Congrats to you all who will be headed to ARVO this year. In terms of networking, I actually found attending ARVO and AAO meetings while a med student to be wonderful opportunities to meet others in the field and develop relationships that will hopefully continue for years to come. I do agree with OphthoApp that it may be a bit early to be chasing after attendings, leaving mints outside their hotel rooms, and asking "brilliant" questions to later let them know you will be applying to their program in three years, but that's not to say there aren't ample networking opportunities at these meetings to network including meeting residents, discussing your research with random folks that stop by your poster, volunteering, attending pharmaceutical-sponsored dinners, attending your home program's alumni cocktail party, and so forth. If you want more tips, I have written down a few
here. I think the most important thing about going to these meetings is to have a great time and learn what you can. There may also be events designed for Young Ophthalmogists (at AAO) or members-in-training that talk about how to publish, write grants, useful smartphone apps, find a job, contract negotiation tips, and other sessions that may be interesting for you to attend. As a med student attending these meetings I often found myself lost or not understanding many of the basic science/surgery/clinical trials lectures and some of the other sessions I mentioned were a bit more on my level at that time. Most of all, like OphthoApp said, go to enjoy the overall experience and have a great time!
