Anyone here with a Biology Major?

[HSKLNG]

I need your advice/help.

 

My dd wants to work/care for cats, BIG cats (tigers, lions, etc.) I understand that a Biology Major would be required.

 

How can I prepare the last two years of HS with college courses that can be use toward her first year of college? She also rather do the courses on line as much as possible, but I know that there is a lot of labs involved in the courses for her to take and eventually she will have to decide where she would take those courses.

 

In the meantime, how can I approach this to help her? Would CLEP courses do? Which online cc or college would be the best for this process?

 

Right now I am wore out of thinking how and reading website after website...I even lost my appetite for dinner.

 

Could someone here help? Thanks in advance.

[Pam Wilhelm]

I have a Bio. Degree....... and I didn't prepare at all in P.S. High School for it.... (spent too much time playing hookie). Looking back at it, my first two years of college Bio. were easy except for the whole memorization of DNA and everything cellular....... that was tough for me in every Bio. class I took. I would say to really become familiar with DNA.... and working on a cellular level. Other then that I enjoyed the classes and found them tough but a blast......once I got past Bio. 101 and 102.

 

The other thing to know is that a large part of your daughter's experience will just be helped by being in the right place at the right time.......... volunteer, intern, work for pittance in the field that she wants to go in. Eventually it will pay off. Get her schmoozing with those in that field now..... volunteer/work at a local zoo........ if a zoo isn't easily available then a vet's office.

 

If she has the gumption to work with big cats then she will get there...... High School Bio. will help...... but her drive and determination will help more. I got my degree and never did anything with it.... I went back to working in retail. I've told myself that it was because my ex-hubby divorced me just as I was finishing college and I had to go back home to live and lost my opportunity to utilize the contacts I had made......... but really, between you and I.....and the rest of the WTM world......... it was because I lost my drive to work as a Biologist.

 

I'm babbling now, but I hope that helps some........ my kids are little....... so I'll be where you are soon enough..... get her a good Bio. program ...... and a good Chemistry one wouldn't hurt either..... in college they will serve her well, but not guarantee her a position working with cats....... that will take her networking skills. (tell her to take genetics in college...... it's all about reproduction). ........... oh, and tell her to have fun........ :thumbup:

[periwinkle]

having a solid foundation in biology and chemistry, however many schools want their science majors to follow their sequence of courses (meaning they can't test out of courses in their major). Check with the colleges in which she is interested for specific information.

 

If she wants to earn credits for college during high school, she could AP (or CLEP if it is allowed--check with the school!) out of other required credits like English (I did that), math (probably calculus) or a history elective.

 

Biology was not that difficult a major when I went to school (a long time ago!), but it has changed significantly in recent years, becoming more focused on the molecular level, so biochemistry is a bigger part of the curriculum.

 

I agree with Pam's advice about volunteering at the vet or local zoos/animal shelters. Working with animals on a daily basis may give her guidance as to if this is the direction she really wants to go.

[Jan P.]

I have a Wildlife and Fisheries Science degree. My major required me to take many biology, zoology, botany, and other science courses in college. I agree with the others about taking your basic science courses (biology, chemistry, and physics or alternate with other advance biology course). Do try to get your dd involved in the community some way with a zoo or possibly an animal rescue type operation. Being involved with 4-H could even be a good thing. There are many type clubs especially the wildlife clubs. When I was in high school I wanted to work with the big cats too. I was primarily interested in the cougar. Regretfully I did not end up working with big cats, but I did work at camps for years encouraging youngsters to appreciate the environment and helping them on their way to the calling of their choice.

 

God bless,

Jan

[Storm Bay]

I only have a Biology minor, but agree with the volunteering aspect. Very important. I would also recommend that she do lab work in high school. Get a microscope, etc, or perhaps do this with a coop if there is one. Learn to dissect. I was far too squeamish to do any dissection in high school (I had no plans to do a minor in Biology at that point), so my lab partners did that part, but in university I had to do my own dissecting as everyone had their own. So I was slower. Let's see, I had to dissect in first year Biology (a rat), in Animal Physiology (a cat and a shark--I think that was the course, it's been a long time) and in Entymology. Of course, she may never thave to study insects, but perhaps she will due due to parasites, etc. I don't remember dissecting a frog, but that may have been in a group as we did some experiments with muscles. At any rate, I was slow at first with no experience.

[Susan in IL]

You might want to look at a zoology major. They are harder to find but there are schools out there. Ds wanted to be a zookeeper (not a vet) and at first we were looking at schools that had zoology majors.

 

Something to think about.