<p>
That depends on multiple factors:
– State of residence
– How much you can/will pay
– Other limiting factors
--------Public or private?
--------Small (<2000 students), medium (2000-10,000), and/or large (10,000+)?
--------Rural, suburban, and/or urban?
--------Are special factors (e.g. disabilities support or strong LGBT community) needed?
--------Should certain extracurriculars be available (e.g. fencing or Model UN)?</p>
<p>It is absolutely NOT necessary to major in zoology as an undergrad. In fact, I would discourage it. A general biology degree, perhaps with a concentration in ecology/evolution, would be perfectly suitable for graduate studies in zoology, which she’d need to pursue for this field.</p>
<p>The only schools worth avoiding are those which typically have few or no organismal courses (MIT, CMU, Hopkins, Brandeis, and others do this). As long as a decent number of courses in organismal biology or ecology are offered, she’ll be fine. Remember that only 12 or 13 courses will be in her major, and many of those (genetics, ecology/evolution, microbiology, invertebrate/vertebrate zoology, developmental biology) will be standard courses that are much the same everywhere. She therefore has a tremendously wide range of schools open to her. </p>
<p>I would certainly not rule out liberal arts colleges. Some of them, like Hope, have tremendously strong research track records and are excellent springboards to graduate school.</p>