Learning Environment
By now you're probably wondering: So what is it really like to be a UCSF medical student?
To learn more about daily life at UCSF, support for students, and the general learning environment, we encourage you to explore this section further.
Medical Student Advisory Colleges
Students find a home in one of five Advisory Colleges, each headed by a senior faculty member who mentors and advises the students in his or her college, tracks their progress though medical school, facilitates opportunities for research and service, and offers career counseling. Students find that their Advisory College is an ideal resource for help and assistance - both from faculty mentors and from third and fourth year students.
Colleges also organize small group sessions on various topics, providing opportunities for more intensive study and discussion than is possible in a large classroom setting.
Medical Student Well-Being Program
Medical school can be a time of great excitement and personal growth. But it can also be stressful, particularly for students juggling family responsibilities in addition to their studies.
Our Medical Student Well-Being Program is designed to promote a healthy learning environment and to help students with the variety of challenges they may face during medical school. The Well-Being program staff offers a wide range of programs and services, from helping students cope with complex issues of death and dying to offering more pragmatic assistance such as preparing for board exams.
Professional Development
Professionalism is the basis of every physician's relationship with their patients. As a result, we place a premium on professional development, making it an integral part of the medical curriculum. We offer students a clear set of physicianship skills and principles that define the profession of medicine at its very best, as well as an evaluation process that assures our students consistently meet these standards. We also offer a variety of resources to assist our students as they navigate the residency and career-choice process - from UCSF Careers in Medicine, an online program, to faculty career advisors. To learn more about the professional development program, please visit the Professional Development website.
"I am amazed at the rainbow of backgrounds, talents, personalities, interests, and experiences that students bring to this profession."
Carol Miller, MD