Swarthmore vs. Middlebury. Which school is better for environmental studies and organismal biology?
bump!
If you are interested in Environmental Studies, definitely Middlebury. Swarthmore only offers a minor in ES and Middlebury has one of the more developed ES departments of colleges anywhere.
Middlebury has the oldest environmental studies program in the country. It is considered one of the premier programs anywhere. It is a foundation program of the school along with international studies and languages.
Thank you both for your input! I’ve been hearing great things about Middlebury.
Both are fantastic schools, especially for your interests, and you really can’t go wrong with either. Choose based on fit. Keep in mind that graduate school is a strong possibility for anyone with your interests, and both Swat and Midd can prepare you quite well for that. Be sure to run the financial aid calculators to see which – if either – is affordable for your family.
http://www.swarthmore.edu/admissions-aid/net-price-calculator
http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/support/sfs/npc
Swat has a well-deserved reputation for academic rigor, and very few LACs (i.e. Carleton, Reed, maybe one or two others) produce more science PhDs. If you’re at all interested in pre-vet, its proximity to Penn’s vet school is something to consider; veterinary experience is crucial when applying to vet school.
For a match/safety, take a look at Allegheny in Pennsylvania, which easily holds its own in biology and environmental science against more selective LACs.
ohmygod, the famous warblersrule has commented on my post. I feel like I’ve seen you on every collegeconfidential discussion with questions similar to my own. Probably one of the first reasons why I considered applying to Duke!
Thank you for your input! I’m definitely going to try and pursue graduate school. Of course I need to start saving money ASAP, so I’ve been looking for a private match school. I’ll definitely look into Allegheny.