I am a second-year looking into ophtho. I have been thinking about how to schedule my rotations for a while and can't seem to make a good decision. I was hoping to get some help from someone with experience. Since ophtho is a relatively early application and research is of some importance, I would like to schedule a month or two of research rotation. Would I be able to do this fourth year or is it better if done before applications? So far, I have decided to go with fp/peds/psych early and IM/surgery towards the end since I will have more experience then. Will that affect time I will be spending on applications towards the end of the year? thank you!

Actually, I would do it the other way around. IM is THE most important rotation I think of your entire 3rd year. This is where I laid the FOUNDATION for every one of my subsequent rotations. I would definitely do my IM rotation first.

I'd recommend doing IM and Surgery first. These are the two important rotations and good grades will help your application. I've heard competitive programs look at your performance in surgery.