<p>I wouldn’t rule out SUNY ESF so quickly. Even if it is largely research based, they have a great faculty and it is a highly specialized school. You would definitely get a quality education in Environmental Studies there, and it is a reasonable price, especially if you are a NYS resident. I would go for a visit or talk to the head of admissions, Susan Sanford, for more information. She is extremely helpful and will answer all of your questions.</p>
<p>CThoosier: Hm. I love that Indiana gives you an idea of what kinds of careers a graduate would be able to acquire. It really puts this all in perspective. College is meant to prepare you for the beyond. I’m putting a lot of stress on myself, but it’s pretty silly of me. While it’s important to choose a school that can answer my needs, furthering my education is just the beginning! So far I’m really liking SPEA’s career development center. After Haystack’s warning, I was concerned that a major in ES wouldn’t yield any good, meaningful jobs. Thanks for the suggestion, CThoosier.</p>
<p>I’m also pleased that SPEA gives me more options. If I don’t decide to go on with environmental studies, I could easily carry my studies over to work with an NGO like World Vision. The environment is always a key component in revitalizing populations in third-world countries. I don’t feel that I absolutely have to work with animals and wildlife. Providing much needed assistance to other humans like myself would also be a very satisfying and worthwhile career. No matter what field I choose to go to, I always seem to gravitate toward NGO’s like WWF and Doctors Without Borders… maybe that is where I am meant to be!</p>
<p>My only concern with SPEA is that it’s just so big. I was hoping to go to a smaller school.</p>
<p>Maxwell123: What a beautiful campus! I AM a little wary about how small this school is, haha. I know I’m being nitpicky, but I’ve seen or heard of the schools with the perfect number of students (not too many to get lost in the crowd, but enough to meet someone new every day). I’m too tired to look into it further, so I’ll get to it (and the other promising schools ya’ll have suggested!) tomorrow. :)</p>
<p>The US Dept. of Labor has good resources for exploring careers!
[Environmental</a> Scientists and Specialists : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/environmental-scientists-and-specialists.htm#tab-1]Environmental”>http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/environmental-scientists-and-specialists.htm#tab-1)
Be sure to read through all the tabs especially the “Similar Occupations”.</p>
<p>Swintergreen, it’s true Indiana is a big school but you can always make a big school smaller, depending on the program you pick and the opportunities you take advantage of. SPEA is actually a school of 1,900 students and the class sizes are smaller than the rest of campus. It’s a pretty nurturing environment with a lot of passionate students. There are also opportunities at IU to live in a sort of “residential college” where you live with students interested in the same issues as you.</p>