Although almost all students who begin medical school proceed to graduation, there are rocky moments along the way. Coming to a new school or a new geographical area involves separating from familiar people and places, making new friends, and getting adjusted to a new locale and rhythm of life.
Separations can bring strains, sometimes fatal, to relationships.
If you are the first in your family to enter medicine, the whole environment may seem very strange. Even if a student comes from a medical family, the atmosphere at the medical center may be quite different from that back home or in college. Students who come with a minimal science background or from schools where multiple choice examinations were rarely given, may have special adjustments to make in study and examination preparation techniques. Anxieties are best met by talking them out with peers or with the many resources and empathic colleagues available at the medical school. The Associate Deans coordinate a number of stress management activities.