Future doctors like Kyle Biscoglia get their start at UNI

Anna Flanders / Mar 13, 2026

If you want to be a doctor someday, your training begins at the undergraduate level. For Kyle Biscoglia, the University of Northern Iowa laid the foundation that helped him get into med school and began preparing him for a career as a doctor.

“My time at UNI really helped me create a sound base I have been able to build upon while I'm in medical school, and that base has allowed me to move through my rotations,” he said.

As an undergraduate student and student-athlete in wrestling, Biscoglia was quickly impressed with UNI’s academic environment.

‌ Kyle Biscoglia in the research lab

“One thing I really grew to appreciate while I was at UNI was the intimacy of the learning environment and getting to have a lot of really close connections with professors and classmates and getting to do research projects I don't think I would have had the opportunity to do if I went to a much larger school,” he said. “That wasn't something I necessarily thought of when I first came here, but something I found out along the way, and something that I think was really important for my development as a student and helpful for me getting into medical school.”

That intimate learning environment allowed Biscoglia to comfortably ask professors questions, ultimately aiding his learning process. It also allowed professors to truly get to know him. This set him up to have strong relationships he could tap into for letters of recommendation.

“I had a couple of professors who would come to my wrestling meets to watch me, and it really showed me they're passionate about teaching, and they care about us more than just students but as people as well, and they want to see us succeed in the classroom as well as outside the classroom,” he explained.

Biscoglia was once again aided by his UNI education when he began studying for the Medical College Admission Test, better known as the MCAT.

“There was a lot of review,” he said. “From talking with individuals who have taken that test, for some of them, they felt like their school didn't prepare them as well, and that they were doing a lot of learning for that test. I was really thankful as I was studying for it, and after I got my results, that the rigor of UNI classes was designed in such a way that I was ready for that test, and I still had to study for it, but I felt prepared going into it, and that there was nothing I was missing from my classes related to anatomy or physics that I hadn't already seen there.”

‌A dedicated student, Biscoglia maximized his time at UNI, earning three degrees: one in biology, another in biochemistry and a third in the study of religion. He was active in the Pre-Med Club and conducted research as an undergraduate student. He chose UNI because of its wrestling program.

“I can speak specifically to wrestling — in my mind, there isn't a better university for student-athletes in the country,” he said. “The coaches do a really good job of building relationships with all the athletes. Every school says it's a family, but at UNI, it really is a family.”

At the start of his time at UNI, Biscoglia knew he wanted to pursue a career in health but was unsure which path to take. Eventually, he concluded that becoming a physician would align best with his career goals.

“A physician is someone who helps people, and there's a lot of careers in health care that help people too, but I think, as a physician, you get a lot of flexibility with what you can do with patients,” he said. “I'm on a family medicine rotation right now, and it's been really great to see the physician I'm with build relationships with patients in a short amount of time and be able to bridge those relationships over decades. Having the ability medically to help people, but also being able to build connections with them over a long period of time and really get to know them as a person, not just a patient, is something I want to do in my practice going forward.”

Kyle Biscoglia