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Sydney
Student
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Asked
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What are the most important things that I can do to get on track to becoming a Zoologist?
Hello! I am in high school and looking to maybe start a career in Zoology. Are there any things I can do to help me get on a sound track for college? In addition, what are some study tips you have for studying zoology (I know there is a lot of information)? Thanks!
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2 answers
Michael Holzhauser-Alberti
Veterinarian
31
Answers
Urbana, Illinois
Updated
Michael’s Answer
https://unity.edu/careers/zoologist/
https://www.yourfreecareertest.com/zoologist/
Thanks for your question, Sydney. Let me take a stab at answering it. Please keep in mind I'm a veterinarian, not a zoologist. I have met two important zoologist-type people in my college and graduate school days. One was an evolutionary biologist and the other a biologist with specialization in anatomy. The latter was Dr. Howard Evans who contributed to a classic veterinary anatomy book. He is quite old, but still active in so far that he is invited to alumni events to share his thoughts on his extensive specimen collection, always making for great stories. I think there are 3 things that I think would help give structure to the curiosity that must fuel your interest in zoology: Taxonomy, Evolution, and Conservation.
Taxonomy is a means to provide order in the animal world. It relies on Latin and Greek roots so I would make sure that you have some training in languages and feel comfortable working with that. Categorizing is an integral scientific skill and taxonomy is a way to agree on what the names of animals are. Having an agreed upon language is also useful in communicating and collaborating with people in your field that may be in countries other than the U.S.A.
Evolution is one of the two major parts of modern biology, the other being genetics. Phylogenic trees, which allow showing the relationship between animal cousins based upon their traits. Such relationships are not easy to establish and require gathering multiple traits about and from the animals and entering these numbers into calculations. Biologists establish the relationships so that organisms are correctly identified. That work is the basis for verifying and updating taxonomy. So, in addition to language, math is something you to need to study attentively.
Conservation of wild life is a challenge in a more rapidly changing global and local environment. Whether you believe strongly about this or not is one thing I will leave up to you to decide; that being said, you need to realize that others in the profession or those others that zoologists will interact with will have strong opinions one way or another on this issue. So it behooves you to read up on the social issues that impact funding of universities and private organizations involved in zoology-type activities. Nature magazine, a UK-based scientific journal, is a great subscription to maybe ask someone to gift you.
https://www.yourfreecareertest.com/zoologist/
Thanks for your question, Sydney. Let me take a stab at answering it. Please keep in mind I'm a veterinarian, not a zoologist. I have met two important zoologist-type people in my college and graduate school days. One was an evolutionary biologist and the other a biologist with specialization in anatomy. The latter was Dr. Howard Evans who contributed to a classic veterinary anatomy book. He is quite old, but still active in so far that he is invited to alumni events to share his thoughts on his extensive specimen collection, always making for great stories. I think there are 3 things that I think would help give structure to the curiosity that must fuel your interest in zoology: Taxonomy, Evolution, and Conservation.
Taxonomy is a means to provide order in the animal world. It relies on Latin and Greek roots so I would make sure that you have some training in languages and feel comfortable working with that. Categorizing is an integral scientific skill and taxonomy is a way to agree on what the names of animals are. Having an agreed upon language is also useful in communicating and collaborating with people in your field that may be in countries other than the U.S.A.
Evolution is one of the two major parts of modern biology, the other being genetics. Phylogenic trees, which allow showing the relationship between animal cousins based upon their traits. Such relationships are not easy to establish and require gathering multiple traits about and from the animals and entering these numbers into calculations. Biologists establish the relationships so that organisms are correctly identified. That work is the basis for verifying and updating taxonomy. So, in addition to language, math is something you to need to study attentively.
Conservation of wild life is a challenge in a more rapidly changing global and local environment. Whether you believe strongly about this or not is one thing I will leave up to you to decide; that being said, you need to realize that others in the profession or those others that zoologists will interact with will have strong opinions one way or another on this issue. So it behooves you to read up on the social issues that impact funding of universities and private organizations involved in zoology-type activities. Nature magazine, a UK-based scientific journal, is a great subscription to maybe ask someone to gift you.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to answer my question! This really opened my eyes to more options. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Sydney
Adriana Vega
2
Answers
Updated
Adriana’s Answer
Hi!! I would say creating a spreadsheet with your schools of interest would be a huge help. You can compre and contrast cost, courses offered and much more. Your major in college would also depend on how much schooling you’re looking to complete. If shooting for a doctorates degree (DVM, VMD, etc) Then focusing on the majors that will best prepare you for school are ideal. While a zoology major is great, it’s not the only option out there!
Thank you for taking time out of your day to answer my question! This really opened my eyes to more options. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Sydney