Bucknell: The Big Picture
One thing that Bucknell emphasizes, and fits me quite well, is balance in many different regions of life. It is fairly rare that a student's activities are concentrated in only one region, which I personally believe is a strength. One personal complaint could just as easily be a praise from another student: the "Bucknell Bubble" phenomenon. I love the quaint, Central Pennsylvania atmosphere of Lewisburg, the neighboring town, but admittedly there is very little to do past 6th Street and St. Catherine's after about nine in the evening. Due to this, there is something of a love-hate relationship between the town and the university. Borough residents will cheer on Bucknell in every possible sporting event as much as the Sojka Psychos in a basketball game, but they hold many of the stereotypes about which I wrote earlier. The Bucknell community has a tendency to look down its collective nose at the "townies", so perhaps we deserve the labels the outside world gives us.
Bucknell Academic Life
Once again, in general, I am extremely pleased with the academic personality of the university. Bucknell does a good job helping students with a wide variety of interests, at least as long as those students are in the college of arts of science. As long as you are active in class discussion, professors will know you by name, which is so comforting at times. There are better professors than others, but that is simply life at work. Outside of class, the competitiveness of students changes from student to student, clique to clique. There are many students that begin worrying about GRE's sophomore year, but I have felt no pressure like that personally. Some of my best learning experiences have come from just talking in a friend's dorm room, exploring the world's vast array of problems. As for career help, I am planning to attend seminary, which needless to say is an area that I explore through my pastor and other Christian leaders.
Bucknell's Student Body
Are you familiar with the piece of Star Wars trivia that all of the Storm Troopers in the Empire are clones of the same bounty hunter? There is a similar phenomenon at Bucknell. Currently there are about three or four African Americans in all of my classes combined, and I actually counted one poor soul twice. Included in the homogeneity of campus is clothes. It seems that a girl can't truly be Bucknellian without at least on pair of Ug boots, several plastic headbands, and monstrous-looking sunglasses. On the y-chromosome side, Polo shirts are always common, but popped collars are not as prevalent as one might think. In the caf table paradigm, one table would be filled with frat guys, one with sorority girls, one with some more normal, socially awkward kids, and the last is filled with the international students. Cased closed.
Bucknell Student Activities + Social Life
I am highly involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, one of the larger religious groups on campus. It seems to represent the campus fairly well, though we are lacking in Greek Lifers and minorities, in general. When I go to hang out on weekends, it's always with this group that I end up chilling with. Watching random movies, going downtown on Monday nights for wings at the Bull Run Inn, playing snow football...if I had peeps, they would be found in IV. I am not a partier and don't drink, so I honestly can't answer those questions.
