Undergraduates
Field Guides is open to any undergraduate at the University of Minnesota interested in ecology-related fields* at any stage in their career.
Example interests: ecology, evolution, animal behavior environmental science, animal/plant/microbial biology, natural resources, wildlife biology, climate, and more!
Field Guides Undergrads on a trip to Cedar Creek
There are two main ways for undergraduates to get involved with Field Guides:
Join our mailing list for access to monthly seminars as well as a monthly newsletter containing opportunities and job openings.
Be paired with a graduate student mentor** to work 1:1 towards personal goals each semester. Mentor-mentee matches are chosen based on shared research interests, as well as any shared identities (BIPOC, LGBTQ, first-gen, etc...)
Mentors can help you....
Discover your place in academia
Find research opportunities on campus/UROPs
Apply to summer jobs/opportunities
Explore potential careers
Think about post-grad opportunities
Prepare for graduate school applications
UNDERGRAD SIGN UP: CLICK HERE
* Our mentors do not have experience with health-related sciences. If you are interested in pre-health and human-centric biology research, please check out the UMN Pre-Health Center.
** Please note that mentor-mentee pairings occur at the start of each semester. You are welcome to sign-up any time for access to our mailing list and seminars, but mentor opportunities will only occur during the mentor match periods in September and February of each academic year.
TESTAMONIALS:
“I started this semester feeling very unconfident about my ability to prepare for my future. Meeting with [my Field Guides mentor] throughout the semester has seriously helped me understand that I am capable of preparing for careers that interest me and feel much more confident in my own decisions, goals, and abilities.”
- Field Guides Undergraduate (Spring 2021)
"I was a transfer student coming in and it was incredibly hectic to balance transferring to a new school with dealing with covid craziness. [My Field Guides mentor] helped me get a foothold. Throughout the year they've been there to talk about what it's like to be a grad student, campus opportunities, personal experiences in their grad student studies, and so much more. Knowing that I'll be able to lean on [my Field Guides mentor] in my upcoming final year has cut down the anxiety of the grad school process significantly.”
- Field Guides Undergraduate (Fall-Spring 2021)
"My mentor gave helpful feedback on my writing which allowed me to become a better applicant for scholarships and internships. Additionally, they answered all of my questions in great detail and introduced me to the world of applying for graduate school and grants which I will have to do in the near future...Overall, I had an amazing mentor and I looked forward to meeting with them every few weeks!”
- Field Guides Undergraduate (Spring 2021)
Field Guides Undergrads on a tour of the labs in EEB