<p>Rice, Richmond, Wake Forest come to mind for me. William and Mary and Dartmouth also come to mind.</p>
<p>Middlebury is outstanding for Environmental Studies. A superior school, if only a tad remote.</p>
<p>Dartmouth?</p>
<p>Middlebury had the first LAC environmental studies program in the country. It’s a great program and very popular. The science building is amazing and the programs are very well thought of.</p>
<p>The University of Chicago.</p>
<p>
I guess it gives them something to brag about, but the relevance of those claims always escapes me.</p>
<p>Age does not always correlate to quality. In fact, only rarely does it do so.</p>
<p>Can’t speak to their environmental studies programs, but I really encourage you to check out William and Mary, Grinnell, and Emory. Bates also comes to mind.</p>
<p>Consider schools that require research theses of all seniors; it can help with grad school admission.</p>
<p>Haverford. Totally focused on student-faculty research. And, they are starting a new environmental studies program in the Fall 2010.</p>
<p>University of Rochester</p>
<p>
Translation: I am indirectly recommending Reed.</p>
<p>I don’t see why a thesis need be required. Only 10% of seniors write one at my alma mater, but I wrote an excellent one that served me perfectly well in the graduate school application process.</p>
<p>The OP wants research opportunities; any school with a thesis requirement presents them. Reed is indeed one; there are others! :)</p>
<p>I looked for colleges with exactly the same attributes, and I second vossron’s comment about thesis requirements. </p>
<p>Safeties (assuming that the OP has Brown/Bowdoin-level stats): The College of Wooster, Ursinus College, Maryville College (TN not MO), Kalamazoo College </p>
<p>Matches: Bates College, Colby College, Grinnell College, Connecticut College</p>
<p>My D selected Furman University in South Carolina in large part because of their research opportunities. It also has an up and coming Environmental Studies department and is recognized for their sustainability efforts.</p>
<p>I agree about Furman. I’m a student here right now and it definitely fits your description. The Earth & Environmental Studies department is really close-knit from what I can tell and the students and professors really develop close relationships. I’m a biology major myself and I really like the professors.</p>
<p>We’re known for our research opportunities, as well as our commitment to sustainability. Trust me, being a student here, you will hear that word about 5 times a day. It’s a big part of the Furman campus and almost everything done here is connected to sustainability in some way.</p>
<p>Just to give you an anecdote, Furman is one of the only colleges in the country endowed with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) grant. Through this, they fund a great deal of programs. I’m currently a freshman (although only for a couple more days). The science departments run a program for freshmen called the HHMI Summer Research Fellows. Essentially, I met with a professor who was doing research this summer (in the biology department) and we submitted an application together. I’m staying on campus this summer as well as continuing research next school year. I get a stipend of $5,000 and free housing in the North Village apartment complex (upperclassmen housing) this summer. The grant also includes travel expenses. I’m going to Puerto Rico for my particular research project at almost no cost to me.
Almost all professors do research here, regardless of the department (except for maybe English). So your opportunities are plentiful at Furman.</p>
<p>definitely check out the Semester in the West program at Whitman College.</p>
<p>im gonna have to go with middlebury also…i know they have an awesome environmental program</p>
<p>Definitely check out Pomona College. We have a strong Environmental Analysis (EA) program, and research opportunities abound, even for freshmen. Incidentally, one of my best friends here is an EA major, and although he is a freshman, he is staying on campus this summer to do research with one of his professors.</p>
<p>I also have to recommend Rice – huge research opportunities starting in freshman year.</p>