Academic Advising

The Office of Student Affairs offers academic advising and enhancement programming for students seeking assistance with their academic skills. There are several ways in which students may receive this assistance.

Preclinical, Year 1 and Year 2

• Meet with a Learning Specialist
• Workshops on study skills, time management, study strategies and approach to the curriculum
• How to engage with the learning objectives, concept mapping, and finding study methods that work for you
• Exam preparation strategies
• Tutoring
• Language of Medicine is a program offering tutoring for the Anatomy course. The tutors are senior medical students enrolled in the Advanced Anatomy course who help students under the supervision of faculty.

Clinical, Year 3 and Year 4

• The Clinical Skills Center is a university-wide resource providing a setting for students in both the Preclinical and Clinical phase of the curriculum to improve preparation for clinical skills exams and assist with preparation for the OSCE.
• Content tutors are available to provide support to individual students struggling with preparation for NBME Subject Exams commonly referred to as shelf exams
• Clerkship support for students experiencing difficulty or not meeting milestones, during the clerkship phase, are directed to meet with student affairs for resources and support mechanisms to improve their performance.

Academic Advising

Academic advising at the Long School of Medicine is provided by the Office of Student Affairs, the Veritas Program, and Departmental Faculty Advising. This system of advisors assists students in completing academic requirements successfully and choosing elective coursework in an appropriate manner.

Drop-In Advising Hour with Student Affairs

Students with questions related to academic advising are encouraged to attend the weekly Drop-In Advising Hour, hosted by student affairs deans and directors. During these sessions, students can ask questions and seek guidance about academic issues. Feel free to drop-in Wednesday from 1-2 pm in the Office for Undergraduate Medical Education (5th floor library).

Common questions include:

• Choosing correct electives
• Successful completion of licensing exams
• Information about class modules

Individual Advising

Students seeking individual guidance about their academic progress through medical school can request individual appointments with deans and directors in student affairs.

Tutoring

Both study skills and content tutors are available for students facing academic difficulty with the curriculum. Students are paired with knowledgeable peer tutors based on needs and tutor availability. Study skills tutors are second-year medical students that assist first-year students with adjustment to the curriculum, time management, and development of study skills. Content tutors are fourth-year medical students who assist other medical students that have difficulty understanding the preclinical, or clinical course material.

Request a tutor

Events

The Office of Student Affairs hosts academic advising events for students at various stages of their academic careers. In the first year, academic advising begins in orientation, where student affairs and curriculum deans answer student questions about the curriculum and student success. In addition, each year, class meetings are held. During these meetings, students are provided with an overview of the curriculum for the year, STEP timelines, information on clerkship selection, elective selection, the Match application process, and other pertinent academic milestones and issues are discussed. The class meetings for preclinical students are critical for informing students about their important academic milestones.