Interaction between different year med students

[Hemichordate]

In general, how much do different year medical students interact with each other at most schools? Are most of the classes designed specifically for students of a certain year (ie gross anatomy for M1 only) or do you see other upperclassmen students as well?

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[sanityonleave]

For us, there's a big gap between preclerks and clerks. We interact a lot with 2nd years (I'm just about to finish M1) through things like interest groups, free clinics, events, etc -- that said, I only rarely see any 3rd or 4th years, since they have such a radically different schedule and don't participate in a lot of the same activities. We do interact with a few 3rd/4th years who act as mentors (or the rare few who show up to student IG meetings), but for the most part that's the big divide for us.

That being said, we never share classes with 2nd years. Our school does host a lot of school-wide events (we have prom this weekend... no comment) including Halloween/Christmas parties and the like, so that's a good opportunity to socialize but a lot of times people mostly stick to the people they already know.

Overall, I think our social environment is good, but the vast majority of your interaction is going to be with people in your class, just by default. That's both a blessing and a curse -- you'll probably make some good friends but you also end up getting on each others' nerves a lot, too. We have mandatory attendance to class, so I think that probably makes a huge difference as well.

 

[DrYoda]

The preclinical curriculum is pretty much set, you don't get to pick the order like you do in undergrad. So you're just going to be in class with other students in your class. There are opportunities to hang out with the other classes outside of class (school events, clubs, just going out ect).

 

[Mattchiavelli]

at our school we got paired with a "mentor" a year ahead that was supposed to be your buddy to go to if you had questions about books, rotations, etc. We did our 1st 2 years at a regional center and the M1s and M2s had an annual boat trip at the beginning of classes and some of the M2s would TA for MS1 classes.

Once in clinicals you would sometimes be on an M4s team as an M3 if they were doing an elective or sub-i. I was in student government so I got to interact with more people from across years. Just don't let all your friends be ahead of you or your MS4 will suck.

 

[mvenus929]

M1 and M2 interact a lot. I know quite a few M3s, just because I played football on a third year team (hated that in the beginning, since I was trying to make friends with people in my class, and I was the only M1 on my team, so I went right back to not knowing anyone... and then we never played any of my classmate's teams). I know a very small handful of M4s, mostly because they were TAs for our classes, or were part of our Big Sibs program.

The only other people we have class with are Neuro grad students who sit in on our classes, because the leader of our Neuro system is the head of the grad program as well.

 

[2012mdc]

MS1's and MS2's interact a lot. We have a "sib program" that matches incoming MS1's with rising MS2's. The 1st year and 2nd year classrooms are right next to each other (never share classes though)

The 2nd years run the student organizations and get the 1st years involved so there is interaction there.

MS3's have a good relationship with MS2's because of the sib program and we're on-campus every week for a class. MS3's really don't interact with MS1's but on light rotations we do go to some of the organizational meetings.

MS4's are just ghost.

 

[secants]

The only time I saw 4th years was during match day and 3rd years in the hospital wearing their white coats.

As for MS1 and MS2, I would say it's kind of segregated because almost no second year comes to class therefore you don't see them in the one building we have as the medical school. You might see them at interest club meetings but again it's usually just first year's going to them.

You do get the occasional school event or formal where people do meet or the party after exams but that's about it at my school. The second years are helpful in sending emails with study guides and other cool tips.

 

[ZagDoc]

MS1s and MS2s are kind of the same thing but different. So you mingle.

MS3 is all about survival, no time for the pre-clinical kids, but you occasionally are on a service with a sub-i and get some MS4 interaction/mentorship.

MS4s most of your rotations are on electives where there are no MS3s. The pre-clinical kids are too distant for you to care about them anymore. You just kind of do your thing, get through residency apps/interviews/etc until the end of the tunnel shows up.

 

[FutureMDSurgeon]

In our school its kinda uncommon for M1 and M2 to mingle with each other. I know a couple of guys from M2, but I only ever really talk to them if I need advice about a particular course, or study tips etc etc. M3s and M4s, forget about it, never even met one.

 

[Law2Doc]

In general, how much do different year medical students interact with each other at most schools? Are most of the classes designed specifically for students of a certain year (ie gross anatomy for M1 only) or do you see other upperclassmen students as well?

In my med school experience, as an M1 you had interaction with M2s insofar as they were in charge of all of the events and clubs. You were assigned an M2 as a big brother/sister, and they were the ones you hit up for used books. There were also various non-year-specific ethics type lectures throughout the year where both M1 and M2 classes attended. During the clinical years, you might be a M3 while an M4 is a sub-I in the same rotation (or a year later vice versa) so you have interaction with them them. Additionally, if someone the year ahead drops back for a year/course for any reasons (especially if they missed a block because of pregnancy), or are asked to retake something, or for the PhD students who drop back into med school rotations after doing a year of PhD stuff, you will have upper classmen as classmates.

But in general, the M4s beat up the M1s for their lunch money and stuffed them into lockers just like high school. 🙂

 

[TooMuchResearch]

In my med school experience, as an M1 you had interaction with M2s insofar as they were in charge of all of the events and clubs. You were assigned an M2 as a big brother/sister, and they were the ones you hit up for used books. There were also various non-year-specific ethics type lectures throughout the year where both M1 and M2 classes attended. During the clinical years, you might be a M3 while an M4 is a sub-I in the same rotation (or a year later vice versa) so you have interaction with them them. Additionally, if someone the year ahead drops back for a year/course for any reasons (especially if they missed a block because of pregnancy), or are asked to retake something, or for the PhD students who drop back into med school rotations after doing a year of PhD stuff, you will have upper classmen as classmates.

But in general, the M4s beat up the M1s for their lunch money and stuffed them into lockers just like high school. 🙂

That sounds about right *cries and hides in a closet*