STANDOUT SUCCESS

UNH is a leader in preparing students for careers in human healthcare

Exceeding national averages is nothing new when it comes to UNH students’ rates of acceptance into professional human health programs. Between 2015 and 2022, 68 percent of UNH students who applied to medical school were accepted, almost 30 percentage points higher than the national average. For dental school applicants during that same period, 91 percent were accepted — 40 percentage points higher than the national average.

Melissa Mellor, UNH’s pre-professional health programs advisor, says that rates of acceptance to other professional health programs like physician assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy and optometry programs also exceed the national average by anywhere from 10 to 23 percentage points.

For students planning to apply to a professional health graduate program, preparation begins at UNH’s PreProfessional Health Programs Advising Office. The one-stop shop guides students as they explore different health professions, reviews required prerequisite courses and creates academic plans, helps select experiential opportunities that strengthen applications and aids the application process.

Mellor recently launched a mentoring program that pairs medical school applicants with UNH alumni who recently started medical school.

Students also benefit from the Pre-Professional Health Advisory Committee, which is made up of UNH faculty members and local area practitioners. The committee evaluates and interviews medical school and dental school applicants and provides a composite committee letter of recommendation for all the students who participate. Although composite letters are not required by medical and dental schools, Mellor says they are often preferred — and not commonly offered by other institutions.

The core of UNH students’ success begins with the curriculum that provides a solid foundation for pursuing medical school or dental school or any of the allied health professions. Undergraduate students can also apply for funding to conduct their own research though the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research and can work directly with individual faculty on their funded research, including major projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Added research opportunities are offered by campus research centers and institutes and through inquiry-based laboratory courses.

“These experiences produce resumes that set students apart from other applicants,” says Sherine Elsawa, associate professor of immunology and chair of the Pre-Professional Health Advisory Committee. “Students may also present their research findings at UNH’s Undergraduate Research Conference and at national meetings, which provides a networking opportunity to meet with peers and with scientists outside the UNH community.”

Beyond research, students also have access to a wide range of campus resources, including the opportunity to work for McGregor Memorial EMS, the ambulance squad located on campus; extracurricular activities including the Pre-Medical Society, the Pre-Dental Society and the UNH Chapter of Global Medical Brigades, an international health organization that works in Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua and Ghana; and access to clinical settings where they can get involved in patient care through shadowing programs, volunteering and internships.

“It is a point of pride that the acceptance rates for our students applying for professional health programs are so high,” says Kim Babbitt ’84, associate dean of academic affairs. “Our students work hard to excel inside and outside the classroom and our faculty and staff work equally hard at providing stellar academic courses, relevant experiential opportunities and constructive academic and career advising. It all comes together to make our students extremely competitive and ultimately successful.”

Melissa Mellor, pre-professional health programs advisor, talks with two of her advisees.

UNH has been nothing short of amazing in preparing me to take my next steps and keeping me on track to get me where I need to be. What excites me about going into healthcare are the opportunities there are to change someone's life for the better.

-- Makram Elkhach ’25, neuroscience and behavior major

The amount of support and opportunities that UNH gives its students will help in any field, but I experienced how much it helped on my journey to medical school . Melissa Mellor was a huge resource for me, and the support from my professors has been critical to my success.

-- Maison D’Amelio ’22, biomedical sciences: medical and veterinary sciences major