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Medical Scientist Training Program

Advice for SLW from the M1 Class

Posted by on Monday, March 19, 2018 in Life in the MSTP .

Congratulations! We are so excited to welcome you to Nashville and to share our community with you. As first years, we remember quite distinctly all of the time spent applying and traveling. Being on the other side is a great feeling.

This coming weekend, we have an agenda filled with informative activities and wonderful entertainment. We also want to help you make the best choice for yourself. As you continue to reflect on what is important to you for your next stage of training, we’d like to share our thoughts on how to get the most out of this weekend (and hopefully weekends!) with us:  

Questions to Ask Students & Faculty:

  • What is something that you think is unique to your school/program that you feel like other programs could really benefit from?
  • If you could change something about the program/school/lab what would it be?
  • What are some strengths/weaknesses of the medical school curriculum?
  • What kind of research are you interested in, and what do you feel are the strengths and weaknesses of that research department?
  • What is the transition from medical to graduate school like, and from graduate back to medical school?
  • How would you describe the MD-PhD community/culture?
  • In what ways do you feel supported in dealing with any challenges that may arise?
  • What are housing options for medical students, and do you have any tips on finding a good place?
  • Is housing & city life affordable on the stipend?
  • What are some of the fun things you’ve done in Nashville/neighboring cities?

Asking questions like these will give students and faculty the opportunity to tell you more about the school and the city. For instance, our medical school curriculum is one of the things that makes us unique, with clinical rotations prior to graduate school and a student-led committee for curricular improvement. Also, Nashville is a wonderful place to live and visit. This is a great time to learn everything you can about the schools and meet the students who will become your lifelong colleagues, mentors, and friends. Of course, don't forget to have fun because that's a big part of life and training as well!

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" – congrats on taking the first step!