Chances for these grad schools - environmental & conservation related programs

aa6877
Fri, 06 Sep 2013 02:50:50 +0000

Hi everyone!

I’m a senior at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and the time has finally come to start shortlisting and applying to graduate schools. I’m currently double majoring in Zoology and Biological Aspects of Conservation, and I’m also in the Honors in the Liberal Arts program. In terms of groups, I’m a member of the Undergraduate Zoological Society, which I’ve done some volunteer work with.

My current cumulative GPA is 3.615, which is lower than I want it to be of course, but I went through kind of a rough patch during the second semester of junior year…

I’ve taken the GRE once and I received 165 on Verbal, 157 on Quant, and a 5.0 on the Analytical Writing section. I’m pretty proud of these scores, but I’d like to improve on Quant so I’m set to take it again soon.

In terms of work experience, I’ve done two summer internships (one with SeaWeb and the other with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums) and am in my third semester of working with an environmental nonprofit near campus (The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin). For research experience, I did some mentored research during my sophomore year, so I only really have one semester’s worth of experience. However, all of these experiences combined have helped me network and I’m set to get great letters of recommendation.

I’ve shortlisted the following schools and programs (though I’m not sure I’ll apply to all of them in the end)



University of Wisconsin - Madison: M.S. in Conservation Biology & Sustainable Development
University of Maryland - College Park: M.S. in Sustainable Development & Conservation Biology.
University of Albany, SUNY: M.S. in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Policy
SUNY-ESF: M.S. in Conservation Biology
University of Connecticut: M.S. in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
University of Maine: M.S. in Wildlife Conservation
University of Massachusetts - Amherst: M.S. in Environmental Conservation
University of Minnesota: M.S. in Conservation Biology
University of New Hampshire: M.S. in Conservation Biology / M.S. in Environmental Conservation
University of Vermont: M.S. in Natural Resources



I picked these schools because of their particular program, because I like the feel of state schools, and because each of the states are reputed for their liberalness and LGBT-friendliness (which is as important to me as academics).

If any of you are familiar with any of the programs listed above - do you think I have a chance of getting in? Are there any big things I need to do to boost my r