Getting Involved with the Orientation Committee
My name’s Cooper March, and I am a rising second year from Springboro, Ohio. I’ve enjoyed sharing the culture of VUSM with the new class through my contributions to Meet and Greet, an activity occupying Wednesday afternoon where students get to know each other with icebreaker activities and find out what college they’ll be in for their time at Vanderbilt. I wanted to get involved with the Orientation Committee because it’s one of the most direct ways to shape the curriculum of first year, helping curate and develop activities that help set the tone for the rest of the new medical students’ careers.
My name’s Matt Lan, and I’m also a rising second year from Hockessin, DE. I wanted to play a role on the Orientation Committee because I wanted to make the incoming class’s first experience at Vanderbilt as fun and memorable as my Orientation was last year. I also wanted to help improve the Orientation experience, and I was excited to start the Nashville restaurant tour this year, which was an optional experience on the first evening of Orientation during which students could sign up to go to dinners hosted by upperclassmen at different restaurants around Nashville. We had a huge diversity of restaurant options, from Thai food at Smiling Elephant to Ethiopian food at Gojo, and it seemed like all of the new students really enjoyed the experience.
My name is Jake Ramsey, I'm a rising second year, and I'm from Santa Claus, IN. I chose to be involved with the Orientation Committee because, although I enjoyed my own orientation, I had ideas about how it could be improved for the following class. Most of my time was spent planning a campus tour and "improv" icebreakers on the first day of orientation. Getting everything ready in time felt a little hectic because of final exams the following week, but it was definitely worth the effort to hangout with all the new students on their very first day of medical school!
My name is Lou Posey. After having such an incredible orientation with my class, I felt the need to help make the experience just as special for the incoming class of 2022. Without a doubt, the MOO campout is the best time for the entire class to bond and enjoy a relaxing evening together. We hope to make this such a nice experience that they will come to understand the VUSM culture and pass it along to future classes.