Bio major, non-traditional "B" student, realistic choices?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Oh, hey, I don't think I posted here yet!</p>

<p>I'm trying to expand my college search both in and out of state. I'm planning to major in bio, with the intent of going to grad school for marine biology.</p>

<p>I'm 26, LGBT, moving with my beautiful SO and our pets. California native, transferring from a community college. I'm fixing some old, bad grades, but I predict at transfer my GPA will be up to 3.25-3.5. I don't know if it matters being a older transfer student, but I think I have some decent ECs and can probably write up a very compelling essay about myself.</p>

<p>Things I want in a school: Heavy emphasis in undergrad research. A good marine bio program. Prefer a small to mid-size campus (up to 10k students). I am much less concerned with the 'prestige' of the school than I am concerned with the quality of their program. A school known for giving out good financial aid would be ideal, and frankly budget is an issue, so low tuition/fees are a plus.</p>

<p>Things I want in a community: This is important to me because my SO and I are looking forward to settling down and starting a family. We'd like a place that's safe with a reasonable cost of living. Liberal leaning, ideally with a strong LGBT presence. Public transit is a major plus. Little to no snow. Decent air quality. A good college is important, but if we can't afford to live nearby, it's pointless to consider.</p>

<p>I haven't looked at much out of state. In-state I'm considering UC Santa Cruz, Humboldt State, and CSUMB. All good schools, but being in California and along the coast makes the cost of living a little intimidating.</p>

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<p>…with the intent of going to grad school for marine biology</p>

<p>Fullofpop, I hope you know what you are doing. A word of caution, the biomedical sciences have a large number of people who started out with the same aspirations but found the career path too competitive and jobs too few. A quick search of the bureau of labor statistics says “Marine biology, despite its attractiveness as a career, is a very small specialty within biological science.” and “opportunities will be limited because of the small size of these fields”. [Biological</a> Scientists](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos047.htm]Biological”>http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos047.htm)</p>

<p>I don’t mean to scare you off from what sounds like a passion but you should know from the outset that you will be competing every step of the way for a spot in a Phd program, fellowships, publications, postdoc positions and jobs with individuals who started working at the local aquarium at 12, went to Ivy league schools, graduated at the top of their class, had research experience aboard all kinds of vessels, and gave birth to Jacques Cousteau’s love child.</p>

<p>…my SO and I are looking forward to settling down and starting a family
Not to say that I don’t know any graduate students with children, but you should be aware that Phd programs last six years and nearly all of the students in my program work somewheres between 10 and 12 hours a day. Add to that travel for field work, conferences and collaborations. Combine that with the extra time that is required by prelims, committee meetings, coursework, grading and seminars. You might find that this wouldn’t leave a whole lot of time to care for a child or nuture a relationship. Further, stipends don’t generally top 30K so if finances are an issue now, they might be even worse with a child to care for.</p>

<p>If I may offer a word of advice-you might be able to widen your field and career path if you look into environmental sciences or biomedical sciences. I guess you should start thinking about what drew you to this field. Was it the complexity of biological organisms? The uniqueness of their lifecycles? If so, maybe genetics and physiology would be good fits (either of which have a lot more opportunities). Alternatively, maybe it was the thrill of protecting the earth for generations to come or standing up for the defenseless animals of the world. Maybe something more along the lines of environmental management would be helpful.</p>

<p>I hope this wasn’t too gloomy but I thought you should be aware that passion alone won’t get you a career.</p>

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<p>Don’t forget all of the pre-meds who did not get into medical school flooding the biology job market.</p>

4

<p>Well. I will thank you for this because it did prompt a good talk between my SO and I about the realities of me continuing with school and the other things we’d like to do with our lives. So here’s what it comes down to:</p>

<p>I’ve picked marine biology because I like marine biology. I love the oceans and the mysteries they hold. I love tide pools and underwater vents and penguins and cephalopods (seriously, have you seen bobtail squid? They’re the best thing ever). It’s not that I hate anything that isn’t in the ocean, but somehow being in the ocean makes things better. </p>

<p>But I could change my mind. There might be other areas of biology I might fall into and certainly other areas of biology I enjoy. That’s why my B.S. is just in general bio, so I have the ability to change my mind.</p>

<p>I know how abysmal the job outlook is. But I’m fine with that. I am going to learn and experience things, not get a job. I’m confident at the end of my education I will be employable, even if it isn’t in my chosen field, and I will still have years of amazing memories behind me. </p>

<p>And truthfully, is there any area of biology where there are tons of jobs that will make you rich? </p>

<p>Finances are an issue right now because I’ve been out of work for over a year. I’m living off of what little financial aid I get from my current school and let me tell you, it isn’t much. I’m hoping something comes through soon, but even then it probably won’t be better than minimum wage and I have no savings. So when looking at transfer schools money is an issue because I have very little to start with, I would have to find a place off campus, and I would also have to finance a move. My city’s unemployment rate is sitting at 16% right now. If I move, I would really like it to be somewhere with more prospects.</p>

<p>I know the life of a grad student is busy. I know the life of a parent is busy. But as you stated, I’ve seen it done before. I know it’s going to require a lot of time management and sacrifice, but my SO and I are up for that. I think I will seek out grad students who are parents, and see how they are managing.</p>

<p>So with all of that in mind, does anyone have any recommendations for other schools I might like to look at? And thank you to the two folks who messaged me with some suggestions, I’m checking them out now. :-)</p>

5

<p>Since you need a lot of FA and you’re a transfer student without top grades, you need to apply to UCs because they do give great aid to low income students. It sounds like you’re an EFC of 0.</p>

<p>Did you go to a Calif high school? I think that’s required to get the best aid.</p>

<p>Since few other schools give much aid to transfer students, it’s unlikely you’re going to either get accepted or get the aid you need at other schools.</p>

<p>You do need to be somewhat concerned about your future employment since you’re likely going to have some student loans by the time you graduate.</p>

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<p>My current EFC is zero, I predict this will go up in the coming years. At least I hope it does, since that means I’m actually making money.</p>

<p>I did go to a Ca. high school and I am currently in a Ca. community college, so I know I could qualify for all kinds of great FA and possibly the TAG program.</p>

<p>Are there any UCs I should be looking at beyond Santa Cruz for my major, though? I really want to get out of the valley so that scratches Merced and Davis off the list.</p>