do you think study abroad helped you?

[thaowey]

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hiii. so i'm about to apply for this internship/"study abroad" type of deal over in africa and i'm just wondering for those that have done something like that before, do you think it helped diversify you from others and improved your chances getting into vet school??

😀

 

[cwazy cat lady]

hiii. so i'm about to apply for this internship/"study abroad" type of deal over in africa and i'm just wondering for those that have done something like that before, do you think it helped diversify you from others and improved your chances getting into vet school??

😀

I cannot speak to getting accepted (I haven't applied yet), but living abroad is a very special formative experience that I have yet to see looked poorly upon. It's impossible to quantify or qualify any effect it can have on your development as a person.

I think the benefits can be very indirect. Imagine how your experience there might be life-changing. What is the trickle-down effect on everything else you do there on out?

I hope you do enjoy it if you decide to go. If I were in your shoes, I'd not hesitate. 🙂

 

[bunnity]

Didn't you post this same question a few hours ago?

 

[StillDreaming]

I'm sure it added a little bit of color to my application, but i obviously don't think that studying abroad is an automatic in (i really wish one of those existed lol)...

But it did help me A LOT! I learned a heck of a lot and got to do things that are hard to find the opportunity to do in the states (at least for me). I also included it in my personal statement, and one of the professors wrote my letter, so it was a large part of my application. There was a lot of hands on experience in out in the field, and I got to make great friends, and learn a new culture. It was amazing and I highly suggest it, both the program I participated in as well as many others, just go see the world!

 

[Pomona2006]

hiii. so i'm about to apply for this internship/"study abroad" type of deal over in africa and i'm just wondering for those that have done something like that before, do you think it helped diversify you from others and improved your chances getting into vet school??

I'm not convinced that studying abroad helped me get into vet school, but I think it definitely added something like StillDreaming said.

I definitely stressed the importance of international work in my application. I've been traveling throughout the US and internationally since I was quite young and my study abroad experiences added to that. I did a non-vet related 5 month cultural immersion program in Ecuador, so I became pretty fluent in Spanish (not so much now). Then in January 2009 I spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica and Nicaragua doing vet work with VIDA Volunteers.

The cultural awareness you can gain during study abroad is worth including on your app. In addition, being able to speak another language is always a nice bonus.

Vet school applications are, IMO, about standing out from the rest of the apps. Whatever makes you special or unique should be included in you app (as long as it's not innapropriate). I mean, if you love running marathons, by all means, put that in your app!

 

[elefante7]

I think it certainly helped me, but it was only one factor like everyone else said.

 

[link2swim06]

At the very least isn't study abroad fun and something you can reflect upon in essays?