I unfortunately am crazy indecisive and just want suggestions. I plan on majoring in biology(molecular focus), so I want somewhere with a great program that has research opportunities and great outlook for graduates(amount that are accepted to grad school). Additionally, I don’t want a huge university that is too urban. I am from Oregon, but I am not opposed at all to going far away. It is very important that I could get institutional aid(merit based) for affordability.
A few places I am considering now are: South Dakota School of Mines, St Martens,Carrol College, Oregon Institute of Technology, Boise State.
My GPA is about 3.8 unweighted/4.1 weighted(In mainly all honors/ap)and ACT is 26(re-taking, so hoping I can get it up to 28+)
My extracurriculars are average. I am in National Honors Society, involved in theater, etc.
Most importantly I want a school that has good reputation of getting students into grad school and is academically challenging.
To get into a top graduate school in any biology field you will need to things: 1) a strong undergraduate GPA and 2) meaningful research experience as an undergraduate that shows you are truly interested in research. GRE test scores and strong recommendations are helpful but secondary.
You control your GPA at any college you attend.
As for research opportunities, the simplest way to achieve this is through your college. Ask reps at each college the percentage of students performing undergraduate research, what percentage present their research at college or national conferences, and what financial support does the college provide for undergraduate research. When you visit colleges, pay close attention to the biology facility. Are there current research posters lining the walls? Does the college even have true research labs (not classroom “labs”)? Is there activity in the research labs? Do the research labs have supplies on the benches and shelves that implies these spaces get used, or are these spaces empty with dust on them? What about equipment… is there any? Large universities that have PhD programs will have plenty of equipment and activity, but at these universities, you need to identify true research opportunities for undergraduates by asking school representatives pointed questions.
Another way to get research experience is to attend summer research opportunities for undergraduates. There are many available, but acceptance may be competitive.
As for merit aid, you will need to target colleges where your GPA and test scores are in the top 25%. Definitely take the ACT again… (my D increase her score each time… started at a 25 and ended at a 30… took in three times). You may find merit aid hard to come by with a 26 on the ACT. Look at the common data set of colleges for this information… check out collegedata.com for this information. Some colleges are completely open about merit aid, having criteria on their financial aid websites. The net price calculators sometimes will give this information too.
By the way, it’s extremely important that you know how much your parents are willing to spend for your education. Again, run the net price calculator at each college you are considering with your parents, or have them give you the required information and run the net price calculators yourself. It makes little sense to pack your list of colleges with unaffordable options.
I know you stated you don’t really like large universities, but the best and most affordable options for you might be UO or OSU. LACs can be exceptional colleges for an undergraduate science major too, but might be a bit more expensive.
Why all of the OOS public universities but not Oregon State or University of Oregon? Neither is urban. Under WUE you would only pay 150% of resident tuition at South Dakota School of Mines and at Boise State; you might also consider Arizona and Arizona State, maybe some Cal State campuses; or Washington State or Western Washington Universities. (Have to consider whether your family can afford that, though.)
Reed is a reach with a 26-28 ACT, but it does put you right in range for Willamette, Lewis & Clark, University of Puget Sound (in WA), Seattle University (also in WA), and Gonzaga (in WA).
Even less expensive is South Dakota State University: https://www.sdstate.edu/admissions/financing/undergrad/cost/ (however, miscellaneous and travel costs are not listed on that page). It is in WUE, but there is no discount because the out-of-state tuition is already only 150% of the in-state tuition.
Thank you! My brother goes to mines and is majoring in biology and has had great success with mentoring/research opportunities. I will definitely look into South Dakota state.
Juliet- I just worry about the size of OSU and U of O, but I will have to look into it again. I have considered gonzaga, but it is expensive so it would come down to what aid they can give me.