<p>Hey all, I'm having almost an impossible time with my college search! My only "must haves" for colleges are that they must be relatively small and that they must offer marine biology or marine science as a major. Colleges I've already applied to:
Rollins, Eckerd, UMiami, U South Carolina.
I know the last two are big schools, but I applied to them before visiting the campus and realizing that big schools aren't my thing. I don't feel like posting an extensive list of stats, but GPA: 4.187 W//3.585 UW
SAT: 1240/1600, /2400
National Achievement Semifinalist
AP Scholar
around 500 volunteer hours
hook: too many to count, haha. [Interesting health history + african american girl interested in science]</p>
<p>I absolutely adore Rollins, but it would be nice to go a college that is a little more recognized concerning academics. Thanks for all the help in advance!</p>
<p>Major Oceanographic Institutes and Affiliated Institutions:
Woods Hole - MIT
Scripps - UC San Diego
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory - Columbia</p>
<p>What type of marine biology do you want to study? Just curious, I'm another potential Marine Science major (although I'm more interested in physical oceanography). Bowdoin is worth a look, that's where I'm planning on going, and you will be able to have a self-designed Marine Studies major (at least that's what I'm doing). It is in Maine (cold) and your scores are a bit low for it, but it's still worth a look.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>(Also, if you plan on going to graduate school for Marine Science, look at Oregon State and UW Seattle, both have top-notch graduate schools specifically for ocean sciences. Whitman College, in Walla Walla, WA, has a 3-2 program in which you can get a B.A. in Biology or Geology (I assume you'd like Biology) from Whitman (one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country, around 1500 students) and a B.S. in Oceanography from UW Seattle. I imagine that would also help you get into UW Seattle for grad school.)</p>
<p>(Again... some other schools you may want to consider are U Miami (which you are applying to... me too), St. Mary's of MD, as said above... U. Rhode Island is amazing for oceanography, there are others... Williams is good but would be a big reach for you (it has a concentration called Maritime Studies that teaches you about all aspects of the sea, similar to what my self-designed major at Bowdoin will be... not sure if that's what you want though). Duke, as said above, also has an undergraduate degree in Oceanography, though I am not sure how good its department is. The truth is, if you want to really study hardcore marine science, you'll have to wait until graduate school if you want to go to a small college, or get over your fear of going to a big college, or make a compromise, like I did.)</p>
<p>You might consider Coastal Carolina. They have a Marine Science Major and own an island. There are about 8000 students and the campus is located in Myrtle Beach. They have merit aid.</p>
<p>You would qualify for the honors program at the University of Tampa. One of the professors in the biology/marine science dept is an expert on sea horses.</p>
<p>ironmetal-I don't have to worry about grad school. I want to work in marine rehabilitation/rescue so after undergrad it's vet school for me!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help so far! Unfortunately many of the schools mentioned are much larger than I would like. I'm from Durham, NC so I consider myself a "small town" kind of girl.</p>
<p>I've actually looked at Occidental! I forgot to mention though that for health reasons I have to stay on the East Coast so that my family will be able to get to me quickly in case of emergency.</p>
<p>xNYer-FIT used to be on my list of schools. I don't remember why I took it off though, I'll definately have to go and check it out again.</p>
<p>SUNY Stony Brook has opened a new campus- aka Stony Brook Southhampton which has a main focus in marine biology. The new campus is separate from the stony brook campus and has supposedly a small and intimate setting.<br>
stony brook has always had a very good reputation in the sciences. and as it is a SUNY, the OOS tuition is around $11,000.</p>
<p>I second College of the Atlantic.
Beautiful school, ~350 students, incredible professors, right on the ocean. I'm no marine biologist, but when I visited, this school seemed legit in that area. The students I talked to said they have a LOT of field research experience. Plus, you know, the college owns an island that has a whale research center. That's just cool.</p>
<p>Richard Stockton College in New Jersey. Near Atlantic City. A very underrated public liberal arts college. RSC has a comprehensive undergraduate program in Marine Biology.</p>
<p>See also the U of New Hampshire (about 1.5 hours north of Boston MA) for the Zoology degree with a concentration in Marine Biology.</p>
<p>Also, you should realize that the field of Marine Biology, Oceanography, Marine Sciences etc. is largely a graduate field of study. Don't plan on getting a job in that field with just an undergraduate degree. The vast majority of such jobs require a graduate degree. If you love Marine Biology, by all means go ahead with an undergraduate program. That education will leave you well versed in the sciences generally (Biology, Calculus, Chemistry). Alternatively, broaden your experience in another subject (since you'll be compelled to take your core Marine Biology coursework in grad school anyway) and then minor in Marine Sciences.</p>
<p>As I've already mentioned (I think, anyway), I plan going to Vet School afterwards because I intend to work in Marine Rehabilitation. Thanks for making it a point to tell people this though, as many do not research what gaining a career in marine biology entails.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions so far!</p>