Creating An Application

Prospective students can access the course application forms on the "Apply Now" link above. Forms can be downloaded on to your computer and filled out electronically - then sent back to us as a single pdf file. Please name your saved application as: lastnamefirstinitialtree.pdf

Prospective students are considered for admission when we receive all of the following...

1) A completed application,

2) An official or unofficial transcript from last or current school attended,

3) At least one recommendation letter.

4) $25 application fee

APPLICATION SPECIFICS AND TIPS

The application itself is comprised of three consecutive sub-parts (see below).

Part 1: Basic information

Part 2: Medical information and release

Part 3: Liability release

Part 1 of your application contains questions about the student. Part 2 is a medical release form which must be signed by a physician. We know that there are limitations on what your physician can tell us regarding your health status or needs. If your physician signs off on the medical form we will not deny you admission based on any information found there. However, please consider providing us with specific information that may be important to health care personnel abroad - in case of an emergency. For example, if you have allergies to drugs, food, animals or plants, if you are on prescription medication, or have a condition which might require immediate responding. Part 3 is a liability form which needs signing.

In addition, you will need to include a copy of your transcript and have at least two recommendation letters sent to Tree Field Studies. Details are as follows...

TRANSCRIPT

Please attach an unofficial or official transcript to the end of the application OR send one as as separate electronic attachment along with your application. If you do the latter, please put TREE, your name and transcript in the subject line.

RECOMMENDATION FORM

We require at least one reference for each application we receive. Send a copy of the recommendation form to your references and have them send the completed form back to us via email (addresses are below).

UNM STUDENTS

You must register with the Global Education Office (GEO) once you are accepted to the program. Please do so at http://studyabroad.unm.edu/. In addition, we would like you to get a Certificate of Health from the UNM Health Center in lieu of having your physician complete the medical form. This enables UNM to help you and us, should you need medical attention while abroad.

Please send your application materials as attachments in an email. Please put TREE Field Studies Application on the subject line and send to:

Dr. Lorna Joachim: lfjoachim@comcast.net

COURSE CREDITS

Course credits from UNM are possible but not required for attendance. Students do not need to be full or part-time time UNM students to get course credit. To get credit sign up for the course in Psychology. Non-UNM students will need to get a student id. # at UNM and then sign up as a non-degree student. This will give you a transcript which can be transferred to your own school. Alternatively, course credits from your own institution: can usually be arranged as independent study with our faculty supervising your work abroad. To do this, you will need to have a professor in your own department agree to sponsor your independent study and then have that person contact us to obtain a syllabus, etc. Alternatively, you can take our course, and arrange an independent study with your professor for the Fall or Spring semester, following your trip abroad. In this case, you could work with the data you collect and write a research paper for your own department to obtain credits. TREE is very flexible in this regard - we will work with your institution in which ever way we can in order for you to get the credits you deserve.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

All of our courses take place in the tropics; so the hiking conditions can be challenging. It can be hot, humid and rainy; making for sweaty, sometimes muddy conditions in the forest each day. Depending on the class requirements, students may be required to spend at least 4 hours per day in the field. So, each student must be in good physical condition to complete all of the course requirements. For some classes, like the ornithology course, students must be able to handle high altitude (> 10,000 ft. above sea level). For other courses, like herpetology, students will need to go into the forest at night. While it is cooler in the forest at night, it is very dark and loud with the sounds of moving animals.

Of course, our principle concern would be for individuals with chronic medical conditions that are exacerbated by physical or mental stress. In addition, please understand that anything that can get infected in the tropics will get infected in the tropics. Therefore, we do not recommend our courses to anyone who is immunocompromised or is susceptible to infection. Most of our field locations have electricity and access to refrigeration, so medications can be stored in a cold place. We have some control over what students are served at meal times, so, would like to know about allergies you might have - particularly those involving food. Severe insect allergies are best handled by the student - with the appropriate medications. Keep in mind that we can have The Red Cross at most of our locations within 1/2 an hour; and at El Zota we have a helipad for emergency evacuation to the hospital.

Every student should be aware that they will be staying in areas that have a lot of insects, mammals, birds, amphibians, and caustic plants. Therefore phobias relating to members of these groups can be problematic. Chances are students will see spiders, snakes, bees, dogs, etc. near them. Impulses to flee in response can be dangerous for students; as trails can be steep or muddy. We recommend that individuals with phobias reconsider applying to any of our courses. And, while we will not deny a person entrance based on something like this – we want all students to consider how they might react to any stimulus that causes them to react with high levels of anxiety before applying.

Students need to keep in mind that they will likely be sharing rooms with up to 4 other students. Accommodations in most of our sites are rustic. Most of the time students have an entire bunk (top and bottom) to themselves; but will share bathrooms. All bathrooms and toilet areas are private, complete with a door and each serves one person at a time. In some courses students travel to remote locations where accommodations are considerably more rustic - they might even require a tent. In such cases we will make this clear to you in the course materials. Regardless of location we know that for many students it has been a long time since they have had to share accommodations with unfamiliar people. We also know that this can be something of a trial; especially when it is hot and one is tired. While we ask every student to be on their best behavior because of these conditions; we cannot guarantee that some students may not become overburdened by a lack of privacy. Of course we will do what we can to rectify any situation like this, providing of course that we are alerted.

Apply Now!