December 2012

A Gopher’s View of the Medical School

Gopher1892History.jpgThe student view of the Medical School has changed as the years progressed. Only three years after the opening of the Medical School, the 1892 Gopher Yearbook (page 77) proclaimed the Medical School’s positives, including the high standard it set for its students. Some other aspects of the Medical School that the Gopher Yearbook touted were the great clinical facilities, the large number of students, and the faculty who had previous experience in teaching or managing medical schools.

Gopher1961Study.jpgToward the end of the production of Gopher Yearbooks, the observations about the Medical School were less glowing. The comments were still positive, however they were aimed more toward commiserating with the current students on how much work it was to study for a medical degree. In the 1961 Gopher Yearbook (pages 123-125), for instance, an article entitled “Medical School Means Study” explained that “Medical school has a reputation for being rough. This is no idle talk. Every hour of lecture means at least two in the lab.” In 1964, the Gopher Yearbook (pages 339-343) Gopher1964Demanding.jpg had an article about how the work of a medical student was demanding and required determination. While this article has many pictures and explanations about what a medical student does during their years of training, it has nothing as complimentary as what was written in the 1892 Gopher Yearbook.