Meet and Greet (MAG)
On July 19, 2017, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine welcomed its newest members: the VUSM Class of 2021! After a morning of introductions and welcomes, the real fun began with MAG (Meet And Greet) and the College Reveal!
Here at Vandy, students are sorted into four colleges named after former Deans: The Gabbe Lions, the Batson Phoenix, the Chapman Dragons, and the Robinson Ravens. (Insert clever Harry Potter reference here.) While most events in the first year are among the entire class, there are some moments when the competitive dial gets turned up and everyone puts on their colors and face paint to cheer on their college in, say, inner-tube water polo. The College Reveal is the first taste of this newfound pride. With chants, vuvuzelas, and Robinson’s Snape – oops, I mean Dr. Pilla – filling up the room, the energy is one of a kind.
After learning which college they belong to – and everyone would tell you they were placed in the best one – the groups of about 25 new students split up to meet their college faculty mentors. These relationships are strengthened throughout the first year and beyond, as time is regularly built into the curriculum for discussion within the college.
With college identities firmly in place, the time for a true Nashville welcome was at hand, thanks to VMS Dance! The newest VMS family members got to try their hand at line dancing, while learning firsthand that cowboy boots are encouraged throughout Music City, USA.
Vanderbilt’s Wellness Program promotes the colleges and clubs like VMS Dance, but it also promotes cooperation among groups. So, despite the intense hour-long rivalries between the colleges, students were paired up with classmates from other colleges for the next event: a scavenger hunt around the medical center!
The groups of four sought out Dean Fleming’s Office, the tenth-floor anatomy lab, the rec center, and more.
Some groups knew the campus better than others, but all were rewarded for their efforts with delicious popsicles upon their return!
Embraced by the VMS community and the Nashville summer heat, the Class of 2021 had almost completed their first day of medical school. Only one event was left: Dean Balser would welcome everyone to the Loveless Cafe, a Nashville landmark with the best biscuits ever.
The year ahead will be challenging for the VMS1’s, but it will also be filled with a lot of excitement, learning, and growth. And if there’s one thing to remember about Wellness, it’s that there’s always time to smile.
