Networking advice for graduate students

I’m a medical student in Ohio, and I have a question for you about networking. As a graduate student, I have had a hard time meeting people outside the medical profession who are doing unique and interesting things in their careers/life. I want to know more people who have a different perspective on life than I do and who push me to have experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise had. If I am networking for that purpose, what kinds of events can I attend or organizations should I join to facilitate that process?

3 replies
  1. Penelope Trunk
    Penelope Trunk says:

    You should find something besides medicine that interests you. Do that and you’ll meet people. You need to find an interest in order to find other people who are interesting. 

    The answer to so many problems in life is to be more interesting ourselves. For example, many people relocate because they are bored and unfulfilled, but being interested in something – in a deep way — would solve that problem, no matter where you live. Many people think they need to change their jobs because the job is boring, but really it’s the person who is boring. People who are enthralled with the stuff they do after work usually have no problem doing a boring job for work. 

    So this exercise, to focus on being interested in something, is actually the exercise of developing a muscle that can get you out of many problems down the line. I write about interstingness a lot, because it has saved me so many times in my own life. Here’s a link to one of those posts:

    http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2010/01/14/do-you-overemphasize-happiness/

    Penelope

  2. ardatyakshi
    ardatyakshi says:

    I’m a med student as well and this is good advice, and a good question. One additional suggestion I would offer the poster is Toastmasters, a club where the participants hone their speaking skills. There are two reasons I bring this up specifically for people in med school: medical training is time-intensive; toastmasters is maybe an hour a week, and depending on the chapter, a local club will have individuals from multiple professions: teachers, engineers, businesspeople–people you wouldn’t necessarily rub elbows with in med school. Moreover, the nature of what you all are talking about forces you to share your experiences with each other, so you’ll learn about their perspectives.

    Secondly, and more specifically for a physician in training, verbal skills are important when presenting patients to colleagues or when educating patients; Toastmasters will give you an opportunity to practice these skills in a supportive environment.

  3. Dodobee
    Dodobee says:

    A great way to meet interesting people is InterNations. It is an expat community that has branches all over the world. They have monthly happy hours, online forums, etc. I have been to a couple of events in San Francisco and you can meet all sorts of people from all sorts of cultural and professional backgrounds there. If they do not have a branch where you are, you should open one up and organize get-togethers in Ohio.

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