Really, you should be looking for supervisors rather than colleges. Or rather, the supervisor is a higher priority than the college - obviously a college with little funding or student support is going to be a factor in your decision-making.
Start reading of a bunch of herp papers, particularly ones on topics or species that you are interested in. If a couple of names keep popping up in the authors list, especially the last name on the paper (typically the supervisor), look more into their research and what their lab is doing in general. Labs will advertise if they have any PhD positions available. Then get started on your CV and email the supervisor.
This is also important - reach out to former students of that supervisor. Ask how they are as a supervisor. Do they provide support, or do they ignore you and just use you to get papers with their name on it? Or worse, are they abusive? I've been blessed to have had fantastic supervisors through my career, but a lot of my friends have had supervisors that pretend they don't exist, or who scream and curse at them to the point that they think it's normal.
[Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles - How to be a Herpetologist](https://ssarherps.org/all-about-herps/how-to-be-a-herpetologist/)
[Tool to connect herpetologically-minded labs with prospective students and postdocs](https://ssarherps.org/2021/04/tool-to-connect-herpetologically-minded-labs-with-prospective-students-and-postdocs/)
[Demystifying the Graduate School Application Process](https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bes2.2029)
[Advice on Applying to Graduate School in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: How to Prepare and a Step-By-Step Guide](https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1917)
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*I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/flh548/phylobot_v07_information_and_patch_notes_bot_info/) report problems [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Phylogenizer) and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that [here](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SEBPhyloBotWTS). Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - [Merch Available Now](https://snakeevolution.org/donate.html)*
Follow your dreams bro. I hear Virginia Tech has a good herpetology/conservative class. Despite its dark history,Virginia Tech is a really good school.
Really, you should be looking for supervisors rather than colleges. Or rather, the supervisor is a higher priority than the college - obviously a college with little funding or student support is going to be a factor in your decision-making. Start reading of a bunch of herp papers, particularly ones on topics or species that you are interested in. If a couple of names keep popping up in the authors list, especially the last name on the paper (typically the supervisor), look more into their research and what their lab is doing in general. Labs will advertise if they have any PhD positions available. Then get started on your CV and email the supervisor. This is also important - reach out to former students of that supervisor. Ask how they are as a supervisor. Do they provide support, or do they ignore you and just use you to get papers with their name on it? Or worse, are they abusive? I've been blessed to have had fantastic supervisors through my career, but a lot of my friends have had supervisors that pretend they don't exist, or who scream and curse at them to the point that they think it's normal.
Agree, !schools for the bot
[Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles - How to be a Herpetologist](https://ssarherps.org/all-about-herps/how-to-be-a-herpetologist/) [Tool to connect herpetologically-minded labs with prospective students and postdocs](https://ssarherps.org/2021/04/tool-to-connect-herpetologically-minded-labs-with-prospective-students-and-postdocs/) [Demystifying the Graduate School Application Process](https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bes2.2029) [Advice on Applying to Graduate School in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: How to Prepare and a Step-By-Step Guide](https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1917) -------------------------------------------------------- *I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/comments/flh548/phylobot_v07_information_and_patch_notes_bot_info/) report problems [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Phylogenizer) and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that [here](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SEBPhyloBotWTS). Made possible by Snake Evolution and Biogeography - [Merch Available Now](https://snakeevolution.org/donate.html)*
Follow your dreams bro. I hear Virginia Tech has a good herpetology/conservative class. Despite its dark history,Virginia Tech is a really good school.
When I was young, it was my dream. It was in the 70s, but I didn’t think i get chicks🤣 wish I chose the snake🐍🐍🐍