Program Reviews

As a pre-veterinary student, it was difficult finding a study abroad program that coincided with both my future career and travel goals - I wanted to experience a completely new culture but also knew that I needed to gain more veterinary experience. I almost gave up hope in finding the perfect program, but then I heard about Loop Abroad. Their semester program was exactly what I had been looking for, so I applied, and half a year later I was sitting on a plane en route to Thailand.
Over the course of 14 weeks, I learned about many aspects of veterinary medicine, conservation, and Thai culture. We spent time at a dog shelter, where we helped with surgeries and learned about a variety of essential veterinary skills (i.e. blood draws, physical exams, anesthesia, catheter insertions, 4Dx snap tests, etc.), and visited and worked at elephant sanctuaries where we learned about the fundamentals of elephant medicine and got lots of valuable hands-on experiences with exotics during our travels across the country. These are just some of the many areas of animal health and veterinary work that we touched upon.
The program takes you all over Thailand, where you get to experience the unique cultural aspects of the country as well as the various challenges that come with veterinary medicine. It was amazing being able to work with both Thai and American veterinarians, and I learned so many life lessons that shaped me into a more confident and independent individual. I hardly had any veterinary experience before embarking on the Veterinary Semester Abroad trip, but coming out of it I gained so much experience and appreciation for the field. I would do it again if I could, and I highly recommend this experience for anyone interested in pursuing the veterinary field.

I strongly believe if you are considering the veterinary field, you should expand your experience globally just because animals are everywhere in the world. What is a better way than to do a semester abroad with Loop Abroad?
Ever since I came back, I get asked a lot "how was it?" but I do not have a concrete answer for that. These are things that one must experience, and I encourage you to.
My experience was amazing, I met so many people that share the same ideas/ love for animals. I got to experience veterinary clinical settings for a great variety of animals. Those three months of experience went by really quick! We were busy all the time with hands-on activities or lectures.
One of my favorite courses was at the Chiang Mai Night Safari. We got to shadow Thai vets doing their daily routines in wildlife animals. Such a variety of animals reminded me why I went abroad in the first place.
I feel like I am a step closer to my ultimate goal of becoming a doctor of veterinary medicine. The program help me improving my technical skills as well as a better understanding of veterinary medicine.
Thailand stole my heart in the first few days I was there. Everyone is so welcoming and helped me feel like I was home. I really cannot wait to be back someday!

Please do not hesitate to contact me for specific questions or more feedback. I understand that this is a big decision and trust me, it is worth it!

This past summer I was able to travel to Thailand with loop abroad. I chose the wild tropics program because it had it all! We experienced Thai culture with an excellent local guide, learned about reforestation, explored temples, had an introduction to Buddhist meditation and ziplined through the jungle all just in the first week in Chiang Mai!

Our second week we flew down south to the island of Koh Tao which was my favourite part of the trip! In this week we learned about coral reef ecosystems from the incredible team at New Heaven reef conservation, scuba dove, snorkelled helped the New heaven team rebuild mooring lines and even got to see a few turtles and sharks!

These 2 weeks were jam packed with crazy experiences and opportunities, I met some amazing people, got to eat tons of delicious food and experience Thailand on a more cultural/educational level!

My adivce would be to prepare for a busy 2 weeks, try something new and maybe a bit crazy (I ate a cricket!) and make the most of Thailand, the stories and friends you make on this trip will stay with you forever!

Hey!

My name is Kaitlin and when I applied for the semester abroad program was in my Junior year of my undergrad applying for the semester abroad of my spring semester senior year. I had known Loop Abroad in the past for two other programs and am well versed in their application process, Thailand programs, and in country policies.

First off, if you are looking for a program to gain veterinary experience, this is for sure for you! You will become proficient and confident in your ability to complete blood draws, IV catheter placements, canine intubation, surgical anaesthesia monitoring, pre operative physical exams, as well as general husbandry and care for canines and felines. As far as non companion animals go, you will get up close and personal with sea turtles, elephants, and zoo species. The education you receive on this trip is nothing short of amazing and something that I personally will never take for granted. it was an experience that I probably would not have gotten in the United States.

Even though this is a study abroad program, there are so many opportunities for adventure outside of your studies. You have weekends off when you are in Chiang Man, which is a large city with plenty of opportunities to do activities such as temple visits, orchid gardens, shopping, open markets, and karaoke bars just to name a few.

When you first arrive in Thailand; the first week is all about learning about Thailand and Thai culture. This covers all your bases such as ordering food in Thai restaurants, learning Thai food, basic vocabulary to buy items in markets, and how to order a red truck (taxi)! Thai people are so very nice and welcoming to expats that Chiang Mai will feel like a second home to you! So much so that when you leave to visit Koh Tao for the marine life course, or kanchanaburi for elephants world, that you will be homesick for Chiang Mai.

Overall this study abroad program changed who I am as a person, and who I am as a veterinary student. I can also say now, as a first year veterinary student at the Royal Veterinary College in London, that I do have a leg up on some students with the information that I gained from this program!

This summer, I took the trip of a lifetime with Loop Abroad. Not only did I work hands-on with animals of all different species (sharks, sea turtles, elephants, bats, fish, water buffalo, dogs, cats, etc) I got to experience the lovely culture of Thailand. While spending my time in Chaing Mai or Koh Tao, I was immersed in extremely valuable knowledge and life lessons. The experience opened myself up to a whole new world of possibilities. The wild tropics program through Loop Abroad also confirmed I want to go to graduate school for biology!

If you are looking to prepare yourself for veterinary school, Loop Abroad is the perfect program to do so. I am now a junior Pre-Veterinary major in college, and before this program I had almost no hands on veterinary experience; Loop changed that for me! During my 3 months abroad I made some great connections with the students and staff, while expanding my knowledge/skills with courses connected to veterinary medicine.
The experience overall was so wonderful, I often have a hard time telling people what my favorite part was. Each course gave me something new to love about veterinary medicine, and just working with animals in general. We did a spay/neuter clinic where I learned how to intubate, place catheters, observe an anesthesiologist, and give vaccinations/medications to the local dogs and cats. We also spent a few weeks on the island of Koh Tao where we learned all about the marine ecosystem, and the conservation efforts of the local dive school. Almost every day we went out with the dive school and assisted them in their research; this consisted of snorkeling around coral reefs observing the marine wildlife (how cool is that?!) One of my favorite parts was going to the elephant sanctuary for 2 weeks. Elephants are my favorite animal and it was a dream come true to get up close and personal with them. I was able to vaccinate an elephant, administer medications and observe other veterinarians care for the elephants.
From this program I gained over 300 veterinary, research and animal hours, while learning about the culture of Thailand and making many friends along the way. This experience confirmed my passion for veterinary medicine and supplied me with more confidence in my abilities/knowledge for when I apply for vet school. The money was well worth it and I would highly recommend this program to anybody that is remotely interested in animals. Thailand was a home away from home thanks to Loop Abroad.

The marine bonus week was an amazing way to end my time with loop abroad in Thailand. It was such a fun week on a beautiful island. All the staff and people at New Heaven Dive School were absolutely amazing and all of the activities we did were new experiences for me. I loved having the opportunity to learn more about marine life and learning how to scuba dive! Overall I would recommend this bonus week to everybody. Koh Tao is definitely not a place to miss while in Thailand!

I have been trying to write this review since the moment I got home from my amazing trip with Loop Abroad, I truly have not been able to explain how amazing my trip was until now. I started my first two weeks in Thailand on the Veterinary Service Trip and then was fortunate enough to extend my stay to enjoy the Adventure Bonus Week. The people were amazing, including the tour guides, the trip leaders, the locals, and the people I went on my trip with, and every single thing we did was an extremely humbling experience, as well as a TON of fun. I cannot say enough about how great traveling with Loop Abroad was, and I hope to return again, either on a trip to either Austrailia or Africa or as a trip leader to Thailand again!

I spent 3 weeks in Thailand this summer with Loop Abroad, and the third one was my Elephant Bonus Week. I thoroughly enjoyed everyday I spent in Thailand, and the Loop Abroad staff were always friendly, welcoming, and very helpful through any struggles. I really recommend this program because it allowed me to spend even more time at the amazing Elephant Nature Park, where I was able to get up close and personal with elephants on a daily basis as well as make a positive impact on all the dogs and cats that call ENP home as well. This experience is unlike anything I've ever done before and unlike anything I've seen advertised online, and I know that I am a better student and person because of this incredible opportunity. I now have a deeper appreciation of the good life that ENP provides its animal residents as well as a greater passion for animal advocacy, and that never would have become my reality had it not been for Loop Abroad. Being in a foreign country where you don't speak the first language and the culture is completely unfamiliar can be frightening to think about, but I promise that if you travel with Loop Abroad they will not only ensure your safety 100%, but they will ensure that you make the most of your time abroad and that you enjoy every minute, from unloading fruit trucks to eating exotic cuisine to spending quality time with phenomenal giants.

This week was full of the most unique and adventurous activities! We went zip lining through the trees on top of a mountain, we took a cooking class and learned how to cook a variety of Thai dishes, and we climbed a huge mountain! The adventures didn't stop there! We took a car trip to the white temple and went on a slow boat in the Golden Triangle. I've traveled to multiple countries before and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the culture and religion from some of the greatest tour guides Thailand has to offer! The Thai people that we passed along or travels were often very kind and of course smiling! I would definitely go back with Loop Abroad again and again their programs kept you feeling safe Ms secure while also exposing you to everything the country has to offer!