Leapman and Dr. James Brokaw as a representative from the Medical Student Council to learn about the educational process at the Medical center down in Bloomington. As we listened the 28 or so students in each of the 1st and 2nd year classes, I couldn't help but be impressed with the way they are undergoing their initial years of training to become physicians. The smaller class size allows close and personal contact between students and faculty. Similar to Path and ICMII taken during the 2nd year here in Indy, the curriculum in Bloomington seeks to take advantage of year-long courses in several of its subject areas, including Physiology, Pharmacology, Gross Anatomy and Pathology. The second year courses are taught at the Bloomington Hospital allowing convenient opportunities for extensive integration of the clinical experiences in the afternoon. Finally, and most obvious is the convenience of being located right next to the

beautiful undergraduate IU campus, with endless opportunities for cultural and extracurricular pursuits. When asked by Dean Leapman how many students chose Bloomington as their first choice in each of the 1st and 2nd year classes in Bloomington, almost everyone raised their hand. In fact, this was not the first campus I visited where more students than not raised their hand. The Northwest campus in Gary also had at least fifty percent of the students who who ranked the NW campus as their first choice. While it is still the case that many students do not rank a center first, this is certainly evidence that students desire to be in places other than Indianapolis. Although Indianapolis is a great place to get a medical education, many center students worry that the Indianapolis education is superior to the centers. Scoring statistics on statewide exams and national exams, as well as four year performance comparisons between center and Indianapolis students don't validatet this concern. In the end our medical educational system here in Indiana is not perfect and each center has its own shortcomings, but so far I have been overly impressed with the maturity and determination of IU medical students regardless of where they spend their first two years.

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