We’re rounding the corner in our pre-clinical education, and the tension from classes and Step 1 studying has intensified. With only 4 months to go and 5 until we start rotations, students are feeling the pressure.
So this time every year, our school hosts an annual Skits Night!
Many schools do this, either called Skits or Follies (or some iteration), where the entire campus community gets together and M2s host a night of fun and frivolity. Faculty and colleagues are fair game to be celebrated and (kindly) teased. This is a tradition that has extended for many years at Geisel.
And what a night it was! After 5 months of leading a team to recruit, edit and produce over 20 skits, to the theme of SNL (Skits Night Live!), we saw the fruits of our labor pay off. Nearly 400 students and faculty showed up and spent 4 hours laughing, joking and celebrating one another.
Two things really impressed me. First, I was impressed by how my entire class– 96 strong– all joined together to film and produce nearly 20 skits and performances. They spent hours outside of studying in order to do this. Second, I was impressed by how an event like this can bring together the entire campus community. For that one night, concerns about Step 1 and rotations dissipated, and M1s through M4s alike could come together to appreciate what it means to be a med student at Geisel.
I hope other schools have similar opportunities like this. What does it look like at other schools?
