Sabah Sabir graduated from UNH with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences: medical and veterinary sciences. In her senior year, Sabah began earning credits toward her master’s degree in molecular and cellular biotechnology in UNH’s accelerated master’s program, which gives students the opportunity to earn both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years.
Sabah was on a pre-med track at UNH and is now enrolled in the University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine.
COLSA: What was the name of your master's degree program and what did you love about the program?
Sabah Sabir: Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology. What I loved was that the program allowed me to tailor classes to my interests. I chose classes that had clinical relevance that I knew I could use in my future career in medicine. It has been very helpful that I have been able to connect material that I am now learning in medical school to what I had learned through my courses in MCBT.
Also, it gave me a lot of opportunity to work on hands on skills through various labs and expand on the research that I was doing during my undergraduate career. Being able to hone my lab skills and further my research was a huge bonus to the program. The skills I learned helped me find a job in my gap year as a research assistant at Boston Children's, build my research repertoire and be a more competitive applicant for medical school.
COLSA: Why did you choose UNH?
Sabah: I chose UNH because of the wealth of opportunities it had to offer. Within biomedical sciences alone, there are an array of paths available. I knew I wanted to go into medicine and wanted a major that incorporated multiple areas of science, which is exactly what UNH offered through the BMS major. I liked the fact that the curriculum was very hands on through lab experiences.
As an R1 research university, UNH allowed me to be involved in research early on in my undergraduate career. Because of the wealth of opportunity, I was able to find research in topics I was particularly interested in. Because I found research I was passionate about, I then found a master's program that allowed me to continue with the same research projects and helped make me a strong applicant for medical school. This allowed me to not only further my skills in that field but also be able to speak on them.
Outside of that, the campus is beautiful and was the perfect distance from home!
COLSA: How would you describe the in-person learning experience and its impact on the quality of your education?
Sabah: The in-person learning experience allowed me to hone my hands-on skills. It allowed me to apply what I was learning in the classroom to real life problems. It also allowed me to collaborate with others and come up with and revise experimental designs together.
COLSA: How have the teaching, training, and one-on-one mentoring by faculty benefited you?
Sabah: The faculty at UNH were immensely beneficial to my success both within and outside of the classroom. Whether it was through ensuring I had the concepts down in the classroom or guiding me through experiments, their expertise was very helpful. Additionally, being able to connect with faculty allowed me to grow my network and career opportunities.
COLSA: How has your experience been customized based on your career goals?
Sabah: I was able to take clinically relevant upper-level coursework like molecular genetics, infectious disease, and nutritional biochemistry. The concepts I learned from this class have continuously come up both while I was working in the hospital research setting and as I'm now furthering my studies in medical school. Starting off with a strong foundation has been incredibly helpful.
COLSA: Which school and program are you currently attending?
Sabah: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
COLSA: How did UNH prepare you to achieve your goals?
Sabah: UNH truly provided me with the tools and skills I needed to be successful. The BMS major is set up to include all the coursework that medical schools require and is tested on the MCAT.
Courses like INCO and the pre-professional health advising office helped me make sure I was on track to be a successful applicant. There are so many resources available from the career and success office to the writing center to help students during the application process. I made connections with faculty and stuff that helped open other opportunities for me such as research, shadowing and networking with physicians in the area. UNH helped me feel prepared from both an academic and professional standpoint.
COLSA: Is there anything you think a prospective students interested in a professional health graduate program should know about UNH?
Sabah: UNH has so many opportunities available for students that will really help them stand out as applicants. I would highly recommend getting involved in research at UNH and making connections with faculty that will be able to support you throughout your medical journey. Dr. Don Wojchowski was an amazing support to have throughout both my undergraduate and graduate careers.
