Is there a cost to attend?
No. The fair is free for medical students, including meals and materials. Travel stipends are available for students traveling from outside of Little Rock. Details and an application can be found in the registration form.
Will there be food? Any dietary accommodations?
Yes — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All meals are included with registration. We accommodate dietary restrictions when you note them on the registration form.
What should I wear?
Nice casual to business casual. You’ll be interacting with program directors and residents, but this isn’t a formal interview setting.
I’m not sure about primary care yet. Should I come?
Absolutely. This is a good place to ask the real questions about scope, lifestyle, compensation, and impact, and to hear honest answers from residents and attending physicians doing the work.
I’m an M1 or M2. Is this for me?
Yes. Students at every stage are welcome. Early-year students often find the fair helpful for specialty exploration, meeting mentors, and understanding what primary care training actually looks like before clerkships.
I’m a non-traditional student, older student, or career changer. Is this for me?
Yes. Arkansas programs train residents who came to medicine after careers in nursing, teaching, business, military service, research, and many other paths. Your life experience before medicine is often an asset, not a hurdle, particularly in primary care, where patient relationships are central. Programs here are used to evaluating applicants on the full picture of who they are. Come, ask your questions, and trust that there’s a place for the path you took to get here.
Are DO students welcome and supported by Arkansas programs?
Absolutely. Arkansas residency programs actively welcome DO applicants and have strong track records of matching DO students. This fair is for you. You’ll find programs that don’t just accept DOs — they recruit them.
Can I bring a friend or classmate who isn’t pre-registered?
We’d love for them to come. Please have them register so we can plan meals and materials.
Can I attend just part of the day?
Yes. We hope you’ll come for the full experience, but we know schedules don’t always cooperate. Come for what works — morning panels, afternoon residency networking, the skills labs. There’s no “wrong” way to attend. Just register so we can plan meals and badges, and come when you can.
Should I bring my CV?
It’s a good idea, but not required. If you’re seriously considering specific Arkansas programs, bringing printed copies of a one-page CV lets you share it with program directors and coordinators when conversations get specific. You don’t need to hand one to every program — let conversations develop naturally and share when it feels right. No CV is also fine, especially if you’re earlier in your training; the goal of this day is exploration, not formal interviewing.