Through the Honors Program it is possible for the student to enrich his studies in directions commensurate with his own interests and capacity. Participation in the Honors Program is voluntary. Attendance or non-participation in no way affects the student's standing in the class. Through the Honors Program it is possible for a student to spend approximately 10 percent of his time during his four years in medical school in a laboratory of his own choosing under the guidance of a senior member of the faculty. The bulk of the laboratory time is arranged for the summer between the first and second year, for which fellowships are awarded, but the student may continue, as time permits and by agreement with his mentor, to pursue aspects of the work during his last three years of medical school.
Fellowship stipends,however, are available only for the first summer's work.
The Honors Program Director is assisted by advisors from each of the major departments of the School, providing advice and guidance concerning the many activities included in the program, and, with the students who participate in the program, in creating mechanisms, year by year, to make it as profound a learning experience for the student as it can be. In the fall of this first year, students who elect the program select one of the basic science departments as their area of concentration on the basis of student background and interest. The student attends departmental seminars and on the basis of the stimulation that these provide, and the reading that these generate, acquires more critical insights into recent scientific advances, and, at the same time, focuses more sharply through the year on areas of future investigation that interest him. As the student sorts out the options during the year, the student then selects a project, and a laboratory, for summer work between the first and second year. The combination of this experience plus attendance at honors program lectures, as well as participation in journal clubs, adds a dimension to the medical school experience that a student would be unable to achieve by following only the prescribed educational format.