Schools known for Bio/Zoology/Herpetology?

[Colin Vestrand]

so after 5 years in business i've decided it sucks. all i ever think about is animals and the outdoors... so, i'm going back to school.

i'm meeting with various councelors to talk about programs and career opps, but i was wondering if anyone here went to, or knew of, any good schools for this sorta thing? any other advice?

[tigerlily]

I went to the University of MD - College Park and received my BS in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Zoology. They have several excellent professors. UMD is a great school, and I loved it.

[Colin Vestrand]

nice... i have family out there too.

may i ask what you do now?

[tigerlily]

I'm a stay at home mom, but before motherhood I worked at a wildlife sanctuary and as a vet tech.

[Colin Vestrand]

very cool.

good lookin' out on the stay at home mom thing too... you have my utmost respect

[ladywhipple02]

OSU has an awesome veterinary school, if that's your interest... I also know a couple people in the zoology dept. I know they work out at the zoo quite a bit (Jack Hannah's home town ) and you can pretty much make up your own focus... A guy I know named Adam made up his own major in fish reproduction. I was talking to him about starting up a program with the Big Cats here on campus.

[tigerlily]

very cool.

good lookin' out on the stay at home mom thing too... you have my utmost respect

Thank you. I definitely miss working, but this was something my husband and I decided on before we had kids. If we had family or someone I could trust implicitly with my children then I would probably work at least part time.

Are you looking for something in particular? Just curious about what you are hoping to work towards. UMD has a vet school in Blacksburg, VA I believe that is highly thought of. (of course I'm a Terp at heart - Fear the Turtle! )

[Colin Vestrand]

well i'm unsure yet, but i was hoping i'd get a clearer picture after i check out some curriculums and whatnot. of course feedback from those who've already been there usually yields some of the best advice.
i think working in the vet field would be great. i have friends who work at a couple different zoos as zookeepers and they love that. another thing, not that i know much about them, is field studies for private companies or the government. i know a guy who works for the DNR tracking deer herds in the winter and spring, for example, and he's more than thrilled with that...
just exploring options basically. i've worked in business since i was 17 (i'm 23 now) and i'm positively through with it...

[tigerlily]

I would look around at jobs that most interest you, and then see what kind of educational requirements are needed. Volunteer at the local zoo and/or vet. Getting in there and seeing what everythings about is the best way to figure out if you would like to do that for the rest of your life. Plus getting your foot in the door is half the battle anyway. Best of luck.

[Colin Vestrand]

good advice, thanks for your help!
and thanks LW02 as well.