So who goes to SSOM anyway? A few brave students have agreed to share with you a little about themselves to give you a better idea.

 

Shawn Vuong

"Traditional Student" - Class of 2012

Hometown: Hartford, SD
Undergrad school and degree: University of South Dakota, BS, Biology (2008)
Hobbies: Reading, running, building websites, and blogging.
Favorite med school class: Gross Anatomy. Haven't had a class top it yet, but I am looking forward to Neuroscience
Caffeine form of choice: Coca Cola
Favorite TV show: Scrubs
Favorite part of medical school: Learning things I actually want to learn. No more general education requirements!
Advice to incoming students: I know all of you incoming students are very excited about being in medical school. That summer before medical school, all of these fantastic daydreams about finally being a medical student make you wish you were in school learning everything you can. While it is way more interesting than any undergraduate course I have taken, it is still school.
Biggest myth about medical school: That you will have no time for anything. Beleive me you will.

Mary Baker

"Non-Traditional Student" - Class of 2012

Hometown: I was born/raised in Sioux Falls, SD, but I moved to Minneapolis shortly after college, and have lived there since 1988.
Undergrad school and degree: U of Minnesota, BS, Biology (2008), U of Virginia, BA, French (1988).
Hobbies: Cooking, music (listening to and attending concerts . . . I have no talent in playing), knitting, walking, reading, canoeing.
Favorite med school class: Thus far? Physiology.
Caffeine form of choice: I'm a decaf drinker. Lattes (no flavor shots) are a favorite, but they get spendy. I LOVE coffee from truck stops and restaurants like Perkin's, Denny's, etc. They always have great coffee.
First website I check in the morning: www.gmail.com.
Favorite part of medical school: The comraderie that's developed among 50 strangers that all wound up in Vermillion, SD at the same time with the same goal.
Advice to incoming students: Stretch.
Favorite book: Tons. Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety is a favorite.

Andy Novick

"Dr. Dr." AKA "MDPhD" - Class of 2015

Hometown: Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate school and degree: Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, B.S. Pharmacology
Hobbies: Reading, fueling my addiction to various TV series, and being a neuroscience geek
Favorite med school class: ICM!
Caffeine form of choice: green tea
Favorite TV show: In mourning the end of the Sopranos, I've found comfort in House, Lost, and yes, even Gray's Anatomy.
Favorite kind of pizza: multiple pieces
Favorite part of medical school: Those moments when it hits you that you're not just a student, but someone who's being prepared to become a physician.
Advice to incoming students: 1. Take school and your future seriously 2. laugh at yourself 3. repeat.
Biggest myth about medical school: There's no pre-historic monster in a lake. That may or may not have deeper meaning.
Area of interest in medicine: Psychiatry and neuroscience