Sorry for replying late, got off work very late last night.
I’ll definitely have to revisit this thread and look into more LACs when I can, again generally not high on my list but I’ll apply to a few if I can.
Debt might not be too much of an issue for an instate program. If I maintain my GPA, phi theta kappa scholarships + transfer scholarships + tuition reimbursement might be enough to manage tuition, and I can save up enough for housing. For out of state programs though these wouldn’t be enough.
WashU is quickly growing more appealing, again it’s just I’m not sure I have a good chance, even with a demonstrable academic fit (real desire to engage in elephant research that the professors and programs at the university cater to).
As for the super reaches, I have some interest in ongoing programs at all of them. Last I checked, Dr. Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell is doing elephant research with Stanford & Harvard medical. I’ve personally met her and expressed interest in her research. I don’t know if she teaches, however. For Cornell, I’ve reached out to and am interested in participating in research with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Elephant Listening Project (currently learning QGIS for this purpose, looking into volunteering with them remotely).
I haven’t looked to much into Duke, will definitely now however, that Forest Elephant group sounds mighty interesting! Thank you for the recommendation.
Tufts is one I’ve looked into, more for their 1 year masters program in veterinary medicine however (I have a contact that did this program, currently she’s doing PhD studies in Thailand!), Will definitely look more into them as well for their undergrad program and see if it piques my interests!