Bucknell University Top Questions

Yes Its not interesting, you dont wana know Any other major except engineers has a jolly fun time. Yes Yes. Or at least we try. Constant smell of the cow poop in the air makes it hard to think. Ok. Good balance between those. You will get a job most likely if you graduate.

Great, I can't compare it to another college since this is the only place I've been. But I'm only a freshman and I'm in a class of about 15 when my professor asked me to work on a project with him.

I'm a computer science student. The department is small, but that's one of its strengths. I know all of the professors by name -- and, perhaps more importantly, they know me by name, too. Most of them have been accessible during working hours, and I see a good number at department-related events outside of classes. I've even been invited to dinner by some of them! The program is great, although I don't agree with the inclusion of all the required courses. My only real complaint is that the department is geared towards getting a job, and not encouraging students to pursue their own interests in computer science. I'd personally like to see more theory. A good percentage of students at Bucknell study very hard, but some don't study a whole lot at all; there's a good mix. Most of my courses are lectures, so I look forward to seminars in which there is more discussion than lecturing. Class participation varies: last spring I took a course on Greek comedy that had a lot of interesting discussion, whereas this semester I have an interdisciplinary course on technology and information ethics in which few students say provocative. Intellectual conversations outside of class are, for me, few and far between; if you go to the library, you're more likely to hear students talking about how much they drank the night before than anything approaching intellectual discussion. However, if you find the right people, you can certainly find fun discussion. I do think students at Bucknell are a bit too competitive and focused on what job they'll have after graduation and how much money they'll make, rather than pursuing education for education's sake.

The professors at Bucknell are wonderful! Most of them are available for outside help, the classes are pretty small too so you can get one-on-one time with your professor. Class participation is usually a must. The average Bucknellian has a "work hard, play hard" attitude in regards to the academic/social life balance. You definitely have to study to do well, but that's just college in general. Bucknell has a great alumni base which is great for networking for jobs and things like that, but Bucknell's recruiting benefits mostly for the engineering and finance industries.

All of my professors know my name and we call most of them by their first names, which I think creates a great atmosphere for learning as mature adults. My department (Physics) is really great. It's very small, with a graduating class of about 10 majors per year, so classes are very small and we get alot of individual attention from professors. Our labs are also really wonderful - we do alot of very interesting experiments that I don't think other schools do. The professors int he department also know all of the majors and are very willing to help us with anything - from reccomendation letters for internships, help with finding grad schools, to homework help or even supplementary math help. If you need help they are always there and willing to help - even if you're not in their class. I think Bucknells academic requirments are very reasonable and allow you enough freedom to have plenty of electives and explore things outside of your major, but at the same time you don't have to spend alot of time doing general requirments and can really get into the material important to your major right away. Something I also think is great is that we are always taught by real professors. A friend that goes to a bigger school has alot of classes taught by grad student TAs, and I think that if you are paying so much to go to college you should get real professors who are willing and excited to teach students rather than just do research all the time and leave the teaching to TAs.

Some classes are a little large, but you still get personal attention if you seek it out (and sometimes even if you don't)! I entered and had two sizeable classes, but dedicated professors who helped me to transition to college and make the experience wonderful! Students all are driven to succeed, but aren't competitive at the expense of others. Most professors don't grade on a curve so that we're encouraged to help each other to perform at our best by studying together or sometimes collaborating on homeworks. That has been wonderful. Participation is common, especially depending on the department and professor.

Professors are usually pretty good about knowing names. I've had coffee or lunch with more than a couple of them, not necessarily to talk about class. The "big" classes usually only have about 60 students in them, and that really only happens at the introductory level (in the sciences). After that, classes are rarely ever bigger than 25 people, and in seminars, class size ranges from 6-15 people.

My major only has four professors and they all know me by name. They are extremely friendly and accessible. Not all are like that of course, but they are accessible and at least courteous. Engineers seem to get close to their professors. Bucknell professors really are great. Classes are great because students actually participate. In many of my classes, great discussions get started and it's even taken out of the classroom. But attendance at lectures, educational films, and discussion groups outside of class is slim.

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.

I love my professor and my classes. Even the ones I had to take, such as baby-bio and geography. The classes and professors for my majors are fantastic. They are engaging, interesting, educational. My professors all know my name (I am a huge suck up) and we actually have conversations after class. My favorite class was, hmm....jeeze, dunno. Ancient technology? Early English Novel? City of Athens? Roman and Etruscan Art and Archaeology? Contemporary American Novel? US Fever Fantasy and Desire? Its too hard to say. I love the classes that are discussion based, although City of Athens was purely lecture...he is an awesome lecturer. I hate boring lectures and classes where no one talks...those are killers. I study all the time, but some say they never do, I guess you will never know. My friends and I have intellectual conversations (we had one yesterday about the viability of cannibalism) and I am assuming others do too. I don't think we are an overly competitive campus, unless you are talking about beer pong. I love being an English and Classics majors, the classes are always intellectually stimulating, although classics courses are more interesting. the classics department is much cooler (smaller) and I know all the professors; english, not so much. And education is geared towards learning for learning's sake, not getting a job (I'm bitter about that right now...what the hell do I want to do with all this worthless knowledge?)