| MadSci Network: Zoology |
If you ask this question of zoologists, you will likely get almost as many answers as there are universities that offer zoology degrees. Each university has strengths...and weaknesses.
So, the best I can do is provide you with a resource that is relatively impartial, and that can help guide you. The US News and World Report provides a ranking of colleges and universities in the United States of America, and also provides an online tool that allows you to enter criteria you would like to use in selecting a university, which searches its database and provides the universities that best meet your criteria.
I used their "Find your college" tool,
setting the Majors offered to ** Zoology **, and the Selectivity to ** Most Selective **. I set everything else in the "Find your
college" tool to "Doesn't Matter". Below are the results:
Here is the list of (3) schools that match your search criteria. Click on a school name for information on everything from
financial aid to admissions to campus life, or return to the
search page to modify your search criteria.
| School | State | Selectivity | Majors | |
| Harvard University | MA | Most selective | zoology | |
| University of Michigan--Ann Arbor | MI | Most selective | zoology | |
| Brigham Young University--Provo | UT | Most selective | zoology |
Interestingly, and perhaps fortunately, one of the three best colleges is not very far from where you live. The University of Michigan not only seems to meet your criterion, it also boasts a Museum of Zoology - this is indicative of a very real commitment to Zoology.
I am not sure I would make a decision solely on the results above. There are many other criteria you should consider. Some of them are things you can rate quantitatively, some qualitatively...and some are just emotional, just "gut feel". Also, keep in mind - many people change majors during their college years. It is harder than you might think to predict who will change majors, and whether you will find yourself changing majors or directions in your life. Regardless, it is very encouraging that you already have a strong sense of direction before you start off to college - this bodes well for you establishing a strong sense of purpose and strive purposely towards your goals and your dreams. Here is a previous answer I gave to a question similar to yours, in which I discuss some of these other criteria: Re: What is a good college to go to, to give me a degree in Zoology?
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Zoology.