Hi, I am a senior in high school, and I’m trying to decide where to go to school between College of Charleston, University of Rhode Island, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, and University of New England. I want to study marine science and sustainability, and I think that all of these schools would be a good choice for biology, but I’m stuck trying to decide on where to go to get the best chances of getting on the job path to work somewhere like the woods hole oceanographic institute. I get instate tuition in both NC and SC so the tuition isn’t very much between them. I’m really leaning towards UNC or College of Charleston, but I’m really uncertain if the access to the beach would be better at CoC or the labs and well funded research at UNC. The tuition is more expensive up north, but its doable especially if I keep applying for scholarships in college, I also plan to get wherever I go to help pay the tuition, and I plan on applying for jobs as soon as I know where I will be going. I currently live in Charleston SC and so I feel like I already have one foot forward in this area, but I’m worried about the funding of the research at CoC since a lot of students rely on the SEA grant and with the new administration it may be on the fence. If anyone has any advice I would be more than grateful
I’m not sure that being at the ocean is necessary. One would think so - but i know some of the top programs, like Auburn, aren’t.
Why not ask each school if you can speak to a student ambassador - and find out how they feel about their programs and what the future path my look like and see what they say.
UNC is obviously the big, respected name - with a town attached. NC State is closer to downtown - but Raleigh is not a huge urban downtown.
C of C is small - campus wise and population wise - and you can walk to the Battery and is minutes from Folly Beach and Sullivan Island.
I would not choose U of New England - nobody knows it.
I think you also have to look - where would I want to be - but probably 8 or 9 of 10 would choose UNC and the other C of C. If you want to be coastal, it seems UNCW might have been on your list too.
Talk to the kids in the programs and let them tell you the truth.
Best of luck.
Instate tuition at UNC? Go for it!
These are 4 very different campuses? Have you visited them?
They range from UNE (small but beautiful & on the water) to NC State (large & urban).
I wasn’t able to find their course offerings on line, but I’d like to see them. How many courses? How extensive? How specialized? How often are they offered? Perhaps if you contacted the schools, they would make this information available to you.
The schools should also be able to tell you how many of their graduates have gone on to jobs in the field and where. The Woods Hole website should list their staff with their credentials and colleges where their degrees were earned.
This simply isn’t true. Lots of people in the northeast know this school, and especially for your area of study.
Having said that, UNC CH would get my vote. It’s a highly regarded university, and also has lots of other wonderful options in case you change your mind. And at instate costs…you are very fortunate.
NC State is also great.
Have you visited these colleges. We have, and the “feel” is different at each of them.
Please don’t count on this happening. If you applied for need based aid, you should have received an award by now. If you were hoping for merit aid, that should also be known.
Hoping that your future college will help pay your tuition when they haven’t already done so…is likely not going to happen.
Plus, you have a few affordable choices that are good ones.
Another vote for UNC with in-state tuition.
A reminder that debate is not allowed. Once you’ve made your point, move on. One does not always need to get in the last word. Thank you for your understanding.
If you are looking at UNE, please consider UMAINE Orono. They offer a flagship match for many states and faculty members literally wrote the books used by other Marine Science Programs. UNE touts a waterfront location but practically speaking, you cannot get out on the water for one class and back in time for your next class.
UMAINE offers the Darling Marine Center where you can reside for a semester, engaging in research and classwork with faculty/researchers in residence. It provides an excellent opportunity to immerse oneself in work in and under the water. We were very impressed with UMAINE-Orono and this specific program when we toured with S23. He ended up choosing an animal science program elsewhere, but it was a hard decision.
Sounds like the student has offers already.
UNE has a near 100% acceptance rate, a $40 millionth endowment and is simply not in the same arena as the three further south from an awareness or academic POV. .
I’d check out the other three - which are all very different.
No doubt most will go UNC but being at the water may matter to you (C of C). And size wise - population and campus - they are vastly different. Did you get into Honors at C of C?
Please visit these schools, talk to students (or do via zoom). It’s likely a tough major to find work and perhaps tougher with current funding cuts.
So dialing in, not just on rank, but who has the most placement success in a field like this is critically important.
I’m going to offer a different take than others on this thread and recommend NC State. They have an incredible facility that is out on the Outer Banks dedicated to marine studies and students can spend a semester out there. As someone else stated, I’m surprised that UNCW isn’t on your list, as they’re the premiere Marine Studies school in the state. Maybe consider them as a transfer option.
IMHO, the real choice is between UNC and NCSU. Since you live instate, try to go visit each one during an admitted student event/school day, attending a class, eating in the cafeteria, etc. See if you can have a science-focused tour.
In the meantime, contact Marine Science-related clubs and groups, as well as professors.
Finally did you get into the Honors college at either? If not, is there an LLC you can join that would make sense and what benefits would it include (some possible benefits: friends with the same academic interests, classes in the dorm, special seminar..?)
Are you sure you get instate tuition at the NC colleges…since you live in Charleston SC now?
If so, I would agree that UNC CH and NCState are great choices.
Financially, I wouldn’t be able to justify paying a higher price at University of New England. In addition to higher costs to attend, you will also have travel costs to add in to your costs.
Good luck making this decision…it’s really yours to make. Congrats on your acceptances…and please do update us here!
I’ve read the Woods Hole website. It’s really interesting. They have summer internships for college students which you should apply for when you get to college. Housing on site is included.
They have a section about their staff. Each staff member gets a full page and they typically use that page to tell their story about how they came to be working at Woods Hole. They come from all over the world. With your aspiration to work there, it’s worth reading about how other people came to be working there. What they all seem to share in common is that they’re passionate about their work and have found an area of focus. What’s also clear is that there isn’t any particular path or school which leads to a job there. It’s different for everyone
They also have a section with job listings. It’s pretty clear that anyone who works there as a marine scientists needs to get their PhD. That brings us full circle to your college search. I’ve read the websites of your 4 schools in this major.
Of your 4 choices, all of which seem to have good programs in this field, but only North Carolina and NC State offer doctoral programs in marine sciences. Either of the 2 programs would seem to be an excellent match for your interest in marine sciences and sustainability. Both offer research opportunities and both have access to such facilities on the North Carolina coast for use by their students.
I don’t know that there’s any particular advantage to doing your undergraduate studies at a university with a doctoral program, bu in a field with such a specific focus, I would lean in that direction. I’m not aware that one of these North Carolina schools is better than the other in this field, so I would pick the campus which you like better and feel more comfortable. You might even want to visit their coastal facilitues if this is doable.
Saving money for grad school is an important part of your planning in this field although doctoral programs often come with free tuition + a stipend. Still having money at this stage is important. So if you only have instate tuition status in SC, I’d feel very comfortable with the Charleston program.
Also wondering how you’ll achieve in-state tuition in NC if you live in SC (NC does not participate in tuition reciprocity).
I assume you’ve gotten into all of your choices (congrats!). Have you received scholarships at any? Scholarships at NCSU and UNC are few and far between (especially for OOS students). You would have received notice of scholarships with your admission (unless you’re a finalist for Morehead Cain or Park scholarships - idk if those have been announced yet). Additionally, if you are one of the rare ones to get OOS admission to both NCSU and UNC, then you are obviously a high caliber academic candidate - so I would then assume that you might have received a scholarship offer from CofC or U of NE.
In any event, if a PhD is necessary in this field, I would look ahead to a program that puts you in the best position to achieve that goal without emptying your bank account.
Deleted - initially misunderstood the post I was responding to.