<p>Asking for a friend. I vote for UCSB, but I'd like feedback from any aspiring marine biologists out there, including parents of same.</p>
<p>And what about Cal State Monterey?</p>
<p>Have you considered UCSD?</p>
<p>Good point, DRab! Forgot about the obvious, there. (Wouldn't be "you," though; that would be "they." Different family, not mine.) I'll pass that along to them. Student may feel she's not competitive enough for UCSD (score-wise, etc.). Also, I think the NoCal family wants her closer to home, but I say, go for the best program, for heaven's sake.</p>
<p>I'm still curious about the quality of marine biology programs in the CA publics. Does anyone have any comparative experience, knowledge?</p>
<p>I know this doesn't answer your question, but University of Miami has one of the best Marine Biology programs out there. As for the UCs, I'm not sure.</p>
<p>I don't really think any of the UC's are that good in marine biology, except for UCSD (with Scripps having quite possibly the best oceanography program in the world). </p>
<p>Check out this for more info:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=92499%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=92499</a></p>
<p>I'll repeat what I said on that thread (post #18)-It is NOT wise to major in marine biology (unless you're a double major). As any MB will tell you, marine biology is mostly a graduate school field. It is unlikely a marine biology major will land you a career or grad school admission. What is far, far more important is getting the necessary anatomy, biology, biochemistry, organic chem, physical chem, physics, statistics, computer science and possibly geology that you need to succeed in the field. There are many summer programs (Scripps, Duke Marine Lab, and Woods Hole spring to mind) that you can (and should) participate in to gain some background in marine biology. </p>
<p>Thus, any of the UC's would be fine.</p>
<p>thanks, warbler. Not only did I not know that, I wonder if the family knows that. (regarding undergrad "marine biology"). And if what you say is true (about lack of career options), she should be aware of that, since her family tends to be more practically-minded as to career paths.</p>
<p>I had actually wondered about that myself -- doubting that an undergrad MB degree, if available, would land one a cushy job at, say, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I would think you would need a more advanced degree for that kind of opportunity.</p>
<p>You'd probably need an advanced degree (MS, probably) as well as plenty of experience to work in an aquarium. Marine biology is by far the most popular field of oceanography, and colleges are cranking out more marine biologists than NOAA, aquariums, zoos, etc. can handle. Sad, but true. </p>
<p>Also, I was slightly hypocritical in my earlier post-if you (someone, not you specifically) expect to get a job or an advanced degree in marine biology, you need plenty of experience (i.e. marine lab). Thus, picking an undergrad school with a marine lab (or access to one) is definitely a good idea. There are summer programs (at URI, for example), but you can't count on those. Duke (:)), Cornell, MIT, Brown, and Stanford are perfect examples of good undergrad marine biology schools-all have strong science programs but also a marine lab. I'm willing to bet some of the California schools either have access to a marine lab in CA or abroad (Australia is very popular), so I'd advise them to check out the biology resources/study abroad options of CA schools.</p>
<p>OK, after going through their programs:</p>
<p>UCSB- offers a concentration in aquatic biology, several lab courses, and study abroad in marine bio</p>
<p>UCSC- offers a major in marine biology (lots of options, esp in Monterey)</p>
<p>Thus, I think either would be perfectly fine for undergrad, with UCSB probably being a little better with stronger science programs.</p>
<p>thanks for the research, warbler. That's approximately what I thought.</p>
<p>O/T:
Are you a bird-caller? Or is that a school mascot? A reference to a singing group?</p>
<p>(Intrigued.)</p>
<p>Sometimes you can get enough merit aid from small LAC's to make it as affordable as a UC</p>