Go Global
International experiences for prehealth students
Alternative Breaks
Health professional schools expect that students will have community engagement prior to matriculation. While they expect community service to be done in the United States, participation in a global experience will both enhance your experience and your application.
Tandon Alternative Breaks
The Tandon Office of Undergraduate Academics is thrilled to announce an incredible opportunity for students passionate about healthcare, infrastructure, sustainability, and community development! We are excited to inform you that our 2025 Summer Alternative Break Trip will take place in Kenya, Nairobi! From August 9 to August 22, 2025, you'll have the chance to immerse yourself in the Lower Kabete region of Nairobi and engage in impactful service-learning projects.
During the two weeks, you'll be working on projects designed to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This is an opportunity to contribute to local infrastructure improvements and community well-being, all while gaining hands-on experience and making a meaningful impact.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PREHEALTH & NON-PREHEALTH STUDENTS:
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PREHEALTH STUDENTS: You'll have the opportunity to shadow doctors and assist in both Tigoni - Limuru Sub-county Hospital (Level 4) and Wema Health Centre in Nairobi, gaining valuable insight into healthcare delivery in underserved and rural community settings.
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NON-PREHEALTH STUDENTS: If you’re interested in Community Development, you’ll support efforts at Makimei Children’s Home in Gitaru, Nairobi, working on infrastructure projects like painting, plastering, and construction to improve living conditions for the children.
This immersive experience not only fosters professional growth but also cultivates a deeper understanding of global challenges and sustainable solutions.
Summer 2025 in Kenya!
IMPORTANT DETAILS:
Dates: August 9-22, 2025 (2 weeks)
Cost: ~$3,000 Estimated Total
~$1,500 for Flights (depending on departure location)
~$50 Visa Fee (depending on your passport's country of origin)
~$1,420 Program Fee (Non-refundable $249 deposit due January 2025 with the final balance due by May 2025)
Eligibility: Open to NYU students and alumni with a valid passport (must be valid at least six months beyond your planned return)
Application Deadline: Monday, October 28, 2024 by 5:00 PM EST
To apply, students must first fill out the Study Abroad Interest Form to access the application.
Please note: This trip is open to all NYU Tandon/Alumni and NYU Prehealth students. Due to limited capacity, applying does not guarantee a spot on the trip. Accepted students will receive a confirmation email in early November.
If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to reach out directly to Kat Arredondo (kva2013@nyu.edu)
Other International Community Engagement Opportunities
Study Away
On average, health professional schools do not accept prehealth prerequisite courses completed abroad. That being said, it is still possible for prehealth students to study abroad during their years at Tandon, especially because we offer U.S. prehealth coursework at different NYU sites. With good planning and flexibility, we encourage students to take advantage of the tailored opportunities we’ve coordinated specifically for prehealth students.
SUBMIT AN INTEREST FORM TODAY!
Prehealth Opportunities at NYU Abu Dhabi
Program Information
- When: Sophomore year
- Who: Tandon CBE, BMS, and Prehealth students
- Highlights:
- Exciting abroad opportunity for Tandon sophomores during sophomore year
- Stay on track with your degree as a CBE/BMS major or prehealth student (courses linked below)
- Campus feel with both study away students and degree seeking students around
- Important notes:
- There is a language requirement.
- Minimum enrollment of 12 credits at NYU Abu Dhabi
Courses
- NYUAD has many different courses that prehealth students can enroll in areas of biology, chemistry, math, psychology, and related.
MCAT Preparation and Prehealth Seminar: As part of a pre-health-focused spring semester abroad at NYU Abu Dhabi, students from NYU New York can apply to be part of a competitive pre-health cohort that receives professional MCAT preparation funded by NYUAD as well as an introduction to the healthcare system in Abu Dhabi, including visits to healthcare-related organizations. This experience is organized in the form of a 2-credit course. You can find the pre-health courses at NYU Abu Dhabi here.
Also, check out the Research, Arts Apprenticeships, and Internship Opportunities at NYUAD in order to get some on the ground training.
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYUAD provides you with access to courses ranging from engineering and the social sciences to the sciences, arts, and humanities, but the magic lies in what life beyond the classroom looks like. On campus, your average day can take you from a cutting-edge research laboratory or engineering design studio to an experimental black box theater or woodworking shop. In the city, your days can be spent at historic parts of the city like Hamdan Street, taking a stroll across fish markets and vegetable souqs, exploring the city’s emerging art scene—from grassroots art galleries to the Louvre Abu Dhabi— or drinking karak chai in a small, corner shop. In Abu Dhabi, nights are spent camping under the stars in the desert, and afternoons are spent kayaking in the Mangrove National Forest.
Prehealth Pathway to NYU London
Program Information
- When: Fall sophomore year
- Who: Tandon CBE, BMS, and Prehealth students
- Highlights:
- Exciting abroad opportunity for Tandon sophomores during fall sophomore year
- Stay on track with your degree as a CBE/BMS major or prehealth student (courses listed below)
- Metropolitan, bustling, diverse culture
- Field work and site visits are a regular part of many classes that take students out of the classroom and into the cosmopolitan center of London
- Important notes:
- There is no language requirement
- Minimum enrollment of 12 credits at NYU London
Tandon Prehealth students can complete a combination of the courses below totaling 12-18 credits while abroad in London during the fall term sophomore year.
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About NYU London
A bustling cultural and economic center of Europe, London’s art and culture scene is just as vibrant as its political and business one. At NYU London, course offerings in business, international relations, literature and theatre, psychology, and Africana studies are especially robust. What’s more, prehealth students can find all the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses they need to stay on track. Internships are also available for course credit through the academic internship program.
Prehealth Pathway to NYU Tel Aviv
Program Information
- When: Spring
- Who: Tandon CBE, BMS, and Prehealth students
- Highlights:
- Exciting abroad opportunity for Tandon sophomores during spring
- Stay on track with your degree as a CBE/BMS major or prehealth student (courses listed below)
- Metropolitan, beach side, foodie culture
- Unique opportunity to complete one course at Tel Aviv University (TAU) from the B.A. Liberal Arts Program (ex. psych elective) for more immersive experience
- Important notes:
- Language requirement can be fulfilled by Languages of Israel cultural linguistics class, Arabic, or Hebrew
- TAU runs on a different academic calendar than NYU, and enrollment into courses is completed after arrival at NYUTA
- Minimum enrollment of 12 credits at NYU Tel Aviv (regardless of TAU enrollment)
Pathways
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) 13-18 credits
- CHEM-UA 9226 Organic Chemistry 2 (5 credits)
- Required Language (4 credits)
- 1-2 of the listed electives (8 credits)
Note: CBE Students should plan to complete Calculus III over summer or in the fall and programming during fall, if not already completed
Biomolecular Science (BMS) 14-17 credits
- CHEM-UA 9226 Organic Chemistry 2 (5 credits)
- Required Language (4 credits)
- 1-2 of the listed electives (8 credits)
Prehealth (any major) 12-18 credits
- CHEM-UA 9226 Organic Chemistry 2 (5 credits)
- Required Language (4 credits)
- 1-3 of the listed electives (8 credits)
Recommended Electives
- MGMT-UB 9087 Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Israel (3 credits)
- NODEP-UA 9982 or INDIV-UG 9550 Experiential Learning Seminar (4 credits)
- BIOL-UA 9980 Biology Internship (Research Credit) (2-4 credits)
- CHEM-UA 9997 Advanced Independent Study and Research (2-4 credits)
- BIOL-UA 9022 Molecular & Cell Biology II (4 credits)
- Humanities/Social Sciences (4 credits)
- (ex.) UGPH-GU 9030 Epidemiology for Global Health
*Note: PHYS-UA 9012 General Physics II can be completed by any prehealth student that is not CBE/BMS as long as they complete Physics I at CAS prior. This can count as your physics requirement for prehealth.
About NYU Tel Aviv
A multidimensional Mediterranean city, Tel Aviv is the cultural, financial, and technological center of Israel. When you study abroad at NYU Tel Aviv, you will gain a sophisticated understanding of Israel and the Middle East. It is an ideal place to study not only politics and the Middle East but also emerging media and the sciences. Additionally, through the academic internship program, students have the opportunity to intern for course credit in many industries. The Biology and Chemistry research courses are great opportunities for sophomore level students to get involved in research early on. These experiences are positive additions to graduate/PhD program and health professional school applications.
Other Opportunities
FAQ
I heard that U.S. health professional schools won’t consider my application if I complete my prehealth prerequisites abroad?
Courses completed at NYU locations are offered by New York University. Since all the grades earned at these sites appear in line on your regular NYU transcript, they are acceptable to all health professional schools in this country. Study away through NYU is also explained on the cover page of each Tandon students’ committee letter. You can complete your prehealth requirements at sites such as NYU London, NYU Tel Aviv, NYU Shanghai, and NYU Abu Dhabi.
We strongly encourage students to make full use of NYU's global network to study in another country while studying at the undergraduate level. You could plan to spend either a summer, a semester, or a full year abroad. If you plan to spend a full year overseas, you must bear in mind that you will need to complete all your prehealth courses in a U.S. college in time for your health professional exam.
Can I just complete all of my clinical volunteering/shadowing hours abroad?
We strongly recommend that you complete 300 clinical hours in residence in the U.S. Aside from that, any additional hours you spend in clinical settings abroad will enhance your application further. It will also give you a wider perspective of what medicine looks like and how other places differ from that of the U.S. It can give you some exciting stories to talk about in your personal statement, short essays, or your interviews. For example, if you mention being interested in global health or global perspectives of medicine, you will have the experience to back up that statement.
What other abroad opportunities are there that can enhance my application?
Aside from the other opportunities above, you can think about getting a master’s degree abroad, participating in an internship or work experience, complete elective courses (no prehealth prerequisites) at another university over the summer or during a j-term, perform other community work, and spend time studying for your health professional exams. There are so many opportunities and experiences available that can benefit your application.