Lisa shares her on-the-ground perspective from a recent visit to Bucknell University.

Bucknell is a private university that serves mostly undergraduates–about 4,000 of them. It is located near the charming small town of Lewisburg, PA, and pretty much nothing else, except for Harrisburg, PA, about one hour away. Being roughly two to three hours from major cities such as New York, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia makes the school a bit more challenging to reach, despite the shuttles that Bucknell runs to major airports during high travel times.  

What the school lacks in urban proximity, it makes up for in beauty, both in the design of the campus and the surrounding mountains. The campus is filled with red brick buildings, designed to look old on the outside, but quite modern inside, and the views of the surrounding mountains are stunning.  

Student Life at Bucknell: Social Scene and Campus Culture

Its 4,000 undergraduates are pretty evenly split between men and women, and fraternities and sororities are prominent on campus, with 50 percent of students joining one. Rush does not occur until sophomore year, however, and there were some rumblings that because freshman boys cannot attend fraternity parties, they find themselves somewhat bored that first year. Apparently, whatever the rules are, girls of any year can get into any party they’d like to attend.  (As the parent of two daughters, I wasn’t totally pleased to hear this.) Bucknell only allows random roommate assignments for freshmen, but it seemed to work pretty well for the students we met. As far as I could see, the student body was mainly white, upper-middle-class, and attractive, with a more preppy vibe. They seemed to be enjoying their many resources and deluxe study spots–everything at Bucknell seems to be the latest model or the newest of the new, suggesting that financially, the school is doing just fine.  

Majors, Programs and Outcomes

However deluxe the setting, the classes at Bucknell are not easy, and academic expectations are high. Bucknell has small classes that are taught by professors rather than graduate students, allowing students and professors to develop close relationships. There are three schools within Bucknell: the engineering school, the business school, and the College of Arts and Sciences. It’s worth noting that if you don’t get admitted to the business school as a freshman, there is no way to be admitted to it later. The engineering school is similar–although there may be some transfer paths for students from other schools, they are rare. 

The business school and the engineering school are well-known and respected, and the College of Arts and Sciences offers several strong programs in economics, political science, biology, psychology, animal behavior (actually one of the top programs in the nation), sustainability, computer science, and music. The school has good career outcomes, with high job placement and graduate school admissions rates. According to the admissions office, last year, LinkedIn rated them as the #1 school for career placement, although they did note that LinkedIn could be a bit fickle.

Bucknell Admissions: Acceptance Rates, Early Decision, and Requirements

In terms of admissions, Bucknell would prefer that business school applicants take Calculus in their senior year and that all applicants have completed precalculus, as they do not offer precalculus on campus. They also prefer students to come in through the Early Decision track–70 percent of the freshman class are ED admits. The ED admission rate is 55%, versus the Regular Decision rate of 26%. Bucknell isn’t cheap, but they do offer need-based financial aid and merit scholarships.

Campus Traditions

Bucknell has the usual traditions we see on campuses–walking or running into a building or gate as a new freshman, and then out of the same place as a senior, and no walking on the seal, or you might not graduate. Bucknell’s solution to accidentally stepping on the seal was a notch above what I normally hear–in order to break the curse, you have to either kiss the seal or pee on it. That’s an interesting choice, and I spent more time than it deserved wondering which option was better.

Is Bucknell the Right Fit?

All in all, Bucknell paints an appealing picture. I had few expectations of the school, except that it was remote and great for engineering and business, but I was impressed by the breadth of their academic offerings and the high level of resources. I can imagine a more quirky, alternative student having a harder time finding their people at Bucknell. However, for the right student, this could be an idyllic place to spend four years–just watch where you step.  

Not sure if a school like Bucknell belongs on your student’s list? Download our How to Build a Balanced College List guide to create a balanced, realistic list your student will actually be excited about.