Wanted to say thanks so much for all the responses! There were some recommended schools that were already on a list of ones we should check out and several that seem like great fits that were not (Eckerd and UMD!) I also had never heard of the Duke Marine Consortium so that was very interesting and might put W&L back on our list - we had removed it primarily due to a lack of course depth in the biology department.
Also appreciate the info about PhD programs. All our family/friends who are STEM people are doctors and nurses so PhD and research track STEM careers are all new to us and we clearly have a lot to learn!
The school year has only just begun but she is LOVING her Marine Bio class so we’re definitely taking a deeper look at schools that offer that in particular while ideally also offering Microbio/Botany etc. in case her interests shift or she wants to combine with double majors or majors/minors. She’s still definitely more interested in marine science with a focus on algae/invertebrates/microorganisms vs. dolphins/turtles etc.
D23 is busy researching curriculums at severals schools and it looks like I have a LOT of NPCs to run in the coming weeks as we don’t want to waste time on applications to schools that are truly not going to be affordable. In her research she learned that UMiami offers a specialized degree in Marine Science/Microbiology & Immunology (BSMAS) so that firmly locked them in as a “must apply” for her! Of our current/tentative list, she’s got 4 due on 10/15 (UGA, UNC-CH, Clemson, UofSC) and then UMiami and CofC on 11/1 so she’s going to move forward with finalizing her Common app essay and working on those 6 applications while we continue to research others. It’s going to be a busy few months!