The Office of Student Affairs coordinates the following events:

Orientation
Orientation introduces first-year medical students to the UCSF staff, faculty, and their fellow students. It also familiarizes them with the curriculum, services, and resources available at UCSF. Activities during the week include Advisory College lunches, an introduction to gross anatomy lab, and the White Coat Ceremony.

White Coat Ceremony
The White Coat Ceremony marks the beginning of the students’ medical education at UCSF and their commitment to balance excellence in science with compassionate patient care. During the ceremony, students are dressed in new white coats by their Advisory College Mentors. They also recite, in unison, the Oath of Louis Lasagna, a modern version of the Hippocratic Oath.

Match Day
The third Thursday of March is Match Day, when students learn where they be doing their residencies after graduation. On the morning of Match Day, students are invited to a breakfast where the match results are distributed and opened at 9am. Family and friends are welcome to join in the celebration. Students who do not attend the breakfast can call the Office of Student Affairs after 9:00am or log on to the NRMP website at 10:00am to get their match results.

Essential Core Teaching Awards
The Essential Core Teaching Awards provide an opportunity for first- and second-year students to recognize teaching excellence in the School of Medicine. Award recipients are chosen based on student nominations for the following eight categories: Commitment to Teaching, Inspirational Teacher, Innovative Teaching, Outstanding Contribution to an Elective, Outstanding Lecture, Outstanding Lecture Series, Outstanding FPC Preceptor, and Excellence in Small Group Teaching.

Convocation
This student-planned event is held the week prior to graduation and includes a presentation of the Kaiser Awards for Excellence in Teaching and teaching awards for clinical faculty and housestaff. More informally, students celebrate the accomplishments of their fellow classmates with humorous student awards and a parade of medical students' children.

Commencement
The School of Medicine Commencement ceremony is held each May to confer the Doctor of Medicine degree upon the graduating class. Highlights of the ceremony include a commencement speech given by a speaker chosen by the class, a senior address from a fellow classmate, the presentation of the Gold-Headed Cane Award, and the reading of the Oath of Louis Lasagna in students' native languages.