<p>Hey! I'm a rising senior from California and interested in majoring in geology and/or environmental science. When I searched for a list of the most outdoors friendly colleges in the country, UGA came up. It seems to have a good geology and a great environmental science program so I definitely want to apply. My 31 ACT and 1410 SAT (670M, 740 CR) puts me well above the median, but my 3.0UW, 3.4W GPA makes UGA seem unlikely. </p>
<p>Does anyone know how feasible my chances are at the school? No hard feelings if you say that I'll be rejected since I know that Georgia is one of the better schools in the SEC. If there's a high probability that I'll get a thin envelope come spring, do you have any suggestions for less competitive schools like UGA (eg, have a good geology and environmental science program in a forested area, preferably medium to large student body that isn't over the top conservative like at Mississippi or Texas A&M)?</p>
<p>I’m curious about the calculation of the core academic gpa. Assuming this uses math, English, science, govt/ss, & foreign language, and a 4.0 scale…they must be adding some type of weighting to honors, APs, or both to get to that 4.05. Otherwise the highest possibility would be a perfect transcript at 4.0. Each school uses a myriad of weighting techniques. What weighting is UGa using here for honors and/or APs?</p>
<p>BoyfromtheSouth, by the time I graduate I will have taken 8 or 9 AP classes. Of the 5 APs I’ve taken so far, all but one have been 5s. The other was a four. I’ve also dual enrolled in a college geology course and earned an A in (unfortunately it’s not weighted). </p>
<p>I’m not entirely sure what good extra curriculars are. I consider mine above average as I’m president of my school’s hiking club, a member of science olympiad, and have done some volunteering as well as worked at a fast food place. If UGA looks at teacher recommendations, they are likely to be lackluster since they’ll almost certainly discuss how my grades don’t reflect my potential (in other words, I’m a lazy student). </p>
<p>Anyways, do you guys have any recommendations for schools like UGA? I’ll certainly apply but based on the admitted statistics, it doesn’t look like I have a good shot.</p>
<p>One last question; how conservative is the school? I figured that it’s one of the more liberal schools in the South because of Atlanta, but given what I’ve heard about the rural parts of Georgia, I worry that a liberal atheist wouldn’t feel comfortable there.</p>
<p>UGA is in Athens, not Atlanta. Georgia State U is in Atlanta. Athens is about 70 miles away from Atlanta.</p>
<p>Georgia has plenty of Democrats. Obama only lost the state by 7 points. It’s not like you’re a Martian. College aged students are more liberal than their parents, especially on the social front.</p>
<p>You’ll find plenty of atheists and also liberals at UGA Even most of the religious folks are not that pushy. It isn’t going to match Berkley’s culture, but it’s probably even further away from Liberty U.</p>
<p>VulgarUnicorn, I understand that. I figured that since many people from the Atlanta area opted to go to UGA, the campus would be more liberal than if it primarily attracted students from the rural parts of the state. The closest analogue I can think of is UC Davis which although located in farmland in a more conservative area, brings in students from the Bay Area, LA, and San Diego thus making it far more liberal than if it just attracted students from inland California. </p>
<p>Anyways, thank you for the reassurance that UGA would be fine for someone like me. That being said, it’s a reach and I was wondering if you or anyone else on the UGA page know similar schools that aren’t oppressively conservative (ex: University of Mississippi) and which offer good geology/ environmental science.</p>
<p>My husband suggested Georgia Southern University, which is much easier to get admission. An acquaintance of his loved their program and ended up with a very good job afterwards. I don’t know the political preferences there, but it is located in a fairly quiet Georgia town. [Department</a> of Geology and Geography | College of Science and Mathematics | Georgia Southern University](<a href=“http://cosm.georgiasouthern.edu/geo/]Department”>Geology and Geography | Georgia Southern University)</p>
<p>Rocas, would you feel comfortable in an environment where the majority is conservative (anti-Obama, anti-abortion, anti-evolution, pro-gun), and the liberal minority tends to express its embattled feelings by being a bit strident? If so, you’ll be fine at UGA. If not, while I’m all in favor of experiencing diversity of viewpoints, you might want to check things out a bit more before settling on UGA as your best choice.</p>
<p>The majority is conservative, but I think it’s an overstatement to suggest that the majority would be anti-evolution. After all, every UGA student graduated from HS. :)</p>
<p>You might consider UNC-Asheville and Appalachian State in North Carolina, right in the mountains with good outdoor programs. Asheville is an artsy town with a wider world-view than most in the south. But I don’t think you’d feel weird at UGA; most big colleges have a wide variety of beliefs among the students. You might as well go ahead and apply early action, where letters of recommendation are not required. If you get deferred until spring, you can add those then.</p>
<p>You’re right, gadad, it’s probably an overstatement to say the majority is anti-evolution. I was channeling DD’s recent expressed irritation at a fellow student in Evolutionary Biology class saying in private conversation that of course the course is all rubbish, since she doesn’t believe in evolution. This particular evolution disbeliever is in honors and pre-med.</p>
<p>Thanks for acknowledging that the majority is conservative. As a transplanted northerner I cringe a bit at reading some of the well intentioned statements here and elsewhere. A liberal student from a majority liberal area of the country might have a very interesting experience at UGA and would certainly get a good education. However, it’s a switch when the things people will say casually because they expect everyone within earshot agrees with them, all come from the opposite side of the page than you’re used to.</p>
Even most of the religious folks are not that pushy. It isn’t going to match Berkley’s culture, but it’s probably even further away from Liberty U.</p>