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I was told to leave it out of the proposal because you will be putting it in the actual application. Thus you have more room to write.

Is it a file size issue?

Another option you could do that might help convince your letter writer and yourself is to apply for the Peace Corps at the same time as grad schools like TakeruK said, but instead of applying to PhD programs specifically you could apply to Masters programs covered under Peace Corps's Masters International program using that professor as a recommender. You'd do a year at a campus then two years somewhere for service then one more year finishing up your degree. Depending on the program you apply to, you might even be able to convert into a PhD degree program. I'd give you what you want in the beginning (kind of) and what the professor recommends. It'd be great for cultural immersion and you might be able to come up with a better more focused thesis or dissertation proposal at the end of it. And that 8K at the end is nice for getting back on your feet when you get back. And with the new application system for Peace Corps, you can pretty much pick your country/culture.

It just all depends on what type of biologist you want to be. If you want to work on animal behavior, animal husbandry positions (what it seems like you have been doing) might be better and there is a chance to gain research experience there, if its a goal of where you work. If you want to be more field-based and still work with animal behavior, try looking for something where you can see animal human interactions or animal animal interactions. Try to get a position that does something similar to what you think you want to do.

It also depends on what school you plan on attending. A lot of programs don't have any hard requirements but they do want some sort of a science background. I believe it is possible that you can take the classes at a community college. You may also be admitted into the program but under probation or conditional admission (meaning you would have to take those classes in your first semester). Its a question that you need to ask your interested school. A good general background seems to be 2 courses in general biology, 2 courses in general chemistry, Calculus, Statistics, an Ecology course, and another environmental or science course. If you want more wildlife focused classes, here is an online undergraduate wildlife program run through Oregon State University. Going off of what shadowclaw said, by having field work or work related to wildlife it may help help you convince the admissions committee to let you in under conditional admission or even waive them entirely.

I'm still on the fence right now so I'll probably apply next year as the deadline is fast approaching, but another volunteer in my country is applying but I'm not sure where. I kind of want to do one in my country anyway so I wouldn't be eligible until the next application cycle.

"To be eligible for the NSF GRFP, you must: be a US citizen, US national, or permanent residentintend to pursue a research-based Master's or Ph.D. program in an NSF-supported fieldbe enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, by fall 2016have completed no more than twelve months of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent) as of August 1, 2015meet all other eligibility requirements as set forth in the current Program Solicitation"They won't count this year's classes against you (assuming you started after August 1), which would only leave your 2 online grad classes. No matter how they can spin it, two classes in a non-degree program would never be considered full-time for 1+ years. So apply away!

I will start this thread up to try to have a place for non-biomedical applicants to start discussions about this upcoming application cycle. Here is the topic from last year if you would like to read it and mine it for information. 2015 Application Cycle Feel free to post your stats to get advice from others. Here is the template the main thread is using. Good luck to everyone this year! I wish you all the best.

While I don't have a master's in aquaculture, I was thinking about heading down that path a couple years ago. I've found few degrees specifically for aquaculture. The lone exception that I could recall off the top off my head is Kentucky State's program. Most aquaculture programs are a section of fisheries (or even wildlife) programs in wildlife schools. So I suggest looking there. I'm not sure what species you're thinking about conducting your research on but here are a few to programs you could look at. Sorry for the regional bias, I'm from the southern US so I know about their programs better than others. Mississippi State Texas A&M Florida Oregon State

Have you tried looking into psychology programs? I can't point you in the right direction with those but I was able to find a non-phd program looking at human-animal interactions in a psychology department. Maybe you can take a look at some literature dealing with what you want to study and track down where those authors are teaching.

What exactly are you looking for? Human-Animal interactions are becoming bigger in the field of wildlife/ecology. So instead of looking at programs that look at that specifically, try going a tad broader. Take a look at schools with a wildlife or agriculture department. A good place to start would be looking at land grant schools (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_land-grant_universities), as these schools are associated with a cooperative extension (which can be helpful depending on how you want to focus your studies). You can also sometimes find these topics in biology departments but that will require a bit more digging around.

Thanks for the heads up, sierra918. Thanks for that link, MuyMal.

Try not to get confused about percentiles when thinking about it in terms of grades. There really is no correlation. Percentiles (for ETS anyway) just means that that percentage of test takers have scores at or below you (or vice-versa, it means you've scored better or at the same level as the percentage of people [if you're a cup half full or half empty type]). So in the case of the Biochem breakdown, scoring a 740 would mean that you've scored the same or better than 99 percent of test takers, based on their calculations.

I'll start a new EEB applicants thread in a couple weeks when fall semester should start. Yeah I'm about as average as they come, GPA and GRE wise. I know that about my GPA which is the reason why I'm focused on getting an MS or an MF(S) right now. But I've been talking to a couple of professors already and so far they're all fine with my GPA since it's above the cut-off. I don't have the luxury (or money) of going back to school to raise it up. Funding will always be an issue. Yeah, I haven't looked at Texas A&M in a while and I'm already on the Ecolog listerv. Haven't found much on there (for this upcoming cycle) that has piqued my interest yet, but its a new year. Thanks for the advice though.

Undergrad Institution: Tier 1 Public Research University Major(s): Natural Resource Conservation and Management Minor(s): Biology GPA in Major: 3.2 Overall GPA: 3.0 Position in Class: average Type of Student: Domestic, white male GRE Scores (revised/old version): Q: 165 V: 157 W: 3.0 B: Not going to take unless told to do so (to save money) Research Experience: 1 summer and semester working as a research assistant looking at the breeding ecology of turtles in an ex-situ environment. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Deans List a semester, several scholarships Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Worked a couple years for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Hawaii and Mississippi performing invasive ant management and endangered species management. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Published GIS-created maps for official Federal Government documents. Special Bonus Points: Currently working as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I can never count that out. Two well-known recommenders (at least in the South). Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Come from an underrepresented area in the states, known for being one of the poorest places in the country (if they look at where I come from). Applying to Where: UC Berkeley - ESPM (Range Management) UC Davis - Ecology GG San Diego State U - Ecology Humboldt State - Wildlife Biology U Georgia - Forestry and Natural Resources Colorado State U - Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Mississippi State U - Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture U Michigan - Natural Resources Note: at this point, I'm looking at MS or MFS programs as I'm not sure I want to do a Ph.D.

If you're thinking about going the international route anyway, why not look at being a UN Volunteer through their volunteer program. It'll help get your foot in the door and you have the option to go to several different countries to serve. http://www.unv.org/