Virtual Second Look Weekend is “one for the record books!”
by Emma Mattson
Earlier this month over 100 admitted students attended VUSM’s Second Look Weekend (SLW)— held virtually via Zoom. Second Look Weekends form a crucial part of the medical school decision for many applicants, and even during a time of social distancing, our students and faculty were determined to give admitted students a taste of the Vanderbilt community.
“We were lucky to have such a great student committee who pivoted and built an amazing virtual SLW without skipping a beat,” Assistant Director of Admissions Christina Twist said. “They became experts in Box, Zoom, and Slack in record time and gave admitted applicants a wonderful look at the student experience.”
First-year CJ Chin is one of seven M1 and M2 students on the Second Look Weekend Committee, which began planning the weekend back in January.
“There were some growing pains with trying to figure out how to best virtually convey the spirit of the school,” first-year CJ Chin said. “However, I felt that we did the best with what we were able to do.”
The weekend started off with a Virtual Happy Hour on Friday night via Zoom. The informal session gave admitted students the chance to interact with current students and faculty in small breakout groups. The next day, Saturday, was filled with activities and information sessions to highlight unique aspects of the VUSM experience, including curriculum, wellness, social mission, diversity, and life in Nashville.
In between formal sessions, current students hosted “commercial breaks”—fun activities ranging from introductory yoga to sourdough starter tutorials to TikTok dances!
“My favorite part of the weekend was that the people joining us, our Deans included, were actually following along in these break activities,” Chin said.
Throughout both days of activities, prospective students used Zoom chat and an anonymous text line to send questions to the SLW committee or faculty members. According to Twist, around 120 admitted students participated in the weekend. This compares well to the attendance for past SLWs held in-person.
Ultimately, the dedication our students and faculty showed in redesigning and leading this virtual event represented the VUSM community wonderfully, despite the challenging circumstances.
In the end, according to Twist, “Second Look Weekend 2020 was certainly one for the record books!”