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I am looking at transferring to one of the three major universities in Hawai'i that have marine biology and/or animal sciences and zoology classes, UH at Manoa, UH at Hilo, and Hawai'i Pacific University. I have been reading on here for a while now, and there is a lot of great information, but I have not found much on school vs. school. (Yes, I used the search tool)
I am wanting to double major in biology as well as marine biology so I have a well rounded course set up. Which school is the best for doing this? I have been getting very mixed reviews, some places say Hilo is better than Manoa in the science fields, some say vice versa. I know that Manoa has Coconut Island for marine majors to do field study in, and they offer a lot more majors in these fields. Hilo also has majors in marine biology and general biology, but none in the animal science or zoology. However, I know they are a lot smaller and cheaper than Manoa, and a lot more secluded. I prefer small towns over big cities any day, I am not a fan of crowds, but I also want to be able to get in the water pretty regularly, and I hear Hilo doesn't really have many swimming beaches. I also know about how much it rains there, and it wouldn't bother me.
I am having a very hard time deciding between the two schools because they both have pros and cons. I am wondering if anybody on here has been to either one of these schools for a science degree and which one would you recommend? Is studying on Coconut Island worth going to Manoa and paying 15k more a year and dealing with the big city? Or does Hilo also have something like this for good hands on experience and lab work? Also, I would very much like to be able to intern and/or volunteer or work somewhere where I can get first hand experience in the field while I am still in school; since Hilo is such a small area are there any places around to do something like that? Or do I need to go to Manoa for that too? I will be using mostly financial aid and student loans, and I really am not trying to rack up more loans than I need to, but it is also important that I receive a good education with a lot of lab work and be able to get experience etc.
Any information on any of these schools would be greatly appreciated!
For marine biology, go to The University of California, La Jolla campus (Scripts Institute of Oceanography). That is, if your grades are good enough to get admitted.
Have you given any thought to how you can use that degree to pay back all those student loans? Because there are not a lot of high paying jobs, or any jobs at all, in that field.
I strongly believe in being nicely educated, but a degree can put you in debt for a very long time if that degree is not good for anything but being nicely educated. If you do it, put some extra effort into taking advanced math classes which will open up more employment options.
I am having a very hard time deciding between the two schools because they both have pros and cons. I am wondering if anybody on here has been to either one of these schools for a science degree and which one would you recommend? Is studying on Coconut Island worth going to Manoa and paying 15k more a year and dealing with the big city?
Compare tuition here for UH campuses.
Non-resident Undergrad / semester Manoa: 13356
Non-resident Undergrad / semester Hilo: 8976
You are looking at about $9 more for Manoa in tuition per year.
The biggest jump in the UH tuition rates is in paying non-resident tuition, no matter which campus.
I live on the Big Island. My child decided on a science major, and could have attended either Hilo or Manoa (they were accepted by both). Manoa was the choice, but that does not make it the right choice for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
Have you given any thought to how you can use that degree to pay back all those student loans? Because there are not a lot of high paying jobs, or any jobs at all, in that field.
I do not think that Marine Biology is a dead-end major. For example, I noticed an ad just this week, still running today:
Employment section (help wanted):
Breeding Program Manager
Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Science or US Degree equivalent
If science is where your passion is, any of the science majors will be a good foundation.
I am a science professor at UH Manoa but not in your areas of interest. Hmmph, I find it hard to support that Hilo is better than Manoa in the sciences. Manoa has a world class program in marine biology and oceanography. Manoa is your typical big state university, with 20000 students and research oriented faculty. There will generally be more opportunities to do research, but you will be competing with all those other students for positions. Hilo and HPU are smaller schools that are more teaching oriented and may provide closer interaction with faculty.
You're apparently in school now. You have professional staff available at your current school who can advise you, and who have better resources for assisting you than anyone here is likely to have.
Hawai'i Pacific is well rated, but I see they suggest planning for total expenses for attending there, including tuition and housing, of upwards of $36K a year. I don't know what you can expect in the way of financial aid, but without it, going in hock for more than $200,000 for six year's of study seems very challenging unless you have a much more well defined career path.
UofH Manoa, a bit less expensive overall, but not a lot in your case since you're out-of-state. It's a great school for people who qualify for in-state tuition, but coming in from out-of-state will cost you dearly.
UofH Hilo, a bit less expensive than Manoa for both tuition and housing, but again, out-of-state fees are high. And since Hilo is only about 44,000 population, and the entire island has only about 1/10 the population of Oahu, job opportunities... paid or unpaid... are relatively few in comparison.
Back to my original point... I suggest you talk to a professional counselor.
Just a thought to the OP: my love is spiders. Any invertebrate for the matter. In order for me to work in that field (which I do secondarily), I went the medical route in order to support myself. This way, I can spend all my time and love working with spiders, and I don't have to fight for funding, since medicine pays for my research. I'm not saying you should do that, but if that is an issue for you, there are other ways to achieve your dream. Some may just take longer!
OpenD gives great advice; I read much of his story before signing up here myself. I suspect this question is going to be as difficult to answer without being glib. I prefer the more small schools/grad-like feel, where there re less students so you can get more time with profs. Not that this is a problem in bigger schools, but it is true.
There are beaches around Hilo, you just might have to drive to some. And if you have a car, this should not be an issue at all
I would also second some type of specialization, even biostats. I have a friend who counts fish, but she gets paid to count fish here in Hawai'i, so she's thrilled! Again, you can always get a more 'liquid' degree and do your grad studies in your field of interest.
From what we've been told, some of the credits earned at Hilo aren't transferable to Manoa because the standards are different. That should tell you something.
Credits between any two schools or campuses are not guaranteed to be transferable, and that does not necessarily reflect upon one school having higher or better "standards", but instead on content. [Quoted from UH site: "Courses designated as equivalent have been judged to have highly similar content such that two campuses treat the classes as essentially the same class. However a designation of equivalency does not mean the two courses will satisfy the same requirements at different campuses.] Check the UH database for specific courses.
Thank you to everyone that has responded! I have found all of this very helpful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
Have they both accepted you?
For marine biology, go to The University of California, La Jolla campus (Scripts Institute of Oceanography). That is, if your grades are good enough to get admitted.
Have you given any thought to how you can use that degree to pay back all those student loans? Because there are not a lot of high paying jobs, or any jobs at all, in that field.
I strongly believe in being nicely educated, but a degree can put you in debt for a very long time if that degree is not good for anything but being nicely educated. If you do it, put some extra effort into taking advanced math classes which will open up more employment options.
I checked out UC and they are more expensive than either of the UH schools. UH is actually cheaper than a lot of schools on the mainland, including ones here in Michigan where I currently live and go to school. I have chosen UH not only because of price but also because of their natural lab options for learning, I just feel Hawaii would be an amazing place to learn since I am mainly interested in working with the sea. I have my heart pretty set on coming to there, but I am also applying to other schools around the coast to keep my options open.
I am majoring in biology because I know will have a lot more job options than if I just specialized in one area, but I do plan on minoring in either zoology or marine biology for the experience and to give me a upper hand for those types of jobs. I know it is a competitive field and I am more than willing to fight! As for money, I do get a substantial amount of financial aid, as well as scholarships since I have maintained a 3.8 average gpa, so I shouldn't build up an extreme amount of debt either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CyberCity
Compare tuition here for UH campuses.
Non-resident Undergrad / semester Manoa: 13356
Non-resident Undergrad / semester Hilo: 8976
You are looking at about $9 more for Manoa in tuition per year.
The biggest jump in the UH tuition rates is in paying non-resident tuition, no matter which campus.
I live on the Big Island. My child decided on a science major, and could have attended either Hilo or Manoa (they were accepted by both). Manoa was the choice, but that does not make it the right choice for you.
The 15k I was referring to are the overall prices for the whole academic year, including tuition, books, housing, and cost of living prices. According to College Search and Reviews, Scholarships, College Admissions Chances - Cappex, UH Hilo's yearly cost is around $25k, where UH Manoa is around $35k, so it is actually $10k difference rather than $15, I apologize.
Also, thank you so much for your support! Science and math have definitely always been huge passions of mine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OpenD
You're apparently in school now. You have professional staff available at your current school who can advise you, and who have better resources for assisting you than anyone here is likely to have.
Hawai'i Pacific is well rated, but I see they suggest planning for total expenses for attending there, including tuition and housing, of upwards of $36K a year. I don't know what you can expect in the way of financial aid, but without it, going in hock for more than $200,000 for six year's of study seems very challenging unless you have a much more well defined career path.
UofH Manoa, a bit less expensive overall, but not a lot in your case since you're out-of-state. It's a great school for people who qualify for in-state tuition, but coming in from out-of-state will cost you dearly.
UofH Hilo, a bit less expensive than Manoa for both tuition and housing, but again, out-of-state fees are high. And since Hilo is only about 44,000 population, and the entire island has only about 1/10 the population of Oahu, job opportunities... paid or unpaid... are relatively few in comparison.
Back to my original point... I suggest you talk to a professional counselor.
I went to talk to a counselor at my school about a University in the next town over and they basically told me I had to go ask the school themselves. If they don't know much about the schools here, I am sure they don't know a thing about colleges on the other side of the continent. HPU is definitely a good amount more expensive than either UH schools because they are private. I hear private schools do tend to offer higher financial aid packages, but I would still probably end up paying more. Even UH out of state tuitions are lower or the same price as most schools I have looked at here on the mainland with my majors, including in-state prices of my own state! I figure if I am going to be paying the same prices I would much rather go somewhere I can have the chance to get real experience and work on building connections in the area during school instead of moving somewhere else after I graduate and starting from scratch. I never planned on staying in Michigan when I moved here in the first place, I absolutely hate it. I have always lived on the coast and I feel so disconnected being away from the ocean.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RugbyDave
Just a thought to the OP: my love is spiders. Any invertebrate for the matter. In order for me to work in that field (which I do secondarily), I went the medical route in order to support myself. This way, I can spend all my time and love working with spiders, and I don't have to fight for funding, since medicine pays for my research. I'm not saying you should do that, but if that is an issue for you, there are other ways to achieve your dream. Some may just take longer!
OpenD gives great advice; I read much of his story before signing up here myself. I suspect this question is going to be as difficult to answer without being glib. I prefer the more small schools/grad-like feel, where there re less students so you can get more time with profs. Not that this is a problem in bigger schools, but it is true.
There are beaches around Hilo, you just might have to drive to some. And if you have a car, this should not be an issue at all
I would also second some type of specialization, even biostats. I have a friend who counts fish, but she gets paid to count fish here in Hawai'i, so she's thrilled! Again, you can always get a more 'liquid' degree and do your grad studies in your field of interest.
As I stated at the beginning of this post, I am majoring in general molecular and cellular biology now, with plans to minor in an animal related field once I transfer just for an extra edge on my resume. Does this count for what you are trying to say? What exactly do you do in the medical field that is related to spiders? That is really awesome.
FIRST, the University of Hawaii IS a system of satellite schools.
-UH @ Hilo is a satellite school of UH.
-UH @ Manoa is the main campus and there are branches across the state (eg. UH @ Hilo)
Any of the satellite schools are considered minor schools to ease the burden of students outside of Honolulu to get a.a. and certifications without spending excessive housing/flying costs. But Hilo has a bad rep of being a party school. This is because there is nothing to do in Hilo but drink and make babies. This sounds silly to an outsider because they think "but there is a lot of hiking, beaches to swim in, fishing, camping, etc. but if you lived there your entire life, there is only so much times you can go to the beach and hike before getting tired of it.
If you are critical of your education then you should go to UH @ Manoa because that is where the top professors go to vs. the satellite schools, although there may be exceptions (eg. great profs. prefer to live in Hilo vs. Honolulu).
HPU is more geared towards international curriculum. UH @ Manoa has a higher reputation than does HPU in your field. Especially so, if you plan on working in Hawaii, this factors into your resume to Hawaii employers.
Also being able to work on coconut island would be a chance of a lifetime. Not many people get opportunities to even go there. Also opportunities to work with Sea Life Park, farm fisheries, State programs where you work in the field (out at sea/beaches) and kahoolawe!
Down side you would live in Honolulu, a bigger city than Hilo.
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