Hello There, I am the annoying guy on the Net. I'm taking my GCSE (some sort of public test when ur going secondary school) :grad: subject options. I want to become a marine biologists but don't know what subjects I need. :?: So, can anyone help me?
Hope you moderaters won't get angry for going off topic but I don't know which is related to my topic.

Hello :D

(hope I don't misunderstand your question :?)
Marine biology is a wide area (I'm a marbio student myself) and the knowledge you need to bring with you depends on your later area of interest. If you want to do marine zoology or botany, the subjects I'd recommend are biology and chemistry.
In contrast, if you prefer to do oceanography stuff later, math, physics and geography may be a good choice ...

Not sure if that helps :|

Cheers,
TK

Welcome to Tonmo, and glad you found us!
Don't worry about going off topic...we do it quite a lot.
greg

Being a marine biology student also I agree with what TK said, It all depends on what you want to go into.

I would also add in some statistics papers! I didn't and boy do I regret it!

Cheers

J

Um...I think that I will go into something that involves jellyfush are octopus/squid. perhaps be the next Steve O'Shea. Haha :oshea:
So, cya! I love good comments! Thanks for all your help!

i thought very long and seriously about a career in it but decided to keep it as just a very involved hobby!!

in australia you need chem or physics biology is recomended (which means you will learn it in 4 weeks if you didnt over 2 years) maths b i usually required (not core but advanced that is for you us guys) and then whatever you want - marine biologist is very broad and a career path isnt necessarily referring to picking an animal but more picking a field -

oceanography
botany
environmental protection
propogation
water chemistry etc

look into it a bit futher - some people like steve oshea get lucky and get squids etc but i assure you they all work VERY hard and are very personally and financially involved to get where they are with lots of personal rewards but little financial help!!


good luck - not being a marine bio myself id be interested in some other peoples coments too!!!

(mostly reiterating others): marine biology; microbiology; zoology; oceanography; orgo (organic chem); ecology; maths; stats. do an internship if you can. avoid courses with names like 'Land Shark 101'. they will be from the drama dept and led by a professor named Akroyd..=)

gl.. a.f.

perhaps someone should tell me which subject would involve sea creatures.
Thanks!

P.S: I got my self a box jelly-fish. It arrived in a tub from Fed-ex. What should I do?

P.S: I got my self a box jelly-fish. It arrived in a tub from Fed-ex. What should I do?
a few links for you. a google search will get you many more. hth.. a.f. :)

http://www.dnr.state.sc.us/marine/pub/seascience/jellyfi.html
http://www.barrierreefaustralia.com/the-great-barrier-reef/jellyfish.htm
http://www.barrierreefaustralia.com/text-only/box-jelly-fish-text-only.htm
http://www.antphoto.com.au/antphoto/search?q=aki34220

Urm... a box jellyfish??

That doesn't really fall under the catagory of Cephalopods.... jellies are Cnidarians... worlds of difference between the two, actually. Here's a website: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cnidaria/cnidaria.html

Buuut... from what little i've heard, jellyfish are rather difficult to keep. I've seen them kept at Moody Gardens in Galveston. Perhaps you should find a contact there and email them for advice. Here's the website: http://www.moodygardens.com/aquarium-pyramid.html

Also, please share with us the details of your tank in which you will be keeping it (size, filtration, and such).

In the future, it's generally recommended to research an animal before you get it... so it will have the best chance possible of surviving.

come to think of it... how did you manage to aquire a box jellyfish, anyway??

Dont' get me wrong though... That is downright cool and i rather wish i could observe a box jellyfish, too.

i have to agree - you really should research very thoroughly before diving in as you say

but i also agree that that is extremely cool!!!

best ring around and organise its tank quickly!! good luck with that!!

as for subjects at school biology in aus allows a major piece (a speech) on any subject you like!!! chemistry will help with all the water stuff and all the technical stuff i am hopeless at but maybe you could pick that up later -

i wouldnt reccomend picking subjects on what you want to do now - pick ones that you will enjoy reguardless of what you do but do keep in mind university/college pre requisites if thewy have them

this is all great advice! my bachelors is in psychology and zoology! i then did a year of law (and hated it!) before a friend who was studying marine science suggested it! (should've thought of it myself), interestingly she's now a lawyer and i'm a marine biologist!!!!!! I've also done chem (organic & inorganic) anthropology, behavioural pharmacology, behaviourtal zoology etc etc... I guess what I'm saying is you don't need to decide immediately. choose some papers just cos they interest you!!!!!

j

First of all, I need to tell you that I did NOT order any jellyfish. And second, it seems like it was supposed to be for the local aquarium cause it just phoned me if I recived a jellyfish. Seems like my mail address got faxed to Fed-ex instead of the aqauriums....
Oh well, thanks, also they paid me 20 bucks for all my fish and my picture of a Humbolt or something, I still have that scar when the Huge Humboth bit me. Bit 0ver 1.2 m if you ask me. my last scuba trip was nice though we dived about 5 m water not very clear, saw a sting ray, a tiny octpus and a 5kg cuttle ( too bad i couldn't get pics as my dumb mate shot right through with a spear gun. Even The guys on the surface could seethe ink. That cuttle was really big, same size as a 1 year baby . European something according to the fish hawker down the road. He used study marine science but ended up selling fish. Oh yes, we still have some we were defrosting, care to have some cuttlefish steak? Mind you, we had that for 3 meals already.

don't understand the poll...of course, none of us would really think of you as being an idiot, and we depend on everyone here to relate the truth, so we can all learn, so I hope that it is all true...

wouldnt that be a pharaoh cuttlefish (found near hong kong i think) not a european - they look quite similar

duuno, might be another type of cuttle, can't see too clearly as water is a bit murky and the cuttles too far away. Thanks though

Thank you all for your help but another off topic Question, I like a girl called Tiffany and she's really hot, you think I should ask her out?

another off topic Question..you think I should ask her out?only if she has eight arms, a beak and can whistle dixie. :0)

"you know how to whistle, don't you? Just put your lips together and...blow."
Mae West

another off topic Question..you think I should ask her out?only if she has eight arms, a beak and can whistle dixie. :0)

No dumb dumb. A human girl. Maybe a picture of the girl. would help you remind yourself what a human is. The only thing I want to do to a octo is keep it as a pet
I just released some common octos into the sea in HK. Size of a um... dunno a teacup for the body for perhaps? Fish food or not, it still is saved from a grisly death of becoming food for people. Yeah! 5 octo, 5 sharks, and no less than 15 crabs saved!

Chrono war wrote:
"No dumb dumb. A human girl. Maybe a picture of the girl. would help you remind yourself what a human is. The only thing I want to do to a octo is keep it as a pet "

My advice is, no, do not ask the human girl out. You should play more dungeons and dragons .:D

another off topic Question..you think I should ask her out?only if she has eight arms, a beak and can whistle dixie. :0)
No dumb dumb.
jk b4 :P but, now you've unwittingly confirmed the accuracy of my advice. lol gl :)

:shock:

How to become a :grad: in 8 easy steps:
1) Stay away from television
2) Read articles in journals, not from the web (except TONMO, TOL and CEPHBASE of course)
3) Trust what you see with your own eyes - don't ever rely on what others tell you
4) Forget about ever having a social life
5) Push your mind until you think the brain will explode, and then push it some more!
6) ...forget about ever having a social life!!!
7) Start now ... don't wait for the coursework to cover something, regardless of topic; know what the course is all about and stay 3 steps ahead
... and 8 ... forget about ever having a social life!

:grad: :shock:
I'm um.. just 14....so, forgeting having a social life?! Hell, that's hard. You have nothing to do in HK. By the way, do Gaint Squid live in HK waters?
And I'm already 'The Loner' or 'Fish Lover' in school. Even the teachers are annoyed of me, so there. :bonk:

(The teacher):grad: :meso: ( Speciemen)
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: ( ALL students and stupids)
:sleeping: :lol: :bugout: :bonk: :shock: :shock: :spongebo: :oshea: (me!)
(Bottom: All thinking ' OMG, this guy is nuts!)
:shock: :shock: :shock:

Piggybacking on what Steve O said, I would also like to add...

MAKE SURE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOURSELF IF SCHOOL!!

I cannot stress this enough. Sure, college is hard, and apathetic students and dimwit, student-hating instructors can make life hell, but make sure you want to follow down that path. Yes, its stressful, but if you don't have any fun in what you are learning, or if the path to academia is not giving you any sense of fulfillment, then you should consider another way.

Also, I have to disagree with Steve - Avoid BAD television. I agree with Edward R. Murrow's famous quote about TV; "This instrument can teach." Sure, the U.S. airwaves are inundated with crap, but there are some redeeming shows. Just don't let it run your life.

Also, I would suggest at LEAST one course in philosophy, preferrably Logic. I would also recommend Ernst Mayr's The Growth of Biological Thought (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0674364465/qid=1105069706/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-9195260-0903832?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) as required reading.

Oh, and Dr. O'Shea hit the nail right on the head: JOURNALS! Read articles in established journals and learn to write them as well.

Oh, and as far as the 'hot' girl is concerned... Go for it. You only live once. I would say enjoy being 14 as long as you're there.

Sushi and Sake (for everyone except you, since you're under-age :razz: )

John

Darn, but I like Sake!

So, my mom is pushing me to learn French! And I hate the subject, so far I've chosen,
1) Drama
2) Geography
3) Chinese
4) Economics
5) English Literature (as in Ye Old Englishe)
5) Englsih Culture (As in "Oh bloody hell, it's time for tea")
6) Science
8) Maths
9) Don't remember
10) Directed Studies (Free studying period)

..... so far I've chosen,
1) Drama
2) Geography
3) Chinese
4) Economics
5) English Literature (as in Ye Old Englishe)
5) Englsih Culture (As in "Oh bloody hell, it's time for tea")
6) Science
8) Maths
9) Don't remember
10) Directed Studies (Free studying period)

Now why can't you do something like:
1) Marine invertebrate systematics
2) Biogeography
3) Terrestrial Ecology
4) Marine Ecology
5) Oceanography
6) Paleontology
7) Aquaculture
8) Conservation Ecology
9) Don't Remember
10) Directed Studies [double-dose of don't remember]

They just don't have curricula like they used to!

I would love that but they only have a broad range called "Science" :cry: A sad day to edcuation when they could've made the next Steve O'Shea :lol:

Don't let your mom push you into French courses unless you really want to study French - except for reading some menus, it won't help you. (Yes, I took French courses and used to be Officially Bilingual.)

Nancy

So, what if I took frnech to make my mom happy, she doesn't mind if I fail you know, I must admit, I'm a sucker for french foods.
What if I have either
1) French
2) Food Tech. ( Cooking )
3) Design tech ( crafting)
4) Textiles ( sewing) ( I hate this one)

Now why can't you do something like:
1) Marine invertebrate systematics
2) Biogeography
3) Terrestrial Ecology
4) Marine Ecology
5) Oceanography
6) Paleontology
7) Aquaculture
8) Conservation Ecology
9) Don't Remember
10) Directed Studies [double-dose of don't remember]

They just don't have curricula like they used to!

Uh, Steve.... he is just in high school... :razz:

And I STILL argue one course in philosophy, preferrably logic... :mrgreen:

So, what if I took frnech to make my mom happy, she doesn't mind if I fail you know, I must admit, I'm a sucker for french foods.

Knowledge of French doesn't make French food taste better. Chances are the waiter at that French restaurant isn't French and wouldn't understand your order if you were to pronounce the words correctly. French is a hard language to learn, so much more than English that i'd rather speak English than French. Others languages are cool but if you're not into it, you'll be wasting your time... and your teacher's :wink: I would know :lol:

TPOTH
--French in exile

Hey CW 01

Sewing isn't so silly!!! At least then you can sew your own nets! I had to teach a few of our guys how to do blanket stitch etc for making/repairing our nets!

As for french...........unless you really want to do it I'd forget it. It's nice to keep Mum happy but it's your life and your education and unltimately you need to do what will work for you! As for not minding if you fail.....perhaps not but it looks TERRIBLE on your resume!

J

I would also add in some statistics papers! I didn't and boy do I regret it!

Cheers

J

I did and I still regret it :lol:

Thanks for making me not learn French...I am very happy now! More info on Food. Tech. You spend 3 months writing reports, evaluation, timtables...etc. and then cook as meal, WTF!(Water Tank's Full) That is very silly as nobody will do that in real life. Same goes with sewing, you spend about 3 months preparing on graphs, tables, evautaion, testing frabic...etc. Then you sew a peice of cloth...That's dumb :roll:

Thanks for making me not learn French...I am very happy now! More info on Food. Tech. You spend 3 months writing reports, evaluation, timtables...etc. and then cook as meal, WTF!(Water Tank's Full) That is very silly as nobody will do that in real life. Same goes with sewing, you spend about 3 months preparing on graphs, tables, evautaion, testing frabic...etc. Then you sew a peice of cloth...That's dumb :roll:

:lol:

At least you get the choice :wink:
Mmmmm cooking or sewing...? :confused:

TPOTH

You could say that's a choice, but it sounds like do you want to be shot or do you want to be hanged? There are both evil little subjects guided by evil little teachers that are putting a stop on a certain nosense called joy, happiness. Let's all hope Bush won't declare war on my skool since there is a evil regime there oppresing freedom.... :lol:

my boyfriend took four years of french in high school... and another year or two in college...he still hates it and can't speak it.

Latin is so where it's at... i took a double dose of latin and german in high school. great for an aspiring biologist!

Why does Latin and German have to do with Bio and Squid?

A tremendous amount of excellent literature is published in German (I wish I culd read it); a fantastic amount in Russian; some great stuff in French (now mostly translated).

Latin ... an understanding of this dead language (and Greek) would do you very well indeed. These are the languages of nomenclature. Alas, I speak only New Zealand, Australian, American and British, and none of them very well.

FS, you're most lucky!

nomenclature HUH? what's that?! My over loaded brain cannot handle such big words.

I am going to be the next Donald Trump and I'm going to build an empire!!!! ( Too much Rich Dad Poor Dad books and a over large ego)

some great stuff in French (now mostly translated).
albeit badly... cuz usually translators are not scientists and vice versa

Latin ... an understanding of this dead language (and Greek) would do you very well indeed. These are the languages of nomenclature.
Agreed. Such understanding goes a long way toward remembering what's what.
Alas, I speak only New Zealand, Australian, American and British, and none of them very well.
Agreed.
:goofysca:
*runs for cover*

TPOTH

So, I'm doing a project on giant squids, any idea if my area has any since I can't find anything on thje web....Thanks.

Did my project and my teacher said that there are no such things a Messie and Archi, Shame.

do marine bioologists make alot of money if so how much

do marine bioologists make alot of money if so how much

Well, it is a sad fact that most MB's make less than 200,000.00 (u.s.) per year...it is enough to pay the bills, but barely...just ask Dr. O'Shea's wife !!!

that IS a bit less than what I expected.

.... and a 'little' more than I was expecting; I'd knock off about 7 zero's, and the '2'.

Well, it is a sad fact that most MB's make less than 200,000.00 (u.s.) per year...it is enough to pay the bills, but barely...just ask Dr. O'Shea's wife !!!

:shock: Please tell me that's not a starting wage.

If it is, I need to get into a new profession. With archaeology, it depends on if you are working for a Gov. agency, a consulting agency or an educational institution.

Working for the Governement is generaly the highest paying overall with about a 60-80k/year starting wage (at least it is up here in the North).
The educational institution is generaly the lowest paying as it all depends on funding..... Ahh the bane of science. :hmm:

I do not know where you have been seeing MB make that much, but let me know :smile: . Most people just out of college make around 20,00-35,000 a year, if they can find a job. And sad to say it but it does not go too much higher than that unless you are world famous. If you are looking to make money MB is the wrong job. The people that make the most are probably College Professors.

I have to go with MB Guy on this one. Chrono, if you think Marine Bio is going to be profitable, then you are in for a HUGE dissapointment. That being said, its still a noble pursuit, provided you are actually into science.

John

you accusing me of not 'into' marine science?! How dare you!

But being a rich MB is also good...

Don't let your mom push you into French courses unless you really want to study French - except for reading some menus, it won't help you. (Yes, I took French courses and used to be Officially Bilingual.)

Nancy

Well, there's something to be said for Guerin's 1908 publication "Contribution a l'Etude des Systemes Cutane, Musculaire et Nerveux de l'Appareil Tentaculaire des Cephalopodes"-- although mostly for that kind of thing, Bill Kier's (http://www.bio.unc.edu/faculty/kier/) work is more modern and accessible. But, in general, French isn't so useful as a "lingua franca" anymore. Lucky for me, English seems to be the most useful for most things I'm interested in...

Did my project and my teacher said that there are no such things a Messie and Archi, Shame.

That's awful! I really get upset when I hear about teachers denying things they just aren't familiar with as untrue.

Have you considered giving your teacher a copy of http://www.tonmo.com/science/public/giantsquidfacts.php
???

I'm still angry when I think back to occasions where a teacher criticized or downgraded me when I was right and s/he was wrong. In particular, I did a science project on seahorses, and described the fact that the female lays eggs in the male's pouch, so the male is the one who is "pregnant" and carries the young. This teacher must have had some weird psychological issues with this, because s/he refused to admit the possibility that this was how seahorses' biology really is, just because s/he'd never heard of it before... It still makes me mad, particularly since s/he graded my whole project very badly because of this. grrrrrr. I say s/he because the projects were graded by all the science teachers in the school, so I never found out which one it was who graded my project. As a kid, I didn't want to make waves, but in retrospect, if I could go back, I would make a stink.

Maybe I'm just still mad about my seahorse experience, but I think any teacher with that sort of attitude should be fed to a squid. (Feeding someone to a seahorse is not as much of a threat, somehow.)

nah, how she thinks of squid is werid, she gave me a -c and a note saying that although it 'sounded' scientific, you should not indulge in fiction and should research more before you submit your work. :mad:


I would love to put a lion's mane jellyfish on her head for a few hours, soak her in fish head chum and toss her overboard into some hungry Humbolts!

"Indulge in fiction?" What was your project like, Chrono? It could be that she didn't interpret the data correctly.

But it is still frustrating, isn't it?

"It's a travesty! It's a sham! It's a mockery! It's a traveshamockery!"
-Squidman-

I meant indulging in reading fiction and the project was supposed to be something that is not fiction, such as history, geopgraphy, Life of some famous git...you know, the boring stuff that teachers like.

Is your teacher honest, Chrono? I mean, Does she ever say she hates her job? My teachers are happier than I am when vacations come.

This educational apathy really disgusts me. I wish all teachers liked to teach.

my teacher hates us, hates all the class she teaches, hates her collegues, hates the school headmaster, hates the school and hates everthing in the world. My primary school was so much better..I eman the teachers actually know what they are talking and teaching about, do their research and actually enjoy teaching!...Sheesh..I would write a note to my teacher telling her to get life or take a hike....if I had the time.

:lol: That was one of the best insults I have ever read. That hateful comment was perfect! :grin:

Are the students just as bad? You said earlier they pick on you about your ambition to find messie. I am just as ambitious to film archie, but my classmates don't pay much attention to it.

Good luck in that "School" of yours. That teacher sounds like the devil himself. :evil:

As far as I can tell, the word 'school' DOES neet brackets.


In my 'school', messie belongs to same place with easter bunnies, santa claws and the Great Pumpkin.

To: Squidman.
Oh and how are YOU going to TONMOcon? Are you going with your parents?

My Dad and I are coming.

And my dad is an artist, so he can just talk to all the ceph painters while I harass Dr. SOS about archie!

I was wondering where you guys would be staying at?


And I'm coming all alone! :grin:

I really don't know yet, I'll give you info as soon as possible.

Thanks!

Now that school we're 3 days from the summer holidays and one more step closer to TONMOcon :grin: , all I have to say that is WHOOPEE! NO MORE SCHOOL! NO MORE DARN TEACHERS HASSELING ME ABOUT ILLIEGAL SUBSTANCES (no, not drugs and vino, I meant formalin)

Now I can really spend some time harassing TONMO, Colin and Steve O with Questions and Off-topics posts. :oops: (Did I say that?!)

Anyway, I'm still looking forward to the New School Term in September and all the new subjects I get to have, a one more step closer to being a MB :oshea: in search of The Giant Squid and Messie.
:mesonych:

Now that school we're 3 days from the summer holidays and one more step closer to TONMOcon :grin: , all I have to say that is WHOOPEE! NO MORE SCHOOL! NO MORE DARN TEACHERS HASSELING ME ABOUT ILLIEGAL SUBSTANCES (no, not drugs and vino, I meant formalin) :

I'm just as happy.

Now I can really spend some time harassing TONMO, Colin and Steve O with Questions and Off-topics posts. :oops: (Did I say that?!) :

You read my mind.

Anyway, I'm still looking forward to the New School Term in September and all the new subjects I get to have, a one more step closer to being a MB :oshea: in search of The Giant Squid and Messie.
:mesonych:

You can have messie. Archie's MINE...

ok...ever heard of a partnership?

Actually, I was thinking the same thing.

Great! Now you do the paperwork on Archi while I go find him/her and do all the fun stuff, is that ok?

:roll: That's the position I am stuck with right now, and I plan not to get stuck with that in the future.

p.s. Can I do the eulogy when you get eaten by messie?
:wink:

I may to that when I get eaten by Messie, but please start with "I hated him from the first day I met him." Okay?

Okay.

But seriously, folks...

:tomato:

is that you or is that me? :wink:

I think it's both.

But who's thrwoing it?

*smashs tomato with forehead*

Non-squid huggers.

oh, I knew that.

Now where is that Steve O?

Okay, now for some serious time (and threat revival)

I'm making choices for IB and I need help on deciding which subject I should be taking. I think I'm going to have to take some Science orientated subject and maybe even Geography. But exactly what I'm not sure. Could someone help? I've tried asking around by it seems that all of them lead to dead ends.

Okay, now for some serious time (and threat revival)

I'm making choices for IB and I need help on deciding which subject I should be taking. I think I'm going to have to take some Science orientated subject and maybe even Geography. But exactly what I'm not sure. Could someone help? I've tried asking around by it seems that all of them lead to dead ends.

What's IB?

http://www.ibo.org/

In short, like A levels (or whatever test one must take to go to University), but harder and somewhat more "up to par" with what most Unis want to know about the student.
Has a small emphasis on Community, Action and Service.

We've heard that it's hell - that's all we know, we're the first year to take this test.

We've heard that it's hell - that's all we know, we're the first year to take this test.

Remember that its all a game. Especially standardized tests. Here the tests are the SAT and the ACT to get into college and the GRE and other more specific tests to get into grad school. I know a lot of people here in the US who hate standardized tests and get really upset and complain that the tests aren't a good criterion for them to be judged. These people go in with a negative attitude and do poorly because of it. They don't get it.

The trick is to realize they don't expect you to already know everything that's on the test: they're not testing how much knowledge you have right now; they're testing how much you can learn for the test. To do well on the test you need to develop and execute a study strategy, which is coincidentally the same skill needed to succeed at a university or a fast-paced career.

If you view it as a challenge or a game then at some point it will stop being a chore and may even be enjoyable. Before taking the GREs, a roomate and I had about 450 flashcards of vocabulary words. There's no better feeling than when you realize you're over the "hump" and making progress towards the goal. Then when the test is done you'll be looking for other ways to challenge yourself.

Good luck,

Dan

All I could find about the test part on the web site was the schedule, so I only know the names of the test subjects. The ones that came to mind as good for a budding marine biologist were biology, chemistry, ecology (or environment or whatever it was called) and maybe "geography" insofar as it would cover geology, palaentology, oceanography, and planetary science (which, with a name like "geography," may be not at all; I don't think marine biologists need to know the capital of Estonia).

Some trade-offs that come to mind, many involving how long you have to prepare for the test you choose:

1) how well do you know each subject, so how well will you do without studying much?
2) how enthusiastic are you about each subject, since it's a lot easier to learn things you care about, and it might be more useful
3) which subjects would most impress the schools you want to apply to?

I don't really have much of an idea about your academic interests outside modern cephalopod biology in particular, which is a bit, er, more specialized than you can probably expect to encounter. I find that lot of these standardized tests emphasize very "mainstream" parts of the field, like the computer science AP and GRE exams I took had a few general things that everyone should know, but also a lot of historical trivia, outdated techniques, techniques-that-became-outdated, and other claptrap. In very broad, fast-moving fields like biology, this tends to be even worse, particularly since a lot of people study biology to get into medical school, which adds a very anthropocentric bias.

For some areas of higher learning, getting as much familiarity with mathematical reasoning and techniques helps a lot more often than one might expect, and opens doors to a lot of acadamia. Studying neurobiology or biochemistry, for example, have a good deal of calculus sometimes, and a lot of fields need sound knowledge of probability and statistics.

I really wish these standardized tests had a subject of "critical thinking and applying the scientific method," since that's really the foundation someone at the high school level needs to learn to put into practice in any specific field. I hope you're learning a lot of that from these conversations on TONMO, like the discussions of how to interpret fossil cephalopods, or Kat's questions about the spermatophores.

So, I have no idea how to answer your question, but I have a few maybe-useful ideas about how you should go about finding your answer.

I'm sure that whatever you choose will turn out well, in any case. In my experience, tests and the like are usually less important in the long run than actually caring about learning things, which you seem to have covered.

University wise, I'm still not sure, but I think I'm going to either Canada or Australia. But I'm currentlying looking into NZ..to drop by and say hi to Steve!

Current looking into Bio, Chemistry and Geography, probably taking Chinese. Which leaves another three options that I can take. (Have to take 6 in total, 3 lower and 3 higher.)

Currently also thinking about taking SAT tests in case I find a good Uni in America.

So, it alls boils down to three overseas choices, Uni of British Columbia (Canada), AUT (NZ). I was wondering if maybe Kat or Steve O can point me in which field I should be looking at or what's the minimum grades I need, since the AUT site doesn't seem to explain much.

For UBC, I'm looking into the Science field, which needs a minimum of a 3 in IB (Standard or Higher), and Chemistry and Physics. Which is basically it. Science field has things like Biochemistry, Biology, Geography, Oceangraphy and Earth & Ocean Seicnes -- is this the faculty I should be looking in?

Now where is that Steve O?
He's here dude; just pulling himself together after a revolting year!

You've certainly posted a bit on this thread, haven't you; I'll have to read through it to find out where you're at, rather than post redundant questions online.

Some huge things happening here next year! (And yes, that web site isn't the most helpful...)

So, it alls boils down to three overseas choices, Uni of British Columbia (Canada), AUT (NZ). I was wondering if maybe Kat or Steve O can point me in which field I should be looking at or what's the minimum grades I need, since the AUT site doesn't seem to explain much.

Don't know what happened there, but I just wrote a long response, hit a wrong button and lost it in entirety!:confused:

Before you make a final decision on the University you go to Eric you must take into consideration what extracurricular activities/opportunities and research facilities (particularly those for field research in the marine environment) any one university has to offer, and what opportunities exist for you to become involved in postgraduate and/or staff research activities.

I feel sorry for you in that you already have identified what it is that you want to do, something to do with the cephalopods/the marine environment, and reading between the lines, something that also includes conservation of those resources. Unfortunately undergraduate programmes that you will end up doing are quite generalised, with very limited opportunity for you to specialise in any given discipline (as part of the prescribed course content anyway); it is only when you get to the postgraduate level that you can truly specialise in the area that already interests you. Because of this you could easily get disillusioned with an undergraduate course programme, regardless of where you end up enrolling, and slip through the cracks.

There are huge developments here; my strategic plan involves considerable development of infrastructure and facilities to support both post- and undergraduate researchers in the discipline of environmental science within the next eight months (this is what I do for a job these days; that and chasing paper around desks). I'll not let on anything here; there's much to do yet and I do not want to mislead anyone; nevertheless, there are some very good things happening.

I'd look forward to you calling through, even if only en route elsewhere.

Thanks for the response, this whole university thing is hard. :???:


So which faculty should I be looking in at the AUT? Applied Science?

Ja

I just want to say thanks for starting this thread. It popped up about the same time I was looking for this very information.

Maybe I'll get my act together and bump into some of you people one of these days. I am 27 and have no college education, and only recently decided that I want to be involved with marine life on an educational/carreer level. Everyone around me thinks I'm obsessed. Which I guess maybe I am. Animals have always fascinated me, but I've never been so intrigued by anything in my life as I am with marine lifeforms. From the worms in the sandbed, to the hydroids that pop up on the glass while the tanks are still new, I am totally content just staring at my tanks for hours in awe of how diverse of an ecosystem there is.

To tell you the truth, I'm scared I don't have the brains for it anymore....haha.

To tell you the truth, I'm scared I don't have the brains for it anymore....haha.

Most people who go back to school later than when they were young (and wanting to party..) do much better. You will find it easier to study and understand the professors better than your younger cohorts. Don't let age stop you, 27 is not too old to start a career as a marine biologist, it's not like you will blow out your knee and have to retire early :grin: . Instead you may never retire because you like your career too much.

Most people who go back to school later than when they were young (and wanting to party..) do much better. You will find it easier to study and understand the professors better than your younger cohorts. Don't let age stop you, 27 is not too old to start a career as a marine biologist, it's not like you will blow out your knee and have to retire early :grin: . Instead you may never retire because you like your career too much.

Considering the experiences of most of my friends who went to college immediately after high school, I'm glad I didn't jump onto the whole "you gotta go to college NOW while you're young" bandwagon. It is pretty sad to me the way our society pressures young people into making decisions they just can't make without time and experience to figure out what would make them happy and successful in the long run. What a waste of money, time, effort...

I have spent the last 10 years of my life devoted solely to music, and unfortunately, their is little reward outside of the personal gratification of freedom within artistic creativity. It has become more work than anything else, and lately I've just become extremely burned out. 2 steps forward, and 10 steps back.

All of my friends who went to college either didn't complete school, couldn't figure out what they wanted to major in, or don't have jobs remotely related to their degrees once they have finished. I on the other hand in my procrastination, have found something I am fanatical about and can actually be made into a lifelong journey of interesting reallizations and experiences that will not only benefit me and my desire to know all I can about the ocean, but possibly also benefit the world around me. I think that's what keeps me interested in this, at least as far as the hobby aspect goes. I never stop learning new things about it, and the more I learn, the more eager I am to learn more. I really feel that it would be the most satisfying route for me to take with my life. Now it's just a matter of getting started in the right direction, which is where this thread comes in... :)

I have spent the last 10 years of my life devoted solely to music, and unfortunately, their is little reward outside of the personal gratification of freedom within artistic creativity. It has become more work than anything else, and lately I've just become extremely burned out. 2 steps forward, and 10 steps back.



Hmm... switching careers from musician to marine biologist - well, at least you will make more money as a marine biologist! (not that either career pays well) :grin: And hey, you can always be a musician, but if you have a steady paying job, you can just to the music for fun!

Yeah, I couldn't ever completely give up making music, it's something that comes naturally to me, but I'd be glad to completely drop the business end of it. I'm sure the change would inspire me.

OO...nice new icon. :banghead:


Speaking of banging head against the walls, I need to know what are the exact field I should be looking in order to get in.

I'm guessing it I'll need Maths, Chemistry and Physics (that's the UBC requirement) (Not sure about Bio), is there a minimum "score" I need for me to go in?? I'm not quite sure about all this.