My daughter is looking for a program this summer between high school and college - she will be an Animal Science/pre-Vet major and is looking for animal experience as well as an adventure. She is looking at the pre-Vet programs with Worldstrides, Global Leadership Adventures (GLA), and Broadreach programs in Costa Rica - leaning toward one of the first two. Has anyone been? Any recommendations? It is a lot of $ and a nice graduation present, but she wants to make sure she will get good animal experience and not just a vacation. Thanks.
I don’t know anything about those particular programs, but my daughter (college sophomore) did a program last summer through African Conservation Experience. We did a fair amount of due diligence ahead of time to make sure that the group is not taking advantage of animals in order to create an experience for paying customers. There are many shady companies out there, so be careful.
My daughter’s experience was incredible, she spent some time in a vet course, observing veterinary work on lions, and learning field medicine techniques (darting, etc). She then volunteered at a rehabilitation center. The rehab center was hard work, but extremely rewarding. She had morning and afternoon rounds caring for animals that would hopefully be returned to the wild.
The company has many experiences available - and students moved around South Africa based on their interests.
The experience was well managed, and they did an excellent job making sure students had proper transportation from airports and between experiences. It was a mix of ages: a few high school students, some UK-based vet students (who start right after high school), and US college and vet students.
I also do not know anything about those programs, but do have a daughter who is in the last year of her DVM. If all continues to go well, she will be called “Doctor” in May.
Do try to keep enough money in the bank to pay for a full 8 years of university, or at least pay for the first 4 and help some with the last 4. Getting a DVM is an expensive path and while being a DVM is a great career for some people who are strongly drawn to it, DVMs do not make enough money to easily pay off their university debt (if they take the cost of a DVM as debt).
Here is a sample of a program that my daughter did participate in, but through her undergraduate university. This is less exotic compared to going abroad. It was however a very good program where she did get to do things such as draw blood, give injections, pull a baby cow out of its mother (helping with the birth), and give pills to a cow. Apparently cows can’t swallow pills so you instead put the pill inside the cow. After she took this program but before applying to DVM programs I told her that I was impressed that she had reached inside a cow three different ways. She gave me a very funny look, paused, and then asked: “Dad, which way don’t you know about”.
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I suggest she look at the APVMA website on Facebook or on SDN and she may find people who have gone on these or other suggestions.
I don’t know of those specific programs. My son graduated with his DVM this year and is in the middle of his rotating internship. Next year he starts his specialty training. Saving as much money as possible is crucial and having lower debt gives her more options in case she decides to specialize.
Vet school is hard, enjoy undergrad but get good grades. It helped my son to be president of his fraternity and have a life in addition to getting top grades. He did mini session travel abroad with his animal science professor and another one with his vet school. Between high school and his freshman year he visited a friend in England and explored and worked for a traveling equine vet.
Good luck!
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