The Advising and Mentoring System at
UC San Diego School of Medicine is
designed to provide medical students
with a multi-layered system of support
that provides academic, career and
personal guidance and advocates the professional development of each
individual, as well as the collective
community of students.

Faculty, staff and peer advisors function individually and collectively on behalf of each student's journey through the medical school experience. The following are individual elements of this overall system of support.

Senior Faculty Advisor         

Students select a Senior Faculty Advisor in the middle of their third year of medical school.  Serving as the student’s academic advisor for the remainder of the curriculum, the duties of the Senior Faculty Advisor include:  reviewing fourth year electives, career counseling and advising about the residency process; review  of postgraduate application materials and personal statement sent in support of postgraduate training. The Senior Faculty Advisor may be any faculty member who agrees to serve in this capacity.

The student may select a faculty member in the field they wish to apply in, or a faculty member with whom the student has worked, such as a clerkship preceptor or ISP chair.  An Agreement to Serve as a Senior Faculty Advisor form can be printed out, signed and submitted to the OSA.  This information will be entered into the student's record and will appear in their My Info tab.

Senior Mentor

Senior Mentors are fourth year medical students who are available to first, second and third year medical students for consultation and guidance. They are there to share valuable information with fellow students, providing support, wisdom and insight from their own recent experiences.

BIG SIB  
Big Sibs provide informal advising and mentoring that is flexible, proactive and positive in nature. Since preclinical students see each other on a regular basis, there can be frequent contact between
Big Sibs and their Lil Sibs.
These pairings serve as sounding boards for common, everyday questions relating to courses, administrative matters, and the UCSD and San Diego community.