Bucknell University Top Questions

My classmates here at Bucknell are not normal college students; they get up and ready for their day (opposed to just rolling out of bed for 8am's) and work really hard for their education.

there's a lot of scratching that needs to be done at the surface. from the outside, i know i sometimes look like a sterotypical bucknellian, but i know other times i look really out of place (stereotypical west coast hippie). i've met great and lame people in both outfits. (metaphorically speaking here obviously). however, it's easy to get caught up in the rich, snobby, alcoholic crowd - and it will probably make you miserable. im personally also not white, but i've had no problems fitting in. it feels like the campus is half and half on political issues, but it's not like they really matter. i don't get a very political vibe from bucknell students, which i'm grateful for. also, i was surprised at how much people DONT flash their money (at least by my standards - sillicon valley style). all i hear from girls that don't like the school is how all the other girls wear designer clothes, etc. i never really understood that because while i think bucknell girls dress well, they dress plainly (and boringly) and for the record, not that very high-end. people really don't talk about how much money they'll make one day. most if it is who is going where for vacation and whose dad is paying for it.

Some of the most engaged and competitive people I have ever been around.

My classmates are friendly, hardworking people.

what students say say about the student population at Bucknell

Diversity? We could start at the different ethnic and racial populations on campus, but how about we start with clothes. It isn’t hard to notice, when you surrounded by your polo wearing, tote purse doting peers, that there is one general type of people here, and I don’t like to stereotype.. but prep says it all. So if this is your style, you will be right at home here. The African American, Latino and foreign student populations, although seemed small my freshman year, have increased significantly my sophomore year. As may be expected, it is slightly less than welcoming for a black person to come to rural Lewisburg, Pa. I didn’t fully understand the extent of it, until a friend of mine told me my freshman year that she didn’t like to go into town by herself, because she would get unnerving looks from shopkeepers for what she thought were because she was black. Although this could be an unusual occurrence, I have heard similar unnerving stories from one of my professors and I thought I should report my findings. That said, I don’t want to deter any prospective students from applying, keep reading for reasons why Bucknell will feel like home for you. Also, what you may want to know is that the African American community has exploded since my freshman year (last year) and so has the Latino and foreign student populations, so we are finally starting to feel like a normal campus. (**As I am mentioning all of this and I hope I haven’t offended anyone, I hope that my words are doing something to break down the “white middle class” stereotype of bucknell, because it truly appears to be changing). As for the LGBT community, I had so much to say, so I waited til later to write a short paragraph about it: read on.

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Students here are typically quite accepting of different races, religions, and sexual preferences. Socio-economically, I would say that some people are a bit snobbish if you can't seem to afford certain things. How you dress up for class is entirely up to you. Some people dress to the nines, while others have clearly just woken up five minutes before class and only had time to put on those sweatpants. The predominant style is preppy, and I find a lot of people wearing AE, A&F, and Hollister. A lot of Bucknell reviews I've read complain about the lack of racial diversity, but I honestly don't see a problem. I am Asian American, and while I don't see the diversity in the classrooms so much, outside, I'd say 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my friends are international students or Americans "of color." Finding a diverse group at Bucknell will take a bit of effort, but once you do find it, you'll be surprised at how big it can actually get.

Group oriented, with little flexibility between groups. However within groups, I have never met better people. We work hard but party harder. Fraternities and sororities are key to developing a "going out" social life, but other organizations like sports teams also fill that social area as well. Being a freshman guy will suck, since you wont get into any parties/bar.

Driven to succeed and anxious for the opportunity to experience life

What students tend to wear to differs with each person. Some girls overdress in dresses and heels , while some guys come to class in sweatpants and a t-shirt. I usually wear jeans, a nice top, either flipflops or my chucks and some matching jewelry. I don't want to over dress, but I still want to look nice. Students are politicaly aware and active here at Bucknell. There are voter registration drives and both the Conservative club and Campus Democrates publish their own newspapers and bring speakers to campus.

There are a huge range of interests in people at Bucknell, all of it reflected in the variety of activities, majors, and organizations. I feel most people fit in fine here.

Greek life dominates the social scene. You can't walk around campus without seeing at least 1 person wearing his or her letters.

Students at Bucknell are the part I don't like. Although everyone can find a niche, its much harder for some people than others. I've definately spent more time here complaining about the student body than anything else. Most of them come from very well-to-do backgrounds, and aren't sympathetic at all to those who don't. Students with limited means will definately have a harder time fitting in at Bucknell. Although there isn't much on campus you need money for, its clear who has it - girls come to class in expensive clothes with expensive handbags. Fashion is really important to most Bucknellians. There are, however, isolated groups of really amazing people. If you're looking for them, they're there, they're just hard to find. I love the people I work with at my campus job, and my extracurriculars have not always been typical, so I've met great people there.

I'd say there are a lot of people here that are probably better off socio economically than I am. I usually wear jeans and a tshirt/sweatshirt, but on any give day there are people more dressed up or less dressed up. Four tables: athletes, sorority girls, gamers, 'regulars'. A lot of students seem to be from PA, NY, NJ, CA. Theres quite the variety. Some are politically active, personally I'm not so I couldnt tell you much about it.

Most Bucknell students are from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

We are pretty cool about it. But people like to use racist words, but they usually dont mean it. Devil worshipers... i dont know Nice clothes or crappy clothes. 90$ lacoste or a free t shirt. Ye, kinda. Let me think. Freshman.... Sophomores... thats it. New york (Long Island pricks), New Jersey (ruff mother fuckers) and California (treehuggers) Some poor falk like me, some nice rich kids, and obviously some rich bastards. You are not considered a rich bastard unless you own a building at bucknell or have your own religion. Mostly conservative. Plus dont forget the treehugers. Thats the only thing that keeps us going.

Bucknell is known for its affluent, conservative student body. Many students come from an upper-class background, and many are politically conservative (strangely, though, they're more apathetic than politically active). Students largely seem to be concerned with future salaries, though.

Most students are involved in campus activities. It's easy to find something that you're interested in, or you could always start your own club. Diversity is kind of an issue still at Bucknell, though not as much as it was a few years ago. Most people are Caucasian so minorities might feel out of place. The majority of students come from the east coast, though there are a bunch from California and other midwest and west coast states too.

Students at Bucknell are mostly from upper middle class to upper class backgrounds and almost all fit into the "preppy" stereotype. People dress very fashionably to go to class, and are generally very concerned with their appearance - hence they frequent the gym alot. Most Bucknell students are from New York, PA, and MD. Students don't seem very politically active and I would say while campus is still fairly liberal, for a college campus it is pretty conservative. The LGBT and ethnic roups on campus are pretty active and visible on campus though the student body is not very diverse.

Our school has a high percentage of Greek students because the Greek community is so accessible. I was at first intimidated by the statistic, but now am part of it because our Greeks are great! There's truly a place for everyone. I love that Greeks are as well integrated into student life as any other group, so it's an added bonus, and not a matter of being cliquey or missing out on other groups of friends. I've never played intramurals but there sure are lots. Some people say they go to the gym to see and be seen, but I go because it's superb. Nothing like a good run to work out frustrations of a day!

As a person who would be considered "diverse," I had an OK experience. I don't mind not having others of my culture or race around me, but I do have a few, so it's nice to chat with them at times. As regards other "diversity" issues, I know Bucknell is trying very hard to make the campus more diverse; they could, however, do a better job of integrating diverse students. I can't blame the administration, though, because most of the student body do not necessarily have the social "tools" to be able to seem welcoming to an international student--they either ask questions that are meant to seem like they are interested or they don't talk to you at all and look awkwardly away (that is, until they find out that you can put together an English sentence). I'm hesitant to say whether Bucknell is clique-y. It is, definitely, more than not so; the sororities, fraternities, and sports groups usually hang out with each other, and those who do not belong in one of the three hang out with their respective "clubs" (African/African-Americans -- POSSE hang out only with each other, as do Hispanics -- OHLAS, Asians -- S(tudent)A(sian)A(wareness) (at) B(ucknell), and international students). It's very separated and very few have the ability to meld into multiple groups. Four tables: football players, freshmen (who have not yet been sucked into the Greek system and therefore are blissfully ignorant), sorority girls having their monthly SISTERHOOD LUNCH OMG, and the Writers of Rohan (yes...the "writers").

There is little to no diversity here at Bucknell. The administration then tries to force diversity to come to campus, but that doesn't mean the international students will mingle with the white students. Students here are rich. A lot of people from Connecticut (even Greenwich and Westchester NY. Students are definitely preppy dressers, you'll see a lot of expensive labels.

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.

Ok, boy. We are a giant white blob. Diversity has gotten better, but its still way off when it comes to minorities. Not that I want them to lower standards to raise diversity. But there are groups for everyone on campus...everyone. If you weren't white, you would be very aware of it here. Wear to class?? Well, that depends: sweatpants and a ballcap; mini-skirts and uggs; dancepants and uggs; jeans and uggs; those silly rainboots and jeans/dancepants; haltertops and mini skirts; t-shirts; sweaters; high-heels. It all depends on the person/gender. But uggs are socially accepted, no matter what. The dress I would have to say is wealthier. Different students don't interact as much as they should-there are very distinct groups around campus and they do not inter-mingle as much as I would like them to.

See first answer.

i don't know any gay people on campus, but LGBT is very active most everyone here is REALLY well off financially, but there are a lot of people still struggling, and there's a few of us here on scholarship. i have a LOT of different types of people. i'm a "connector" person and i hang out with a lot of different groups. most students wear northface, bucknell sweatpants and ugg boots. but those are the girls. the guys wear the same thing, but with flip flops. it seems that about 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the people i know are politically aware or active. most of them are left. we conservatives are really a cry in the wilderness.

There are a lot of racial, religious, LGBT, and other diverse groups on campus. They generally cater to those students who fall into those groups, but are usually welcoming to any other students who choose to become involved. A large amount of Bucknell students are from the East coast, but we also have 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of our students from the West. People definitely talk about what they will be doing once they graduate, and how much they will earn eventually. Generally the campus is somewhat apathetic, but there is a College Democrats Club and the Bucknell Conservatives Club (BUCC). BUCC is very active and well-respected on campus and nationally.

I think that people are not particularly friendly towards LGBT students or that the campus is not as friendly as it could be toward LGBT students. Most students wear uggs, popped collars, ribbons in their hair, leggings. A lot of students are from PA and the east coast. Most people that go here are middle class students that have money.

We don't have a lot of diversity, but we're working on it. Student minorities have a lot of support among themselves and the multicultural and LGBT offices. These offices work hard to create a nurturing environment for students, and are terrific resources if/when you need them

Most students wear expensive, name-brand clothes to class. For women, pearl earrings, north face fleeces and UGG boots are a must. For males, layer those pink and white polo shirts and pop your collars. Bucknell is very uniform. Bucknell is aware that it has very little racial diversity. However, in my opinion, though it has done much on this front to improve, it has paid little attention to social and economic diversity. Many students partake in Greek life, and if you don't, you might have a tougher time finding things to do on weekends. That is not to say that it is impossible, however; Bucknell's campus has amazing performances in the Performing Arts Center, late night open mic nights at the cafe, bingo, comedy shows, poetry readings, etc. However, though these events seem great, good luck finding people to attend them with you- most students can be found at a fraternity party or at the bar on weekends. In fact, a friend of mine recently told me, "I never considered myself the type to join a sorority; however, I wanted to actually have a social life."