This time last year I was planning on moving to another state to start my medical school journey. Right now, I am in the process of planning the orientation for the incoming class. Most medical schools have orientation day/week in order to help incoming students get acclimated. I thoroughly enjoyed my orientation week last year as I was able to meet friends, hear stories of current students, and meet faculty. I have detailed below the items to look forward to during orientation week.
- Meeting new friends. This was my favorite part of orientation! I was able to meet new classmates who quickly became friends. Take this time to put yourself out there and get to know as many people as possible.
- Exploring the town. For me, it was a completely new place to take in. This was the perfect opportunity to take the time to go around town and see the local shops, restaurants, and more!
- Understanding the unknown. There were so many unanswered questions for me when I first walked into orientation. I knew a lot about the school, but still had questions that I wanted to be answered in terms of curriculum, school breaks, third-year rotations, etc. Orientation was the perfect time to get the answers I needed to move forward.
- Enjoying the downtime. If you have anything you need to get done, no matter how urgent or small the task, just take care of it during orientation. For me, this looked like putting my bed together with my roommate and grocery shopping.
What are you looking forward to most regarding orientation?
