Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 7/14/2009

Question
my name is Matthew Burns and i am soon to be graduate in spring 2010 with a bachelors in the school of arts and sciences in biology at Holy family University in Philadelphia. I'm hoping to continue my education with a masters or some other certified training program. my GPA is 2.7 and could possibly get it up to an 3.0. I'm 27 years old and my first go around at college in 2000 was disastrous because/ i did not know what i wanted to do and this is the cause of my low GPA. if you take into account what i have done once i have gotten into the biology department it is a fact that i have a GPA of 3.0 and above. What I'm asking is it possible to get into a masters program with a 2.8 to 3.0 GPA in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology. My interest are wildlife. my school mainly focuses on students who want to be doctors, dentists, etc... i want to work outdoors in the field i do not want to be stuck in a lab all day. Although it would not bother me to be in the lab as long as its for the good of the planet, and or human kind, or animal, plant, insect kind(hahha). I'm willing to go anywhere to achieve this. What are the best programs. I'm looking in Florida because it has such a huge array of wildlife population. People tell me its going to be hard to get what i want that i should just settle for a job right out of college like Pharmaceutical sales. They say I'm a good with people. I do not want to be a salesman unless its for something worth it. I do not need to be rich, i just want to do something with meaning and that i will love to do. i love helping animals, but being a veterinarian is impossible.

Answer
Dear Matthew,

The key to getting into graduate school is to score well on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and to have some research experience.  Now that you have your Bachelor's degree, it's time to start looking for work in a laboratory that is doing research of interest to you.

If you're interested in working in Florida, I'd suggest you contact the various universities (via their web sites) and check out the research labs at each of them (At the University of Miami, don't forget RSMAS, the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, which is a very well respected institution where many faculty do marine field work.)  Once you've found a faculty member whose research sounds interesting, write that person an email to see if there are any positions available, or perhaps research opportunities while you do post-baccalaureate work at that university.

Another option is to work for The Nature Conservancy, which employs many biologists at different levels of expertise. You can check their web site here for job opportunities:

http://www.nature.org/careers/

While you're doing research, don't forget to study for the GRE.  Doing well on that exam can make a huge difference to your opportunities for being accepted into graduate school, and can overshadow any early low GPA problems.  While you do research, you also will meet research scientists who can connect you with others doing work that interests you.  Knowing people who are willing to take you on as a graduate student because you've impressed them in person is also an important key to success.

I hope some of these ideas set you on the road you'll love to travel.  Good luck!

Dana