<p>So I want to be a wildlife biologist/conservationist so I'm looking at schools that will offer me a good Wildlife ecology/conservation program. I really want a school that will allow me to gain hands on experience working with various animals. Please help me decide which school to attend in the fall that you think will be best for my career. I know college is what I choose to make of it but all the feedback I can gain will help.</p>
<p>Schools I've applied to:</p>
<p>University of Georgia
Clemson University
University of Maine
University of Washington
Humboldt State University </p>
<p>Also if there are any other schools that have good wildlife programs please feel free to let me know! Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m also concerned about financial aid because I really don’t want to start my adult life off with hundreds of thousands in debt.</p>
<p>oh wow…WHO advised you on your college list? You’ve applied to a bunch of OOS publics. You’re OOS for all since you’re from Guam. </p>
<p>OOS publics aren’t goign to give you the aid you need. They’re going to expect you to pay all or nearly all costs. Your SAT is good, but not high enough for merit scholarships.</p>
<p>YOU can only borrow the following amounts:</p>
<p>frosh 5500
soph 6500
jr 7500
sr 7500</p>
<p>Did you run the NPCs on any of your schools’ websites. Have your parents do so.</p>
<p>Also…ask them how much they’ll pay each year (take into acct the travel from Guam costs).</p>
<p>You need to QUICKLY apply to some privates that will give you the aid you need and will want your diversity. </p>
<p>Right now, you may not have ANY affordable schools.</p>
<p>My major isn’t really found at most private universities. Private schools most often stop at environmental science without really going into the specifics of wildlife studies. I definitely wanted to go the private route but there weren’t many options that I saw unless you know any that I hadn’t considered? It is typically the big state schools that specialize in wildlife studies.</p>
<p>Often, as long as the major ‘title’ is within the correct field ie enviromental science, ecology, wildlife management etc each college will have its own emphasis or allow the student to be more focused towards the end of the degree. The venerable Sir David Attenborough did ‘Natural Sciences’ at Cambridge i.e. zoology and geology. (zoology seems to be good choice also)</p>
<p>If you haven’t already, do a fresh search for majors in the field that aren’t wildlife or have conservation in the title. You’ll find you have a real range of options.</p>
<p>Lastly, google the top names of Conservationists or well known animal experts and see what their own education was. You might be surprised…</p>
<p>Well, Rachel, you have the same interest as my daughter who was advised by an actual conservation biologist. Like you are finding out, you need a program with the contacts in the conservation world to get you that summer job counting frogs in the High Sierras or watching a herd of ungulates in Africa. Turning wildlife studies into a wildlife career is tough; the last thing you would want is to love your studies but end up selling insurance in Fresno.</p>
<p>You have a good list so far. UW and Humboldt both have roots in wildlife conservation in the west. Humboldt may give you the WUE rate coming from Guam (is this really where you are from?). No real idea about your east-coast schools. </p>
<p>Here are some others that were recommended, with a west coast bias because of our Washington location:
WSU (our in-state program not in the city)
U Idaho
U Montana
U Wyoming
Colorado State
Oregon State
U Wisconsin</p>
<p>Rachel…filling out apps is expensive and time consuming. How much will your parents pay each year? </p>
<p>My concern is that you need FA and yet you’re applying to a bunch of OOS publics that won’t give you the aid that you need.</p>
<p>As I mentioned above, YOU can’t borrow much. To borrow more would require QUALIFIED co-signers…and that’s not a good idea because your income will NOT be high when you graduate…and you won’t be able to pay back those loans.</p>
<p>So, how much will your family pay each year?</p>
Agreed. Wildlife conservation is an interdisciplinary field that draws from several different majors. “Wildlife biology” or some such major is NOT required to get a job in the field. I’ve known wildlife biologists who majored in everything from statistics to microbiology to (bio)geography. </p>
<p>Look for colleges with strong ecology and/or organismal biology programs. Also get a solid grounding in statistics. Economics, particularly microeconomics, can also be helpful. A knowledge of GIS and/or other spatial technology is VERY useful and has netted me several paid summer gigs. </p>
<p>Summer internships are plentiful, and many go unfilled. A few good internships combined with a solid grounding in the natural sciences will take you a long way. Increasingly a MS in wildlife biology is necessary for the better jobs, so a specific undergraduate degree in the subject is unnecessary.</p>
<p>FWIW, many of my fellow majors in earth & ocean sciences went into wildlife conservation. They had no trouble getting jobs.</p>