Interaction with Others

One of the best ways to adjust to the ongoing challenges of life as a medical student is through interaction with other students who are a little farther along in the process. The purpose of the Peer Mentor Program is to link members of each incoming class with a mentor from the second-year class.

You'll be matched with a mentor based on several factors, including hobbies and interests. A special effort is made to assign mentees to mentors within the same learning community. 

What to Expect

Beginning the summer prior to the first year, and throughout that first semester, peer mentors can be incredibly valuable resources, providing support and answering or finding answers to a wide range of questions. The most frequent questions of beginning M1s often include concerns about housing, textbooks, classes, instructors, study strategies, adjustment challenges, and medical student life in general. 

We encourage all mentors and mentees to maintain their relationships throughout their medical school careers. As a second-year student wraps up basic science classes and moves toward the clinical years, his or her mentor can provide useful information about studying for the first step of the licensing exam and scheduling clerkships and rotations.  Likewise, the third-year student can gain valuable insight on the residency application and interview process, from the fourth-year student who has just been through it. 

How to Begin

Students interested in either being mentored or mentoring a student should contact Rachel Shulista to request information. All pre-M1s and rising M2s are electronically sent an invitation and registration web site in the early part of the summer. However, it is never too late to sign up!  We would love to see as many students as possible make use of this valuable program.