I am a rising senior in high school. I am hoping to study environmental science/studies or possibly something in the wildlife field. I recently toured Bucknell and loved the setting - mountains, trees, etc. It may be a good fit but would love to find some other options that have similar types of settings. Open to east coast and possibly the south. Would love something little bigger (5,000 students or more) and less Greek life focused than Bucknell. Doesn’t hurt if their acceptance rates are also a little higher 
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Easier admit and great for outdoors : Hobart and William Smith. Smaller than you want.
Ditto for St. Lawrence.
Colgate is very similar to Bucknell in vibe but much less Greek. Not an easier admit. Still smaller than you would like.
University of Rochester: Location may be more urban but easy access to what you’re looking for. Good size, excellent school.
UNC Asheville could be worth a look. Good town, easy mountain access.
Significantly bigger than what you have stated is University of Vermont. Tons to recommend it.
U Maine (Orono) is another to look at. Another state flagship but much smaller.
If you like PA, check out Dickinson, F&M, Gettysburg. All are smaller than you want but all are terrific schools with lovely settings.
If you have reactions to these, maybe we can help more.
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Consider Clemson, University of Georgia, or University of New Hampshire
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App State, UNC Asheville, Sewanee, Bates, UVermont, SUNY Albany.
Run the NPC to aee if any of the above are within budget and do look jnto the scholarship programs
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For your setting preferences and academic interests, these sites may offer you further ideas:
The University of Vermont, for example, appears in both sites.
For a suggestion outside of your size preference, look into St. Lawrence.
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Focusing on easy access to nature and better acceptance rates, a few more to investigate …
Mercer University in Macon GA. Almost 5000 undergrad students. 74% Acceptance Rate.
Champlain College in Burlington VT. 1800 undergrad students. 56% Acceptance Rate.
(campus blocks from Lake Champlain)
University of New Orleans. 6500 undergrad students. 57% Acceptance Rate.
(New Orleans is obviously a city w/o mountains, but very easy and quick access to the wilderness)
University of Scranton in Scranton PA. 3500 undergrad students. 83% Acceptance Rate.
Fairfield University in Fairfield CT. 4700 undergrad students. 52% Acceptance Rate.
Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. 5500 undergrad students. 63% Acceptance Rate
(sits right on the Hudson River)
Quinnipiac University in Hamden CT. 6000 undergrad students. 83% Acceptance Rate
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What about Roanoke?
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University of Vermont, Colby, Middlebury, Skidmore, Bates, Williams, and Hamilton are all places that are strong on environmental studies in mountain settings (or hilly settings, at least). All but Vermont are reaches (Skidmore maybe a little less so). Maybe look at Dickinson and Gettysburg, too?
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UVM, UNH and UMaine. All have great enviromental science opportunities and have an outdoorsy vibe.
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College Magazine just published a list of the top 10 colleges for outdoor enthusiasts. UVM is #2.
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Not in the NE, but Colorado College is a great spot for an outdoorsy type. It has a block-plan, which means students study one subject intensely for 3.5 weeks followed by 4.5 day breaks. There are often outdoor programs available during the breaks. CC does have an environmental studies major. Note: it’s highly selective in terms of admissions.
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It’s wonderful to learn that you’re interested in studying wildlife science or a similar subject. With a focus on environmental studies, there are a number of colleges and universities on the East Coast and in the South. Some of them have larger student numbers and less emphasis on Greek life.
campus of Vermont: Situated in Burlington, Vermont, this campus provides access to Lake Champlain, mountains, and forests. They provide a variety of programs relating to environmental studies and place a high emphasis on them.
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Thank you for the great suggestions! We are going to visit UVM and UNH and a few others on your suggested lists a little later in August. I really appreciate your suggestions!
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Thinking about colleges for environmental/wildlife studies, preferably in an outdoor setting, and preferably with higher acceptance rates than Bucknell, these are some I would consider:
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Ithaca (NY): About 4600 undergrads and its location in the Finger Lakes region would open up lots of possibilities
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Kutztown (PA ): About 6500 undergrads
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Louisiana Tech: About 9900 undergrads, not exactly mountainous, but there are some hills and lots of wooded areas.
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Northern Michigan: About 6400 undergrads
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Pennsylvania Western (formerly California U. of PA): About 9400 undergrads
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Salisbury (MD): About 6400 undergrads. Not mountains, but this school on the eastern shore of Maryland has great access to a variety of outdoor areas (bay, ocean, and wildlands).
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SUNY Brockport: About 5100 undergrads
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SUNY College at Plattsburgh: About 4k undergrads
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SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: There’s only about 1600 undergrads here, but it’s in the same town as Syracuse and you’re also allowed to take classes there, so the options would be a lot bigger than a school of 1600 might otherwise indicate. But you get the benefit of the SUNY prices, which are a big savings over Syracuse.
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SUNY Oneonta: About 5900 undergrads
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U. of Maine: About 9800 undergrads, already mentioned several times
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U. of New England (ME): About 3700 undergrads
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U. of Southern Maine: About 5600 undergrads
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U. of Tennessee-Chattanooga: About 9900 undergrads
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U. of Wisconsin – Stevens Point: About 7300 undergrads. Of the Wisconsin schools, this might be the best fit for your interests, but transportation to wherever your hometown is might be an issue. Alternatives you might want to consider include Green Bay (about 9100 undergrads) and River Falls (about 4800 undergrads). Perhaps @ScouterMomof3 might have some additional insight on these?
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Western Carolina (NC): About 10k undergrads
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Westfield State (MA): About 3900 undergrads
With respect to some of the public colleges mentioned in Pennsylvania, I would research into any possible shifts/consolidations, as I know that Pennsylvania is talking about doing that, but I don’t know whether any of the campuses I’ve mentioned might be affected. Perhaps @Creekland knows?
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Appalachian State would be my suggestion of the North Carolina schools. It’s a bigger school, but in a small town so it’s got a cozy vibe. It’s surrounded by gorgeous mountains with hiking right out your dorm door and skiing too. You might be interested in this program: Appalachian State University / Environmental Science (BS) – Life Science
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Have you looked in North Carolina - you have the mountains, beaches and trails. My daughter attends High Point University and was drawn to the access to all of the outdoor activities. They even take buses to kayak, hiking, go to beach, etc on weekends.
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Stevens Point is right in the middle of the state. It’s about half an hour south of Rib Mountain, one of the highest points in Wisc and home to downhill skiing. North of “Point” a couple hours is my hometown of Minocqua, which is in a lake-riddled area known as the Lakeland area. Half an hour east is another tourist hotspot, Eagle River. Lakes, trees, mosquitoes.
UW-River Falls and UW-Stout are pretty close to the Twin Cities for relatively easy access.
UW-Green Bay is on Lake Michigan and close to Door County, another WI vacation hotspot.
UW-Oshkosh is on or very close to Lake Winnebago, the largest lake in the state.
UW-Superior is on Lake Superior.
Keep in mind, Wisconsin has brutal winters – is that okay with you? (similar to Maine)
Edit: UW-LaCrosse is on the Mississippi River and there are beautiful bluffs in that area.
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Thanks for the detail on the UW campuses…I forgot that you’re another Wisconsin resource!
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The Badger State is near and dear to my heart. hehe
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Appalachian State University, Colorado College
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