wildlifer

Hi all. I have shared this place with a few people but figured I'd start a post as well. There's a forum out there that is very similar to this one in how it is set up, the difference is that it only focuses on medical, dental, veterinary, health-related schools and such. I had found it back when I was contemplating veterinary schools. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/ Share with anyone whose interested in those fields. I find these forums to be super helpful!

Hi there, I would advise her to check out the student doctor network. It's a forum set up very similarly to this one, but it's geared towards all medical, dental, veterinary, health-related schools. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/

I would recommend checking out this forum by the student doctor network. It is set up very similarly to this one, but focused on all stuff related to medical, dental, veterinary, etc type schools. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/

So while this is not my field persay, I was pre-vet during my first degree and pre-vet background is quite similar to a pre-med background with the addition to animal science courses. And with both fields (med and vet), in order to apply, they at the very least need to see that you have the prereqs (biology, chemistry, physics, etc) and that you have done well in those courses. Based on your major and the fact that you said you stand a good chance for PhD program, I am sure you would be suitable to apply for a medical school. There's a forum similar to this one called the "student doctor network", just it's all about medical, dental, veterinary, etc schools. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/ I would take a look there and you might find some people in similar shoes or just find more specific information. Hopefully I've helped (even though my knowledge is minimal ) and good luck!

themmases, thank you for your response. Hearing your story definitely makes me feel better. That is a fantastic improvement btw, so good for you! And thank you for the suggestions, I'll be sure to check them out. I am trying to figure out a plan of attack for studying and my test date, but it is difficult right now as I am in wait mode for a couple of job positions. Depending on those will determine my location for the next 3-6 months and so I have to be mindful of that when scheduling this stuff.

Thanks for the response Pitangus, appreciate the feedback! I definitely don't think a graduate degree will be an immediate ticket. I just want to be qualified for a more variety of jobs than I am now and would hope that after going to at least the masters level, I wouldn't struggle as much as I am currently with obtaining a position. I know there's a chance that if I go to grad school and come out I may still be in seasonal jobs for a while, but at least in some cases the extra degree will automatically mean greater pay (i.e. federal jobs with the GS scale). I am all for furthering educating myself. I am just having some concerns regarding the process and getting accepted with funding, which is an absolute must for me. If I can't be fully funded, I financially can't attend graduate school and that in itself makes this process feel daunting at the moment. It's not that I don't have the interest, it's worrying about whether I can make it work.

Thank you all for the input. I think if I am diligent and stay on task of making myself study every week, I should be ok... hopefully. I am not a fan of these standardized tests. I understand why they are there and the need for a baseline, but ugh.

I first took the GRE in 2011 under the old format and well, my scores were atrocious. I know technically I could still use them but I won't. It was a combination of bad timing and not enough consistent effort in studying. So here I am trying to figure out the best way to prep for this test. I am aiming for decent scores that fall within the ball park of what the programs I have looked at and am interested in pursuing require, most are 40th-60th percentile as the baseline. If I commit myself to applying for Fall 2015, I would need to take the test end of Dec/early January in order to meet deadlines. So with that info in mind, what would you suggest for a study plan/what worked for you to attain reasonable scores? I have Kaplan books from the first time I took it and I have downloaded the GRE Powerprep II. Thanks!

As of right now, if I go, it will just be for a masters. I think if I were to continue on, that decision would be made once I was in a program. I use Texas A&M all the time for jobs, but haven't focused too much on the assistantships posted. I'll be sure to take a look though. Thanks again, really appreciate the input!

Thank you both for responding! I have spent some time reading through these forums and I was afraid there was not many people focusing in this type of area! shadowclaw, your last paragraph is definitely something I am concerned with. I have several seasons of avian field work under my belt that I would not trade for anything. However, I know sometimes when people view my resume they may wonder why I have bounced around so much. It is not so much the issue of keeping the job, it is just that jobs I'm qualified for and am hired for, are short lived. While I have enjoyed traveling around and experiencing new areas, I feel I am ready to start thinking more in the long term. I am finding that unless you are lucky, the chances of landing a more stable, permanent job are slim without having a masters or PhD. My next concern is regarding how to design a thesis. I wouldn't even know where to begin regarding that. I have a lot of interests in this field, from breeding behavior, migration patterns, social systems, etc. And after my work this summer with the loons, I could see myself potentially expanding on that project. When you applied to schools, did you already have a set project/thesis in mind? Or did you design it after you had been accepted and worked with your adviser? I have a preliminary list of schools that I will be focusing on and narrowing down once I start contacting professors. I also absolutely need to be fully funded with tuition waiver and an assistantship. Otherwise, I don't see myself being able to go. Anyway, thank you again. Much appreciated!

Hi there. New to the forum, so bare with me while I explain my situation. I have a bit of an unique college background. Fresh out of high school I majored in Animal Science with a concentration in pre vet, determined that vet school was my ultimate path. Well, needless to say, I think I was in over my head a bit. I dropped the concentration my junior year when I came to the realization that vet school was not in my cards and that I should look into other options. So I remained as an ASCI, but finished my college career just under the general concentration. This allowed more flexibility and so I enrolled in a handful of wildlife biology courses. I was in love. I felt so at home with these courses, but, I was already graduating and wanted to be done with school for a while. After I graduated, I spent 3 years working a variety of jobs. From avian field technicians, to animal care assistants in a medical facility to even a lift operator at a ski resort in Colorado (this obviously was just for fun). However, I found myself always linking back to the field tech jobs. I really enjoyed them and wanted to become more skilled in that area. So I knew I needed more education, but I wasn't sure at first how I would go about it. I tried to get into a grad program first and was not successful. So, I then decided, maybe I should go back and get another degree in the wildlife field, since that is where my strongest interests reside. And that is exactly what I did! So now to the present. I just graduated in May with my second Bachelor's in Wildlife Biology. I spent my summer as a field loon biologist and absolutely LOVED it. However, only seasonal and the non profit I worked for does not have any fall/winter positions. I find myself wondering how long will I have to play this game of applying to jobs every 2-3 months because that is what is around for people who only have an undergraduate degree (even though I have 2) in this field. I love the work, I am just ready to have a little bit more stability with the work beyond just these seasonal positions. This is where the forum will hopefully come in handy. Is there anyone currently in a wildlife type graduate program? If so, what is your program like? Do you think it is worth while? Do you think it would be worth while for someone like me to attend graduate school? The earliest would be fall of 2015, if I start prepping and studying for the GRE now. Also, is there anyone who has recently finished their program. If so, how soon after did you find employment beyond seasonal work? Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this and respond, I really appreciate it!