GREETINGS

      Hi! My name is Bobby Cook and I'm a senior at Lycoming College from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. When I first started looking for the right college, I really didn't know where to start. So many schools, with so many exciting programs.it was a tough decision. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted to major in astronomy, which made my search even harder due to the lack of many schools in the northeast with a good astronomy program. Once I heard about Lycoming, though, my decision was all but made up.

       Extremely small class sizes, a very good teacher-to-student ratio, great equipment and, most importantly, professors who seemed to genuinely care about my goals for the future were my main motivation for choosing Lycoming. After coming to the school and starting classes, I immediately fell in love with the "Lyco experience." The small class sizes gave me confidence in my ability to get assistance when I needed it at any time, the administration was always helpful to make sure I had everything I needed both academically and financially, the faculty was more than I ever could have hoped for on many levels, and my fellow students were friendly, fun and knew how to have a good time.

       It's now four years later, and I have nothing but good things to say about Lycoming. What initially started as simply an astronomy degree has turned into a dual major in both astronomy and physics with the strong possibility of graduate school at a host of big universities, and I give almost all of the credit to the Astronomy/Physics Department faculty. Our three professors are some of the brightest guys I've ever met, and their willingness to instruct and assist goes as far as giving us their cell phone numbers to reach them at home for homework help (try finding THAT at a larger school!). Our Astronomy/Physics Department also has a very close relationship with the Math Department, which is a huge bonus for us because of the overlap of math courses required for astronomy and physics majors.

      I've had some very cool travel experiences thanks to Lyco, some of which were a trip to the Penn State Nuclear Facility, the Greenback Radio Telescope Observatory in West Virginia, a trip to San Francisco with the Lycoming Community Service Center Staff, various skiing trips and even a 10 week undergraduate research experience in materials science and engineering at the University of Alabama over this past summer. We did what we had to do on these trips, and we had a lot of fun on the way.the same can be said for Lycoming. Needless to say, Lyco was the perfect choice for me.

       I hope that my experience helps you with your college decision! If you have any questions don't be afraid to contact the Admissions Office (link to admissions@lycoming.edu) for more info.