huntersghost

I had a great experience as a post-bacc student in Oregon State University's Fisheries and Wildlife program. My focus was terrestrial ecology, but I had post-bacc friends that focused in marine. One interned at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the other is doing monk seal research in Hawaii, and another has a permanent gig as a wildlife biologist in Florida (kind of rare without a master's). Most students spend a term out at Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Oregon coast (located in the same town as NOAA's Marine Operations Center). OSU also has the Marine Mammal Institute (http://mmi.oregonstate.edu/). Networking is really key - you have to put yourself out there, get to know faculty doing research, go to conferences, and get as much experience as possible. OSU tuition is really reasonable for residents if you can move here, work, and hold off on school for a year. With your background, you probably wouldn't really need to complete the F&W degree - just stay long enough to get the experience and connections and then apply for grad school. You can check out the post-baccalaureate section here: http://fw.oregonstate.edu/content/how-do-i-apply-undergraduate-program#pbs

I wanted to update in case anyone else had a similar question. The admissions letter I received in December was from the university graduate office. I did end up e-mailing my adviser, and he said the department was just ironing out details about the tuition waiver. Yesterday I received the admissions letter from the specific department, as well as an appointment letter that detailed the RA position expectations and funding. So, the gap was a little nerve-wracking because I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but it all worked out.

This is incredibly helpful - thank you so much for responding! From what I understand, the advisor received an NSF grant a while ago to fund this RA position, but it must be used by September 2019. They had selected a graduate student in early 2016, but she flaked out at the last minute. He was planning to advertise it again widely, but I contacted him first, and I don't think he wanted to go through the process again if someone was interested and qualified. He said that a tuition waiver would be included. Thank you for the tip about fees - they are substantial. The university has a graduate student union, and the contract specifies that all RA positions must include subsidized health insurance. But, these are all things I will definitely double check. Thank you again for taking the time to respond!

I'm not sure what the next steps are here, so I appreciate any advice. I am a post-bacc student in the sciences, and learned about an open, funded graduate research assistant (master's) position at my university. I expressed interest to the advisor, we met and chatted, then I had some informal interviews with committee members (they've already been chosen for this study). Everything went well, so I applied to the graduate school for summer 2017 admission (per the advisor's instruction). I received my admissions letter right before Christmas. I have not received word about funding, or anything specific from the department or the advisor. I realize the holiday break is probably the reason for the delay. Should I e-mail the advisor to let him know that I received the admissions letter? Do funding details typically come after the admissions letter? I don't want to be pushy/overzealous, but I also received a job offer over the break, and the amount of funding is the make or break on my grad school vs job decision. Thanks!