this is very specific, I know. D:

I come from a small California college town- but it's a major college, in fact. So we've been surrounded with high standards...

I want to major in environmental protection/resource conservation, etc etc, and I've been checking out "smaller" public schools that really specialize in that area; however, whenever I look at their students' average scores on SATs or their average GPA, they are much lower than my school's average, and of course, my town's college's average. I really have no idea what to think. Are these statistics important signifiers to how successful the school is in teaching students? Again, I'm looking at a little more "specialized" public colleges, and environmental conservation isn't such a big area yet, so of course these schools would have lower averages... but then again...

What are your experiences? What colleges did you attend/are attending/are planning to apply to, and for what reasons? Were there things that discouraged you, but after going there, found out it wasn't so bad after all? Or did the opposite happen? I need to know these things so that I can decide whether to apply or not.

And I'll just say it- I was looking at Cal Poly (California polytechnic) in San Luis. So if any students there have any input...

Those statistics will tell you the kind of test intelligence the average person at the university has so if you want a challenging university, I would try to find something that really is closer to your GPA/ACT. I'm not sure what would be 'normal' for that sort of study though. Schools that focus of technology tend to have higher averages though (from what I've seen) so it would probably help asking someone who is attending one of the universities you are looking at, maybe see if you can sit in on a lecture or two to get the idea of how the school operates.

Is the GPA their high school one or college? If it's high school, all those two stats say is that their acceptance standards are lower, or maybe they make exceptions for students who excel in non-academic areas. Doesn't have anything to do with how successful the college is in teaching those students. I'd try googling the colleges you're considering and see if you can find any reviews or evaluations of them. And of course, talk to any students you know from there, spend a day on campus if it's feasible, all that stuff. :)

I'm attending my college 'cause it gave me a full-tuition scholarship. Yay!

GPA and SAT scores aren't a clear indication of how good a school is. Never let that completely fool you. Often, a higher score just shows that they are "more selective" in the students they take in, meaning that they accept a smaller number in comparison to the schools that have a lower score. This is a big problem in the universities in my state system - The "better" schools don't have any unique teaching methods or higher funding or distinguished faculty. All they've done is cut down on who they accept, which gives them a more intelligent student base, and makes it seem like the school itself has been putting more effort in.

If you want to look for a better school, look at the programs and the funding. If it offers courses that you're interested in, and if the school makes that specific major a priority, then you're golden.