Marine biology-- where else should I apply?

College Search & Selection
1

Hello all! New member here, I’ve been lurking for a while and have stayed quiet, but I really need some help!

I’m a current high school senior living in PA aspiring to be a marine biologist. I just really have a passion for fish and marine life and can truly see myself having a career with them. I understand the field is pretty lucrative and competitive and I suppose it’s a chance I’ll take.

Anyway, time is ticking away for me to start applying to colleges but the problem is I haven’t found a school I’ve clicked with, and I’m not sure how each stands in its marine bio programs respectively. Geography is not really a problem, but I’d prefer to stay on the east coast. Here are some I’m interested in:

U Tampa
Nova Southeastern U
Stony Brook U (SUNY)
UNC- Wilmington
U Miami
College of Charleston
Eckerd

Here are my stats:
GPA: 3.9ish weighted

SAT: 1700 (1090 CR+M) Not the best, plan on taking the ACTs

Class Rank: 14/200 (top 7%)

ECs/academic ECs: Key Club (2 years)
Just accepted as volunteer at local animal shelter, will be starting soon
Scholastic Scrimmage ( jeopardy-style competition on local TV station)
Shore Bowl at Rutgers (placed 3rd in B division)
Quiz Bowl
placed silver medal in National Spanish Exam, 9th grade
placed gold medal in National Spanish Exam, 10th grade
Envirothon (placed 5th)
volunteer at my Church during food festivals
part time waitress job
several art awards

Combined family income (family of 4) is around $48,000, might be a little less this year

I know UMiami is a bit of a reach, and the cost of attendance is crazy, but it’s worth a shot I guess.

I’d really appreciate any more suggestions on any more schools with good marine bio programs. I’m sure there’s some more in Florida, but I also need some safeties in the north in case I change my mind in going far away!

I’m looking for a school that has a solid program strong in marine bio as well as general bio with hands-on opportunities in undergraduate classes. Also close proximity to possible internships/marine labs is crucial.

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

2

CofC is a very good program, but you need to bring your test scores up for admission . Also, if you’re trying for merit at any schools be aware that many require early application with deadlines of November or December .

3

@carolinamom2boys Thanks for the fast feedback! CofC is a nice school from what I see online, couldn’t visit since I’m too far away. Grice Marine Lab looks nice too. For some reason when I did the net price calculator for CofC, it told me my total yearly cost would be $39,000?? Maybe I did it wrong, but I’ll still apply and see.

What do you mean by merit? Scholarships? I have to agree my test scores do bring me down for those, I can’t seem to get out of the 500s on the SAT.

4

Try the ACT, but take it soon and practice with some timed tests. Merit is scholarship money given for performance not financial need. I think you at want to get your parents to help you with the net price calculator . That does seem high, but OOS tuition is higher than instate.

5

You’re going to need a lot of financial aid, and I would not count on receiving much (if any) from the out-of-state universities on your list like Stony Brook and UNCW.

A graduate degree is virtually required for marine biology, and many colleges provide the necessary preparation. Look for colleges that have a strong emphasis on ecology and organismal biology. Most PhD students in oceanography here at UCLA did NOT study marine science or marine biology as undergrads, and many came from landlocked colleges.

Things to consider when sorting through biology programs:
[ul][]Does the department have a strong emphasis on ecology and organismal biology? (look for courses like vertebrate zoology, entomology, and field botany and faculty research in areas of ornithology, botany, herpetology, etc.)
[]Does the college offer field and lab-based seminars?
[]What special facilities does the college have? Herbarium, vert/invert research collections, SEM, phytotron, mass spec, flow cytometry…?
[]How good are the college’s research opportunities? Are freshmen encouraged to participate in research? (Don’t be bamboozled by references to freshmen “working in labs.” Often this is simple grunt work.)
[]How competitive is research funding for organismal biology? Be sure to focus on research funding for organismal research as opposed to molecular/biochemical/neurobiological.
[]Have students been published? If so, where and in what capacity?
[]How many students have received NSF or other post-graduate fellowships?
[]What graduate programs do students attend?[/ul]

Marine biology is an extremely interdisciplinary field that requires preparation in many different areas. At the minimum, most marine biologists need to have a strong background in biology (genetics, ecology, biochemistry, botany, evolutionary biology, embryology, etc.) and chemistry (1 year of intro chem, 1 year of orgo, biochem); a background in physics, calculus, statistics, and computer science is also highly recommended. Some geology would also be very helpful. Note that some schools offering marine biology are pretty weak in the basic sciences and thus best avoided.

A student majoring in biology can round out his/her education in many ways:
[list][]Spending a semester and/or summer at a marine lab like the Shoals Marine Lab or Duke Marine Lab.
[]Funded summer research experience in oceanography is available through the [REU programs](http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=5053).
[]Study abroad at universities with strong marine science programs like James Cook in Australia or Bangor in Wales. []Many zoos, aquariums, and government agencies like the NPS are happy to host summer interns.
[li]For young zoologists, summer field positions aren’t too hard to get (there’s a listing [here[/url] and [url=Physiological Ecology Section of the Ecological Society of America]here](http://sites.biology.duke.edu/jackson/ecophys/temp.html)).[/list][/li]

You need affordable schools you can get into. Look at your in-state public options. Several of them have very decent biology programs, and a few (e.g. West Chester, Millersville, and East Stroudsburg) even have marine biology concentrations. Of course, Penn State and Pitt are great for biology.

Among private colleges, check out Allegheny, Hampshire, Juniata, Hood, Conn College, Rollins, and possibly Boston U. As a reach, Bowdoin since it’s test-optional. Some of the other [test-optional colleges](ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest) like Wheaton and Wesleyan are perhaps worth a look as well.

6

Definitely keep Eckerd on your list. When we went looking, they really stood out as quite unique and above the others for that major.

Nova Southeastern is less expensive, but like many schools they aren’t right on the water. Their research (aka graduate) program is, but getting there, while not far in distance, is a bit of a haul and not at all like rolling out of your bed and taking a walk across campus.

U Miami is likely not worth an app unless your scores improve a bit. Their Marine Science majors tend to be above their mid-line stats, not below. It’s an impressive place overall, but again, their lab is not right with the campus - not a long distance - but traffic can make it take 45 minutes one way to get there.

Plus… my guy noted that all these places with graduate students mainly let them have the “fun” jobs. Eckerd has no graduate students. Undergrads get to do it all… a big plus in his eyes.

Compare colleges getting Hollings Scholarships from NOAA - and remember that some of those go for atmospheric, not just oceanic. There’s often a difference in student population to consider too. Eckerd consistently stands pretty high in their eyes. Very high. Usually the highest even with the differences. There’s a reason.

7

@warblersrule Hello! I’ve seen that you frequent the marine biology threads quite often based on my search around the forum and I’m glad you found my topic. Thank you very much for taking the time to write such a detailed response. It’s really helpful, since around here, there aren’t many people who can give me advice about my major.

I’ve noticed you’ve talked about majoring in general bio rather than marine bio in other threads, which made me even more nervous about applying to college because now my options are far more open and I only have so much time to decide where to apply. I actually visited East Stroudsburg over the summer, parents really liked it…Definitely cheap. I was planning to apply there as my safety. I thought about applying to Bowdoin via QuestBridge for a chance to get a free ride…but in the end I really believed that I just can’t get into that school (especially when you’re going against much smarter kids with greater need). Without test scores to see, I’m sure they would judge my other credentials much more harshly.

Anyway, what if I double major in bio/marine bio? Wouldn’t that expand the range of science courses? Does the school you go to help you in finding a job/internship, or are you on your own?

@Creekland Eckerd actually sent me an email saying they are waiving the app fee if I apply early action, so why not I guess. :wink: That’s great that they give undergrads all the attention. I saw that 15% of their students are studying marine science–wow! Do they have a marine lab? The only thing I was concerned about was that I read reviews that Eckerd has very bad drug safety and a lot of students partake in drugs on campus. Not sure if it’s true…maybe it just has to do with who you hang out with I guess. Seems like a very enjoyable, laid-back school. How are they with the financial aid and scholarships?
Thanks for your response!

8

Here’s some relevant advice: http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/becoming.html.

Make you and your family complete the NPCs at any college you are considering… I think you will find the need to come up with more than 30K/year at several on your list or others people have suggested.

One more piece of information. I know a current upperclassmen at Eckerd who was a Marine Bio major there as a freshman. From this insider, I heard about half of the marine bio majors there change to some other major.

9

In addition to warbler’srule super important, super knowledgeable post:

1° you still have time to apply to Questbridge. Do so. YOU are NOT the person deciding whether there are greater students with greater need. The colleges are. Trust that they know what they’re doing, and know better than you, whether you deserve to get in. At the very least, you deserve to APPLY.
Apply to Questbridge, rank Bowdoin first, cross your fingers. The biology program there is mind-blowingly good and their PHD placement is terrific, so you’d solve all your problems in one swift shot if you got in. Rank other LACs after Bowdoin to increase your odds: Colby, Colorado College, Grinnell, Vassar, Scripps, etc. All LACs on the Questbridge list have superb biology programs.

2° Prep for the ACT. Use all online resources and take practice tests, first untimed, second, third, and fourth time timed. Between each retake, review your mistakes and practice until you get this type of question correct 3 times in a row. If your high school library has the Erica Meltzer books, use them.

3°U Tampa => match academically , run the NPC
Nova Southeastern U => not worth it
Stony Brook U (SUNY) => only if your ACT is 25+; unlikely to be affordable
UNC- Wilmington => good match but unlikely to be affordable
U Miami => super reach but likely affordable if they admit you
College of Charleston => good match but unlikely to be affordable
Eckerd => good match but unlikely to be affordable

Public universities do not give financial aid to OOS applicants so yes CoC would be 39K because you’re an OOS and don’t get any FA… Same thing at UNC-W and Stony Brook (30K).Add to this that the #1 source of scholarships is the college itself (ie, if it doesn’t offer any, you’re out of luck) and as a freshman your loan limit is $5,500, you see the problem.

As you can see, your list is likely to yield no affordable acceptance, and it’d be too bad if, with your academic record, you ended up at East Stroudsburg.
At the very least, apply by November 30 to Pitt, Temple, and Penn State. Write the Personal Statement in all cases.
Add Bryn Mawr and Dickinson (test optional), apply EA (by November 1st).

Plan to take the subject tests in your two strongest subjects at the October SAT date (not the same as the ACT, don’t worry).

10

Eckerd is test-optional, with a high acceptance rate, and they are quite generous with merit aid. They should definitely remain on your list. Add New College of FL. It is surprisingly affordable, with automatic merit scholarships for out-of-state students. Your test scores are low for them, but a better showing on the ACT might bring you into range. What about College of the Atlantic or URI?

11

Eckerd does have a nice Marine Lab right on campus. Dadof1 is correct that many change their majors once there, but I suspect that’s true of many Marine Science students everywhere. That’s true of many students regardless of major actually. My own guy switched out of Marine Science when he discovered how much he loves acting. He’s a Theater major at Eckerd now and really enjoying himself.

The nice thing about Eckerd is they have several other majors one can switch into, so it’s not a Marine Science or bust situation like TAMUG would have been (another school my guy very briefly considered).

YES, there are drugs and parties at Eckerd. There are at my other guys schools too. There are at all of the schools on your list. None of mine are into partying or the drug scene and they’ve found like-minded friends who enjoy other things. Eckerd has plenty to enjoy outside. There are sailboats, paddle boards, canoes/kayaks available to students at no extra charge. Camping is common. Scuba is common. They also have a collegiate search and rescue group - the only one of its kind in the nation. Think Outside is their motto for a reason. My green, planet-loving, down to earth, son loves it there - and he’s not at all into drugs or alcohol (his choice).

It’s worth a visit IMO.

I also wouldn’t cross off Nova Southeastern as someone else suggested. They could come in less expensive than Eckerd and their program is decent. They are a newer school for undergrad, but their undergrad has been designed by their grad/prof schools. We liked what we saw visiting them. They are growing rather than established, but that doesn’t make them bad - not at all. With your stats, you’d fit in well there IMO. I doubt the poster who said to forget about them has visited - could be wrong - but that’s what I’d guess.

Knowing how Pitt and Penn State are with aid… those I wouldn’t bother with if it were me. East Str is a better financial bet if you need a financial safety. (We’re in PA too.)

Eckerd and Nova Southeastern are definitely worth apps IMO.

As the pp mentioned College of the Atlantic would be worth a look too. My guy liked them, but they were too far north for him. He wanted tropical.

12

^I was coming to recommend College of the Atlantic.

University of Delaware has a [College of Earth, Ocean, & Environment](Undergraduate Programs | College of Earth, Ocean & Environment | University of Delaware) with a major in marine science with a concentration in marine biology.

Rutgers has a Department of Marine and Coastal Science with a major in marine biology.

Rollins College, in Florida, also has a marine biology major. Samford University in TX has a marine science major. Hampton University (an HBCU) in VA has a major in marine and environmental sciences. Roger Williams University in RI has a marine biology major. Fairleigh Dickinson in NJ also has a marine biology major. Hofstra has a marine biology track within their biology major. Stetson University, in Florida, has an aquatic and marine biology major. Barry University in Florida has marine biology.

Over on the West Coast, Seattle Pacific University has a concentration in marine science/ecology in their bio major. The University of San Diego has a marine science major. And Alaska Pacific University has a marine biology major.

I skipped all the public schools - there are lots of public schools along the East and West Coasts (and some in Texas and the Great Lakes states) that have marine science/biology, but their financial aid won’t be great.

Also, aside from East Stroudsburg, Millersville University in Pennsylvania also has a marine biology option in their biology major.

13

Stony brook hands down. Why? Because it’s next to the ocean and you’ll have a lot of research opportunities

14

Just to clarify @MYOS1634 CofC does offer merit to any U.S. Citizen that is ranked in the top 5% of their class and scores 29 on the ACT or 1300 on the SAT. They also offer scholarships to first generation, underprivileged or underrepresented minorities. Her rank precludes her from qualifying, not the fact that she is OOS. Quite a few SC schools
do offer merit scholarships to OOS students, that’s why it’s important to check the website of each school to determine what is available . Many also have departmental scholarships that are not restricted to only instate students.

15

C o c is a great college and it does offer merit for oos students, but no financial aid, so this student won’t qualify for any aid and is lower income. My huge concern is that the current list consists of unaffordable schools.

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Wow! Thank you very much everyone for your helpful replies! You all are making it very hard for me to choose now. lol.
I also forgot to mention that all my courses are either AP or honors (all AP this year) and I got a 5 in APUSH and a 3 in bio (a 3 probably won’t get me anywhere but I just thought I’d mention.)

I like Pitt from what I’ve seen online, and it looks like they have a very strong biology program, one of the top in PA. In-state tuition is a plus too.

@Creekland Thanks for your input. I will definitely at least apply to Eckerd. If I get accepted we might take a plane to visit campus. Is job placement competitive since there are so many students studying marine bio there?
I initially was attracted to Nova because I saw they have a dual admissions program for marine biology where, in a nutshell, they hold a place for you in their grad school and you can get your masters in only 6 years. One thing that struck me as weird, though, was that you only need a 1050 SAT (CR+M) and 3.2 GPA to get in, which seems pretty low considering what the program offers.

@MYOS1634 Thank you for your helpful response. At this point I think I’m just going to let go with Bowdoin and focus on schools I have a better chance of getting into. I ran an NPC for UTampa not too long ago and it told me my annual cost of attendance would be around $19,000. Not bad, I could probably knock it down another few thousand with another scholarship or two and work-study. And yes, I have to agree that it looks like College of Charleston is out. Great school but I simply cannot afford it.

So now that I see many of my colleges are unaffordable, what are some affordable ones with solid bio programs? I know all the PA state schools are pretty affordable, but what else? It seems I’m in a really frustrating position because I can’t afford a lot of the schools I like and my test scores and such aren’t spectacular enough to get me a lot of scholarships.

@woogzmama Yes, I did look into NCoF! They sent me a pamphlet and I saw they they are ranked highly as a very affordable school with generous financial aid. Will look further into it!

So guys, I understand it is better to major in general bio in undergrad, but what are the cons if you do major in marine bio/science? Is it because the classes are too specialized and you’ll have to take them again anyway for grad school? Or is it that a bachelors in marine bio is difficult to branch out from?

Anyway, thanks again, everyone!

17

I see no downside to majoring in marine science if it interests you. Students at Eckerd were happily doing what they liked both in the lab and in the water. Why wait? Most graduates will head to grad school, and yes, there is good grad school placement. We also met alumni on one of our visits who were actively employed using their degree.

There were a fair number of incoming freshmen who already had a bit of marine experience at places like Woods Hole.

You don’t need to major in marine science to get into grad school, but with the major becoming more common, it’s definitely not “better” to wait IMO.

Regardless, as with any major and any school I always recommend those looking ask what recent grads in that major are doing. That will often sort out some really good schools and some that likely aren’t as good.

Whenever we talked (or e-mailed) people in the field asking about schools good for Marine studies, Eckerd’s name always came up. There were others too - but again - my guy wanted tropical, so that restricted our search a bit. In FL, U Miami also came up often. Out west, U Hawaii was the most frequent name mentioned. We added a few others to visit and my guy ended up deciding Eckerd was the best for him. Nova Southeastern would have been his second choice. He liked U Miami, but didn’t really have the stats to be competitive (higher than your stats though) and didn’t like their lab being so far away, so never applied.

He still likes it at Eckerd even after switching out of Marine Science.

If you’re not restricted by tropical, then more schools come into play. U of the Atlantic was/is frequently mentioned by those we talked with as was Coc.

18

Are you a first generation college student?

19

Primarily the latter. Keep in mind that “marine biology” is a very vague and ill-defined discipline. There are people doing “marine biology” in PhD programs in zoology, ecology, oceanography, microbiology, botany, genetics, biomedicine, environmental science…etc. A solid grounding in biology and the other basic sciences will serve you in good stead for whichever route you decide to pursue. (This is exactly the advice MIT-WHOI gives applicants, with the explicit notation that “The specialized, yet multidisciplinary, outlook that such a background provides is necessary to unravel the complex biological processes that occur in the marine environment. Familiarity with marine systems is not required.”)

You can certainly major in marine biology and go to graduate school, and many do. You simply have to make sure you have a strong background in all areas of biology. This is why U Miami requires all of its marine science majors to select a second major in a core science.

The main problem with focusing on finding marine biology programs is that it leads one to overlook some very, very strong undergraduate science programs, including many colleges more rigorous than some of the less selective coastal universities or those with slipshod marine biology offerings. For example, none of the 5 LACs that have produced the most PhDs in oceanography – Carleton, Pomona, Middlebury, Oberlin, and Wesleyan – have marine biology programs, and several are nowhere near an ocean. (Eckerd comes in a respectable #6, tied with Williams.)

20

@carolinamom2boys yes, both my parents were originally born in Europe and immigrated to the US.