DRASTIC major change? Is it possible? Am I crazy?

Graduate School
1

<p>My undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with a concentration in painting. Around senior year I was convinced I had absolutely no interest in having a career in the arts. I chose the major because I had no idea what I wanted to do, both my parents are artists, and it was just easy for me. </p>

<p>I finally realized I need to suck it up, follow the harder path, and get a biology degree. Laugh all you want, but I'm someone that believes in following one's dreams, and my passion lies in animals and the natural environment. The National Geographic "Emerging Explorers" are my heros. I know that's all just media stuff and zoology/ecology/conservation biology are very hard areas to find jobs in, but I've realized I'm just not going to be satisfied with my life unless I'm striving for something I really am passionate about. </p>

<p>I tried to think of careers that can include these passions without actually having to get another degree, but none of it is what I really want to do.</p>

<p>I've done only a little research thus far, but am finding that most graduate programs don't have specific requirements for undergrad majors, though some have specific course requirements. I thought I may have to get a second bachelor's degree, but it looks like I might be able to get by with just getting course credit through community colleges and online, and gaining research experience through internships and volunteering. I do have some nitty gritty experience with exotic wildlife rehabilitation and sea turtle conservation and know what I'm getting into, but I know this alone won't take me very far when it comes to actual research fields.</p>

<p>Time isn't a huge concern, but I am 24, have already spent a little too much time to get to where I am, and would like to get a degree as quickly as possible. </p>

<p>More of a concern is money. I don't have any educational debt right now (woohoo!), but would be completely reliant on fellowships/loans/etc for extra courses and grad school itself.</p>

<p>So, does anyone have any experience with getting into graduate programs drastically different than their undergrad majors? Is it possible to start from scratch? I am in the process of finding faculty I find especially interesting and asking them for advice, but I thought I'd throw this out and maybe get some tips from you all. Also, if anyone has recommendations for zoology/conservation biology (I know I need to narrow this down) programs in the US, I'd love to hear them.</p>

2

<p>Not directly relevant, but a close friend of mine did her undergrad in studio art and got her master’s in geology. She did take a fair number of undergrad geology classes though.</p>

<p>Doesn’t help a ton in your situation, but just wanted to share that it’s possible!</p>

3

<p>that’s encouraging… I figured I couldn’t be the ONLY one out there, haha. I guess I’m just going to have to make up for the complete lack of science and math courses in undergrad with community college or online stuff while also trying to get volunteer research experience.</p>

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<p>i have a BA in economics. my master is in CS. yes, it can be done. but i urge you to get a job first. while working you can figure out your next step.</p>

5

<p>I’m curious what in my post made you think I don’t have a job. Or do you mean get a job in a related field?
I definitely have a job. I’ve been out of college for two years, support myself, etc. Certainly not a well paying job though, thus the necessity of funding for school. I’m definitely at the “figuring out my next step” stage right now, even if that next step is just continuing to work and fitting in required courses and volunteer work to try to get research experience until I’m qualified to apply to grad programs. Is that pretty much what my plan should be to have any possibility of getting in?</p>

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<p>Working in an entry-level job or internship related to the field will not only significantly improve your chances of admission, you will get a taste of the day-to-day work involved, meaning that you’ll be more certain whether or not you want to go that direction for a career.</p>

<p>My undergraduate degree is in journalism, while my master’s program is in outdoor recreation/natural resources management. I would not have been accepted had I not had the professional experience and recommendations afforded to me after serving as an SCA/AmeriCorps intern with the Forest Service.</p>

7

<p>So does anyone know any entry-level jobs in zoology/wildlife biology? Are we talking about working at a zoo/nature center/vet/etc or are there some less obvious jobs I could consider? I just assumed even entry-level jobs would require more education or experience than I currently have. It would be wonderful to have a job that gave me impressive experience for a grad application while taking prerequisite classes, instead of working a random job to live, doing volunteer work/internships for experience, and taking classes all at once. </p>

<p>I guess I probably just need to contact some people here (Atlanta, GA in case anyone has leads) to determine what my prospects are and see if someone would be willing to help out a student just starting out in a field.</p>

<p>I do think I gained some valuable experience in the internship I did. I worked at an animal rehabilitation reserve in Bolivia for 2-3 months. Being in Bolivia, I got a LOT more hands on experience than anyone would ever get in the US without any background in animal care and rehab. Definitely got an understanding of the difficult, boring, menial, and physically exhausting aspects of a career like that. </p>

<p>Even so, I still have doubts about this direction so it would be great to get a job to further test the waters. I really think the doubts are more that normal fear people have when putting everything they have into something new, but it would be nice to be a little clearer.</p>

8

<p>I think it depends on what direction you want to go in the field. If you’re interested in working in a zoo or wildlife center, seek out internships there. If you’re interested in working more in field research and management applications, consider opportunities with state and federal natural resources agencies such as Fish and Wildlife departments or land management agencies such as the Forest Service, BLM and NPS.</p>

<p>Those agencies have numerous wildlife biologists on staff to study ecological implications of land management decisions and to recommend strategies that improve ecological health. For example, fisheries biologists on the Tongass National Forest in Alaska (where I am employed) use a variety of techniques to monitor salmon spawning streams, protecting the sustainability of a species that is incredibly important to wildlife and humans alike.</p>

9

<p>I’m not laughing, it’s certainly a reasonable decision. However, keep in mind that in biology research experience is a big deal, so just rushing your bio classes may take time away from internship opportunities.</p>

<p>The best thing to do is probably to do reasonably well in classes (3.5+ GPA) and get as much research experience as possible. Failing that, you could try to concentrate on your classes heavily and get as close to 4.0 as possible, although don’t apply with no research experience at all. (not saying these scores are necessary, but you should aim for them)</p>

<p>Try to learn about who does what research in your field. Keep in mind also that you may need to tackle some tough biology classes which require good knowledge of organic chemistry, math and/or physics. You can try online lectures to help close the knowledge gap. Try to read a few classical biology papers. You can ask professors for these. Reading and writing paper is something scientists do a lot, so I hope you like it!</p>