Please don’t judge
Are you planning on majoring both of them? I love oceanography but it deals with biology 
I’m going for meteorology!
I’m always impressed that there are enough meteors for everyone to study.
What do you mean @JustOneDad
Lots of meteorologists and only so many meteors to go around.
Is there a question here, OP?
So that was strange. My entire post didn’t post. I wanted to ask advice. It meant to say, please don’t judge, I am a HS sophomore, have an 83 average, no APs, or honors classes. I love science and am interested in marine biology or oceanography. Is there a school for me? I haven’t taken the ACT yet (obviously) and hope to get my average up but is there hope for me in this major? Not sure what schools I should be looking at. My parents suggested University of Tampa but what other schools?
Eckerd, in St. Petersburg, FL, is renowned for Marine Science, and it is not very selective at all. If you want a different setting, look into College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Cal State Monterey Bay
Don’t most marine biologists also have to get a Master’s degree or a PhD?
Beside UTampa, Eckerd, University of North Carolina at Wilmington (FANTASTIC facilities), FIU.
A STRONG basis in biology is very important, so that having a biology degree with a minor in statistics is more important than marine biology. A possibility is to see how easy it is to major in marine bio, with a biology and a statistics minor.
Note that both Biology and Marine Biology majors would need to continue on to a Master’s or PHD, therefore research opportunities and a high college GPA are both very important.
Can you take some honors classes next year to see whether you can handle that course rigor?
What about “testing” AP with AP Environmental Science, which is an excellent first course to take before Marine Science senior year (which many Florida schools offer, I don’t know if you’re in FL?)
You should make sure you have Honors Biology if you can , as well as Statistics Honors or AP Stats if you can, or if you can’t, regular statistics, plus Psychology Honors or AP Psychology or regular Psychology. Spread that over junior and senior years.
What math class are you taking, Geometry or Algebra II?
What classes are you scheduled for next year?
See the several old threads about this topic. Yes, your best shot at an enjoyable career in the field is to earn a graduate degree, probably a PhD. Earning a B.S. in one of the few departments that offer B.S. Marine Biology really won’t give you an advantage. See the old posts by Warblersrule, a very knowledgeable person in the field. One last word of advice. Stick to the program in your home state, if there is one, for financial reasons. I will guess that you are on the east coast. Good east coast undergraduate programs are…
U New Hampshire
U Delaware
Richard Stockton College (NJ)
UMass Dartmouth
UNC-Wilmington
U Rhode Island
U South Carolina-Columbia
Duke University
Eckerd College
U of Miami
@MYOS1634 I am taking Geometry now and Chemistry. Next year will be physics. I live in the northeast and they don’t offer a marine science class. They do offer AP enviro.
I’m not sure about taking honors or APs. As I stated, my average isn’t too strong in regular classes, although I know it’s due to lack of studying. Not sure my school will even let me take those classes.
Can I ask how taking an AP Psychology class will help me?
Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate it.
Sounds like I will need to go on to a graduate degree, but for now I just want to LIKE what I’m studying.
@LakeWashington I live in New York so I don’t think there are any SUNY schools who offer this major. Also, thank you for the list but most of those schools are far out of reach for me.
The universities I listed are accessible to a student with an 83 average and beside Duke and UMiami, those listed by LakeWashington are also in the ballpark for you.
AP ES and AP Psych are “easy” AP, so more impressive than regular classes but still easier than typical AP classes. Not sure they’d let you take them, but if you kicked your butt into gear and studied every day, you could demonstrate your ability by taking one of them.
I don’t know about Stony Brook University’s offerings in marine biology but it does offer fieldwork intensive oceanography courses.
Take a look at the requirements of marine biology majors at the colleges you are interested in attending. I would suggest a strong background in both math and science. Calculus and statistics, biology, chemistry and physics. Not necessary to take AP psychology if you don’t have the room in your schedule for the most rigorous math and science classes that your school offers. Even environmental science classes are not necessary. Concentrate on AP science and math classes. Psychology only if you are interested in animal behavior versus marine bio and environmental science only if interested in that major in college. If you spend your time taking AP bio, AP chem, AP calc, and a high level physics and stats course, it will give you a solid base for your college classes. Stats will help in your bio oceanography and ecology courses in college as statistics is used in the lab reports, (this is an area that causes students difficulty if they have not been exposed to statistics prior to college). Physics I and II are required for the major as well as Calculus I and II, Chemistry I and II.
U South Carolina has generous scholarships that make tuition affordable for non-South Carolina residents…if you qualify. An option for New York State residents is the SUNY Maritime College in Throgs Neck (The Bronx on Long Island Sound). SUNY Maritime has a Marine Environmental Science major that includes Marine Biology and Oceanography specialties. Students are not required to join the college corps of cadets. There are plenty of civilian students at SUNY Maritime and there are dorm rooms for non-cadets. Solid education and you can’t beat the price. Nice little campus with a fabulous view of Long Island Sound.
Also, if you enroll at a college that does not have a substantial marine science curriculum, then plan on applying for summer courses and internships at places like Woods Hole MA, Dauphin Island AL or Friday Harbor WA. Those programs accept undergraduates from all over the country.
@ECmotherx2: it looks like OP will finish HS with Algebra 2 only, and I suggested AP Psych or APES as a way to ease him/her into more rigorous courses. I agree OP should take Stats alongside Algebra 2, if possible.
Thank you everyone. I’m going to talk to my parents about all of this.
Look into Stockton University (formerly known as Richard Stockton College of New Jersey) and Rutgers. They have great marine biology programs.