Happy Wednesday, Pre-vet friends! This one is close to home AND it’s something most applicants never think to pursue: Equine Assisted Services (EAS). If you love horses AND have a heart for serving people, Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources is calling your name! What is Agape? They’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Central Indiana whose mission is cultivating physical, emotional, and cognitive growth for individuals with special needs — through the healing power of horses. 🐎💛 What You’ll Actually Be Doing: Sidewalking during therapeutic riding lessons, leading horses in sessions, planning and leading summer camp rotations, prepping the barn and arena, caring for the herd through daily chores, supporting trainings and events, and attending team meetings. This is real, meaningful, hands-on animal and people work — all in one place. ✅ Who Qualifies: High school juniors/seniors AND college students are welcome! You don’t need horse experience, but you MUST be comfortable around horses. They’re looking for students with interest in animal science, teaching, social work, special needs, or nonprofit work. Self-starters with positive attitudes and coachable spirits will thrive here. 😊 📅 When Can You Go: Spring: January - April Summer: May - August Fall: September - December Exact dates are flexible and confirmed during onboarding. This means it can potentially work around your school schedule! 💡 What You’ll Walk Away With: Real equine handling skills, experience working with individuals with special needs, nonprofit operations knowledge, leadership development, AND those soft skills vet schools love to see — communication, teamwork, adaptability, and problem solving. This experience checks multiple application boxes at once. 📝 To Apply: Submit your resume + a brief inquiry form at agaperiding.org/internships 📍 24970 Mt. Pleasant Road, Cicero, IN 46034 💬 Dr. Nisana’s Take: Equine Assisted Services is a niche that most pre-vet students completely overlook and that is exactly why it STANDS OUT on your application. Vet schools want to see breadth of experience with animals. Therapeutic riding gives you large animal handling, behavioral observation, AND a compassionate service component that tells a powerful story in your personal statement. ​​​​​​​​​​

Calling all pre-vet students with a passion for wildlife and exotic species! 🦜🦥 This one is SPECIAL. RAREC (Rainforest Awareness, Rescue & Education Center) offers a hands-on Wildlife Conservation Internship in the heart of the Amazon — based out of Iquitos, Peru. If you’ve been dreaming of real field experience with exotic and wild animals, this could be your next step! What You’ll Actually Be Doing: Wildlife rescue & rehabilitation support, animal enrichment activities, species behavioral monitoring, camera trap setup & footage review, foraging for natural food sources, enclosure maintenance & improvement, AND environmental education with local children. This isn’t busy work — this is real conservation medicine in action. ✅ Who Qualifies: Students or professionals in Animal Sciences, Animal Care & Husbandry, Wildlife Conservation, or related fields — yes, that includes pre-vet! You must be 18+, have rabies and tetanus vaccinations, and carry valid medical insurance. Spanish knowledge is a bonus! 🇵🇪 📦 What’s Included: ✔️ Airport pickup/drop-off (Iquitos) ✔️ Shared A/C accommodations ✔️ All meals (special dietary needs accommodated — just confirm beforehand! 🌱) ✔️ Program transportation ✔️ Amazon River boat ride to see pink river dolphins 🐬 ✔️ Wi-Fi, laundry access & recreation area ✔️ Additional tours based on length of stay 📋 Program Details: Internships begin on Mondays with a minimum 2-week commitment. Each intern completes a personal project of their choosing — hello, CV builder! 🙌 International flights and visas are your responsibility. 📝 To Apply: Submit your CV + a motivational letter through RAREC’s website at rarec.org 💡My Take: This type of experience is GOLD on a veterinary school application. Hands-on exotic and wildlife exposure is something most pre-vet students struggle to find — and this puts you in the Amazon working with real rescued animals. If you can make the timing and budget work, this is absolutely worth exploring!