<p>Hi, i'm an International student from Singapore looking to study Geology in US colleges in 2013. Been looking around and narrowed down the colleges to a few schools. Can anyone tell me more about them or what aspect of geology they specialize in? Do they offer a wide variety of geology undergraduate and gradaute programs?
(*If it helps i'm very interested in pursuing glaciology for my graduate program but open to other interesting options as well.)</p>
<p>University of Oregon
Oregon State University
University of Washington
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
University of Colorado, Boulder</p>
<p>Any help/options from those who know anything about these colleges as a whole and their geology program would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Do you need financial aid?
If so, be aware that American public universities usually have little or none available for international students. For internationals, many of the most generous schools are small liberal arts colleges (LACs). For example, 22 schools on the following list are LACs:</p>
<p>18 LACs have formed the Keck Geology Consortium ([Member</a> Schools | Keck Geology Consortium](<a href=“http://keckgeology.org/members]Member”>http://keckgeology.org/members)). This organization fosters geology research among the member schools. Consortium alumni comprise a network of geology professionals available to mentor students on research and career opportunities.</p>
<p>If you plan to visit schools in the Pacific Northwest, check out Whitman College. If you plan to visit UC Boulder, check out Colorado College. Whitman and Colorado College offer higher admission standards, smaller classes, more faculty attention, and better aid than you could get from the 5 schools on your list. The trade-off is that you usually get fewer course offerings at a LAC.</p>
<p>Colorado is a wonderful place to study geology. Colorado College is located on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Its one-course-at-a-time “block plan” gives students tremendous flexibility to pursue off-campus field work in the life sciences or earth sciences. Geology is a robust department with surprisingly many courses and faculty for such a small school.
[Geology</a> Department - Colorado College](<a href=“http://www2.coloradocollege.edu/dept/gy/index.asp]Geology”>http://www2.coloradocollege.edu/dept/gy/index.asp)</p>
<p>Any dream/reach schools? Try some UCs, Berkeley, LA, SD, would be good.
Also, U Arizona is pretty good in geology.
Regarding your specialization in glaciology, I don’t think it matters now. You don’t have to stay in the same university for grad school.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies so far
Got a 2280 for my SATs recently what kind of schools do you think i can get into?</p>
<p>@tk21769 : Don’t think financial aid will be a major concern thought it will be nice. With what eddy1994 said it seems what i should aim for is a school with a strong undergraduate geology program in terms of variety and strength of department. Looking into Colorado College atm looks pretty good.</p>
<p>@Alexandre : Yea UW has a pretty diverse geology program and they have a glaciology graduate program as well.</p>
<p>@eddy 1994 : It’s true what you say about the transfer, but it would be a bonus if that college had a dedicated department for that specific specialization. Still, now the main thing to look out for should be the strength and diversity of the undergradaute geology program. UW and OSU have some strong and diverse programs. Do you recommend any specific schools with similar or better geology undergraduate programs?
For dream/reach schools, UW was actually what i really wanted to go to. Never really considered college around UCs, LA, Berkeley etc. Would their undergraduate program be any different from other colleges?</p>
<p>Considered Colorado School of Mines, but it’s specialization on engineering seemed a little too narrow(Geological Engineering). Is OSU similar in anyway since it’s more of an engineering school as well? Can anyone attest to that?</p>
<p>University of Wyoming is excellent in geology as well. Are you interested in small, private liberal arts schools at all? If so, Carleton College in Minnesota has a great geology program.</p>
<p>U of Oregon doesn’t seem to offer any coursework on glaciology.</p>
<p>You also could consider Ohio State: [Byrd</a> Polar Research Center at The Ohio State University](<a href=“http://bprc.osu.edu/]Byrd”>http://bprc.osu.edu/)
Of course, there are no glaciers in Ohio. If you want to be in an area of the country that has lots of glaciers, then Ohio State wouldn’t be a first choice.</p>
This. It is not necessary to specialize at such an early stage. Trust me, you have a LOT of coursework to get out of the way before you can start focusing on glaciers and sea ice.</p>
<p>Most geology programs are structured along the same lines. Good preparation for grad school in geology in any field involves at the minimum physical geology, historical geology, and basic ocean/atmospheric studies. For glaciology, you’d also need geomorphology, climate dynamics, stratigraphy/sedimentation, chemical and physical oceanography, and remote sensing/GIS. Upper level seminars in subjects like paleoclimatology and tectonics/volcanology would also be helpful. Most colleges with above average geology programs will offer these courses on at least a rotational basis, so check to see if they’re offered. You’ll need as much math, physics, and preferably computer science as you can handle.</p>
<p>It’s not necessary to attend a college that focuses on glaciology or is located in a cold area; that’s what summer field studies are for. Focus on colleges that will provide you a strong foundation in physics and math. Consider the same factors that anyone would:</p>
<p>– How big a college do you want?
– Would you prefer urban or rural?
– How much can you afford?
– Other factors like region of the country, diversity, etc. </p>
<p>tk21769’s suggestion of the Keck consortium was a very good one. To that suggestion, I would add Bowdoin College in Maine, which has very strong science programs and a rather good concentration in Arctic Studies.</p>
<p>To answer your original question, any of those schools would provide good preparation for graduate studies. I agree with the others that UW is probably the best bet, but Oregon State has a decent reputation for geology and a superb one for oceanography and would be a good bet as well. CU Boulder and Oregon are solid programs; UAF is not quite as good but is certainly adequate given your interests.</p>
<p>I neglected to mentioned MIT in my prior post, but I think it’s probably far and away the best option in the US for you. It’s one of the few colleges generous with $$$ to international students, and I think it would fit your interests very well indeed. It would be a reach, of course, as it is for almost anyone.</p>