Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 5/8/2009

Question
Hi Dana,

I am 25 and graduated with a 2.1 in biology and geology 3 years ago.  I decided I'd had enough of studying and so chose to do something different.  I worked in recruitment for 1 year and have now been a restaurant manager for 2 years.  However, recently I have started to miss academics and am thinking about returning to it.  I am mainly interested in evolutionary and reproductive biology, but also have a keen interest in primate biology.  Can you give me some advice on the types of jobs that can be pursued in these fields.  Also, what would you advise me to do at this stage?  I am considering moving to America to pursue the study option.  Do you know if any of the top universities offer courses in my desired subjects?  Also, what kind of fees would I face and would there be any way around these with scholarships etc?

Many thanks for your help.


Answer
Dear Laura,

If you would like to pursue study in the biolgical sciences, then it may be necessary for you to work in a lab as an employee before you are accepted into a graduate program.  Your GPA won't make you a first choice for graduate school, but if you can "get your foot in the door" by working in a lab and getting good contacts who can write you good letters of recommendation, that will be a huge help. Sometimes that's more important than good grades.

If possible, you can take biology courses at the same time at a local institution.  Getting good grades now that you have matured and know what you want will show a prospective employer that you are serious about this career path, and give you better chances to get the employment and/or grad school you want.

If you are interested in primate biology, there are various institutes for primate research that might need workers.  The green card problem I'll leave to a different expert.  But you might wish to contact Dr. Sian Evans at Monkey Jungle in Miami, FL.  She is wonderful (and she happens to be from the UK), and very involved in very interesting primate research.  She might have some ideas for you about what steps to take next in reaching your goals.

You can contact Dr. Evans via the Dumond Conservancy web site at:

http://www.dumondconservancy.org/dc2005/web/education.htm

and

http://www.dumondconservancy.org/dc2005/web/research.htm#training

Hope this helps!

Dana