Dear Matt, What a crazy biology department you must have! Studying abroad, enrolling in a SFS program (or, better, helping conduct scientific research in a more formal setting, or taking an Organization for Tropical Studies course) is EXACTLY what you should be doing! Students without research experience in ecology will always have a hard time getting into top ecology departments.
In my experience, environmental studies programs can weak in the hard sciences ... and you do need to know some physics and chemistry, certainly math (calculus, linear algebra, probability) and statistics (means and variances, t-tests, ANOVA, MANOVA, regression, multiple regression) and ... some real biology - get to know the ecology and systematics (and physiology) of at least one group very well, and it will serve as an inspiration and strength forever. Cheers, Tom Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin [email protected] http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html On 04/07/15, Matt Smetana wrote: > Hey Everyone! > > My name is Matt Smetana, and I’m a current sophomore at Brandeis University > out near > Boston. I have been subscribed to this listserve for a few months and have > been > applying to various summer internships within the ecological/biological > field. I am certain > this is the career path I want to take but am unclear of the skill set > required to be > successful in this field. > > My current degree is Environmental Studies, but I am also highly interested > in Ecology, > Wildlife Biology, and Forestry. I am most drawn to internships and jobs > pertaining to the > biological field but enjoy my course work and have a real passion for the > environment. > My question is, can I become a successful ecologist or wildlife biologist > with a degree in > environmental studies or must I switch my major in order to obtain the > necessary skills > for the career that I want. > > My main concern with choosing biology is that it inhibits me from taking many > desired > courses, studying abroad at a School for Field Studies programs, > participating in > independent research opportunities, and possessing an internship this summer > (I would > need to enroll in Chemistry this summer). > > I will have already taken all of the requirements for the biology degree such > as the > introductory courses, biology lab, one semester of general chemistry and lab, > and all > required electives. But I have not finished general chemistry, organic > chemistry, or > physics. As ecologists, do you think it is more important to go for the > biology degree or > stay with environmental studies and gain experience through research, study > abroad, > and internships? > > Any input would be very helpful and could potentially change the course of my > future! > > Best, > Matt Smetana -- Thomas J. Givnish Henry Allan Gleason Professor of Botany University of Wisconsin [email protected] http://botany.wisc.edu/givnish/Givnish/Welcome.html
