Applications are open for Summer 2024!
Koalas, kangaroos, echidnas, and wallabies at the “Walkabout”!
Enjoy a fun tourist day in Sydney, a day trip to a nearby beach town, aboriginal sites in the bush, and the world-renowned Taronga Zoo in Sydney Harbor. All the while you’ll be studying “Australian Wildlife Handling, Conservation, and Care” with your veterinarian program leader in the classroom and with the animals.
The program is open to high school students aged 14-18. Each group of up to 10 students will have its own veterinarian and its own Australian Volunteer Coordinator.
• Assist in treatment rounds with Australian wildlife
• Health check kangaroos and koalas
• Examine pythons and echidnas
• Handle and assess possums and bandicoots
• Walk an alpaca
• Create enrichments for everyone from dingos to cockatoos
• Perform veterinary labs such as marsupial necropsies
•Enjoy two days exploring Sydney
Summer 2024
July 19- Aug 3 , 2024
These dates include travel days on the group flight departing from LAX. The program will start in-country on a Sunday and end on a Saturday. If you are flying from outside the US, please contact [email protected].
Regular tuition is $4,350 for the two-week program, all-inclusive less airfare.
Interest-free payment plans are available. Your space is not held until your $1,000 deposit (credited toward tuition) is paid.
Tuition is all-inclusive less airfare. Tuition does not include medical insurance (the policy we suggest is under $25), a passport, a visa (required for US citizens – can be obtained online for approximately $15 USD), snacks, and souvenirs.
Airfare is not included. Group flights will be booked from Los Angeles, departing Saturday and returning Monday (subject to one-day change).
Airfare is estimated at $1600. You will have support staff at the Los Angeles airport for departure and at the Sydney airport on arrival but may not have a staff member on the plane with you.
Travel off the group itinerary must be approved by Loop Abroad and carries fees. Please contact admissio[email protected] before booking travel off the group itinerary.
Please note that the packing list requires particular clothing including canvas or cotton work pants, hiking boots, and certain colors of shirts, which would need to be purchased before travel. We will limit necessary items to only those required for safe animal interaction and for representing Walkabout in your role as an animal-handling staff with animal-enclosure access.
Loop Abroad will support you in pursuing college credit for this course through your school. We can assign you a final exam or paper if one is required in order for you to get credit.
Participants will earn approximately 50 veterinary hours, 20 animal experience hours, and 15 research hours. You will receive a certificate for 80 service hours upon program completion.
Students can calculate their own record of hours for their VMCAS or other applications but will earn at least this many hours.
Groups will have a maximum of 10 students each, with a total of 2 to 3 groups on the property at a time. Your group will have its own veterinarian and you may learn from other Loop veterinarians or Australian veterinarians as well.
Please note that high school groups may be combined with college students to best accommodate group size.
We will live at Walkabout for the duration of the program (except for the time in Sydney). Students will be in rooms of 2-6 students each separated by gender, with shared bathrooms. Breakfast and Lunch are self-serve and include options such as cereal, toast, salads, and sandwiches. Dinners are prepared in one option each day (with a vegetarian alternative) and may include pizza, vegetable stir fry with chicken (or tofu), hamburgers (or veggie burgers), and fries. Snacks and drinks are provided, but additional drinks and snacks (chips, chocolate, soda) are available for purchase. No alcohol is permitted at Walkabout’s facility. We can accommodate vegan, vegetarian, and other dietary restrictions, or food allergies.
For programs starting after August 20, 2023, COVID-19 vaccinations are recommended, but they will no longer be required.
All participants must follow the Loop Abroad COVID policies, which include testing negative 2 days before travel, reporting symptoms if they arise during the program, masking or testing if asked to by staff, and isolating if you test positive.
Walkabout Wildlife Park (“Walkabout”) is a one-of-a-kind conservation facility. For the last twelve years, this organization has pursued the goal of conservation through education.
The 80-acre property is home to over 200 captive animals who are protected and cared for by the Walkabout staff. Many are rescues that are unreleasable, while some are wildly occurring. In addition, Walkabout cares for and conserves 170 acres of natural habitat.
Walkabout is ZAA accredited (the Australian version of the AZA) and holds itself to very high standards of care. For some animals, including Tasmanian devils, Greater bilbies and Eastern quolls, it participates in breeding programs when the animals can be released to help repopulate areas that have recently been made safe for that species.
Who lives at Walkabout? Animals that live naturally in the bush of Australia’s Eastern Central Coast Hinterland, including:
Lots of free-ranging macropods such as kangaroos, wallaroos, wallabies, bettongs, and pademelons…
Possums and sugar gliders
Tasmanian devils and quolls
Bandicoots and potoroos
Echidnas
Wombats
Emus
Various species of parrots
Predatory birds including kookaburras and tawny frogmouths
Dingoes and flying foxes
Reptiles including pythons, dragons, skinks, and turtles
Some introduced farm species including alpacas, peacocks, and goats
This combination of native and exotic species, in a natural native environment, are cared for on a limited budget and with limited resources. We will be able to provide veterinary care, animal support, and necessary funding, while learning all about these animals in an up-close setting not available anywhere else in the world. Anatomy, handling, habitat, normal behavior, pathology, assessment, enrichment, and conservation of these mammals, birds, and reptiles will fill the program. Working in the Australian bush gives you a valuable opportunity to learn to work without a veterinary hospital and provide a high standard of care with limited equipment.
G’day mate! This is a sample itinerary and is subject to change. It is provided here to give you a feel for your program.
Arrive in Sydney with your group and head straight to Walkabout about two hours outside the city, traveling along the famous Australian coastline and through the tropical forest (or “bush” as they call it in Australia). You’ll be welcomed at Walkabout by not only the experienced staff but also the hundreds of animals who live there, from Kangaroos and wallabies to Tasmanian devils and wombats. Once we’re oriented and have our footing in the bush, we’ll get right to work!
This is a veterinary program with a busy schedule, and all courses and volunteer work are focused on learning about, enriching, supporting, and caring for the animals at Walkabout. The special focus of this program is on learning the proper handling, maintaining, and caring for wild animals in a zoo or sanctuary setting, with unique opportunities to observe, interact with, and learn about Australian mammals, reptiles, and birds – practice that can be hugely valuable in future studies or career opportunities.
The schedule will vary but a typical day schedule will look something like this:
This mix of coursework, veterinary labs, training and practice in animal handling and care, husbandry, enrichment projects, and time with your vets as a group is designed to give you a deep understanding of the animals at the park. This underlying coursework and training helps provide the necessary “koala”-fications so that you can safely be in enclosures with the animals, handle them, or provide their necessary care.
You will not be treating animals in a veterinary clinic. Our lab time will be spent learning from necropsies, blood smears, practice models, and other practice labs. You will be able to interact with most of the animals on the property, including learning to properly handle most of them, and have time to observe, care for, and create enrichments for them. Please note that a rabies vaccination is required in order to work with and touch the flying foxes– vaccinated students will likely have 2 opportunities to interact with and care for the flying foxes, for approximately 2 hours at a time.
All your animal work, service, and study will be supervised by a veterinarian and sometimes also an expert animal ranger. Your work will not focus on husbandry and maintenance, though there is some upkeep required daily, but will instead focus on animal welfare and care from a veterinary perspective.
It’s not all work! You’ll have a chance to explore the Aboriginal sites on the property, practice your hand at throwing a boomerang, and do some stargazing in the Southern sky to learn how stars are still used today in telling Aboriginal stories.
During the program, we’ll take a one-day break to the nearby town of Terrigal to enjoy a beautiful beach, do a little shopping and relaxing, and take in the 360-degree views from atop the skillion, where you can sometimes spot whales or dolphins.
On the final Thursday of our program, we will pack up and head to Sydney. In the morning, we’ll enjoy the famous Taronga Zoo on Sydney Harbor! Spend a day exploring zoo grounds, attend a 1.5 hour behind-the-scenes tour of the Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital and facilities followed by a Q&A with Taronga’s veterinary team to learn all about the care and treatment of the zoo’s animals.
You’ll take the ferry to the Zoo and be able to see famous sites such as the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.
Once we’re checked into our hostel in Central Sydney, you’ll have the chance to arrange your own adventure for Thursday evening and for all of Friday. (Please note that Thursday dinner, Friday meals, and Friday activities are not included in your tuition and are at your own expense. It’s easy to arrange day trips and tours from the travel desk at the hostel.) There is LOTS to do and see in Sydney for free or very cheap, including the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Rocks, Darling Harbour, and lots of famous beaches. You can self-cater very cheaply from the grocery store (walkable) or choose to try out Sydney’s famous restaurants throughout the day – it’s up to you!
On Saturday, we’ll head back to the airport as a group and get ready to say goodbye to the land down under.
A rabies vaccine is required in order to handle the flying foxes. (Students without a rabies vaccine may interact with all animals except flying foxes.)
Orientation will include a “snake and spider safety” class. However programs take place during Australian winter when snakes and spiders are not prevalent. We suggest that you speak with a travel doctor and follow his or her advice on what vaccines or preventatives are best for you.
Some books that might be interesting to students traveling to Australia who want to learn more about traveling and exploring in Australia, Australia culture, or Australian conservation. (None of these are required reading.)
You can purchase any of the books on our suggested reading lists at the links below.*
The Water Will Come, by Jeff Goodell. The Water Will Come is the definitive account of the coming water, why and how this will happen, and what it will all mean. As he travels across twelve countries and reports from the front lines, acclaimed journalist Jeff Goodell employs fact, science, and first-person, on-the-ground journalism to show vivid scenes from what already is becoming a water world.
In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson. Bill Bryson is a renowned author of books on travel who has lived both in the United States and Britain. Wanting to inform the international world about the often-ignored Australia, Bryson writes about his trips across the country, he names these sections: “The Outback,” “The Boomerang Coast,” and “On the Edges.” In his humorous style, Bryson informs the readers about Australia’s history, cultures, and sites.
The Road from Coorain, by Jill Ker Conway. The Road from Coorain is the autobiography of Jill Ker Conway as she grows up in Sydney during the mid to late 1900s. Although it focuses on her coming of age, the story describes Australian life and explains the country’s culture from the perspective of a young adult.
Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines, by W. Ramsay Smith. First published in 1932, this book describes Aborigine life and myths, including topics relating to hunting, witchcraft, and creation myths. Book Reads says, “With this colorful compilation of oral traditions, readers can savor tales as they were told by their aboriginal narrators—from reverent recountings of the origins of the world and human life, the stories about the roots of religious and social customs, to fanciful and humorous animal fables.”
Kangaroo Dundee, by Chris Barnes. Amazon says, “Brolga (aka Chris Barns) is the 6ft 7in strong but sensitive Aussie star of the extraordinary BBC series Kangaroo Dundee. Brolga lives in a simple tin shed in the outback where he raises orphaned baby kangaroos. It is a sad fact of life that kangaroo mothers are at the mercy of speeding cars in this part of the world – killed on the road, their young still tucked up in their pouches. These young joeys holding on to life, have been given a second chance thanks to the kindness and dedication of Brolga, who carefully retrieves them and nurses them back to health.
Brolga has been rescuing these special creatures for years, slowly and painstakingly creating a kangaroo sanctuary for the many kangaroos he has saved, reared and loved. He has dedicated his life to observing how kangaroo mums care for their babies and does everything he can to replicate this. The baby kangaroos, traumatised by losing their mother so early, are tucked up into pillow cases and kept warm and comforted next to Brolga at night. We see him getting up at 4am to bottle feed them, washing them in a little tub, taking them to the supermarket and generally mothering them with heart breaking tenderness.”
Where the Song Began: Australia’s Birds and How They Changed the World, by Tim Low. Tim Low, an Australian biologist, writes many pieces on the topics of conservation and nature. In 2015, this book was the first nature book to win the best General Non-Fiction prize in the Australian Book Industry Awards. Where the Song Began gives insight about Australia’s unusual birds and their complexity and power within the country’s ecosystems and life. It is focused on the scientific nature of birds, although, it is still readable and thought provoking.
* Links are affiliate links – thanks for supporting Loop Abroad!
There are lots of ways to help fund your online and travel programs with Loop Abroad, and we are here to help!
Scholarships are a terrific way to cover some or all of your tuition for a Loop Abroad program. When you look for scholarships for pre-vet programs, you need to look at all your options!
The Gilman Scholarship could fund $5000 of your tuition and the next deadline is March 9 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time!
The Gilman Scholarship was designed to help students of limited financial means have the opportunity to study abroad – online or in-person. Nearly a third of applicants are awarded the scholarship! This is a great opportunity to help cover your tuition.
Students can receive up to $5,000 for travel or virtual programs. The scholarship can be applied to any of our online programs, to our semester programs, or one of our 2-week programs.
Along with their application, students must submit two essays, the Statement of Purpose Essay, and the Community Impact Essay. Students must also upload their transcripts (unofficial or official). For more information on the application guidelines, please click here.
See the official website and read about Loop Abroad students who have received this scholarship. If you are a US citizen receiving a Pell Grant and currently enrolled in college or university, we encourage you to apply for this scholarship. The March 2023 Deadline application will open in mid-January 2023 for applicants whose in-person programs or internships start between May 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024. This cycle encompasses Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Academic Year 2023-2024, and Spring 2024 programs or internships. The application deadline is Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 11:59pm Pacific Time, and the advisor certification deadline is Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Loop Abroad has committed $10,000 in annual funding to program participants joining us from a military background. If you are active duty military or are a veteran, and are considering a career in veterinary medicine, we hope you’ll consider applying to join a Loop Abroad program.
Scholarships of $500 – $1,000 are available for in-person programs. Scholarships of $1,000 – $3,000 are available for select self-paced virtual programs, which can cover the full cost of a virtual program.
Please find more details here.
Loop Abroad is offering one FULL TUITION scholarship to cover one travel program (up to 2 weeks) of your choice. Applications for 2023 are now CLOSED. Applications for 2024 will re-open in January 2024. We’re proud to add this to the list of scholarships for pre-vet programs.
Who can apply: This scholarship is open to all students age 18 and over. You do not have to be a US Citizen. You do not have to be currently in school.
You do not have to complete an application to Loop Abroad in order to be selected for the scholarship. The scholarship winner must be able to complete the Loop Abroad enrollment paperwork, requiring a doctor’s signature, and must meet all safety requirements of program enrollment.
Note: if you have already applied to Loop Abroad and been accepted, you can still apply for this scholarship. If you have made any payments toward tuition and later receive the scholarship, your payments will be refunded.
Criteria for selecting the scholarship recipient:
We will consider financial need, commitment to conservation and/or animal science, academic performance, and ability to be a positive team member as factors in our decision. We are not looking for the applicant with the highest grades or the most animal hours. We are not looking for the applicant with the saddest story. We are looking for a student who embodies Loop Abroad’s values of teamwork, commitment to a cause, and hard work, and for a student who would not be able to otherwise afford Loop Abroad tuition (whether because of household income or recent change in circumstances).
Scholarship details:
This scholarship covers tuition to one Loop Abroad program with a duration of 1 to 2 weeks in the summer of 2023. It is not transferable to other individuals or future semesters. It does not include airfare, travel or medical insurance, passport, college credit fees (optional), visa (if required), or any optional incidentals during your program. Please understand that a full tuition scholarship does not make travel completely free: passport, airfare, and other expenses depend on the program location.
Once a scholarship winner is chosen, the winner will need to complete full application paperwork for Loop Abroad. The winner must then also complete the enrollment paperwork, which includes waiver forms and a medical form signed by a doctor indicating that you are able to safely participate in a travel program.
The scholarship winner agrees that Loop Abroad may publicize the awarding of the scholarship, including the recipient’s information such as name and current university. The scholarship winner will be subject to all regular rules of participating in a Loop Abroad program.
How to apply:
To apply, you must complete the following three steps:
Why is it called the Erica Ward Scholarship? Dr. Erica Ward is our Academic Director. We believe that she embodies the values we are seeking in our scholarship applicants: she is passionate, dedicated, hard-working, and driven to make the world a better place. Dr. Ward consistently strives to find ways that Loop Abroad can support projects in need and help its students and alumni have fulfilling academic opportunities. We have decided to name this scholarship after her to honor her continued commitment to her values and purpose. (PS – She isn’t dead. Please don’t write your essay about honoring her legacy. She is very much alive and still working here. If you are a finalist for the scholarship, she will read your essay.)
Details:
The scholarship will be credited toward tuition for the winning student toward the Loop Abroad program of their choice.
The scholarship is non-transferable. If the student cannot attend, the scholarship will be void – it is not a cash prize and cannot be paid as such. Applicants must be over the age of 18. Citizens and residents of any country may apply.
ALL PARTICIPANTS IN LOOP ABROAD TRAVEL PROGRAMS MUST BE VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19. All participants are subject to other COVID requirements, such as providing a negative COVID test taken within the 2 days prior to travel. If you are unable to meet these requirements, you may use your scholarship toward a Loop Abroad online program of your choice within the 2023 calendar year.
Loop Abroad reserves the right not to grant a travel scholarship for the 2023 year if there are no qualified applicants who have applied by the deadline.
The Gilman-McCain Scholarship is a congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and named after the late senator John S. McCain from Arizona.
This scholarship is open to US citizen undergraduate students who are child dependents of active duty service members and receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid. Students can receive awards of up to $5,000 for 2+ weeks of international travel or online programs. The scholarship can be applied to any of our online programs, semester programs, or 2-week travel programs.
The deadline for this scholarship is March 9, 2023.
The Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. This scholarship is open to both US citizens and permanent residents who are undergraduate students at a two-year or four-year college or university.
Recipients can receive up to $3,000 in awards for summer programs. This scholarship can be applied to our Thailand programs for 2+ weeks.
In order to apply, students must fill out an online application. Read the scholarship instructions here and the eligibility requirements here.
All student applications for Academic Year 2023-2024, including the following terms: Summer 2023, Fall 2023, Academic Year 2023-2024, Spring 2024, and Calendar Year 2024, are expected to open in February 2023.
The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) invests in promising students with financial needs who wish to study abroad. Potential applicants who meet our eligibility requirements may participate in any international education program that meets their academic objectives.
This scholarship is open to US citizens or permanent residents currently enrolled as an undergraduate at a college or university in the US. Scholarships range from $1,250 – $10,000.
Along with their application, students must submit a financial aid form (filled out by the financial aid office at their school), one recommendation letter, and a copy of their unofficial transcript.
Applications for Spring 2023 (programs from January- May) are due by September 15, 2022 at 12pm (noon) EST. Students may review the scholarship and application instructions here.
Scholarships of note that you can apply for through the Fund for Education Abroad include:
SeniorCare.com continues to bring more awareness to the key issues we face as an aging population. For the 8th consecutive year, we will be awarding an annual college scholarship to an individual that best demonstrates to us why “Aging Matters” to them. A $1500 scholarship will be given annually to a selected college student that currently cares for an aging loved one, works within the senior community, or intends to pursue a career that will have an impact on the elder population. Any existing student (or incoming freshman), in good academic standing, at a 2 or 4-year accredited college can apply for this scholarship. The recipient will demonstrate a unique and admirable understanding and desire to show us that “Aging Matters” to them.
All applicants can get more information and apply online here. Applications are due May 15, 2023.
FirstTrip.org offers scholarships for students who are studying abroad for the first time. At the time of writing, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Belize programs would be eligible for these $1,500 scholarships. Find out more and apply at FirstTrip.org. Applications are rolling and suggested to be submitted at least 3 months before your program. They also have funding available for passports ($130) as well as some other supplemental awards.
