First-Year

Posts that are topical for incoming or current first-year medical students.

UVM Larner Med medical student Caitlin Early poses against a light stone masonry wall. Early wears a aubergine sweater.

Where to Apply? How to Decide Which Medical School(s) are Right for You.

First-Year, Medical Education

On April 19, between 11:00 am – 8:00 pm ET, the UVM Larner College of Medicine will host a virtual “booth” at the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Virtual Medical School Fair. Per the AAMC event website, the fair “enables aspiring applicants and premeds…to connect with medical schools and admissions experts from around the U.S. and Canada.” 

In this post, Caitlin Early, a Larner Class of 2025 medical student reflects on how she used the AAMC virtual fair and other tools to support her research and decision-making process when applying to medical school.

Kiana Heredia poses in a black dress with her medical student white coat slung over her should after her class's White Coat Ceremony in 2021. Clipped to the pocket of her white coat is a medical student ID badge.

Pre-Med Science Classes Pushed Me Away from Being a Doctor; the Art and Humanism of Medicine Brought Me Back

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, First-Year, Medical Education

Kiana Heredia is a medical student in the Class of 2024 at the UVM Larner College of Medicine. As an undergraduate pre-medical student slogging through basic science courses in physics, chemistry, and more, Heredia found herself questioning her career choice. In this blog post, Heredia describes that experience and what eventually led her back to a career in medicine.

Black and white photo of Matt Breseman face wearing surgical mask and with EEG leads taped to forehead and temples

The Student Becomes the Patient

Leave a Comment / First-Year, Medical Education

Early on in my illness a friend sent me a meme.

“How do medical students get sick; can’t they just open a textbook and cure themselves?” it asked.

Although it wasn’t that simple, I learned a lot from the process of trying to discover what was wrong with me…I was getting a crash course on the art of medicine from the patient perspective, with my medical bill jokingly serving as the cost of tuition.