Academic Counseling

Students come to Medical School with an array of experiences and varying levels of exposure to different studying strategies. Academic counseling is available to all students at each phase of their medical education and is tailored to each student’s individual needs, challenges, and experiences. 

First Year: the adjustment to Medical School typically includes significant changes to a student’s prior study practices due to the volume of material and high expectations for recalling details. Academic counseling provides students with the opportunity to discuss their individual adjustment to medical school, evidence-based strategies for studying, referral to campus and school resources, time management strategies, and problem-solve any issues that arise.

Second Year: the volume of material and expectations on the ability to recall complex and detailed information continue to build. Academic counseling is available to students as they , improve upon time management and study strategies, ,  and plan their Step 1 dedicated study period.  Students may continue academic counseling through Step 1 preparation for insight on practice exam scores, study strategy and resource recommendations, and encouragement.

Clerkship Phase: the demands on time management become more complicated as students prepare for Shelf Exams during each clerkship. Academic counseling is available to students as they manage changing work schedules and on-call responsibilities alongside studying for Shelf exams. 

Advanced Clinical Phase: individual timeframes for taking the Step 2 CK exam are determined. Support is available as students develop individual studying schedules and evaluate previous exams and study strategies.