I’m a high school senior in Virginia. For as long as I can remember I’ve been extremely passionate about wildlife, so naturally I knew I had to pursue higher education in this field. I was thinking of a major in Biology and possibly a minor in Wildlife Conservation or Evolutionary Biology. I definitely want a focus on the latter two, but would like to pursue the Bio major so my options stay open and I don’t specialize too soon.
I fortunately scored well on my standardized tests this year, which will hopefully at least slightly compensate for my quite subpar GPA
In addition I have a very close close relationship with my 10th grade science teacher who has been extremely influential in cultivating my enthusiasm for the natural world. We have spent probably hundreds of hours together out in the field surveying wildlife, working together on scientific write-ups, and just hanging out. He happily agreed to write my recommendations so I think I have that going for me as well.
Some of my more noteworthy extracurriculars include being the leader of the regional youth wildlife club, an editor of a quarterly scientific journal which discusses threats to Virginia’s bird species, a semifinalist in the Audubon youth photography awards, and member of the varsity track team.
Using resources such as the Common App and Naviance I’ve already made a very lengthy and very tentative school list (in loose order of preference) for me that takes into account my academic record and which I’ll attach below
Reach
1. Cornell University (CALS)
2. William & Mary
3. Washington & Lee
4. Georgetown University
5. Bowdoin College
6. Middlebury College
7. Williams College
Target
1. Virginia Tech
2. UC Davis
3. Penn State
4. Univ of Colorado Boulder
5. University of Florida
6. George Washington University
7. University of Wisconsin-Madison
8. Oregon State University
9. University of Arizona
10. University of Maryland
11. Louisiana State University
12. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
13. Texas A&M
14. University of Texas Austin
15. University of Delaware
16. University of Georgia
17. Colorado State University
18. University of Massachusetts Amherst
Safety
George Mason University
James Madison University
Juniata
Humboldt
I’d really love to get some feedback on what you all think about this, and if I should make any additions/removals. I know many of my reach and even higher-level target schools are probably astronomical stretches given my GPA. I also understand that in the end it’s 100% up to me where to apply and where to end up going. I’m just asking if there are any schools I should omit or add on based on my described interests/credentials.
Forget about UC Davis. That’s an ultracompetitive school these days. And out of state tuition in CA is astronomical. Texas A&M is also probably a reach.
Most of the state land grant colleges in the west are going to have strong wildlife programs: Washington State, Oregon State, Montana State, Arizona State, etc.
If you want a sleeper school to add to your list that might be off the radar for an east coast student, I’d suggest Montana State in Bozeman. Gorgeous part of the country and an up-and-coming school that is becoming increasingly popular with west coast kids from other states. They also have very strong wildlife and conservation programs. If you are an outdoorsy sort of person then there are few better places to spend 4 years of college than Bozeman MT. I teach HS in the Portland area and Montana State is a popular option with the outdoorsy type students and especially skiers.
UC Davis uses 10-11th grades only in their GPA calculation with only AP/IB courses garnering extra honors points as an OOS applicant. UC Davis will cost you $65K/year to attend with little to no financial aid and entry level jobs in your field are not great in pay. Spending $260K for Undergrad is not a good choice.
Some UCD statistical information and you need a minimum UC Capped weighted GPA to even apply to any of the UC’s.
Here is the UC GPA calculator so post all 3 UC GPA’s. UC’s tend to be very GPA focused vs. test focused so your test scores will not make up for a lower than average GPA.
Texas A&M is also highly competitive. Without looking it up, I expect the GPA stats are similar to UC-Davis. Although the SAT averages are probably lower. That’s because all Texas HS students in the top 7% or so of their graduating classes get automatic admission to UT or A&M. So the place is jam packed with high GPA students.
My feedback, as just a parent, is that schools that are holistic in review probably are going to love you. Very few applicants are going to present with your profile, in my opinion. And I think that matters a lot.
Don’t neglect Montana State. It’s a real up and coming school here on the west coast that might be off the radar of someone coming from the east. It is truly a gorgeous place in the foothills of the Rockies and not far from Yellowstone National Park.
Most of the schools on your list are out-of-state public universities that offer little financial aid to OOS students. Are you able to pay the full out-of-state cost at these universities, or will you need significant financial aid?
It’s highly unlikely you’ll get a better bang for your buck than Virginia Tech.
Georgetown sticks out as an odd choice for your academic interests, as does W&L to a lesser extent.
Wash U in St. Louis, Duke, Ohio Wesleyan, Conn College, Lawrence U, and Allegheny are a few alternatives to consider. All are very strong in ecology and organismal biology.