Wildlife Biology major?

I know I want to work with animals. My question is would it be more beneficial to get a BS in a more general, related subject and then go on to grad school for wildlife biology? Or just go straight into it?Wildlife Biology major?
I suggest you look online at catalogues for graduate schools that offer degrees in wildlife biology. Note what their requirements are for the degree and for admittance. If you don't meet those admission requirements, you are going to have to take them as a graduate student (if they accept you), adding more pressure on your academic life.





Look at schools that offer undergraduate wildlife biology degrees.... like Humboldt State University in California,


http://www.humboldt.edu/~wildlife/


and note what their degree involves. Does your ';general'; degree idea have all the required courses that Humboldt would make their majors take? I'm specifically looking at chemistry, physics, and math. What type of math courses do they expect? Any statistics courses? Can you do those types of courses in your ';general'; subject?





My own feeling is that you should specialize as soon as possible. Start to do undergraduate research leading to publishable results. Get into the laboratory of the wildlife biologist on the faculty. Join now professional organizations involved with wildlife biology. What you want to do is to start adding to your resume so your will be marketable when you finish your degrees.Wildlife Biology major?
DrJ always gives good advice but I have to disagree with him on this one. I would major in zoology and take your electives in wildlife biology. That way, if you change your mind part-way through, most of your coursework will still be applicable to your major. By the time you get to grad school, you should be certain of what you want to do.





There is an exception. When I went to Cornell, the Zoology Department was in the School of Arts and Sciences (very expensive). Vertebrate Zoology was in the Conservation Department of the Ag School (along with Wildlife Conservation and Fishery Biology). The Ag School was tuition-free for NY State residents. Guess which I chose.