I have considered attending NAU as a biology major on a pre-med track. One thing I am skeptical about is their pre-med program. I have tried researching it, but I cannot find any of the answers I need. Is it any good? Do they have a high percentage of medical school acceptances? Are there plenty of research opportunities tied to the university? My parents really want me to attend but I’m concerned about not reaching my goal of attending medical school if I go there. Am I better off going to U of Arizona (I do not want to, but if I have to I will)? Lastly, would I be better off spending more money at a university like SLU to have greater chances and opportunities? Also- would applying to the honors college make any difference?
Attend their workshop.
https://in.nau.edu/gateway-student-success-center/events-and-workshops/
NAU–will you be attending on campus or via their online degree program?
If on campus, which campus?
Are you interested in becoming a rural healthcare provider as your career goal?
Medical schools do not accept on-line coursework and on-line degrees for admission.
NAU has very limited degree and coursework options except for the Flagstaff campus.
NAU appears to offer the necessary biology & chemistry pre-requisites for medical school, however the Flagstaff program appears to be largely focused on conservation biology and the amount and breadth of biology electives are very limited. Research opportunities are going to be limited.
NAU does not publish its success rate with med school applicants and NAU does not appear on any AAMC list as producing as significant number (50 or more) of med school applicants. (AAMC has a list of schools that produce at least 5 med school applicants per year, but access to the database is limited to medical school faculty. If you know anyone who works for a med school in an administrative or educational capacity, you might ask them to check for you.)
While in theory, you could attend any college in the US that offers the necessary pre-reqs, attending a smaller college will require more active involvement on your part to prepare yourself and to make a strong application than if you enrolled at a larger school. You will need a stronger MCAT score than a typical applicant from a larger school and a very strong intangibles (like a strong personal statement, interesting ECs, leadership roles in your activities, excellent LORs. etc) since your college won’t have the " academic reputation" of a more well known school.
Flagstaff is small town with limited opportunities to get involved with clinical volunteering and shadowing. (You might call Northern Arizona Healthcare in Flagstaff and ask about volunteering opportunities for college students. They may be happy to host student volunteers; or they may not accept them at all. I’ve heard of rural hospitals going both ways.)
If you are interesting in becoming a rural healthcare provider, Flagstaff will offer you plenty of opportunities to demonstrate your interest in this area by volunteering on the Navajo Reservation with IHS and working with low resource community clinics in the northern Arizona region. (D2 did a primary care rotation with the IHS in Chinle. They’re set up to host visiting students. There’s even a dorm.)
in the end this decision is really yours. UArizona provides a more well-trod pathway to medical school simply because the school is set up to advise and support its pre-med students all the way through the application process. As a larger, more research focused university, it will offer more opportunities for research and breadth of coursework. Tucson is a bigger city and has more clinical volunteering sites and opportunities. SLU will not provide a better preparation for med school or better opportunities than Arizona or ASU.
It would be at the Flagstaff campus. If I do get accepted to med school my main goal is to practice in an urban city, not rural. Thank you very much for answering all of my questions, it’s a massive help!
You will have a great chance to get into med school from NAU. The med schools don’t care about your undergrad major or “quality of the program” or whatever, they care about your GPA and that you’ve taken the right pre-reqs, and your MCAT. You can major in whatever you want, it doesn’t have to be “pre-med.”
I have considered attending NAU as a biology major on a pre-med track. One thing I am skeptical about is their pre-med program. I have tried researching it, but I cannot find any of the answers I need. Is it any good? Do they have a high percentage of medical school acceptances? Are there plenty of research opportunities tied to the university? My parents really want me to attend but I’m concerned about not reaching my goal of attending medical school if I go there. Am I better off going to U of Arizona (I do not want to, but if I have to I will)? Lastly, would I be better off spending more money at a university like SLU to have greater chances and opportunities? Also- would applying to the honors college make any difference?