<p>Since the Reed college thread didn't get moved to the specific college folder, I am asking for any repsonses regarding schools in Hawaii.
The information that I have found on line ( not the college websites) makes them not sound very appealing. Lack of financial support for the public colleges, even given the weather, not a big draw for mainlanders...
I know a few people in that field who have told me that there are top professors teaching in Hawaii, and I place enough weight on their opinions that I am not ruling it out even though (getting there) will be much more than a 3 hour drive to Portland.
My daughter is interested in going to Hawaii to study marine biology. ( She also loves the islands and surfing). She will probably be a fairly good candidate for a decent private or public school, not as academic as Reed but next intensity level down. She is only a freshman, but since I want plenty of time to give her some ideas to think about, I wanted to start early in possible schools.
Possble choices in Ca are also welcome. She won't be a Stanford (unless they do away with testing- she doesn't test well- at least on the %$#ing WASL), but Santa Cruz?</p>
<p>UCSD is big in marine bio, but hard for OOS students.</p>
<p>emerald, interesting that your daughter is interested in Hawaii. My daughter just asked me today if there are any schools that she might like there - no idea!</p>
<p>In California, Occidental has an excellent marine biology program with their own research vessel. Occidental is a great smaller LAC that's very diverse. Pepperdine also has a decent marine biology program but the school is quite conservative in terms of religion and politics.</p>
<p>Here's the link for the Occidental program: <a href="http://departments.oxy.edu/marinebio/home.html%5B/url%5D">http://departments.oxy.edu/marinebio/home.html</a></p>
<p>Another option might be Humboldt State - right across the Oregon border. They have a very strong fisheries management/marine bio program and it is really a great public option - smaller classes (most under 40 students), smaller school (6,000 students). <a href="http://www.humboldt.edu%5B/url%5D">www.humboldt.edu</a> Direct link to the fisheries management program: <a href="http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Efish/general.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Efish/general.htm</a></p>
<p>There are really only two colleges in Hawaii that I can think of: UH and Hawaii Pacific University. My mom graduated from HPU just last sememster and really enjoyed that school. They were very personal. Academically, I wouldn't really push either school.</p>
<p>BYU has a Hawaii campus, but I think it is academically weaker than the Utah campus. Hawaii also has an LAC in Chaminade. I don't think it is very selective.</p>
<p>Hi, I live in Hawaii.. There is a BYU. There is also Chaminade and various UHs (the "best" of which is UH Manoa on Oahu). Good chance I'm forgetting some, because I don't live on the island where most of the colleges are. I don't think it gets much better than Hawaii for marine biology. I know UH Manoa has an excellent program. There are tons of opportunities here for people in the field. If your daughter loves the islands and surfing, she should look further into it. The main complaint that I have heard about Manoa is that a lot of students commute, making for a sometimes boring campus life. It's definitely worth considering though.</p>
<p>I recall reading a year or two ago that the president of UH was in some turmoil. He had left Trinity C. in Connecticut to go to Hawaii - his name is something like Evan Dobler- but reading the stories might give you some background as to the flavor of the school. I don't know if they've removed him and appointed a new president. </p>
<p>If your daughter is up for the trip east, SUNY Stony Brook is about to take over a well regarded marine bio. program that Long Island University at Southampton had. The Southhampton campus is closing and the marine bio. program was a gem. Rather than lose it, the state university is taking faculty and students to its campus. Even with out of state tuition, it might be cheaper than some private programs. Worth looking at, maybe.</p>
<p>Since my S went to boarding school in Hawaii, I became vaguely aware of the two UH schools. (UH Hilo offered him a full scholarship. He didn't apply.) S also worked on a marine bio project in high school for two years (because it meant he could SCUBA with them). And, because I'm a SCUBA diver who learned to dive in Hawaii, I'm aware of the marine biology programs there. (I'm somewhat of a hobbyist marine biologist, I actually read marine bio research articles for pleasure.)</p>
<p>So, here goes the discussion of marine bio programs. One, UH Manoa has an excellent program in coral reef biology. They do good research, and their graduates often get jobs in marine bio, because Hawaii takes the health of their reefs seriously--both food and tourism. However, UH Manoa is not as good (I'm told) in other areas, so be prepared for a transfer if your D's interest wanes. (But a teaching degree in math or science from UH would pretty much guarantee a job somewhere in Hawaii, if your D loves the islands.)</p>
<p>UH Hilo is desperate for students and not as good as UH Manoa, but still has a decent marine bio program.</p>
<p>I have two former students who attend Hawaii Pacific University. They were second-rate students with little interest in academics, but they love the Hawaii life and are having a good time and succeeding as (I think) communications majors. I have no idea if HPU has a marine bio program.</p>
<p>A good friend of my son's--whose high school research on Hawaii's green sea turtles was presented at an international symposium--is now at the University of Queensland, where she is studying coral reef biology. It is probably the top program in the world in coral reef biology.</p>
<p>Finally, the UW (Univ of Wash) has very good oceanography, marine bio, and fisheries management (relating to salmon), as do the other west coast state schools. (A friend's older sister does research out of the UW's Friday Harbor facility.) UW's is probably better than UO, and certainly more accessible to your daughter. They do some very interesting research on the deep sea vents on the Juan de Fuca plate. There are good employment rates on the fisheries graduates--don't know about the others. UC Santa Cruz maintains a well-funded research station in Monterey.</p>
<p>(Going east, UNH and UMaine both have good marine bio, esp. relating to lobster biology. And UFlorida is supposedly pretty good, but I've never met anyone from there.)</p>
<p>these are great suggestions to keep in mind. I have the impression that right now, she is more interested in Hawaii than marine biology, although that may change when she takes Marine Bio next year. ( she also thinks she would like to study fashion in London :) )I am hoping she will take a year off after high school like her sister did, possibly doing something like Leapnow, in New Zealand or someplace where she can experience a different part of the world without the committment to attend school.
UW is also a possiblity though- they have some good programs there, but don't know how she will feel about staying in Seattle.
I will also have to check out Occidental. THat sounds like a good fit, small, plus other strong programs if she decides on something else, plus a little warmer than here- ( our recent winter I hope was an anomaly)</p>
<p>Marine biology/oceanography is not my field, but Oregon State has a program that is said to be pretty good: <a href="http://www.coas.oregonstate.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.coas.oregonstate.edu/</a></p>
<p>If we're broadening to other states, U of Miami and Eckerd College in Florida both have outstanding marine bio programs.</p>
<p>I just remembered that Scripps also has a good marine bio program (Scripps Oceanographic Inst)--and I even have heard good things about it from a previous student.</p>
<p>Just to clarify: The Scripps Institute of Oceanography is affiliated with UCSD. It is not related to Scripps College in the Claremont Colleges at all and, in fact, is a good two hours away.</p>
<p>Carolyn, thank you. I had a brain burp on that one!</p>
<p>UCSC has an interesting set of field study opportunities for marine biology/ecology majors. This last fall, they offered a quarter in Moorea, French Polynesia for marine ecology, and the EAP program also has an opportunity in Queensland. Tropical field biology goes to Costa Rica, marine sciences to the Cook Islands, and there's also an OTS Ecology Program offered through Duke University.</p>
<p>I heard from students that the EAP opportunities for marine biologists are excellent, and then there's the Long Marine Lab not too far away (with almost daily bus services from campus) which has a whole lot of opportunities as well.</p>
<p>I can't say too much on the quality of it overall (as in, competitive with other universities) because it's not my field, but most people seem pretty happy with it. The UCSC website has a lot of info if you search.</p>
<p>As far as Hawaii goes, I know it can get VERY small very quickly for mainlanders who aren't used to it. I have a friend who's transferring from Manoa to CSULA because she just can't take not having anything to do. I agree with the previous poster who mentioned that as your D's interest in marine biology wanes, her interest in sticking with the school might go that way as well.</p>
<p>Another California school for marine biology is Cal State Monterey Bay.</p>
<p>The top priority "Please, Gimme A Do-Over!" life decision:</p>
<p>I turned down a decent-$ teaching assistant position at the University of Hawaii and went to SUNY at Buffalo instead - just in time for the blizzard of '76!</p>
<p>Stupidity!!!!!!!</p>
<p>If your daughter is interested in marine biology, there is an excellent marine biology program at Everett Community College that I would suggest you look into. It is called Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA). It is was started and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. All though, only a few years old it has become a great program. It is open to juniors and seniors so your daughter might have to wait until next year to apply. Some of the outstanding benefits, are the very small class sizes, curriculm focused on marine biology, an art and sciences degree from ECC (after both years are completed), and best of all is it's FREE! I have heard great things, about this program.</p>
<p>I moved from Hawaii, in part to get back to the mainland where college choices made sense. The colleges in Hawaii can be pleasant and may offer an occassional major of note but I would and have suggested that people steer clear of them.</p>
<p>The University of Hawaii at Manoa is the largest school and its funding problems have caused majors to disapear in the middle of a school year. There is no academically elite school on the islands, leadership in every field is usually educated off island. There are some private high schools of merit but IMO no college.</p>
<p>In addition (and this should draw some comments) Even though I have a hanai family, and my kids were raised for years on the islands, I would be concerned about the racial tensions that often surface against haole kids. There can be a major difference between how a person is treated when they are a tourist vs. how they are treated when they are competing for a job or class. Futhermore, your daughter might get great opportunities to swim with the dolphins and turtles but english classes, history classes and a number of other areas will be poor by most standards. </p>
<p>If you can afford schools in Ca or Oregon, I would consider them and let her spend some summers in Hawaii.</p>