I love being a Zoology major. It has given so much meaning to my life. I just wrapped up this semester, and got A’s in all my classes: Intro to Tigers, Petting Cheetahs 101, and Swimming with Sharks–eh, not quite. Why the sarcasm? Because this is what people think I do when I say I’m a Zoology major. After asking what my major is, people usually ask “Have you got any experience with the animals yet?” or “Do you go to the Zoo a lot?” The answer to both of these questions is YES! but these experiences have nothing to do with my classes.
Zoology is a science major, which means I take classes similar to biology students (except my elective classes will focus more on organisms versus plants or cells). I had to take General Chemistry (gross), Organic Chemistry (eww), and Calculus (leave me, save yourself). These are what we call weed out classes. Anyone can claim they love animals, but for those who want to go the extra mile in hopes of working in conservation or animal husbandry, we accept the fate of higher education and are forced to tackle the challenge of taking heavy science courses. It’s not always fun, but it is the stepping stone to my dream.
As a Zoology major, I need to have an understanding of organisms and their environment, which is why I am required to take Ecology. Evolution is also required. Sometimes exotic animals make their way into my lectures. For example, in Evolution we talk about specific species, so we learned about Cheetahs going through genetic drift, alligators having temperature-dependent sex determination, and tigers having stripes because it helps them camouflage in high grassy areas where their prey is color blind.
These classes did not give me the opportunities to touch animals, and I did not go to the Zoo. However, I previously said the answer to those questions was yes. How? I am taking charge of my life and seek out internship and job opportunities to give me a hands-on learning experience. I went to the Zoo a lot this past year, but it was because I bought a season pass and prefer to spend my weekends there. The combination of my education (a strong science curriculum), plus real world experiences will hopefully help me get a job as a Zookeeper some day. But for right now, my nose is in a textbook, and my heart is at the Zoo.
Stephanie Endlish, May 16, 2016
Zooamore 