Upper-year student
Life inside medical school
Transitioning in, academy life, finances, commuting, identity, and the practical things people do not always explain.
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Independent student guide · Published May 2026 · Reviewed August 2026
I maintain this guide as an unpaid, independent volunteer project. It reflects my experience as a U of T medical student and information reviewed for the Class of 3T0. It is not an official University of Toronto or Temerty Faculty of Medicine website. Details can change, so confirm requirements, dates and policies through the official sources linked on this page.
Mentorship
Want to talk
to someone?
Some questions are easier to ask someone who has been through it. This page lays out who you can ask, including students, physicians and formal Faculty supports.
A quick orientation
Mentorship can come from different places.
You do not need one person to cover every part of medical school.
Physician or resident
Specialties and career exploration
Clinical work, specialty decisions, research, residency, and understanding what a career actually looks like.
Book through OLA ↗Office of Learner Affairs
Formal guidance and support
Structured mentorship, career counselling, academic support, wellness, accessibility, and help finding the right person.
Open OLA supports ↗
Formal Programs
Formal ways to find a mentor.
Applications and program names can change. Start with OLA's maintained mentorship database, then use the individual program page or current Faculty email for deadlines.
Peer mentor
iLEAD Mentorship Program
A learner-created, two-tier program for equity-deserving groups. Incoming students can be paired with current MD students, while upper-year learners can be paired with residents.
Faculty mentor
Diversity Mentorship Program
Connects learners from minoritized and underrepresented groups with a clinical faculty mentor. The OLA page says 2026–27 applications will be available in August 2026.
Plan early
Programs where finding a mentor matters.
Some opportunities begin accepting applications early in Year 1. Read the official program page first, then look for someone who can speak to the actual workload and fit.
Graduate Diploma in Health Research
A 20-month research program for selected first-year MD students. It requires a faculty-supervised project and has historically had an early fall proposal deadline.
Official GDipHR page ↗MD Global Health Education Program
An extracurricular certificate for first- and second-year MD students focused on global health, equity, advocacy, and the social determinants of health.
Official program page ↗Medical Innovation and Technology
For students interested in medicine, entrepreneurship, and creating or managing health-care ventures.
Official MD+ overview ↗Combined degrees and other MD+ options
The Faculty lists the MD-MBA, HSLI, MD-MEng and additional pathways. Eligibility and timing differ. The MD/PhD program is normally entered through the MD admissions process rather than added after medical school begins.
Explore all programs ↗
Reaching out
Your first message can be simple.
Give enough context to answer you, make one clear ask, and leave room for them to say no or suggest another person.
How to Browse
Browse by lived experience.
Tags show what each mentor has volunteered to discuss. They are not assumptions about a person, and mentors choose their own tags.
See what each tag means
Background
First-gen
First in their family to attend medical school. Can speak to navigating without insider mentorship.
Traditional path
Direct from undergrad to MD. Can speak to MCAT prep, application timing, and the standard trajectory.
Non-traditional
Career-change, prior degree, or applied after time away from school. Can speak to making the case from an unconventional background.
Mature student
Entered medical school later than the typical age. Can speak to balance, family, and the realities of the timeline.
Out-of-province
Came to UofT from outside Ontario. Can speak to the move, OOP applications, and adjusting to Toronto.
Identity
BIPOC
Black, Indigenous, or otherwise racialized students who've offered to talk about their experience in medicine.
2SLGBTQ+
Queer-identifying students happy to discuss community, being out in clinical environments, etc.
He/Him
Optional — mentors can include their pronouns if they'd like.
She/Her
They/Them
Circumstance
Navigating Finances
Students who've navigated OSAP, bursaries, the LOC, or supporting family while in medical school. Happy to talk through the financial side honestly.
Commuter
Students who commute to campus rather than living close by. Can speak to the logistics, the trade-offs, and making it work.
Moved for school
Students who relocated to Toronto specifically for medical school. Can speak to apartment hunting, settling in, and building a life in a new city.
Student parent
Students balancing medical school with parenting responsibilities.
The Mentors
Looking for a student to speak with?
Public profiles are being replaced with a request-based approach. Tell us what kind of support or perspective you are looking for and we can work on connecting you with someone appropriate.
Filter by
You might be looking for someone from your academy, a student with a similar background or simply someone who has dealt with the same question. Submit a short request without including private documents or sensitive personal information.
Submit a mentorship request →A short personal blurb. 2–4 sentences in their own voice. What they wish they'd known, what they're willing to talk about, anything that makes it feel like a real person rather than a directory entry.
@uoft.ca · ask via Feedback
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Personal blurb. career change, what made them decide to apply, how they wrote about non-medical experience in their personal statement.
Contact via Feedback
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Personal blurb. finding community as a racialized student, navigating bursaries and the Faculty's financial support.
Contact via Feedback
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Personal blurb. being out in clinical settings, building community in the cohort.
Contact via Feedback
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Personal blurb. accommodations process, what worked, what didn't.
Contact via Feedback
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Personal blurb. visa logistics, UHIP, finances as an international student.
Contact via Feedback
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Personal blurb. schedule logistics, childcare during clerkship, surviving the early years.
Contact via Feedback
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Personal blurb. what made the difference, who to reach out to, how to ask for help when you don't have a roadmap.
Contact via FeedbackA mentor is not a confidential clinical service.
Avoid sending personal health information, patient information, passwords, financial documents, or anything you would not want forwarded. Use official U of T channels for accommodations, counselling, academic decisions, mistreatment reports, or urgent concerns.
You can change or end the connection.
Mentorship should remain respectful and voluntary. You do not owe anyone access to your time, identity, story, or opportunities. If something feels uncomfortable, step back and use OLA or another trusted support.
Pay it Forward
Interested in supporting another student?
If you are a current MD student or alum and are willing to answer occasional questions, let us know what you are comfortable discussing and how you prefer to be contacted. Your information will not be posted publicly without checking with you first.
Offer to be a mentor →