Upperclassmen Retention
As the school year is starting up again, I wanted to offer some advice on something that many PhiDE chapters struggle with: keeping upperclassmen enthusiastic and involved. While there is definitely not one solution that will apply to every chapter, these are some ideas from my experience both on the executive board and as a member.
Allow upperclassmen to be leaders during meetings. They are an extremely valuable resource.
Many upperclassmen have unique and recent experience in premedical course selection, MCAT studying, and come spring semester some will also have completed the medical school application process! Have willing upperclassmen lead meetings and workshops about these topics whenever possible. Their perspective is so pertinent to your chapter members, and it will be extremely rewarding for juniors and seniors to give back to those following their path.
Provide valuable resources for the upperclassmen at chapter meetings.
It can be difficult to balance resources for members at all stages of the premedical journey. Try not to forget to offer things your upperclassmen will benefit from too. In the Fall, consider having brief ethical dilemma discussions that may help with upcoming medical school interviews. In the Spring, reach out to medical student PhiDE family to speak about their gap-year experience or give advice for the months leading to medical school. Having resources your upperclassmen will benefit from is a natural and productive way to encourage attendance.
Plan group service projects and other ways members can give back to the community as a large group.
This was actually a suggestion from the current medical student board representative, and I think it’s great advice. When a chapter as a whole works towards a larger common goal to help those in need, it’s a natural morale booster that will keep everyone involved.
The thing that kept me personally involved as I was in my last few semesters of undergrad was the opportunity to spend time with my little “Family” within the chapter.
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite parts of PhiDE is the Big-Little Program. Premedical coursework keeps us all so busy, and many weeks the PhiDE meeting was my only opportunity to see my family who had become my best friends. Based on this experience, I encourage chapter leaders to work on fostering the “family” environment as much as possible, and in fun ways. Whether you have a prize for the family with the best attendance at the end of each semester, you have family competitions at retreats, or you organize chapter-wide socials regularly, every effort to strengthen the family bond will result in increased retention and happier members.