Do you know if there are any scholarships for the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, CU Boulder, or Washington? I know someone currently doing their PhD in elephant behavior at CU Boulder, and I know they offer an actual degree program in ecology too that’s pretty good from what I hear.
Also, I know I’m circling back to the big reach schools, but do you think I have an honest shot at those or should I just look for good state school programs?
I don’t know, but it’s worthwhile checking out. Also remember that you are a transfer student as well, so you won’t be eligible for some scholarships.
As for “reach” schools, it really only matters if the cost, financial or by way of time, is an issue. If not, apply, but only if you could afford to attend. The vast majority of applicants are rejected from these schools, including transfer students. I’m also not as familiar with the chances of transfer students at these colleges.
Yes, the cost issue is what I was trying to say. The OOS public U’s you’re listing are near-impossible to get to your budget even as a first-year applicant (as you experienced with UCD), and I’ve never heard of funding being available for transfers if it isn’t for first-years. Even some schools that have big merit for freshman applicants don’t have awards that are as generous for transfers. So recommendations like the one for U of New Mexico are what you need. You would need full-tuition merit at minimum, because your budget won’t even cover housing and expenses at most schools.
I definitely understand your desire to be at a research university with depth in your areas of interest. It appears, though, that you’ll need graduate study in your field. So, if it turned out that you could finish your undergrad at a LAC with generous aid and strong placement into top grad programs, it might matter more that you could get a solid academic foundation, get into a great funded grad program, and minimize your debt, even if your two years there wouldn’t be a banquet of very specialized experiences in your areas of interest. Of course, if you can have it all, even better! (This was what I had in mind with WashU - generous no-loan need-based aid, plenty of depth in ecology to keep you busy for two years, and ties to an actual elephant conservation program at the STL Zoo.)
It caught my eye that the Juniata Wildlife Conservation department states, “More than 85% of graduates who have applied to graduate schools in the past five years have been accepted with full funding, and all graduates in the past five years who sought professional positions related to their degrees were hired within weeks of graduation.” If their graduate and employment placement is really that strong, this could be an example of a LAC program that could get you where you want to go, potentially affordably, even though it isn’t big-name research university. So, explore the full range of options and play the long game.
As far as SUNY ESF, the best-case OOS sticker price is 39K/year (and that’s if you live in a triple room). I’m not sure the available merit will make enough of a dent. It might be worth comparing with your projected need-based aid at adjacent Syracuse U, from which you could cross-register at ESF. (The zoo in Syracuse also has this https://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/experience/outdoor-exhibits/helga-beck-asian-elephant-preserve/)
I think applying to some well-chosen super-reach schools makes sense. But I think you stand the best chance of success at schools where you can make a real case for academic fit, not just shotgunning the wealthiest and/or most-elite schools. It sounds like you’re already doing that research (i.e. looking at the work of the Princeton prof).
Since you mentioned Princeton’s study abroad programs… also look into the access that transfer students have to the study abroad programs you’re interested in. It’s most typical to go abroad junior year, but the lead time to apply for these programs is often a full year or more, so the question of how transfer students can participate is a good one to ask.
And if I were you, I’d prioritize schools that are at least somewhat tranfer-friendly. For example, Stanford’s transfer acceptance rate is under 2%, and that includes athletic transfers, so the rate for non-athletes is even lower. Seems like awfully steep odds to me.
In the super-reach category, have you looked into Duke at all? Still only a 4% transfer acceptance rate… but they apparently have a Forest Elephant Working Group, and related research To Save Elephants, We Need Different Approaches for Separate Species | Office of Interdisciplinary Studies
Tufts (14% transfer acceptance rate) has a complicated history vis-a-vis elephants and their mascot, but as a result they have this Tufts Elephant Conservation Alliance, and your interest might make you an attractive candidate.
Of course, you’ll want to run the Net Price Calculator for any schools where you’d be relying on need-based aid.
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!
@Rokossovsky1944 not knowing your family income, but the Aggie Assurance Program is worth inquiring about, if you qualify.
I’ve looked into aggie assurance, I believe my family might qualify for some of the tuition support grants, but that’s it. Might change though!
Quick question, do you know of any things WashU in particular looks for in applicants, aside from everything most competitive schools look for?
If there’s anything that’s meaningfully different from other schools, I’m not aware of it. If you were a first-year applicant, my answer would be “an Early Decision application,” since WashU likes students for whom they are a true first choice (not an Ivy back-up) and fills a large share of their entering class with ED applicants. But they don’t offer an ED option for transfers, and they don’t track demonstrated interest either. So I think the best answer is that they’re looking for a compelling answer to the “Why us?” question that wouldn’t apply equally to every other school on your list… and they want to see something interesting and distinctive about you that will add to their community. But of course both of those things are true of other schools too.
That said, I don’t have much personal experience with WashU, so it’s possible that others will have more insight to contribute.
I would not suggest taking Ochem in the summer.
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