My S18 is applying to about 11 schools known for their Marine Biology, but none are totally perfect for him.
His criteria: small school, challenging academics, near the ocean, and absolute no party atmosphere.
His stats: 35 ACT, 1530 SAT, excellent extracurriculars, and top 10% of his class.
On his list:
UCSB, UCSC, Eckerd, Duke, Stanford, UMiami, UH Manoa and Hilo, UCLA and UCSD, NCF.
The UCs might be too big, Duke and Stanford are a long shot, and the Florida schools are known as party schools. We have toured some of these schools, and his favorite is UH Hilo. It fits all his criteria, except for the challenging academics. Does anyone have any suggestions of a school, which has the small feel near the ocean that UH Hilo has, but is strong in academics? Monies is not a concern.
The College of The Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. One of the most dramatic and lovely schools in the US. Renowned Marine Science program. It is basically in the water in a National Park.
I currently attend NCF and from my experience NCF is not what I would consider a party school despite it’s reputation for being that way. It’s a small community but there is no pressure to go to parties or participate in any illegal substances that the school is known for and most students are. In fact, I’d say that there is a large chunk of students who do not participate in these types of activities and there’s a huge focus on academics here. A lot of the classes are very demanding and challenging which doesn’t leave much time for partying for a lot of students. From my experience the amount of parties has drastically decreased recently as the campus police has tried to get more involved. This is good or bad depending on who you ask. In the last year maybe because of this I’ve found it to be much less of a party school then I expected it to be.
As far as small schools go New College not only does have a small feel but it’s actually extremely small you can walk from one side of campus to the other in less than 20 minutes. It’s also very beautiful and very close knit which gives students an opportunity to get some unique experiences that come from one on one relationships with professors. I’m not a marine bio student but I would not gloss over this school just because of it’s reputation.
The College of Charleston is a possibility, though it’s certainly not without a party scene. He’d have a good shot at the honors college and merit aid.
Look into Wilkes honors college, UNC Wilmington honors, and College of Charleston honors.
U Miami is known as a huge party school and Duke doesn’t seem at all like what he wants.
I agree that Hawai isn’t very rigorous -strong students tend to leave the island.
UCSD is sometimes said to stand for “UC Socially Dead”, and it is close to the ocean, and to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. So it seems like a good fit, except for size. However, the six-college system is supposed to make it feel smaller.
Stony Brook is one of the top state schools in the northeast, is near the coast, and does not have a party reputation. They have a big school of marine sciences, with multiple field stations on Long Island. Not as cold as Maine. It’s a big school, but I think marine sciences are at the Southampton campus, which is small.
Check Bowdoin. Owns private islands off the coast of Maine associated with well regarded marine studies center. School is also building a new environmental studies center on campus. Will have to overcome aversion to cold though . . .
You said Marine Biology, so I’m guessing the schools with Marine Science that are suggested here may not be what he is looking for. My DS2 is a Marine Science minor and his program of study is more concerned with chemistry, physics and geography of the ocean; ocean currents, ocean temps, acidity etc. Any of the UC’s are going to be quite large- 20,000 for UCSC and 25,000+ for the others. Of the UC’s you listed, UCSD probably has the least party atmosphere, although we know plenty of people who go to the other UC’s who are not partiers and manage easily to stay away from that vibe (and despite the reputation, there are parties around UCSD, although they are spread out a little more so maybe not as noticeable as in Isla Vista at UCSB). UCSD also has the prestigious Scripps Institute. While it has almost 30,000 students, it is broken into 6 colleges so it is a little more intimate. Still pretty large. Your son’s stats are good but Stanford is a reach for anyone. The other programs in California are at Cal States and might not be quite as challenging academically. except for Cal State Univ. Long Beach - but it is also big-30,000. University of San Diego is a beautiful, small Catholic University near the ocean that doesn’t push religion on students (son’s good friend who is Hindu is quite comfortable there) and academically very sound. They don’t have a Marine Biology major per se, but their biology major has a marine biology emphasis. Plus it is in San Diego…
In general, the best-equipped marine science programs are going to be at large research universities, not small schools. Marine science is an expensive and specialized discipline with relatively narrow appeal, and most small schools will not be able to afford the investment (unless they are extremely wealthy, like Bowdoin).
In general, schools that are located in sunny states with convenient access to warm ocean waters and beaches are likely to attract prospective partiers, as well as prospective marine scientists.
If a student wants to avoid any and all partying, I agree, Duke would not be a good option, nor would Stanford, the UCs, or pretty much any of the other top universities. Put 18-22 year olds together, and there’s going to be partying. That said, Duke has gone to great strides over the last decade to curb partying and drinking, reorganize its residential house system, and promote a more openly intellectual environment. It should also be noted that the environment at Duke’s marine lab is VERY different from that of the main campus. I found my semester there quite relaxing and a nice change of pace, particularly given the relatively low enrollment during the year (only about 30 students when I was there, compared to ~80 in the summer).
Marine biology is a subfield of marine science, as are marine geology, marine chemistry, and physical oceanography. Most schools focus on only a couple of these fields, though.
In any case, I’ve always said a biology major with strong preparation across the sciences is perfectly adequate at the undergrad level as preparation for a PhD program, so I would not discount strong liberal arts colleges like Swarthmore. One can always participate in oceanographic research through summer research programs like the [ocean sciences REUs](https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=5053).
Concentrate on finding the best school for marine biology, and once there, hang out with the kids who don’t party. There are non-partiers at every school, but there are no schools without any partying.
University of Rhode Island - not balmy, but certainly not Maine - has a marine biology program.
I did a College Board search for marine science and got only 10 results – I don’t think that’s actually the direction OP’s son is hoping to go in anyway. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search?major=2077_Marine%20Sciences
New College of Florida is not a party school per se. Yes, students are social, and they like a good party, but it hardly a party school. Check out Brown University. They do not offer Marine Biology, but their Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major is excellent.
Thank you all for your feedback. I had my S18 look at the responses and research the schools mentioned. In the end two additional colleges were added to our list, Bowdoin and Swarthmore. He had considered them before, but now seeing them mentioned again, we are adding them to the mix. I guess in the end he will just apply to all of the above and based on where he gets accepted, he just makes the final choice. Like @aida said Concentrate on finding the best school for marine biology, and once there, hang out with the kids who don’t party. There are non-partiers at every school, but there are no schools without any partying.
A bit of an off the wall suggestion. How about UBC (British Columbia)? I believe their marine Biology is outstanding. They have a few research sites, but the one in Bamfield on the West coast of Vancouver Island is spectacular. I wouldn’t call BC warm, but it doesn’t snow, usually.
@Tortoros, If he’s considering small liberal arts colleges, I would take a look at Williams. Small school, superb academics, notably in biology, environmental science and geosciences.
Although it’s three hours from Williamstown to the ocean, Williams runs the terrific Mystic-Williams program, “a semester-long academic investigation of the sea that is accompanied by travel throughout the United States and original research opportunities.”