Zoology or Anthropology?

Ok, I need some advice from all of you if you will.

Over the past 3 years of high school I have changed my major nearly 3 or 4 times. I went from Marine Biology, to Linguistics, to Zoology with a concentration in Herpetology, to Anthropology concentration in Native American Studies and independent study of reptiles in religious ceremonies *runs out of breath*

I have sent my applications out for Cornell, Dartmouth, and St. Lawrence University for a major in Anthropology. But back when I wanted to have zoology as a major, I found a college called Delaware Valley that had Herpetology as a concentration. They were my first choice college.

I changed my major because I got caught up in a lot of cultural things with my tribe and all. Also, I'm not exactly a math whiz. My math grade waivers between B and B+. For science I'm pretty good depending with what. A+ in Biology, A- in Earth Science. I guess I don't really know if I have what it takes to have Zoology as my major. When I switched I stopped taking math and science, so I haven't taken Chemistry or Calculus or anything.
But since Delaware Valley has rolling admissions I figured hey what the heck I might as well apply and see if I get in. But the only problem is I think I would still pick it over Anthropology. I think my love for animals and reptiles still heavily outweighs any other interest area.

Another thing is I applied for the Gates Millenium Scholarship which is basically a full scholarship for Native Americans. They generally like to grant it to students interested in a science career or that are interested in using their career to better their tribe or whatever. So they think I want Anthropology, while now I may want Zoology. I'm confused as to what to say!!

What should I do?

I dunno, none of what I said really makes sense so...have at it and thanks for any input.

Interests come and go. Best thing to do is to search your heart and figure out what you're most truly passionate about...not just infatuated with. That was my biggest problem in school when I was young, was that I never took the time to figure out what would REALLY make me happy.


Try to picture yourself 5, 10, 20 years from now. What kind of work/career would make you eager to get out of bed every morning and anxious to work whether or not you actually got paid? Figure out what that is...then plan the best educational path to get there.

That's just my two pennies worth. :)

i used to just do general studies since i didn't know what i wanted to be... then i settled on business because it seemed like the 'the thing to do'. after a couple years of that i got a good job in business but after two years i realized that i hated it. from that point on, i looked less at how many jobs are available or whatever, i looked at what my interests were and what i could do as a career with what degree.
now i'm 23 and i've pretty much started school over... and my major is zoology. i don't know if this helps you at all, but i figure if nothing else, misery loves company ;)
i guess basically, look at what careers are available and try to envision what would make you happy. you can always study whatever you want in your own time...

the only advice i can give you, this coming from a sophomore at UT who has changed majors once, is don't go into college thinking that whatever major you go in with will or has to be whatever major you come out with. i know so many people who came into college in a major that they were very interested but just didnt like the classes or realized maybe i am not as interested in this as i should be. given this information my advice to you would be this. it sounds to me like you are genuinely interested in zoology. my advice is to take zoology as your major. given what i know about degree plans and course schedules here, anthropology is something that just about any major can fit into their plan. so if your college is the same way, you can start taking zoology classes and take an anthropology class an elective and see what you think. then depending on your decision either take zoo. as your major and minor in anthro or drop zoo. or vice versa. hope all goes well. keep us posted

I've got a friend who is an anthropology major. He loves it, but he really has to get a master's degree to be able to employ himself with his degree. He's not really interesting in doing the "go out, find a tribe, live with them for the next 2 years in the middle of nowhere" sort of anthropolgist.

Don't take me wrong, doing what you love is great, but you've got to take that look at what you'll be making etc..and figure out if you can live with that. That doesn't mean you have to decide right now though. I went from biology to electrical engineering. And if I'd been this interested in reptiles when I started college, I would have gone the exotic vet route.

This is totally just IMO, but I'm an optimist and I believe almost everyone "has what it takes" to do what they want. Although it may seem intimidating, don't let stupid core stuff like math keep you from trying. If you want it bad enough, don't let anything get in your way! =) However, if you're just not sure because...well...you're just not sure, I have to echo the "picture yourself in the future" sentiment. Sometimes just taking a step back and thinking in terms of "what would make me happy" without considering ANYTHING else can be very revealing. I hope everyone's advice helps, good luck with your decision!

Thanks for the replies! It's just so hard to decide, because although Delaware Valley is awesome for Zoology, they don't have Anthropology. And Cornell is my first choice for Anthropology and they are Ivy League. I'm leaning towards Zoology..but hey i might not even get accepted to Delaware Valley so who knows.

I've got my degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Zoology, but finding work is not easy nor is it high paying. But if it's what you love then go for it. Having said that, I feel like I should warn you that I had to take a year of Chemisty, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus. You have to take a lot of these courses as a basis for your degree. If you feel you may struggle in these then be prepared to look for a tutor or ask for help from the TAs. Also look into getting into work with some of your professors. I had a great job in an entomology lab, and that's when I knew I was on the right track. Of course now I'm a mom, but I am looking forward to the time when both kids are in school and I can go back to what I love. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tigerlily

Of course now I'm a mom, but I am looking forward to the time when both kids are in school and I can go back to what I love. :D

---

ouch, so you don't love being with your kids?? ;)
(kidding of course)


you guys bring up good points about tutoring. math is not my strong suit and i had to get a tutor for calc, but i ended up with a B+. if i could do that, then just about anyone could.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kzooherpetoculturist

ouch, so you don't love being with your kids?? ;)
(kidding of course)

---

It all depends on when you catch me. LOL! :neener: That didn't come out right. :oops:

It's just when you stay at home you end up giving up so much of you. You become this kid's mom and this guy's wife. Not so much you. *shrug* I love my kids. I wouldn't give up this time with them for the world, but it's still hard.

Im in the same kind of situation, I have an idea what I want to go into but Im not sure if its right for me. Im trying to decide wether go for the job that works with animals or go for the job that gives me the money to get more animals.

I love my animals...I always have. My siblings and I grew up with pets all around us and the support of a mother who encouraged us (or just fueled her own personal addictions! ;) ).


I started as a zoology major in college, and yes, as Christie said you need a year of organic chemistry, calculus, and physics for most programs. But there are tutors and tons of help out there if you are willing to put the effort in. I chose to do internships at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and worked with everything from their seals and dolphins to the birds and mammals in the rainforest to the poison dart frog collection. It was awesome. They also convinced me to get a degree in Psychology with a minor in Bio as I was primarily focused on being a marine mammal trainer. I worked in the NAIB for 5 years and finally felt that the money (starting at $18K), the hours, and the restrictions on behavioral research was not making my job worthwhile anymore. I left and bounced around computers and accounting before finding teaching. I now teach high school biology and LOVE it. I had to go back for my master's degree but it was worthwhile.

Long story, but the point like everyone else's seems to be that you shouldn't beat yourself up over the possibility of changing your mind. You're young! Take the opportunity that seems right for you now and it may lead you right where you thought all along or may even open a new path to you. Don't worry so much about letting people down, but tell your scholarship people what you want. It sounds like they would support either choice as one would help your tribe directly by studying yours and other's history and present and the other would add another Native American to the rank of scientist. A win win situation ;).

Good luck with your choice and try not to let other's expectations weigh you down. The point of this time in your life is to discover what is going to motivate you to learn and how to turn that into a profitable lifestyle (financially and emotionally).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tigerlily

It all depends on when you catch me. LOL! :neener: That didn't come out right. :oops:

It's just when you stay at home you end up giving up so much of you. You become this kid's mom and this guy's wife. Not so much you. *shrug* I love my kids. I wouldn't give up this time with them for the world, but it's still hard.

---

Don't feel bad Christie! All mom's here (even the working ones) know how hard it is! The little boogers are angels and the light of your life one minute and the next their peeing on sidewalks in front of their friends and yours....true story...just yesterday...makes a mother proud...sigh....

I've managed hundreds of people since my graduation in 1987, everything from blue collar to white collar, and possibly the most important thing I've learned is that everyone has their own personal strengths to contribute to any job.

The reality however is that people with a greater interest in the subject often fare better in the long run over people who are good, but just do the job for the money.

Most recently I've managed a very high-quality crew of software engineers. As an example, one of my best employees started deteriorating because of the lack of interest in his work, and despite his high pay it didn't keep him motivated. Eventually he realized that he would rather be paid less to do what he loves, and he went off and rejoined a crew of sailors on a ship he used to work on.

My advice to anyone looking to start a new carreer is try to imagine what your IDEAL job would look like?

What kind of things do you see yourself doing?
Are you working with people?
Are you working for someone else?
Are you sitting at a desk?
Are you driving around in a car?
Out in the forests? In the mud? In a house, on a roof, on a train, with a mouse..?

If you can paint a clear picture of what you really want to do, you can then define the steps necessary to get to where you want to be.

You dont' need to be a new student going to work to follow this procedure either. After managing millions of dollars and lots of people, I now work in a petstore, am happier than I've ever been, and have found creative ways to contribute that make me excited to go to work every single day.

Hades, I think its good that you are thinking ahead on what you may see yourself doing in the future, and finding out what you really love.

I'm currently in college, and definitely know the frustration of choosing a major. When I went to college I started with a declared major of advertising because I love art and business, so what better thing to major in....Well I found out that I didn't really like advertising for many reasons, so I switched my major to Graphic Design to focus more on the art side of things....well I found that in doing art for my major it took all of the joy from my freelance art. So once again I resorted to find a new major...

Since I was young there had been one thing that I've wanted to do...I've wanted to work with animals. So I narrowed down my decision to two things, Get a degree in Entrepreneurship/Business Management or enroll in my local Vet Tech program. Either way I figure I will be happy with my job. With the Entrepreneurship I can try to open my own store, or with the tech degree I can work to help animals everyday. I know with either route its not going to make me rich, but I'll enjoy what I'm doing day in and day out.

Btw, I did not mean to imply that I don't enjoy my job :P

Also, either way you go, look for interships and co-ops. You may be going to college a bit longer but it's a great way to pick up work experience before you graduate. Volunteer work may help as well.

Thanks everyone! Your replies were great and really got me thinking. I'm definitely going to apply to Delaware Valley to see if I can at least get in. They might not accept me just because I haven't taken Chemistry or Physics or anything like that. Who knows. Maybe my other grades will help me out a bit. I'm not completely helpless in math, but I've been stuck with horrible math teachers for the past 4 years.

I wrote my essay for them about my reptiles and explaining that to work with them would be a dream. Money really isn't a thing for me. As long as I have enough money to care for the reptiles that I have now than I am happy. I'd rather love doing what I do rather than struggling to wake up every morning knowing I hate my job.

Good point about the win win situation. I guess I feel bad that I wouldn't be doing something directly relating to my tribe. But any major I go into I want at least a masters in, so I guess being a "doctor" would still be good for the tribe's image seeing as we are trying to get Federal Recognition.

Thanks again guys and girls. It means a lot to me that you all replied and tried to help. :)

I can talk a bit about sucking at math but still working on science in college. I double majored in geography and French. My geography concentrations were cartography (which is what I do now - GIS software development and now support) and meterology/climatology. Met and clime are ALL physics and math - and I suck hard at math (I "passed" my Bach. of Arts required college level trig class with a D+ -- and my parents were happy!).

But, I was able to do the math and physics for my met/clime studies because I loved what I was doing and I understood what the parts were I was calculated; I had measured them myself and I knew how they fit together.

So if you love the subject, I would take heart that the math is a part of the subject and just set your mind to understand how you're using the math to get the answer you need, and it won't make your head explode. =)