Junior
White, female, LGBTQ
Highly ranked public high school in Missouri
4.0 (school doesn’t weight or rank)
33 ACT (28 math, 31 science, 35 English, 36 reading) will probably retake to get math score higher
Major Environmental Studies/Science
APs: Euro, Calc BC, US History, Lang, Environmental Science, Lit, Stats, Psych, Bio
ECs:
2 years cross county
4 years track and field
4 years tech theater
3 years zoo teen volunteer program
2 years school newspaper
2 years mentor for freshmen during advisory
2 summer environmental science programs
Not applying to any schools in state. Only looking at schools in states that have reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights.
There are so many great schools for enviro studies/science - if you can say more about your particular interests and/or career goals, it might help to narrow down.
You might consider adding Whitman to your list of Pacific Northwest schools. Also, Oregon State has a great honors college, and the school has a lot of strengths - UofO isn’t necessarily better across the board than OSU. (I’d personally rather be in Corvallis than Eugene, but that’s just me. Also, OSU is a top-notch school for marine sciences, if your environmental interests overlap with that. They have research vessels and all that.)
I think Bates and Mac are realistic and appropriate ED possibilities. Fairly different environments - would you rather be urban-adjacent, like Macalester, or on a more nature-y campus like Bates?
My daughter was an Enviro Analysis major at Scripps. One advantage for her was that she could choose either the Pitzer EA major or the Pomona one - the requirements are a little different. She started out with a Pitzer advisor but then decided the Pomona major was a better fit, and switched. The Pitzer program is great, though, with some particularly good integrated internship opportunities. There are multiple tracks which different emphases (which brings me back to the question about your specific interests).
Geographically speaking, you could have Colorado schools on your list. CU Boulder (particularly if you’re interested in the environmental design side of things, as their ENVD program is small, project-based, and excellent)… and possibly Colorado College if the block plan appeals.
SUNY ESF could be worth checking out, too - they have a fantastic array of environmental majors, and students can cross-register and participate in EC’s at Syracuse U as well.
Thank you. D25 says ecology/sustainability. She likes the idea of internships and community learning. She definitely wants to study abroad. She really liked Macalester when we visited. We are visiting Maine LACs over spring break. I was looking at Oregon State, thank you for the info. She likes a lot about Pitzer but isn’t thrilled that it is in the desert (her words) or that the freshman dorms look like Melrose Place (my words).
Pitzer definitely has a desert aesthetic - my Scripps daughter actually liked the “succulent extravaganza” landscaping and felt as if maybe she would have felt more at home on Pitzer’s campus. (But the max merit at Pitzer is 5K/year, and her Scripps merit scholarship was more than 5x that much, so… take a five minute walk and commune with the succulents! ) The Scripps campus is incredibly green and lush, and doesn’t feel desert-like at all. And the surrounding area is just… generic SoCal suburban. (You can get to the real desert in about 90 minutes, traffic gods willing, but also to the coast.) Pitzer’s CASA program in nearby Ontario is worth looking at specifically, if you haven’t. The Program - CASA Pitzer (Scripps students can enroll in this also.)
Basically all of the schools you’re looking at have study abroad opportunities. If she’s interested in a particular country or region, some schools may offer better programs there than others. If Asia is of interest, this 5C’s program could be worth a look https://envirolabasia.claremont.edu/ (My d took classes with some of the profs who run this program, but she prioritized a different study abroad destination because of her foreign language dual major.)
Macalester is great! I have a young relative who’s studying there and loves it.
) The Scripps campus is incredibly green and lush, and doesn’t feel desert-like at all. And the surrounding area is just… generic SoCal suburban. (You can get to the real desert in about 90 minutes, traffic gods willing, but also to the coast.) Pitzer’s CASA program in nearby Ontario is worth looking at specifically, if you haven’t.