Hi Everyone,
I am currently a 2nd year University student studying Environment and Marine Science in Australia.
I’m looking at studying overseas for exchange in America and was wondering if anyone could recommend which of the Universities would be best for me to study at from the following list.
I have a number of friends in America (mostly Minnesota and Wisconsin, but friends everywhere) that I’ve met as they have studied here in Australia, so I’m not sure if I would do exchange for a study purpose and do units that will help me with my degree or go there for a more social aspect and do fun elective units.
The list is:
USA Appalachian State University
USA California Lutheran University
USA Kings College
USA Northern Arizona University
USA Pratt Institute Visual arts only
USA San Francisco State University
USA St Cloud State University
USA University of Louisiana, Lafayette
USA University of Massachusetts Amherst
USA University of Montana
USA University of Nebraska – Kearney
USA University of New Orleans
USA University of Scranton
USA University of Wisconsin – Stout
USA University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
USA Utah State University
USA Washington and Jefferson College
USA Winona State University
Does anyone go to/has anyone been to any of these Universities? Or know anything about them? I would love to get your personal feedback or any feedback or comments or recommendation, it’s a hard choice!
Thank you all!
I visited Appalachian State University, University of Montana, Northern Arizona University, and San Francisco State University though I’m not a student at any of the listed schools.
How important are academics to you versus other extracurricular opportunities? Do you like to hike? Do you want to be in a city, college town (aka a culturally lively town where many shops cater to college students), or rural area?
If I were in your shoes, I would promise my Minnesota and Wisconsin friends that I will see them during a holiday break, and study at the University of Montana. This school offers an outstanding combination of a strong environmental science program, vibrant student life, and a great college town. Northern Arizona and Appalachian State have this as well.
However, what really puts Montana ahead of the other schools is its location. It is located in the Rocky Mountains which is something that does not have an equivalent in Australia. This presents fantastic field opportunities for an environmental student.
The main downsides to Montana are the cold, the isolation from major U.S. cities (Montana is the 4th largest state by area but 44th by population), and that its demographics do not reflect the rest of the US. If city living is important, Missoula is not the right place for you. If these potential drawbacks are acceptable or not huge deals to you, go to the University of Montana.
I don’t know how you arrived at your list; but if you are open to schools not on your list, you might consider the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. It is a good school in a neat city on the Atlantic coast, with separate programs of study in environmental science and marine biology (I’m not sure what part of Environment and Marine Science you are more interested in).
UMass Amherst is the quintessential big state school in a college town. I have only good things to say about it.
UMass Amherst is the state’s flagship, is located in a terrific university town, with the five colleges = different types of students, and for a student on an exchange who wants to maximize the stay by taking many trips, it’s located within easy access of the Eastern seaboard, with many cities accessible by train.
Cal Lutheran may be limited for biology but will allow you to explore the West Coast.
UScranton has a very nice campus and is a few hours from NYC but the town it’s located in isn’t the best.
Montana would be an academic choice - good classes but it’ll be hard to travel, so only pick it if you’re going for a year vs only A term.
Appalachian State is isolated but will be interesting if you want mountains and snow5-6hours from the beach (Wrightsville or Charleston).
I dont know anything specifically about the school in Kearney, but the town of Kearney is a tiny place in the middle of nowhere. It’s hours away from ANYTHING.
I can give you a little info about a few of the schools.
Cal Lutheran is small (~3,000 undergrads) and has a fairly conservative culture. It’s located in a beautiful part of California not far from the ocean so that might give you some marine science connections. It’s also close-ish to Los Angeles if that appeals to you.
San Francisco State is large (~30,000 undergrads) and mainly a commuter school. It’s not located in downtown SF but it’s easy to get there. Close to the (cold!!) ocean, of course. Very multi-cultural student body.
Northern Arizona is large like SFSU and located in Flagstaff, a very cute small city. It gets cold! If Native American culture is of interest to you, this would be a solid choice. Proximity to the Grand Canyon is a plus. The school itself has an outdoorsy vibe.
This info comes from students who have recently attended these schools.
I have a huge family of people who went to college in Minnesota and know a lot about that. I think that Winona State is a great school, but also make sure to look at U Duluth. A few of my cousins go, and they love it. Also, a great college town is Northfield. If Carleton is too much, look at St. Olaf.
Hope I helped!
Most of the schools you’ve listed are in remote areas and very very cold if you are studying during the spring (a misnomer) semester. Stout, Eau Claire, U Neb Kearney, Winona all very cold. Nice towns, friendly students, just cold.
I agree that your best environmental options are Montana or Utah State. If all the schools cost you the same (paying your institution?), then what area of the country do you want to explore. BIG difference between Appalachian State and San Francisco State.
How actually marine focused is this?
Those are likely the us universities the OP 's university partners with. There’s no leeway - OP must likely list three of them from the list.
Often, students come for a term, and take classes like American studies in addition to classes of interest, in their major or in areas that aren’t available at the home university.