Founded in 1846 in the Western Pennsylvania town of Lewisburg, Bucknell is ranked among the top liberal arts institutions in the nation. It offers some of the best characteristics of a traditional liberal arts college, including a range of interesting courses, personal attention from professors, and a close-knit residential community. But Bucknell combines these characteristics with the resources and facilities of a larger university – and offers courses often not found at other liberal arts schools.
Its 3,500 undergraduates can choose from more than 50 majors and 60 minors or can design their own interdepartmental or college major built around their academic interests and goals. The broad curriculum includes traditional liberal arts subjects as well as professional programs in accounting, management, education, engineering and music. Pre-professional advising in law and medicine is also available.
Bucknell’s 291 professors value teaching above all else. Whether they study ritual in West Africa, the structural reliability of bridges or the politics of conservation, faculty members take students on a path to exploration and understanding. Faculty members are available for help and advice – and students enjoy multiple opportunities to conduct their own research.
Robert Springall, Bucknell’s Dean of Admissions, graciously set aside some time in his busy schedule to answer some of AdmissionsConsultants’ questions about admissions to Bucknell.
What do you consider the most important part of the application process?
During the review of a candidate’s application, the high school record – the day-in, day-out achievement and the choice of advanced courses – is what most guides us. Each selective college, like Bucknell, is looking for candidates who stand out and who will make a unique contribution to the campus community. Question number one, though, is “will this person be a student capable of meeting and exceeding the expectations of our faculty?”
Has your school seen a change (increase or decrease) in application volume?
We have fewer applicants than a few years ago, but we still get over 7,000 a year for a class of 920. And we are still highly selective – we admit less than 30 percent of our applicants.
We made a decision a few years back to focus on the quality of our recruiting program – big improvements to the web site, lots of changes to the campus visit programs, and off-campus recruiting – that targets students who have the potential to gain a lot from Bucknell. To do that, we had to stop those activities that produced the portion of our application pool that did not know us, did not investigate us, and did not come to Bucknell – either because they were not competitive for admission, or because Bucknell was never a top choice for them).
Can a candidate compensate for a sub-standard academic record or SAT scores? If so, how?
The best way to deal with a blemish on one’s record – be it a poor grade, a low test score, etc. – is to deal with it openly. Admissions committees are comprised of humans who can sympathize when someone says, “this isn’t my strong suit” or “at the same time, I was dealing with…” illness, loss, circumstance at home, and the like. In those cases, the best applicants take it a step further too. They say “here’s what else I can bring,” and “here’s how I am improving.”
What are the key characteristics you seek in an applicant?
We are looking for students who are ready to be academically engaged and who have demonstrated excellence in the classroom and the community. Bucknell’s community is small enough where ideally everyone brings something unique to our place and is ready to both learn and to contribute.
What makes your university stand out compared to other universities?
Bucknell combines a comprehensive, world-class university education within a personalized residential liberal arts learning environment. Our size – less than 3,500 undergraduates – offers the opportunity of a close-knit community, but the range of programs and facilities are very extensive for a small university.
Who should apply for financial aid? Do applicants have to complete anything beyond the FAFSA?
Our primary financial aid application for U.S. citizens and permanent residents is the CSS PROFILE, available on the College Board’s web site. Prospective international students should complete Bucknell’s International Student Financial Aid Application, available on the University’s web site.
What advice do you have for students applying for financial aid?
Be thorough and make sure all the information on the CSS PROFILE form is reflective of your family’s financial situation – past, present, and future. If it is not, let our Office of Financial Aid know. Out of fairness to all of our financial aid applicants, we have limitations on what we can do, but we cannot do anything for an applicant who fails to call attention to a special circumstance.
What percent of your students receive financial aid? How much is the “average” financial aid package? What is the average student debt load after graduation?
Last year, 62 percent of our undergraduates received financial aid of some form. The average total financial aid package for first-year students with financial need in the fall of 2009
was about $25,000. For Bucknell commits over $40 million toward scholarship/grant aid for undergraduate students, in addition to government and outside grants and self-help aid.
The average student loan debt upon graduation is about $19,000.