Place to explain yourself on ERAS?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
W

WashMe

Full Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2008
Messages
1,822
Reaction score
72
Basically, my situation is that I was near the top of my class after MS2, scored 250+ on Step I, and did fine during 3rd year (with one exception). My very first rotation, I was on pace for an easy honors after all the clinical evals... but the exam did me in.

I had a terrible migraine and almost bumped my shelf back 3 months (allowed at my school), but I didn't know how tough the shelf exams were so I thought I'd just fight through. Long story short, my thinking was cloudy, I finished about 70% of the test, and I failed by my school's standards. Thus, I got a P overall (H/HP/P scale).

It was a 3-month rotation, so although I did fine the rest of the year it knocked my overall class rank into the bottom third for ERAS/Dean's Letter purposes. Had I honored that rotation like I easily could have mathematically, I would have been likely top 1/3 or possibly middle 1/3. With a high pass, I would have been solidly middle 1/3. However, this freak occurrence landed me in the bottom 1/3...

I want to explain what happened on ERAS, but I don't know where I can put the info in. I wrote my PS but did not address it, because it would not fit in with the theme of my PS.

Any advice? Should I bring it up on interviews?

Thanks!
Members don't see this ad.
 
Just say you felt sick on the day of the shelf exam. They dont need to read a paragraph on it. Just my 2 cents.
 
WashMe said:
Basically, my situation is that I was near the top of my class after MS2, scored 250+ on Step I, and did fine during 3rd year (with one exception). My very first rotation, I was on pace for an easy honors after all the clinical evals... but the exam did me in.

I had a terrible migraine and almost bumped my shelf back 3 months (allowed at my school), but I didn't know how tough the shelf exams were so I thought I'd just fight through. Long story short, my thinking was cloudy, I finished about 70% of the test, and I failed by my school's standards. Thus, I got a P overall (H/HP/P scale).

It was a 3-month rotation, so although I did fine the rest of the year it knocked my overall class rank into the bottom third for ERAS/Dean's Letter purposes. Had I honored that rotation like I easily could have mathematically, I would have been likely top 1/3 or possibly middle 1/3. With a high pass, I would have been solidly middle 1/3. However, this freak occurrence landed me in the bottom 1/3...

I want to explain what happened on ERAS, but I don't know where I can put the info in. I wrote my PS but did not address it, because it would not fit in with the theme of my PS.

Any advice? Should I bring it up on interviews?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Getting a P in one rotation makes you bottom third of the class? So that means at least two-thirds of the class is getting all HP or better?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
DrSnips said:
Getting a P in one rotation makes you bottom third of the class? So that means at least two-thirds of the class is getting all HP or better?
Click to expand...

In any given MS3 rotation here, roughly 30-40% gets H, 50-60% gets HP, 0-10% gets P. The course I got a P in, 11% of people get a P. This particular course is worth 1/4 of the entire MS3 grade, and overall MS3 grades count 2x as much as MS2 grades for class rank. So, my great MS2 stuff couldn't help me and I basically did as well as most other people (but not better) for the rest of MS3. Thus, this one course was really my only downfall.

WildcatS11 said:
"easy honor"...? if we were all so lucky
Click to expand...

Well, what happened was that I had honored the clinical portions, so I didn't need to blow away the shelf. I just needed to pass it for a HP overall, or do moderately well for an H. Of course, I did not pass it.
 
WashMe said:
In any given MS3 rotation here, roughly 30-40% gets H, 50-60% gets HP, 0-10% gets P.
Click to expand...

Wow. That grade inflation is insane. In my class about 15% H, 15% HP and 65% P and 5% fail. I don't know how it is most places, but I can't imagine your school has a commonly used grading scheme.
 
If the grade is not in the field you are going in to I wouldn't worry about it too much. Sounds like you have a least a decent explanation. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do in ERAS.

What you could do is get a LOR from your attending on that rotation and have him/her address the issue and basically say you are awesome.
 
just curious washme what specialty did you end up deciding on?
 
WashMe said:
In any given MS3 rotation here, roughly 30-40% gets H, 50-60% gets HP, 0-10% gets P.

This blows my mind. At my school, honors is limited to 10-15% of the class, the top 50% are eligible for HP and the remainder get P. Our transcripts must look horrible then, if other schools have similar policies.
Click to expand...
 
Pedi FTW said:
WashMe said:
In any given MS3 rotation here, roughly 30-40% gets H, 50-60% gets HP, 0-10% gets P.

This blows my mind. At my school, honors is limited to 10-15% of the class, the top 50% are eligible for HP and the remainder get P. Our transcripts must look horrible then, if other schools have similar policies.
Click to expand...


Clinical grading is a joke. Either every school should have the same clinical grading system and same percentage that are given each grade, or just eliminate the grades and go to Pass/Fail.

And to me, a ranking system counting (subjective) clinical grades twice is like counting September baseball games as more than one win. It is rather silly.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
thanks for all the replies, guys! and for those interested, I'm going with anesthesiology
 
Mass Effect said:
At my school, it's 10% honors, 10% high pass, and the vast majority will get a pass. Also at my school, class rank is set at the end of second year and elective rotations and sub-I rotations aren't eligible for honors or high pass.
Click to expand...

dude wtf, why are you quoting me for stuff I didn't say
 
Calm down. All I did was hit "quote." I don't know why it posted the way it did. I fixed it.
 
Back to the topic... if there is a need to post an explanation (such as for one random anomalous poor grade) where is the place (other than the PS) to do it?
 
ChillDoc said:
Back to the topic... if there is a need to post an explanation (such as for one random anomalous poor grade) where is the place (other than the PS) to do it?
Click to expand...

imo putting something like that in a personal statement (if it isn't the field you want to go into) sounds dumb. I think having LoR writers address it is probably the best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

M
How to list abstract on ERAS
Replies
2
Views
949
esob
esob
I
Receiving Step 2 Score on ERAS Day - What to Do?
Replies
2
Views
729
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
S
Extension / Interruption Question on ERAS
Replies
1
Views
371
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
H
ERAS work
Replies
1
Views
322
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
T
Internal Medicine residency applicant: okay to only have one IM rotation prior to ERAS?
Replies
2
Views
466
NotAProgDirector
NotAProgDirector
Top