ERAS PHOTO: professional or self-taken?

[16prov9]

How important is it to have the ERAS photo professionally taken versus taken by yourself?

I tried taking one myself, and I think it looks fairly professional, however, it probably will not look as professional as those who have had it professionally taken.

Is this going to hurt first impressions in any way? My concern is that if every other applicant has it professionally taken, then mine might appear "lesser" and thus less competitive. I'm not sure if this is a valid concern and if it is worth yet another substantial cost to get the photo professionally taken, but if the general consensus is "yes," then I will do it.

Advice?


Thank you.

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[calespine]

How important is it to have the ERAS photo professionally taken versus taken by yourself?

I tried taking one myself, and I think it looks fairly professional, however, it probably will not look as professional as those who have had it professionally taken.

Is this going to hurt first impressions in any way? My concern is that if every other applicant has it professionally taken, then mine might appear "lesser" and thus less competitive. I'm not sure if this is a valid concern and if it is worth yet another substantial cost to get the photo professionally taken, but if the general consensus is "yes," then I will do it.

Advice?


Thank you.

It probably won't make a big difference, but everyone has told me to pay the few extra bucks and get a professional photo. I know a lot of programs use our photos when ranking to remind them who we are, and some programs also use our photos as our "resident" photo on their websites if we go there.

 

[hippiedoc13]

I don't believe it's necessary to pay for professional photos, but it wouldn't be wrong to do so.

Given that almost everyone now has a digital camera and the capability to print high-quality photo prints on photo paper, I really think it is fine to do-it-yourself. However, if you choose to go this route, you still need to look professional in your photo. You should NOT be using your vacation photos or something like that.

If you choose to do-it-yourself: Make sure you look as nice as you would if you were going to the photo studio to pay a pro. Guys, put on a collared shirt +/- jacket. Ladies, either the collared shirt + suit jacket, or a nice conservative sweater, or similar. Fix your hair. Ladies, put on some makeup if you usually wear it. Choose a blank wall or other neutral background to stand in front of, and have a friend snap several shots from the mid-chest/shoulders and up.

Your other option is to go get a passport-type photo (again dressed professionally, at least from the waist up), which is still less expensive than a professional photo studio.

Agree w/ calespine, that these photos are often used at rank meetings to put the face w/ the name. Some programs or hospitals use it to put together a composite of all the incoming interns, and post it all over the place. Mine showed up on our program website w/ my bio...glad it was a flattering shot...

 

[I_love_UMKC]

What are some places to get these photos done and about how much do they cost?

 

[34140]

when people say professional photos, what do you mean? like glamour shots? something super fancy shamcy or just a nicer version of a passport photo.

can someone post some examples?

 

[twilightdoc]

How important is it to have the ERAS photo professionally taken versus taken by yourself?

In the perfect world, no one would judge you on the basis of your appearance or on the basis of the appearance of your application photo....but you know how close we are to living in a "perfect world".

My advice would be to have a "professional quality" photo taken, ideally wearing something similar to your interview attire, etc. It doesn't have to be done by an actual professional- digital cameras and a patient friend can do wonders. But it ought to be taken much like a passport photo (hopefully better than mine looks). Definitely do not use candid action shots or "glamour shots". Remember that you are applying for a job in a profession. And you don't know who is going to see those photos as they review the application.

 

[supermariobros]

our school offers to use our med school ID photos but they have us in a white coat. ive heard that you should NOT use a pic with your white coat... is there any truth to that? does it matter?

 

[twilightdoc]

our school offers to use our med school ID photos but they have us in a white coat. ive heard that you should NOT use a pic with your white coat... is there any truth to that? does it matter?

Several schools do that, and it is OK (white coat included). Remember that most of the people involved in reviewing applications, etc. have been doing this for a while and understand that some schools offer a "standard" photo. But what you want to avoid is a candid, somewhat stuporous photo that looks like you are auditioning for "The Hangover", or a glamour shot that looks like you are applying to be a TV spokesperson and not a professional who is responsible for the lives of others.

 

[mcl]

For application review, the ERAS photo really doesn't matter--I can't see it until I've marked that you've been invited for an interview. But at my program, the quality of the photo does matter for Match Day. We make a poster introducing our new intern class using 5x7 versions of the ERAS photo. If the picture quality is poor, the photo looks too pixelly when it's reproduced in a larger size.

 

[dpmd]

I had a coupon for a free sitting and one free picture at Target. They did a bunch of different backgrounds and poses, and I chose the most flattering one and got it in the biggest size they offered, and paid another 10 bucks or less (its been a while) for a sheet of wallet size which worked out for USMLE applications (had to trim it but the proportions were fine). I could have just scanned the big one and cheated by printing my own and saved the extra money. I used the same pic for residency application, but in retrospect maybe I shouldn't have. My hair had grown a lot in the interim so people might have been confused (although I wore it up for interviews, so maybe not).

 

[PlutoBoy]

The ERAS user guide states photos should "measure between 2.5 by 3.5 inches and no more than 3 by 4 inches." Ok. Any idea how that translates into pixels?

It should be 300 x 300 pixels. If you use Microsoft Office Picture Manager, when you resize the picture it will state the A x B pixels in the screen so you get to know how large your picture is. Start by removing the white area over your hair because it saves some pixel space and work it up from there.

It should weight less than 100 kb, dont forget that. Good luck!

 

[docbill]

I had a coupon for a free sitting and one free picture at Target. They did a bunch of different backgrounds and poses, and I chose the most flattering one and got it in the biggest size they offered, and paid another 10 bucks or less (its been a while) for a sheet of wallet size which worked out for USMLE applications (had to trim it but the proportions were fine). I could have just scanned the big one and cheated by printing my own and saved the extra money. I used the same pic for residency application, but in retrospect maybe I shouldn't have. My hair had grown a lot in the interim so people might have been confused (although I wore it up for interviews, so maybe not).

at Sears, you can get 8 wallet sized pictures for 12-14$.

 

[mig26x]

go to any pharmacy that does passport photos and take one. It costs 8.99.

 

[blondemed]

Hey guys I'm going to get my photo taken today at a commercial studio, took some with my digital camera but they turned out horrible. I think I might get the digital images on a cd, any idea on the size and pixel restrictions? Or should I just get some wallet sized prints? Also white background only or can I opt for a neutral color background? Thanks.

 

[hippiedoc13]

Hey guys I'm going to get my photo taken today at a commercial studio, took some with my digital camera but they turned out horrible. I think I might get the digital images on a cd, any idea on the size and pixel restrictions? Or should I just get some wallet sized prints? Also white background only or can I opt for a neutral color background? Thanks.

Regarding the background, it's just a matter of common sense and good taste. There is no requirement. Neutral color background is fine and professional looking.

Please see the posts above with info on size and pixel resolution.

 

[metallo]

At my school, we get graduation pics taken that are put together in a composite class photo that everyone receives. They send us copies of the individuals to use for ERAS. BTW, I've heard that glamor shots are an absolute no-no for residency apps -- as someone else mentioned, you want to have the appearance of a professional physician, not a professional actor.

 

[Pure Anergy]

I feel kind of stupid to even have to ask this, but can someone tell me where you upload the photo in ERAS? After going through all the tabs, I still don't see where it goes, and the ERAS help wasn't the most helpful.

Edit: Nevermind. I finally found where it talks about the photo in the ERAS instructions, and your school has to do it.

 

[DoctaJay]

Once our school has uploaded our photo to ERAS, will we be able to see it on our ERAS account?

 

[babycapybara]

Confused....if our school is uploading it why all the fuss about going out to get professional pictures? Do we need to send it to them? Will they use my photo from 1st year?

I also couldn't find any place on the ERAS site for a photo.

 

[DickyV]

Also white background only or can I opt for a neutral color background? Thanks.

Per AAMC/ERAS, there's no requirement, but lighter-colored backgrounds apparently show up better in the PD Workstation. (Because, you know, for the hundreds of dollars we spend to apply, the software should be far worse than facebook.)

 

[DickyV]

I also couldn't find any place on the ERAS site for a photo.

The school has to scan and upload (or, if you have a digital photo, I suppose they could just upload) your photo. Not really sure why you can't put your own in.

As for DoctaJay's question, my photo has been uploaded and, so far, I can't figure out a way to look at it.