<p>I'm hoping somebody here would be knowledgeable enough to give me some suggestions on schools to look at...</p>
<p>I think I want to major in Enviro. science... what I'm <em>really</em> interested in is animal behavior/ethology, but the few schools I could find that offered that major don't fit. At all.</p>
<p>Just to give you a rough idea of where I stand, right now my GPA is more or less 3.8 unweighted and I'm going for a full IB diploma. I took the SAT last year (junior year) and got a 1510, I'm hoping to bring up my math score this year. As far as ECs go, there's nothing stellar or unique... environmental club VP, model un member, lots of volunteer stuff...</p>
<p>I'm looking for schools in the mid-atlantic (MD, DE, VA, PA preferred, but schools farther north I'll consider... don't really want to go to the deep south or into the midwest so much) that are smallish-medium and offer environmental science as a major. It would be nice if the school had a pretty campus and some semblance of school spirit. Great financial aid is a must... I mean, I just saw some tuition figures and a year at most of these private colleges is more than my family's yearly income. :P</p>
<p>First, keep in mind that if your family's income is in the range you mentioned, you should be eligible for a solid financial aid package. Even if it isn't, your stats should open some doors for financial aid.</p>
<p>I'd suggest you check out Swarthmore and Haverford in PA first. Then, take a look at Dickinson, Lafayette, and Franklin & Marshall. (You'd probably qualify for nice merit awards at these three). Although it would be a safety for you, also take a look at St. Mary's College of Maryland - it's a public school that feels like a private LAC, beautiful campus, excellent environmental studies program.</p>
<p>And, I know you dont want a large school, but you should visit the University of Maryland College Park - they are very strong in animal sciences.</p>
<p>I'm sure others will have a few suggestions as well.</p>
<p>You might want to look at Allegheny College, in Meadville, PA. A definite safety for you, but they have one of the oldest environmental science programs around. The school is very strong in science overall and has wonderful science facilities and a beautiful campus. Because it would be a safety for you, you would qualify for excellent merit aid. You would most likely qualify for a minumum $15000 a year in merit aid and also get an extra $4000 grant to be used to help you explore an area of interest. In addition, they will be also give need based assistance if you qualify.</p>
<p>And you might want to check out Connecticutt College which has both a solid environmental studies program and a program in behavioral neuroscience that allows you to concentrate on non-human behavior. Might be a fit. Again, you'd probably qualify for merit award there.</p>
<p>If you click on their publications link, they have a list of all of the animal behavior programs in the U.S. - They also have a message board where you might be able to ask for some recommendations. </p>
<p>How about a school dedicated to Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF)? ESF is a NY state school, but out-of-state tuition is much smaller than tuititon and the expensive private schools. ESF is fairly highly rated for a small public university!</p>
<p>Duke has a very strong biology program, and it offers an animal behavior concentration as part of the major (the primate center and marine laboratory are great perks). If Maine is not too far north, Bowdoin College also has an excellent environmental science program; the College of the Atlantic does as well. The University of Pennsylvania (although a very large school) offers a very popular major called Biological Basis of Behavior that deals with ethology/human behavior.</p>