4-H Animal Science Resource Blog

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Your 4-H Involvement is Already Helping You Prepare for an Animal Science Degree

March 19, 2019

university lab work

One of the many goals of your time as a 4-Her is learning life-skills to help you in college, the workforce, and beyond.

Did you know that your involvement with Animal Science through 4-H is giving you a head start on a degree in Animal Science? Here’s how:

“Contact Hours”: Many Animal Science degrees require students to document a set amount of hours volunteering with animals in order to graduate. This can take the form of volunteering at an animal shelter or with livestock on a farm. 4-H may already have connected you with sites where you can complete these hours.

Showmanship: Did you know that within the Rutgers SEBS Animal Science degree, there is a specialization in Production Animal Sciences? This helps students prepare to run a farm or enter agribusiness. One lesson students learn during this course of study is animal showmanship–mostly related to the sale of livestock. If you are learning this skill through 4-H, be sure to put this in college applications and show off your knowledge.

Cover Letters, Resumes, Interviews: College students are under pressure to write cover letters and create resumes when applying for jobs and internships. For most, this is the first time they are working to document all they have learned and accomplished, from paid work to volunteer activities to leadership positions held. If you complete 4-H record books in your project areas, you can draw from these to complete your first resume! 4-H record-keeping can become the key to creating and updating a professional resume.

If you have ever interviewed for National 4-H Congress, National 4-H Conference, Citizen Washington Focus, or another 4-H experience, you already have interviewing experience. 4-H Public Presentations have also offered you the chance to master (and overcome the fear of) speaking in public.

In these areas and more, 4-Hers are ahead of the curve! Remember that all the work you are doing now in your 4-H program is setting you up to be a greater leader for your future.

Laura Eppinger, Ocean County 4-H Program Associate, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Filed Under: Alpaca/Llama, Animal Project Areas, Dairy Cattle, Dog, Goat, Herpetology, Horse and Pony, Poultry, Rabbit/Cavy/Small Animal, Sheep, Swine Tagged With: 4H and college readiness, animal science career path, Animal Science degree

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A Project of New Jersey 4-H Youth Development

New Jersey 4-H provides educational outreach programming for youth in grades K-13 (one year out of high school) through 4-H clubs, special interest programs, school enrichment, afterschool programs, and overnight camping.

Regardless of the subject matter – whether it be science, healthy living or citizenship, 4-H uses a learn-by-doing approach to help youth learn responsibility, community awareness and character development.

New Jersey 4-H Youth Development is a department of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

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