Marine Biology Application Essay Sample

Chondrichthyes were my motivation to get involved and stick with Marine Biology no matter the challenges. Growing up I found comfort in sharks. Due to media and lack of understanding sharks were viewed only as malevolent killing machines. I thought this false, constraining label was unjust and unwarranted. Just as sharks had a constraining label I was stereotyped to be at best average when it came to academics. I had a minor learning disability that made reading and writing a major obstacle. After a few years of before and after school programs, summer tutoring, and very little progress the expectation of every being a great student was thrown away. I was extremely dissatisfied with this lowering of standards and lack of faith. Shark Week and
I have ample experience with handling end data to analyze and interpret to get results, but little in terms of creating and carrying out research projects. I know that the skills and knowledge to start and finish a research project are crucial in the field of marine biology. While there are a plentiful amount of researchers at URI and in the surrounding area, no program compares to the quality of experience that a REU gives when it comes to starting, executing, and completing an experiment. In addition, participating in this opportunity would provide an environment that is completely different from what I am conditioned to. This would improve my ability to adapt to different climates and terrain, which is a critical skill in any field. I need both these skills in order to continue to pursue my career as a marine biologist. In addition, I have chosen mentors that have research interests that are different fields of study from what I have done. I currently do not have a sufficient amount of experience in enough fields of study to confidently pick what to study as I move forward into graduate school and beyond. This program will provide that experience to start deciding what fields I want to further dive into. These are a few of the reasons why I have specifically chosen the University of North Florida, in addition to the
Jim Gelsleichter and Dr. Greg Ahearn. Dr. Jim Gelsleichter is my top choice for mentors for many reasons. To start, there are many sharks that I have monitored that have been in the area that he studies. This provides a very rare opportunity to compare research methods. I would be able to compare the conclusions we have made to why they are in northeast Florida using R with the reasons Dr. Gelsleichter has found using a more hands on and non computer generated approach. In addition, Dr. Gelsleichter connects 3 different research areas to explain population trends; population ecology, reproductive biology and ecotoxicology. Experience and knowledge in connecting different fields allows one to take every factor into consideration when testing a hypothesis. Looking at all factors will provide a more complete and possibly accurate answer. Being in a developmental biology class has provided me with basic knowledge of animal development and reproduction. I would be able to connect what I’ve learned from that lecture and use it in the fieldwork. Finally, Dr. Gelsleichter is a professor of biology and toxicology. He would be a great mentor when it comes to pursuing a position as a professor. He is one of my top choices for a graduate advisor if I am to be accepted to UNF in over a year from now because of his research and his involvement in so many successful thesis