Colin Lemire, M2

Why did you choose to attend Northwestern MSTP?

The Northwestern MSTP offered an unparalleled opportunity to live in a vibrant city, collaborate with outstanding research mentors and, most importantly, to join a diverse community of leading physicians, faculty and fellow students. Visiting for Second Look, I was particularly struck by how close the students in the program were to each other and to the leadership. I immediately felt welcomed by the older students and have found some of my closest friends in my cohort.

Tell us what you've enjoyed most about your current phase in the program.

The pre-clinical curriculum at Northwestern offers a great mix of classroom instruction, small group learning and opportunities to interface with patients in clinical settings. I love that my schedule varies every day and gives me the free time to choose what experiences outside of lectures that I want to take part in. Starting the very first week of med school, we are in the hospital talking to patients as members of their care team, which helps to frame the theoretical content taught in the classroom and keeps me motivated to learn more.

Tell us about an experience that made you truly feel part of the “Feinberg Family.”

The Feinberg curriculum incorporates many small groups, allowing students to develop meaningful long-term relationships with faculty who can serve as mentors throughout medical school. I feel a sense of belonging every week during college meetings, when a group of my classmates and our college leader, who has been with us since day one, can come together and share accomplishments, struggles or just recommendations for things to do around the city.

What do you enjoy most about living in Chicago?

Having grown up on the East Coast, I was unsure what to expect when I moved to Chicago. I have enjoyed trying over 400 new restaurants (and counting) serving cuisine from all over the world and picnicking at free outdoor concerts in Millennium Park. Chicago is also an amazing city for running, and I’ve enjoyed finding new routes along the lake and using races as opportunities to explore new neighborhoods in the city.

Tell us about your interests and hobbies outside the classroom.

I really enjoy teaching and being part of PRISM and Chicago Youth Programs tutoring, two Feinberg programs that allow me to serve as a mentor to younger students in Chicago.

How would you describe the curriculum at Feinberg?

The Feinberg curriculum is flexible and integrated. On any given day, I can be getting lectures from clinical leaders, working through patient cases with classmates in Problem-Based Learning (PBL), exploring anatomy in the lab or seeing patients in the Education-Centered Medical Home (ECMH). Feinberg believes in learning by doing, and the early integration of classroom learning with experiential sessions involving real patients or standardized patients in the simulation center is unique.