There is scarcely a miser, hoarder or thief alive who can match the unbridled selfishness of a high school student. A period of considerable change, with limited responsibility, allows for an obnoxious amount of questions and observations to form, with the preferred subject being “I.” When you don’t know who you are, figuring it out takes up a hefty portion of your mental space. As a Bucknell first-year student, the amount of time I spend thinking about myself has been overtaken by the hours I spend keeping myself alive… and clean. I am freshly independent in a community of unaccustomed adults. From communal bathrooms to cafeterias to crosswalks, the spaces where I brush my teeth, eat and narrowly avoid collisions are occupied by thousands of students with identical struggles.

A key aspect of campus culture so far as a first year is the idea that, here at college, no circumstance is unique. Every student goes home to the same dorms, eats the same food and has access to the same resources. Situations are as equal as they can get. Amid all of these similarities, there is a feeling of intimacy that is hard to achieve in other educational environments. The small size of the school fosters the development of a relatively distinct and unanimous Bucknell experience. 

In addition to the size, Bucknell has many unique programs and events that stimulate the formation of relationships between students. A feature worth highlighting, from my limited perspective, is the choice of engaging in a Pre-Orientation Program. A week before orientation began, I traveled to Bucknell in order to participate in Arts First. My peers and I were thrust into a week full of art that pushed us to be vulnerable and reserve our comfort zones for our hometowns. From reading extremely personal poetry to navigating frustratingly collaborative challenges, we were able to build the foundation for a community long before starting our first classes. I had the opportunity to begin the biggest change in my life with a group of friends by my side. This school cares hugely about connection and it reflects strongly on the first year experience.

Another unique social aspect of Bucknell culture is that it is fairly moderate for a school where students stereotypically like to have a good time. Although there are individuals grasping to both ends of the fun spectrum, the vast majority sticks staunchly to the center. The same student who is out on the weekend will be in Bertrand Library for 12 continuous hours the next Tuesday, determined to score a good grade on an impending exam. Bucknell is a place where anyone looking for excess will most certainly find it, but its students largely seem to develop a sustainable, if not necessarily healthy, balance between their social and academic pursuits. The people I have come across so far seem determined to not only manage their time but to maximize it. No attitude toward work is entirely isolating in a place where people juggle multiple values with success, making it easy to find others who share your philosophy. 

Within these factors and others, a course that transcends my high school reality began to form. I am an individual who has chosen to become immersed in Bucknell, and this reciprocal decision tethers me to every other student. I have opted into something that is defined, in part, by each person who passionately wants to exist in the same exact place. Everybody has their own dreams but walks along a central path. Here, I have started to find my sense of self among and being bolstered by the experiences and insights of everyone around me, and I believe that this is yet another shared situation among Bucknell students. You can’t decide who you are until you understand all of the options, separating personal preoccupations away from identity. Self discovery, as I have started to believe, arrives most efficiently when the discovery surpasses the self. It is a task best undertaken post high school. The word “community” is commonly used lightly, but I pen it down with all the depth that I can muster to characterize the defining spirit of my brief time at Bucknell.