Colleges with a good environmental science/ecology program?

College Search & Selection
1

I’ve got a while until I have to worry about actually applying to colleges, but I want to have a good foundation when I get there.

I’m interested in studying environmental science or ecology, then maybe going into law.

My GPA is a 3.9, it will likely be a 3.95 by the time I hit senior year. I don’t know what my standardized test scores are, but I’m hoping for a 1450~ SAT or a 32-33 ACT.

I live in Indiana and my parents’ incomes combine to be around $50k.

I like all sizes of colleges, but I feel like the perfect size is 5-15k students. I don’t really want to go to college in the southwest, mainly Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and, although this isn’t southwestern, Mississippi.

I like sports, but I don’t care if the sports are D1, D2, or D3. I enjoy school spirit, so I’m interested in schools where students really like the school.

If anyone could help me in this process, that would be great! Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

2

Excepting your tentative size preference, these colleges would be some to look into based on your academic interests and possible career objective:

Allegheny
Bowdoin
Colby
Eckerd
Hamilton
Hobart & William Smith
Middlebury
St. Lawrence

This group spans a wide selectivity range, so you should find some accessible choices within it.

3

In terms of your interest in athletics, these colleges are among those with strong – in some cases highly participatory – programs:

http://www.newsweek.com/25-schools-stocked-jocks-71873

4

Both of these are small, but Whitman and Carleton come to mind immediately.

5

ESF. It’s next to Syracuse university

6

@CavsFan2003,

The highly respected Ecology Project International organization recommends the following colleges. Included is a description of the programs/curriculum. Many of the schools meet your criteria for school spirit and 5-15k students.

Amherst
Colby
Colorado College
Middlebury
Pomona
Montana State U
The State University of New York – College of Environmental Science and Forestry
University of California:Davis
University of Michigan
University of Montana
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont
University of Washington
The University of Wisconsin – Madison
https://www.ecologyproject.org/about/blog/colleges-with-recommended-programs-in-ecology-and-environmental-studies

7

There are some great recommendations above, and merc81 nailed most of my favorite suggestions. I’d certainly add Connecticut College, Ohio Wesleyan, Juniata, and Lawrence to any list of LACs for organismal biology and environmental studies. As a reach, Swarthmore is excellent.

Among larger schools, consider Wake Forest, Northeastern, Tulane, U Miami, and perhaps Tufts. Syracuse is a bit larger than what you’re looking for, but as NASA2014 noted, it partners with SUNY ESF for environmental programs. It is also very strong in public policy, if you’re interested in the environmental policy route.

Luckily for you, Indiana U is extremely strong in environmental science. With that as a fallback option, I recommend aiming high for schools with generous financial aid or lower where you can get a lot of merit aid. Since you live in Indiana, you should also check out some of the [MSEP options](http://msep.mhec.org/) like Kansas State.

8

Dickinson, Colorado College, University of Vermont, St. Lawrence, Whitman, Carleton

9

Thank you all for the great recommendations! I’ll look into all of these schools.