30 July 2001

Hello Again, Doctors-to-Be!

As Chicago settles into its season of intense heat, we’ve found ourselves retreating to the commodiously air-conditioned confines of the Office of Medical Education, planning and preparing for your arrival. Our loyal orientation committee simply exudes creativity, and there are brilliant ideas abound for ensuring you the best orientation ever!

A good example of the energy going into orientation is the enclosed Life at Pritzker book. The book is a tried and true tradition here at the U of C, and this year’s edition is the best yet. Anna and Cathy, your Life at Pritzker committee chairs, spent tireless hours reorganizing the book to make it more usable and more comprehensive in its coverage of local resources. We hope you find it a valuable reference — Anna and Cathy hope you carry it around with you every day until residency.

We also put in a little information about the biochemistry placement exam. Most people don’t place out, but it is worth it if you really know your stuff and the class time could be spent more productively. Dr. Meredith’s tests are hardcore, so for those of you who accept the challenge, best of luck in your studying! For the rest of you, there will be free doughnuts and coffee at the test, if you want to come hang with your friendly neighborhood o-week chairs.

In the next week or so you should also be receiving a postcard from one of your Transition Team leaders. The Transition Teams are groups of eight or nine new students as well as some upper-class students, led by two second-years leaders. Many of the activities during orientation will be organized around the Transition Teams. Your leaders and your group will also be important resources for you during your first months of school. Please don’t hesitate to call upon your leaders for advice or guidance in the coming months.

In about a month you will get the final orientation mailing (we know, we know, it’s sad for us too). Then it will be just a short hop to the beginning of your career in medicine! In the last packet will be information on orientation itself, including a schedule and a list of things to bring (registration fees, response forms, high-impact body armor), as well as information on various student-run activities here at Pritzker.

We hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the summer. If you need anything at all, just let us know!

Take Care,

Alex and Jen