Tell me about Bucknell

[Anonymous]

My dad went to Bucknell. It IS in the middle of nowhere, but that can be fun if your kid is really into the college scene. Greek scene is HUGE. My dad and his frat brothers still get together at least 4x/year and have an annual reunion in Lewisburg. He says it was the greatest college experience you could hope for and really wanted me to go there - but the middle of nowhere-ness wasn't for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pass on a resume from Bucknell unless I saw something else compelling-- great experiences, top grades, merit scholarship (to explain why applicant where there and not state u).

Why would someone bear the burden to convince you that any well-ranked school is better than state u? I've received 1000s of resumes so I'm genuinely curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pass on a resume from Bucknell unless I saw something else compelling-- great experiences, top grades, merit scholarship (to explain why applicant where there and not state u).

you're an ass

Hey, I'm just speaking the truth. I would overlook depending on the grad school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pass on a resume from Bucknell unless I saw something else compelling-- great experiences, top grades, merit scholarship (to explain why applicant where there and not state u).

Why would someone bear the burden to convince you that any well-ranked school is better than state u? I've received 1000s of resumes so I'm genuinely curious.

If you are applying for a job then yeah, the burden lies with you not me.

When I see decent state U, I think practical (particularly if I also see that applicant had to work thru college, got scholarships).

I see someone from a private college like Bucknell? I think rich kid who didn't get into a top school, not particularly exceptional. Unless I also see scholarships or something else interesting on resume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pass on a resume from Bucknell unless I saw something else compelling-- great experiences, top grades, merit scholarship (to explain why applicant where there and not state u).

Why would someone bear the burden to convince you that any well-ranked school is better than state u? I've received 1000s of resumes so I'm genuinely curious.

If you are applying for a job then yeah, the burden lies with you not me.

When I see decent state U, I think practical (particularly if I also see that applicant had to work thru college, got scholarships).

I see someone from a private college like Bucknell? I think rich kid who didn't get into a top school, not particularly exceptional. Unless I also see scholarships or something else interesting on resume.

I'm not sure that someone who went to Bucknell would necessarily note whether they'd received financial aid or not on their resume.

I think your post reflects an effort at false sophistication. I'd be making hiring decisions that were a bit more nuanced and based on fewer assumptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pass on a resume from Bucknell unless I saw something else compelling-- great experiences, top grades, merit scholarship (to explain why applicant where there and not state u).

Why would someone bear the burden to convince you that any well-ranked school is better than state u? I've received 1000s of resumes so I'm genuinely curious.

If you are applying for a job then yeah, the burden lies with you not me.

When I see decent state U, I think practical (particularly if I also see that applicant had to work thru college, got scholarships).

I see someone from a private college like Bucknell? I think rich kid who didn't get into a top school, not particularly exceptional. Unless I also see scholarships or something else interesting on resume.

I'm not sure that someone who went to Bucknell would necessarily note whether they'd received financial aid or not on their resume.

I think your post reflects an effort at false sophistication. I'd be making hiring decisions that were a bit more nuanced and based on fewer assumptions.

When you have 100s of applications to flip through, you don't have time to carefully read each one. So yeah, I skim for schools, GPA, and whether the experiences are intersting.

If someone makes the initial cut, then after the interviews, where you went to school isn't as much of a factor as interview and references.

[Anonymous]

DH went to Bucknell. Very fratty, small, homogenous student body. He would say he wasn't hugely impressed by the caliber of the other students. (He's very smart but screwed off in high school. High SATs, average grades.)

While I think resume guy is an ass, I think that's the stereotype -- rich kids who couldn't get in anywhere better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pass on a resume from Bucknell unless I saw something else compelling-- great experiences, top grades, merit scholarship (to explain why applicant where there and not state u).

Why would someone bear the burden to convince you that any well-ranked school is better than state u? I've received 1000s of resumes so I'm genuinely curious.

If you are applying for a job then yeah, the burden lies with you not me.

When I see decent state U, I think practical (particularly if I also see that applicant had to work thru college, got scholarships).

I see someone from a private college like Bucknell? I think rich kid who didn't get into a top school, not particularly exceptional. Unless I also see scholarships or something else interesting on resume.

I'm not sure that someone who went to Bucknell would necessarily note whether they'd received financial aid or not on their resume.

I think your post reflects an effort at false sophistication. I'd be making hiring decisions that were a bit more nuanced and based on fewer assumptions.

When you have 100s of applications to flip through, you don't have time to carefully read each one. So yeah, I skim for schools, GPA, and whether the experiences are intersting.

If someone makes the initial cut, then after the interviews, where you went to school isn't as much of a factor as interview and references.

So according to you, it really is all about getting that Ivy degree? Because those are the only private schools that count in your book. Unless I put in my cover letter that Bucknell gave me $$$$ but Harvard which also accepted me doesn't give merit aid. OK....

[Anonymous]

Good school but removed from everything, very rurual. Very pretty campus. Not sure if its looked at like a super top school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pass on a resume from Bucknell unless I saw something else compelling-- great experiences, top grades, merit scholarship (to explain why applicant where there and not state u).

Why would someone bear the burden to convince you that any well-ranked school is better than state u? I've received 1000s of resumes so I'm genuinely curious.

If you are applying for a job then yeah, the burden lies with you not me.

When I see decent state U, I think practical (particularly if I also see that applicant had to work thru college, got scholarships).

I see someone from a private college like Bucknell? I think rich kid who didn't get into a top school, not particularly exceptional. Unless I also see scholarships or something else interesting on resume.

I'm not sure that someone who went to Bucknell would necessarily note whether they'd received financial aid or not on their resume.

I think your post reflects an effort at false sophistication. I'd be making hiring decisions that were a bit more nuanced and based on fewer assumptions.

When you have 100s of applications to flip through, you don't have time to carefully read each one. So yeah, I skim for schools, GPA, and whether the experiences are intersting.

If someone makes the initial cut, then after the interviews, where you went to school isn't as much of a factor as interview and references.

So according to you, it really is all about getting that Ivy degree? Because those are the only private schools that count in your book. Unless I put in my cover letter that Bucknell gave me $$$$ but Harvard which also accepted me doesn't give merit aid. OK....

I am talking about hiring for positions where the applicant is straight out of school, so they don't have much of a record to go on. We have the luxury of getting 1000 applications for only 1-2 positions. So yes, I do look to see where the applicant went to school. Are you trying to say that where someone goes to school doesn't matter?? IMHO, if you aren't going to a top 10-15 private university, then you might as well save the money and just go to a good state u that has decent name recognition. Frankly, I think a lot of parents on this board would tell their kids the same thing.

Now, if we are hiring for a senior position, then where someone went to undergrad really doesn't matter. We look at experiences, grad school (maybe not even that if it's been many years).

[Anonymous]

I’m in my 50’s and have had a lot of jobs because I’m a contractor, and I have interviewed a lot of candidates. Although I would support any of my DCs attending an Ivy or similar top school I’ve seen that it can hurt the kid. There are so many insecure jerks that make the hiring decision and I have found they will find a kid from a top rated school threatening, so they won’t hire them. The hiring managers at the large corporations I’ve worked generally want the top rated schools.

[Anonymous]

I used to teach there. I myself went to Big State U, followed by grad school at Elite Private U, so I've seen it all. Bucknell is a lovely place that--unlike the other two schools I was at--really, really focuses laser-hard on their students. The school was ALL about teaching, giving students the best possible career advising, social experiences, etc. I was blown away by how much care and thought the faculty put into everything from writing exams to scheduling office hours. Bucknell is a small, friendly environment where your kid won't get lost and where they will be taken care of. The campus and facilities are beautiful.

That said, Bucknell does not draw the best and brightest like Swarthmore does. It's really homogeneous and fratty. Kids are for the most part rich and act spoiled and entitled. It's in the middle of nowhere, although it's a nice middle of nowhere (small college town). This means a lot of faculty turnover. Look at the list of incoming faculty from five or six years ago and quickly check how many are still there.

I felt sad sometimes thinking how much actual deserving students who went to Huge State School instead would benefit from the one-on-one attention, excellent teaching, etc. It was wasted on the drunken frat kids.

[Anonymous]

PS to the hiring guy--I went to Big State U, and I taught at Bucknell for a while a long time ago. I can't imagine throwing out people's resumes because they went to Bucknell vs. a big state school. Bucknell provides a wonderful education and although the average student there is, well, average, the top students I taught there were exceptional and on par with my HYP grad school classmates.

You can get an exceptional education at Bucknell--as you can at Big State U, except that at Big State U you will have to work, fight, and struggle for that education as one of 30,000 students at an institution where professors are focused on research and building their empires, and for whom you are an afterthought.

If I could afford to send my kids to Bucknell I would definitely do so. It is a place that is way more friendly, caring, and nurturing than Big State U--and for a student who might benefit from that sort of environment, I could see it really helping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pass on a resume from Bucknell unless I saw something else compelling-- great experiences, top grades, merit scholarship (to explain why applicant where there and not state u).

Why would someone bear the burden to convince you that any well-ranked school is better than state u? I've received 1000s of resumes so I'm genuinely curious.

If you are applying for a job then yeah, the burden lies with you not me.

When I see decent state U, I think practical (particularly if I also see that applicant had to work thru college, got scholarships).

I see someone from a private college like Bucknell? I think rich kid who didn't get into a top school, not particularly exceptional. Unless I also see scholarships or something else interesting on resume.

I'm not sure that someone who went to Bucknell would necessarily note whether they'd received financial aid or not on their resume.

I think your post reflects an effort at false sophistication. I'd be making hiring decisions that were a bit more nuanced and based on fewer assumptions.

When you have 100s of applications to flip through, you don't have time to carefully read each one. So yeah, I skim for schools, GPA, and whether the experiences are intersting.

If someone makes the initial cut, then after the interviews, where you went to school isn't as much of a factor as interview and references.

So according to you, it really is all about getting that Ivy degree? Because those are the only private schools that count in your book. Unless I put in my cover letter that Bucknell gave me $$$$ but Harvard which also accepted me doesn't give merit aid. OK....

I am talking about hiring for positions where the applicant is straight out of school, so they don't have much of a record to go on. We have the luxury of getting 1000 applications for only 1-2 positions. So yes, I do look to see where the applicant went to school. Are you trying to say that where someone goes to school doesn't matter?? IMHO, if you aren't going to a top 10-15 private university, then you might as well save the money and just go to a good state u that has decent name recognition. Frankly, I think a lot of parents on this board would tell their kids the same thing.

Now, if we are hiring for a senior position, then where someone went to undergrad really doesn't matter. We look at experiences, grad school (maybe not even that if it's been many years).

Hiring guy speaks the truth but nuance is needed - adjustments to the 'approved' school list are also geographically and industry dependent.

For example pomona, USC aren't considered top 15 privates but in socal no employer (even the most elite of elite) are throwing out resumes from there because they didn't go to UCLA.

Carnegie Mellon isn't a top 15 private but it has excellent recruiting and employers aren't throwing out resumes from CMU.

Hell, there are hiring managers/recruiters even more picky than Hiring Guy PP:

http://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-princeton-and-yale-2011-1

MIT and Columbia are considered '2nd tier'.

HYPSW - that's what counts.

[Anonymous]

Absurd amount of money every year for an education and experience you can get in-state for a better deal.