About Residential Colleges

If you're curious, motivated and eager to seize every opportunity in your college career, join a Residential College — a one-stop shop for getting the most out of Bucknell.

Why Join a Residential College?

Blend Life and Learning

The Residential Colleges program is based in academics, so you'll take a Foundation Seminar with students interested in the same topic as you — then take your learning further by living on a hall together. You'll explore your shared interest inside and outside of class, forge lasting friendships, and connect with professors and older students who'll become your mentors. You'll go on trips, serve your community and broaden your perspectives.

Think a focus on one theme sounds limiting? Think again. Students can sign up for any Residential College, regardless of their major, so you'll meet classmates with a variety of outlooks, experiences and plans for the future.

Venture Beyond Campus

Students in the Residential Colleges travel off campus to visit sites related to their coursework and discussions. Group trips might include taking in a museum, exhibit or performance in a nearby major city; exploring the region around Bucknell through outdoor excursions; or visiting historic sites such as the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Meet Mentors

Faculty members known as senior fellows lead each Residential College, guiding weekly common hour discussions, traveling off campus with students and joining students in informal conversations. "Junior fellows" who are Bucknell sophomores live on the Residential College halls with first-year students and help them plan activities and get to know campus. These early connections often form the foundation for lifelong friendships.

Connect with Campus Resources

There's a lot happening during your transition to college life, and the Residential Colleges can play a big part in ensuring the best possible experience. When you participate in a Res College, you'll be introduced to people, places and programs that can help you maximize your Bucknell experience from day one. You'll quickly connect with valuable resources and find out about opportunities in and out of the classroom.

These new connections will set you up to explore even further. Students in the Residential Colleges say they are more likely to:

• Participate in service-learning opportunities
• Perform undergraduate research
• Take leadership positions on campus
• Attend art exhibits and performances
• Talk about ideas and career plans with faculty
• Work with faculty on projects outside of coursework
• Try to better understand someone else's views

How to Sign Up

The Res College program is based on academics, so you sign up when you register for fall classes.

Residential Colleges Staff

Meet the faculty and staff advisers who can answer your questions about the Residential Colleges.

Meet the staff