Bucknell University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Markets, Innovation, and Design. Basically, we learn all the management classes, have a design focused class, and then make up a concentration to do whatever. Some kids choose computer science. I don’t have a concentration yet. [It is part of the Freeman College of Management.]
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m in a sorority, and I work for the school newspaper, The Bucknellian
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public high school in New Jersey with a graduating class of 210. There was a really big culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: Markets, Innovation, and Design. Basically, we learn all the management classes, have a design focused class, and then make up a concentration to do whatever. Some kids choose computer science. I don’t have a concentration yet. [It is part of the Freeman College of Management.]
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in a sorority, and I work for the school newspaper, The Bucknellian
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I’ve been a part of Greek life since sophomore year because that’s when you’re allowed to start rushing. Greek life’s pretty huge, you meet a ton of people. It’s not bad or stereotypical like it sounds in movies. It’s more just a way to meet people. Also, Greek life isn’t just partying all the time. There are philanthropy events everyone shows up to.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
It’s a lot of reading, a lot of written homework assignments, a lot of group work and presentations. My major, for me at least, is really project based. We work for companies downtown too, so we’re kind of contributing to Lewisburg and collaborating with the downtown area. That’s not just my major, Bucknell really tries to push that to help the local community.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
My major [is relatively young], so I think it has a really good starting base right now. The professors really try to fix things and take feedback to make the program better. I think what they do poorly is the communication within the Management School isn’t always great. They could push to give us more opportunities to work with faculty and stuff.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it is competitive or collaborative?
It’s definitely both competitive and collaborative. Nobody is trying to give you the wrong answer or not help you with your homework to get one up on you. Everybody helps each other.
What is your favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
Markets, Innovation, and Design, the same title as my major. It’s the 101 class. It’s really creative, we worked downtown with a company to build a website for them. It’s a lot of outside the box thinking. It’s not really like any other class I had taken. My other favorite was called The Stakeholder Organization. My professor was really great and it was more of a conversational class. All you had to do was raise your hand and say what you saw and it was fun.
What is your least favorite class you’ve taken for your major?
The Strategic Organization, it was really terrible. I don’t think they hired that professor back. All we did was read case studies as a class.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes, definitely. But, I feel like sometimes kids are scared to speak up because sometimes the professors show their opinion too transparently and just kind of roll with it. It is college, no one’s feeling should be hurt, but I think kids get scared to speak up against professors.
Why did you choose your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
Originally, I entered Bucknell as an engineer. I took physics and I just couldn’t do it. I switched to the College of Management, so I applied and got in. I’ve had two majors, I had Management for Sustainability, and switched that to Global Management, and switched that, and I finally ended up in this major. I’m really happy with it because it’s kind of like the creative side of engineering that I really enjoyed but without the physics.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s a small school. It’s manageable.
2) It’s a beautiful school. That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with it.
3) The student body is really bright. I feel like you’re constantly having educated conversations and not just meaningless ones.
4) The friendships I’ve made and what I see from other people are really great friendships.
5) Depending on where you’re from, I’m friends with a lot of people from New Jersey and the Tri-State area, so when you go home over break you get to see them next week.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) It’s really expensive.[For the 2018-2019 academic year, the total cost was about $70,000.]
2) The coursework is hard. If you’re kind of a slacker I wouldn’t really suggest it.
3) If you’re not into the social setting, partying or whatever, that might be a setback for you because I’ve met a ton of people that way. On the other hand, I know a ton of people just from class and am friends with them too in that sense.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: I was randomly placed into Vedder Hall with one roommate. That was really great. It was a hall that [was really social].
Sophomore: Kress Hall with the same roommate because we got along.
Junior: Hunt Hall, which is sorority housing. I lived on a floor with all of my sorority sisters.
Senior: I’m moving into a house downtown.
What was your favorite living situation?
I really liked living in Hunt because I had friends in other sororities and they were in the same building on different floors so I could see all of them.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
Bucknell is super safe. The only time I’ve ever felt unsafe was when there was a concert on campus and locals from the town came to the concert. One was following me on my way home after the concert. That was a one-time thing though. Other than that, I’ve never felt unsafe walking alone by myself in the dark past midnight.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Sushihanna, it’s the only place that has sushi that’s walkable from campus.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Street of Shops, it’s this restaurant off-campus kind of on the outskirts of town. It has all these random antique stores within one big warehouse.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
At Bucknell, the big nights are Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and Thursday nights too at the bar if you’re 21. So, I go out normally on Wednesdays and Fridays at night, and Saturdays during the day because we have “Supers,” which are basically day parties. Then normally, we just try to sleep all night Saturday. Greek life is a really big part of that, but I wouldn’t say it’s the determining factor. You don’t have to be a part of Greek life to enter a party. I mean, it’d help if you knew someone. At a Super, you can just waltz right in it’s no big deal. I will say that if you’re a boy it’s a lot harder to get into parties.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Greek life runs nightlife, unless you are part of a sports team that’s having a party or a student club, because we just go downtown to the Greek houses and party there. They’re pretty much the hosts for everything.
What have been your favorite times at Bucknell?
I think every Super is great. I really like the fall semester, spring semester is cold, but fall semester around Lewisburg is beautiful. One of my favorite memories was for one of my classes we kayaked down the Susquehanna River. It was really awesome. I guess also just going downtown and hanging out. My roommate and I used to go on runs downtown because Lewisburg is gorgeous.
How happy were you with the nightlife at Bucknell? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m pretty happy with it. I don’t know if I would change anything. It’s great.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I had a friend that lived on my freshman hall and he had an older brother who was friends with the girl who was also in our grade, they met and then I met her, and she introduced me to a girl on her hall. It just kind of happened and we all started pregaming together after we met, and now we’re all best friends.
How would you describe the social scene at Bucknell?
I think it’s really good. Sometimes I feel like we’re really dedicated to only going out on certain days, which sometimes stinks and sometimes is great because it’s dependent on fraternities and what they do.
How would you describe the student body?
The student body is a mix of people. I mean, it’s primarily White. [In the class of 2021 there were 21.7% students of color.] Bucknell is really trying to help with their diversity, so it’s not to say that we don’t have students of diverse backgrounds or who are different culturally. You do have students that drive around in their Range Rovers while others drive in Hondas. It’s just like sometimes kids are showy and others aren’t. Not that there’s a divide, but you can tell who’s who.
[The median family income at Bucknell is about $204,000.]
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I don’t know honestly. I have friends who are gay and are in fraternities and it’s no problem. Everyone welcomes them. I feel like some people feel ostracized because of it and don’t try to go out and mingle. I don’t know any more about that though.
What do you think the impact of Greek life is on social life?
I think it’s really big because people in Greek life know other people in Greek life and sometimes if you’re not part of it, it can be hard. Especially like when we’re talking about our formal or that date party. If you’re not part of Greek life you can’t be part of that conversation. I have friends that feel like that because they didn’t rush or didn’t get a bid, and it kind of makes them feel bad about themselves. But, it’s not that important in the long run.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Yeah, not this summer, but the previous summer I used the career development office to help me find a job. I went in and was told by the woman that works with me that I couldn’t get an internship. She called an alum, who had previously had a job offering on our school website, and was like, “Hi, I have this girl and she really wants an internship. I’m vouching for her.” He just took her word for it and gave me an internship and I worked in D.C.
How helpful has the career office been?
I’ve been using it since freshman year because I transferred into the management school. They don’t allow people to transfer to the management school anymore. When I transferred, you had to write a resume, cover letter, and have a recommendation letter and stuff. So, I went to the career office as a freshman because I had no idea how to write a cover letter and I had no resume. So, the same woman has been helping me since I was a freshman.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful to you professionally?
Yes, we basically have one whole semester course on Excel and how to use it and everything that it offers, like pivot tables and all that stuff. In school it’s helped me and outside of school in jobs it’s helped me too.