<p>I will be majoring in Environmental Science/Chemistry. I will be transferring from a community college w/a 3.85 GPA, PTK member, and a NJ Stars recipient (top 10! of hs graduating class) 25/359. I am deciding between SUNY Plattsburgh, Juniata College, and Richard Stockton College (NJ). I am leaning towards Plattsburgh but it is far from my home (6 hrs); and, I have heard it is a heavy partying school and I do not drink. Richard Stockton is my next choice but was hoping to experience an area a little different than from where I grew up (1.5 hr away). Juniata offered me a large scholarship, but I'm worried I'm not quite smart enough. I have received acceptance letters from all. Stockton will be the cheapest 20k, Plattsburgh next at $23k, and Juniata around $27/26k. Again, since I'm introverted, I have to think where I would be able to make friends too. Stockton seemed to have the most clubs/intramural sports which I would enjoy. Pls. any advice from anyone that has attended these schools. Also, my parents and I will be taking loans out to pay for the schools. I probably will not be receiving finanacial aid. I currently have no debt as the NJSTARs program offers you free tuition at a community college in NJ.</p>
<p>Plattsburgh is definitely a party school but that does not mean that all the students are partiers. You can find friends in all three places but if it was me I would look hard at Stockton because 1.5 hrs is a decent distance and it has everything else that you seem to like except that. Juniata’s not my cuppa though.</p>
<p>What is it about Juniata you don’t like. The kids seemed nice but I did meet a few “odd” ones there. And, I’m little odd myself. lol</p>
<p>Many of these rural colleges are going to have some problems with student drinking because there generally is so little to do there. I don’t see any reason you cannot succeed academically at any of them (the SAT/ACT maybe?). But Juniata is not replete with geniuses; it’s a small LAC in a quiet county seat in the middle of PA. There’s nothing there going to intimidate you necessarily. The environmental science program has been strong in the past. So since you’re into all three, it might be time for an overnight on a Friday, when you can get in some classes in your major on Friday day and check out the social scene Friday night. Maybe do the closest school first and then the ones further out if required. Whatever you do, you’ll want to keep close your ties to NJ because it might be easiest to find a job in your home state after you graduate. So look to spend summers on internships near where you might want to work in the future. I admire your altruism in taking up this field.</p>
<p>Thank you jkeil911. I will try to do that. My SAT scores combined:1670. I only took it once and had no prep courses as I knew that I would be eligible for free tuition through NJSTARs at my community college. I didn’t see any point in taking it more.</p>
<p>Well, I’m glad to see that you’ve found reason to move beyond your community college. Clearly, the 1670 didn’t matter much because you had this college GPA to show them. But if you’re still nervous about your preparation for a 4yr college, talk to a professor at one of these schools about the difficulty of the math and writing there, about what you can do between now and August to get ready for the rigors of a 4yr. Ask them about research opportunities, about work they’re doing in the area around the school. There’s the Little Juniata River near Juniata College with its rich history of commercial activity, industrial pollution, environmental resilience, and macroinvertebrates that just won’t give up. There’s Lake Raystown a little further downstream, a large man-made impoundment. Lots of watershed issues in that region, just as there are in the tidewater regions of the Jersey shore and the upper Hudson tribs and main stem. Lots of work to do. Lots of opportunities to see how policy decisions affect the environment. Good luck.</p>