<p>Hello everyone! I'm an international student who's interested in Colgate University. I'm a high school senior and have heard that colgate has one of the best geology programs in the nation. Among my lists there are also LACs like Carleton College. Among research universities I would consider UC Berkeley ,UM Ann Arbor and UW Madison. If I'm very interested in geology and would like to major in geology,which school will you guys recommend? Students from colgate will be especially welcome to answer. Thanks you all.</p>
<p>Colgate is excellent.</p>
<p>Take a look, too, at the state of Colorado. More kinds of rock than any other state in the US. Wonderful and unusual formations. Check out Messages in Stone: Colorado’s Colorful Geology. Great opportunities to study geology at a couple of good geology programs at UC Boulder and Colorado College.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot jkeil911. I will consider about Colorado College. Does anyone know particuarly about Colgate’s geology program? 
</p>
<p>What have you seen at colgate.edu, academics, majors, geology that interests you enough to pose questions to the department itself? Or maybe to the designated link under admissions, contact us? </p>
<p>As few Colgate students monitor this CC site, your best bet to make contact with geology faculty and student majoring in it is to take the prescribed paths.</p>
<p>Go 'gate!</p>
<p>google Keck Consortium for universities and colleges good in geology. Colgate and Carleton are member schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help. I just wanted to know if Colgate is really good at geology. I love Colgate and I hope I will be there next year. By the way, is 2150 in SAT a competitive score? I know score is not the only factor but still I want to know my position in the application pool.</p>
<p>Find out if Colgate operates its own summer ‘Field Camp.’ Field camp is a requirement at many college Geology departments. Schools that don’t have their own typically have an arrangement with a school that does so that their students can complete this requirement. Find out if Colgate requires students to make their own arrangements, which can be a bit of a hassle.</p>
<p>Thanks LakeWashington. I did check if Colgate have field camp sponsored by its own geology department. It turns out that Colgate have bunches of field camp programs including trips to Dry Velleys of Antarctica, Adirondack and oil shales in New York. I’m curious is there any ranking of geology programs in LACs? How’s Colgate’s reputation in America?</p>
<p>Here’s a list of the best geology programs in America according to U.S. News with different specialties. Although it’ ranks graduate schools, there’s still a pretty strong correlation between undergrad and grad.
<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/earth-sciences-rankings”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-science-schools/earth-sciences-rankings</a></p>
<p>If the applicant is interested in the type of education afforded by an LAC then this ranking list is not helpful. There aren’t any LACs on it.</p>
<p>Again, may I recommend that the applicant consider the types of career and post-graduate outcomes as described on colgate.edu and through information exchanges with faculty and staff. </p>
<p>Colgate is top 20 or better as far as LACs are concerned relative to the usual reference sources. Fine for what they are but neither these publications nor anecdotal sources can compare to the source. So reach out and get the facts at the source. Simple as that. And hopefully in time you will have an opportunity to visit the magnificent campus and Ho Science Center.</p>
<p>Go 'gate!</p>
<p>Well, Earth Sciences can be a bit different from traditional Geology. At some schools ES and Geology are different departments all together. Colgate is a fine university overall. As a possible Geology major I would look for which courses do they offer in addition to the basic Geology or Geosciences curriculum. For example, are you interested in Volcanology or glaciers? What about Geological Oceanography? Explore the course offerings to find your possible interests. As for the Field Camps, I hear that Field Camp in New York State can be fascinating when you get up to the Adirondacks, Western New York, or the North Country.</p>
<p>@LakeWashington which schools have different ES and geology programs? </p>
<p>To the OP, all schools with a halfway decent geology/ earth science major offer essentially the same core courses. Where they often differ is how they conduct their fieldwork, how quantitative/ qualitative the courses are, how the labs are conducted, and which electives are offered. For instance, Montana State University’s petrology courses are far less math intensive than those at Georgia Tech. However if you wanted to study glaciation, Montana State would be the place to go. Likewise, the University of Oklahoma (where I currently study) is incredibly weak in the environmental geosciences but when it comes to petroleum geology, it’s hard to top the school.</p>
<p>Here are some recommendations for schools with strong geoscience programs (although there are many many others which I’m not listing). The very selective ones are italicized. Keep in mind that US schools can cost up to $60,000, and many do not give any aid to internationals, be it merit or financial. </p>
<p>Small (0-4,500 students)
-Bowdoin
-Middlebury
-*Pomona *
-Williams
-Colorado College
-Beloit
-New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
-South Dakota School of Mines
-Colorado School of Mines
-Macalester
-Trinity University (IMO not worth going across the world for)
-Cal Tech
-Bryn Mawr
-Dartmouth
-Rice</p>
<p>Medium Sized (4,500-16,000)
-Western Washington University (probably not worth going across the world for)
-Montana State University (facilities aren’t nearly as impressive as some other schools but the university has an abundance of UG research opportunities)
-University of Montana
-UC Santa Cruz (UG enrollment just under 16,000)
-Appalachian State University
-Case Western
-University of Rochester
-Stanford
-U Chicago
-Princeton
-University of Wyoming
-University of Vermont
-University of MIami
-University of Alaska - Fairbanks (IMO not worth going across the world for)
-Ohio University
-Duke
-Northwestern
-Tufts
-Georgia Tech
-Renesslaer Polytechnic Institute (probably butchering the spelling)
-Tulane (phenomenal sedimentology)
-Syracuse</p>
<p>For large schools just look at the USNWR rankings of earth science programs. The top 80 or so (not sure how far it goes down) ought to be fine for undergraduates. </p>
<p>Before going any further…be sure you can pay for these schools. Private colleges and out-of-state public universities are very expensive, and most are not very generous to international students. Do you have cheaper alternatives if cost is a major concern?</p>
<p>
Yes, it’s no wonder that Fort Lewis and Colorado College tend to produce the most geology majors among LACs each year. Carleton, also out west, does well too.</p>
<p>
Yes.</p>
<p>
Exactly. The courses I’d say any geology student needs: intro geology, mineralogy and petrology, historical geology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and geomorphology. Anything else would be bonus. I’d particularly recommend a class each in atmospheric science/physical oceanography and geophysics to round out an earth science education. </p>
<p>@Abercio – Consider what you might like to pair with geology. Do you know what you might like to do with it? For example, Hamilton and Bryn Mawr combine geology and anthropology in their very interesting geoarchaeology programs. Geology also pairs particularly well with biology (biological oceanography, paleontology, limnology), math and physics (atmospheric science, seismology, geophysics), chemistry (geochemistry, volcanology), engineering, computer science, public policy (environmental policy and law), and geography and GIS. </p>
<p>There are many LACs with strong geology programs. As SlackerMom noted, the Keck Consortium is excellent. I particularly recommend the following, some of which are members or have already been suggested by others:</p>
<p>Allegheny, Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Bucknell, Carleton, Colby, Colorado College, Earlham, Fort Lewis, Furman, Hamilton, Haverford (with Bryn Mawr), Juniata, Macalester, Middlebury, Oberlin, Occidental, Pomona, Wesleyan, Whitman, Williams, Wooster</p>
<p>There’s others I missed, so see [this</a> for a complete list of geology programs](<a href=“http://apps.usd.edu/esci/geodepts.html]this”>http://apps.usd.edu/esci/geodepts.html). You should take an especially close look at the NESCAC schools (Hamilton, Bowdoin, Colby, Midd, etc.) if Colgate appeals to you. Wesleyan is unique in offering a graduate program in geology.</p>
<p>Whenhen’s list of medium-sized schools has many good suggestions, but Brown and Johns Hopkins should definitely be added. William & Mary is also a very solid program. Unfortunately, they’re all very difficult to get into. </p>
<p>Can’t believe I forgot those schools. Especially since I just recommended William & Mary to another parent looking for a strong geology program.
Anyways, to the OP, Warblersrule’s suggestions and advice are excellent. However make sure to carefully look at any of the schools on the site he linked to. For instance, I saw my former school (Emory) on the list of colleges with a geology program despite only offering a few courses in the subject. </p>
<p>Whenhen, I was thinking of Duke U, which lists the Earth Sciences major in both the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, and in the Nicholas School of the Environment (if I understand correctly). At one time Lake Jr. was interested in the oceanography/marine biology program at Duke. Perhaps Warblersrule can shed further light on the circumstances of the Earth/Geological Sciences offerings at Duke.</p>
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<p>@whenhen, have you been there?</p>
<p>UAF has an excellent geology program. There’s a lot of mining and drilling going in Alaska, so the government and private companies fund a lot of geological research. </p>
<p>If anyone wants to go to a unique school, go to UAF.</p>
<p>No but I wouldn’t go across the world to one of the most remote cities in the US where opportunities to see other cities (especially famous ones like New Orleans, LA, NYC, etc) are extremely limited. I’m well aware of UAF’s research and UG engagement. I’m also equally aware of just how far away Fairbanks is to any major city. </p>
<p>Colgate’s geology faculty and other department information can be found here:
<a href=“Faculty and Staff — Geology | Colgate University”>http://www.colgate.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/geology/faculty-and-staff</a></p>
<p>Mentioned previously, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology have fairly low out-of-state list prices along with fairly large geology departments for how small the schools are.
<a href=“Faculty and Staff”>http://www.sdsmt.edu/Academics/Departments/Geology-and-Geological-Engineering/Personnel/Faculty-and-Staff/</a>
<a href=“http://www.ees.nmt.edu/people”>http://www.ees.nmt.edu/people</a></p>
<p>Wow, there are so many replys! Thank you all, guys.</p>
<p>Let me specify my situation: I’m a Chinese applicant, which means it takes my parents great effort (financially) to send me to America, so they expect me to get into a university or college as top-ranked as possible. I know some schools are excellent American colleges, but they may not be well known in China. </p>
<p>I got a 3.76 GPA, unweighed and 1410 (CR+ Math) in SAT. And I’ve had a long history in interest in geology. I will demonstrate my interest in geology by my collection of minerals and rocks, research (informal) on an small extinct volcano and volunteering in a geology museum. As far as my interest in geology is concerned, I’d like to be an exploration geologist in the future and is most interested in mineralogy and study of oil and gas. @LakeWashington @warblersule</p>
<p>My parents, like most Chinese parents, prefer large research institutions like UM-Ann Arbor, UC Berkeley and Rice University. They are great schools. However I love LACs profoundly for its liberal arts education and close-knit community. Another reason I will apply to some LACs is I will go to graduate school and LACs seem give better undergraduate experience. I’ve looked at Carleton’s and Colgate’s geology website. Here’s my feeling on their geology department: Carleton seems have a great reputation as a PhD producer, while Colgate seems have more geology professors and better labs and analytical instruments. @markham @whenhen</p>
<p>Does any one know what area in geology is particuarly important to one who want to be an exploration geologist?</p>
<p>Geophysics</p>