I did check these threads when our son was applying. In short, readers here should know that your sort of attitude is NOT the prevailing attitude of parents at Bucknell. 'Nuff said.

Our son is about as happy as a 21 year old college guy can be at Bucknell. He’s a business major with fabulous roommates, teammates, fraternity brothers and friends. The school is small enough to garner the personal attention that is so important at this level, and yet large enough that he meets new people all of the time. The professors are stellar and invested. Since class sizes tend to be smaller, professors hold the students accountable for attending class. This is more like real life in that you don’t just skip your 8am because you were out late and felt like sleeping in - chances are that if you make that choice, you will be penalized. Athletes must communicate any absences to professors before they leave campus for games, and must make particular arrangements to take exams or turn in papers before or after the games. Again, they are held accountable and do not get free passes. If you asked me to state a negative about the school, I would seriously be hard-pressed. Perhaps it would be the fact that it is located at least 3 hours from major airports (Philly, Newark, Baltimore), although Harrisburg is very close. The location is more of a fact than a negative, I guess. The tuition is high as well, which is probably another fact as opposed to a negative, to be fair. I’m happy that the school recruits top professors and pays them top dollar. It pays off when employer recruiting season hits. Speaking of recruiting, the accounting department recently took interested students via shuttle to New York City to attend a PwC recruiting event sponsored by a PwC partner/Bucknell alum. This partner wisely called in Bucknell alum from all over the city to attend the mini-conference, so as to broaden the experience for students. Pretty cool, and it was a great success.

There are students here from all areas of the country, and you’ll see them in pick-up trucks, luxury cars, beaters and bikes. I truly feel, based on what I have seen and what my son tells us, that you are accepted for who you are; your dreams and worth ethic are more important than your socio-economic background. Be aware: the students here work very, very hard. They are smart, driven, and poised to succeed. Employers are standing in line to hire solid Bucknell engineers and accountants. These are the two majors that I have direct knowledge regarding and thus cannot speak to the rest, but I have to believe that students who make the grade will get the job with a Bucknell degree.

The student body is divided politically, but I have never heard of an unhealthy, divisive attitude on campus. My son has a roommate who leans liberal, and another who is very conservative. My son falls in the middle. They get along like peas and carrots. Wish our country could say the same.

Social life? Trust me, it’s there, no matter what it is that you enjoy. They get excited about everything from mixers, to bowling night, to attending concerts on campus. There are classical concerts galore that I wish my son would find the time to attend. The little town of Lewisburg is as charming as a small town can be, and the students do walk uptown all of the time to eat, hit Barnes and Noble, Bull Run Inn for a burger, etc. It is like something out of an old-fashioned painting, to see them all wandering around town with the fall colors bursting through at every corner.

Is it perfect? No, I guess not. I’ve been told that rush week for the girls can be quite stressful, but I’m sure it’s nothing like some of the southern schools, and I haven’t heard that anyone did not get into a sorority if that is what she wanted. Fraternity rush is more relaxed. Another imperfect issue in my mind is that I wish that the students would be happy living on campus for all 4 years, instead of moving over to houses on 7th street like they tend to want to do by junior year. It is a small town, however, and so the campus is close by no matter where you live.

In sum, from everything I have witnessed and heard from my son, the Bucknell kids are just simply nice kids who work hard, play hard (that saying still scares me but I take it with a grain of salt), and enjoy life. I can see that every year brings even better things for my son. He came home last weekend for fall break sort of tired and a bit worn down, but still so happy. He LOVES his school, and for this parent, that makes life much less complicated.