Gateways Program

What have you done since graduating from Gateways and what are your plans next year?  

After graduating from Gateways in May of 2018, I worked as a clinical research assistant in emergency medicine at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence for the next year. There, I spoke with patients about our various studies, enrolling them if they were interested and eligible. The position appealed to me because it afforded me the opportunity to pursue a different type of scientific inquiry (I had exclusively done bench research before Gateways) while simultaneously allowing me to directly work with Providence’s incredibly diverse patient population. This past August, I began my first year at the Yale School of Medicine.

How did Gateways prepare you for your future? 

For me, Gateways’ preparation was twofold. First, it taught me how to study like a medical student. In undergrad, my study strategies were unrefined and, in some cases, ineffective. Gateways helped me to realize the importance of contextualizing all that I learned. Rather than solely remembering collections of discrete facts, emphasizing where those facts fit into the bigger picture not only helped me to better recall the information during exams but also made it much easier to incorporate that knowledge into real-life clinical settings. Perhaps more importantly, however, Gateways helped me to get a better sense of what medical fields I might be interested in, through both the medical school coursework I took and the various shadowing opportunities available. While I am still undecided in what field of medicine I would ultimately like to enter, Gateways definitely gave me direction as to the types of experiences I am most interested in exploring during my preclinical years of medical school.

What advice do you have for the current/future students of Gateways? 

Hone your study strategies now. Do not be afraid to experiment, either; it took me nearly the whole first semester to figure out what methods worked best for me. Most importantly, though, have fun! My best memories from Gateways came from spending time with my classmates outside our studies: exploring Providence’s numerous neighborhoods and restaurants, playing intramural ice hockey, or spending an afternoon at the beach. Try to do at least one leisure activity every day. Ultimately, self-care is the most important factor in our successes as medical students and as physicians.