Welcome to Fall 2025 at Graduate Medical Sciences!
This semester, we welcomed 486 students to GMS, including 459 master’s students, five MD/PhD students and 22 PhD students. Our incoming students are joining us from 22 different countries and 39 states, attending a collective 220 undergraduate institutions.
Most of our new students arrived on campus on Friday, August 29 to participate in a day-long Orientation, where they learned about GMS and Boston University resources, met faculty and staff from the Medical Campus and connected with their peers and administrators in their programs. Around 75 students in the Oral Health Sciences and Physician Assistant master’s programs arrived on campus prior to Orientation, starting their classes over the summer.
The morning brought the students together in L-405 for a general presentation, which introduced students to leaders from across campus. Associate Provost and Dean of GMS C. James McKnight, PhD and Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Dean ad interim Hee-Young Park, PhD, opened the session, followed
by representatives from other offices and organizations at BU. Represented offices included Professional Development, Public Safety, the Louis W. Sullivan Center and more.
At lunchtime, students joined the incoming cohort for the School of Public Health at the GMS and SPH co-sponsored Student Experience Fair. The fair included tables from GMS and BU-wide organizations, groups and resources, like the Community Catalyst Center (C3), Student Wellbeing, the Newbury Center, the Alumni Medical Library, the GMS Student Organization, and more.
Finally, students attended program-specific Orientation sessions throughout the afternoon.
Good luck to our new and returning students as you take on the first weeks of the new semester! We look forward to seeing you on campus. Check out a full slideshow from Orientation, and learn more about our upcoming Gear Up Week events, below.
September 9 to 12
Sponsored by the GMS Community Catalyst Center (C3), Gear-Up Week is full of food, fuel and fun to help you get the semester started. Check out the full event schedule below:
Community & Belonging Office Hours
Tuesday, September 9 from 12 to 1 p.m.
C3 Suite (L-306)
Join Dr. Schon for lunch in the C3 Suite and an hour to chat about finding resources, navigating Boston, finding a mentor, or anything else with which you need extra support!
C3 Grad Lab: Create, Connect & Chill
Wednesday, September 10 from 3 to 5 p.m.
L-401 Classroom
Join C3 for an evening of creativity and connection! We’ll have plenty of C3 swag and snacks available to grab, plus art supplies for you to relax and meet some of your fellow students. Drop in whenever you are available!
Thriving, Not Just Surviving, in Graduate School: Guide to Effective Studying
Thursday, September 11 from 12 to 1:30 p.m. (Register here)
L-206 Classroom
Join Dr. Aaron Young, C3 Faculty Mentor and Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics faculty to learn strategies for making the most of your time in Graduate Medical Sciences. Lunch will be provided for this event! Register in advance here.
Newbury Center: BUMC Grad & Professional Student Welcome & Orientation Dinner
Thursday, September 11 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Hiebert Lounge (L-14) (Register here)
Join the Newbury Center to learn about upcoming events and mentoring opportunities and meet fellow first-generation students to start building your Terrier F1RSTS community. Dinner will be provided! Register in advance.
Fall Kickoff Pizza Party
Friday, Sept. 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Talbot Green (Rain Location: Hiebert Lounge)
Close out Gear-Up Week, spend time with your classmates and get ready to take on the semester with pizza, games and music on the lawn!