UNC-Wilmington vs. Eckerd College - Thoughts?

College Search & Selection
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<p>My daughter - currently a HS senior - has been doing her research and college visits over the past year and these two schools are number 1 & 2 (not necessarily in that order!) on her almost-final list. She hasn't decided on a major, but she has determined that she definitely wants a school that has a strong marine biology/marine science program. At this point, she's planning to go on to grad school in some aspect of marine science, and while she may not major in the field as an UG, she is definite that she wants a school where she can take relevant coursework, conduct research, and further explore this interest as an undergraduate.</p>

<p>She loved both campuses and felt that either could be a good fit. UNCW is a bit larger than optimal, but it's possible she could get into the Honors College there either as a freshman or soph which would help give her the small-school experience academically while still having some of the larger school benefits. Eckerd is a bit smaller than optimal and she's a little concerned that she'll find it 'too much like high school' socially, but from an academic perspective she does like the smaller class sizes and the opportunity to take marine science courses starting as a freshman. She thinks she could probably be happy at either, but would like to know more about the campus cultures, the type of students that attend, and the rigor of the academics. She tends to thrive in a more hands-on, discussion based classroom environment, rather than lecture classes with multiple-choice tests...</p>

<p>Of course, there is also the chance that with just ~15% OOS students admitted, she may not get into UNCW. That would definitely make the choice easier! (Interestingly, the average GPA of the UNCW admitted class last year was something like 3.99, which seems high considering the SAT and ACT scores. The admissions representative did say something about North Carolina doing things 'a bit differently' from other states and not to fret too much about a lower OOS GPA - not quite sure what she meant by that??)</p>

<p>I know neither of these schools gets much air time here on CC, but if anyone else has looked at and seriously considered both schools, it would be very helpful to hear your insights. What did you see as the pros and cons? Why did you choose one over the other?</p>

<p>As always, THANKS in advance for your thoughts!</p>

2

<p>My guy is highly considering Eckerd, but UNCW never hit his radar as he wants Tropical Marine Bio/Science, so I can’t be of much use. I do, however, have a question… did you ever consider U Miami, Nova Southeastern, or FIT? If so, I’m wondering what “kept” Eckerd and “dropped” the others. The only other “possible” my guy is thinking of is Coastal Carolina, but he’s not sure that’s far enough south for him.</p>

<p>Then too, he’s still remotely considering the Hawaii schools, but I’m not sure how much since those tend to be commuter schools and he thinks he’d feel left out.</p>

<p>We’re doing the Florida visits in Oct, so can’t add anything from being there - he’s just looked online at this point.</p>

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<p>Good question, Creekland - it’s actually been a rather extensive search, and a lot of preliminary decisions have been made based on a variety of criteria - some logical, some not so much so! I’m just glad the list is getting shorter…</p>

<p>Hawaii was very briefly on the list and I’m sorry to say it dropped off before the visit! A cousin of mine went there for one semester, thinking it might offer some unique opportunities for marine bio, and quickly decided ‘It did not!’ He ended up at Wilmington, loved it, went on to grad school and is now actually gainfully employed as a marine biologist (!). That’s what originally got us thinking about UNCW. </p>

<p>Also re: Hawaii, a friend of mine used to lived there and actually moved back to the states before her kids started college largely so they wouldn’t have to attend there. Not much of an endorsement. I told my daughter that it might be a viable choice for grad school if she wants to consider it then.</p>

<p>We did visit U Miami on our own, and it was crossed off in part because she didn’t care for the style/atmosphere (a little too glamorous and sophisticated for a college?), in part because it was just too far south, and in part because it would have been a reach for her anyway.</p>

<p>Coastal Carolina was on the list for a while, and it had kind of the opposite problem - she would have been in the top of the pool based on stats but wanted a school that was a bit more ‘serious’ academically. Very nice setting and what seems like a decent MB program, though, so may still end up as a safety.</p>

<p>I’m not sure why we never really gave FIT or Nova SE a serious look. Probably because Florida just wasn’t her first choice as a destination. Eckerd has really won us both over, though - every time I read something about it, I wonder why we’d look anywhere else! She will definitely go back for another look when there are more students on campus, assuming she’s admitted.</p>

<p>She considered schools with MB programs (or faculty with MB interests) up and down both coasts and eventually ruled out the west coast for financial reasons, and the northeast for weather reasons (wants to be able to do research more than 3 months a year), though some of the smaller state schools in New England and the Pacific Northwest were appealing. The only ones now left on her list for MB are these two and TAMU-Galveston, and she’s not crazy about the idea of a 60% freshman exodus rate there.</p>

<p>If she can’t get one of these two MB-focused programs she loves, she will likely fall back on terrestrial field biology and go with either Michigan State (in state) or a Colorado school (just loves CO). So, that’s our story!</p>

<p>If you have really great things to tell us about FIT or Nova or anywhere else, we’d love to hear them. Now that the idea of Florida has been breached, she might be more open to hearing about them… Best of luck in your search!</p>

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<p>I have written a lot of information about marine science programs on CC over the years – too much to rewrite here. As usual, however, I’ll emphasize that overall preparation in the sciences is much more important than coursework in marine biology. Things to think about:

[ul][<em>]How much research funding is available? How competitive is it to get?
[</em>]How good are the college’s research opportunities? Are freshmen encouraged to participate in research? (Be wary of people who talk about freshmen “working in labs.” Too often this is simple grunt work.)
[<em>]Have students been published? If so, as what author (1st, 2nd, etc.) and in what journals?
[</em>]What graduate programs do students attend?
[<em>]Does the college offer field and lab-based seminars?
[</em>]Are there faculty members in the area(s) of interest?
[li]What special facilities does the college have? Herbarium, vert/invert research collections, SEM, phytotron, mass spec, flow cytometry…?[/ul][/li]The undergraduate MB programs at Eckerd and UNCW have sterling reputations. I really don’t see much point in deciding between them at the moment…apply to both and decide once financial aid packages come in. My knowledge of both programs is indirect and through graduates of those colleges (I studied oceanography at Duke/UNC), but my impression is that both colleges offer the hands-on experiences she’s looking for. </p>

<p>Michigan State as an in-state option should not be underestimated. Its zoology program is fantastic - the best in the nation, in my opinion - and Lyman Briggs has produced a LOT of great organismal biologists. One could hardly do much better, even if their marine offerings are a bit limited. There is plenty of time in graduate school to focus on marine biology, and the basic biology courses needed for grad school take up more time than students expect.</p>

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<p>We’ve come to many of the same conclusions, Dory… though you have the personal experience with HI. We only have the net for remote research. We ditched TAMUG for the low grad rate too - and that it is so specific - just in case the lad opts to change his major (unlikely, but one never knows).</p>

<p>If I knew we could afford Eckerd, assuming he likes it after the visit, he’d do one app and be done. One never knows how the financial aid works out though.</p>

<p>Who knows - maybe in Aug of next year we’ll be able to meet at drop off - or not.</p>

<p>I might drop a bug in my guy’s ear to look at UNCW… your experience and Warbler’s post make it sound intriguing even if it is farther north than he thinks he wants.</p>

<p>Our kids sound similar in wanting hands on.</p>

6

<p>Thanks Warbler - I have read most of your posts and do appreciate your good-sense approach to an undergrad science education. Thanks for a reminder on the good questions to ask if and when it comes down to making a decision on these schools.</p>

<p>I graduated with a BS in Zoology from MSU many years ago and while it was a good program back then, it sounds like its grown and gotten much more ‘substantial’ than it used to be. I was pre-vet and actually decided on zoology because it had the fewest number of required courses for the major and therefore allowed me to take a lot of interesting electives! While my daughter would probably be ‘okay’ with MSU in the end, especially Lyman Briggs, she really wants to get out of state and spread her wings a bit. I appreciate that view, as long as she can manage to do it without breaking the bank.</p>

<p>Creekland - might tell your son that Wilmington in only a quick 90 min north of Myrtle Beach/Coastal Carolina. We were really impressed with the school, the town, the faculty we met… And like Warbler says, a cool part of the coast. Definitely worth a look.</p>

<p>We’ll have to keep in touch as the search progresses!</p>