Advice for Incoming M1?

[deleted861279]

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What is the format of the ERAS application? It would be so helpful if someone explain the major sections of ERAS (ie. preclerkship grades, clerkship grades, personal statement, extracurricular activites etc.)

Also, out of curiosity, is the ERAS application released by AMCAS or a different company?

Thank you!

 

[kraskadva]

Get good grades.

If you want to be extra gunner-y, go talk to your school's match advisor and they should be able to tell you what folks from your school with successful matches to competive programs did.

Also in regards to your other question

Quick question, from whom do I get recommendation letters from for residency application? Pre-clerkship professors, clership preceptors, or others? Thank you!

1- You get these M3 and M4 year, from clinical folks only. From who specifically will depend on what you're going into.
2- There are 3 max (no packets like AMCAS) and one of them will be a chair letter from your school, so you don't need to collect them like pokemon, just a couple good ones.
3- As a not-yet-matriculated med student, you don't need to think about these for at least 3 years, so chill.
4- Please don't post a thousand threads for each individual question you might have. There's too much of that already. Use the search function first, then put all your remaining questions into one post.

 

[GoSpursGo]

4- Please don't post a thousand threads for each individual question you might have. There's too much of that already. Use the search function first, then put all your remaining questions into one post.

This. Seriously, a bunch of your questions have been answered many times over the years. There is no reason for you to have four new threads in 3 days, or two within 10 minutes.

This probably comes across as mean-spirited, but honestly this is something that you need to learn in med school. Nobody likes that kid who peppers their resident with a bunch of inane questions on rounds--take some initiative, try looking up your questions, and then if you can't answer it on your own feel free to ask.

Preferably in a single thread 🙂

 

[TakotsuboOkazaki]

Don’t lose yourself. Seriously. Always find a way to stay centered and stay “you”.

 

[Doctor-S]

Quick question, from whom do I get recommendation letters from for residency application? Pre-clerkship professors, clership preceptors, or others? Thank you!

Be sure to follow the instructions for each program because some programs require letters from certain departments, or only from attendings, and so forth. Read the instructions first and then follow the instructions.

In general:

1. You can request a "clinical" recommendation letter from a faculty preceptor who knows you well (e.g., from your sub-internship and/or from a rotation in which the preceptor became well-acquainted with you and observed you performing your duties (etc.) at the level of an aspiring resident).

2. If you participated in a research project (e.g., the summer following M1), and did solid research in the course of that project, you could ask the MD/PhD for a LOR.

 

[deleted861279]

I’m wondering about what are the major medical school exams? Like step 1, 2, and 3? Are there other ones I’m missing?

Also, when do students typically take these major exams? And how much does each exam count toward residency? For example, I know that step 1 impacts the type of residency you get into a lot

 

[ciestar]

You take Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS in medical school.

They ALL impact your residency options in various degrees.

 

[deleted861279]

What type of clothes do 3rd and 4th year students wear to clerkships? Business or scrubs?

 

[Chibucks15]

What type of clothes do 3rd and 4th year students wear to clerkships? Business or scrubs?

It varies. Be prepared for both. Ive gone from shirt and tie on IM, to scrubs on OB and Surgery, to business casual on most everything else. I’ve switched based on rotations

 

[sharkbyte]

Speaking from a guy’s standpoint, I wore dress shirt/pants +/- tie on inpatient wards rotations (IM, neuro, peds, psych) with scrubs sometimes allowed on call days and weekends. Surgery and OB were scrubs except for clinic. ICU was scrubs all the time.

I usually ended up wearing a tie for the first few days of a rotation and then ditched it. Rad onc (elective) was the only rotation I wore a tie for every day because they required it

 

[ciestar]

Speaking from a guy’s standpoint, I wore dress shirt/pants +/- tie on inpatient wards rotations (IM, neuro, peds, psych) with scrubs sometimes allowed on call days and weekends. Surgery and OB were scrubs except for clinic. ICU was scrubs all the time.

I usually ended up wearing a tie for the first few days of a rotation and then ditched it. Rad onc (elective) was the only rotation I wore a tie for every day because they required it

My experience mostly. Except I am female and i wore a mix between pants and dresses depending on the day

 

[kraskadva]

LMGTFY - Let Me Google That For You

For all those people who find it more convenient to bother you with their question rather than to Google it for themselves.

lmgtfy.com

 

[samac]

It's AAMC. You're asking people to explain an entire extensive application process that is online, I don't think anyone wants to do that.

ERAS info page Happy reading.

Edit: You're a premed, applying now. That's cool, but how eras works isn't of any useful knowledge to you at this time. Slow your roll, get through your first 2 years of medical school then worry about how to enter your extracurricular activities onto ERAS.

 

[samac]

You have to stop with these basic google-able questions about how it all works. We are not google.

 

[stickgirl390]

Shelf exams in year 3 are standardized as well as Step

 

[GoSpursGo]

There is no reason for you to have four new threads in 3 days, or two within 10 minutes.

if you can't answer your question on your own feel free to ask. Preferably in a single thread 🙂

I think I was pretty clear here. There are many other users who are actually already in med school whose threads are getting drowned out by your posting multiple questions about something you don't need to worry about for another 10 months.

I've merged your multiple active threads (Clerkship Clothes, ERAS questions, Major Medical Exams, and Questions about fourth year) into this one. Please be courteous to other users and use the search function. If you must ask a question, please keep your questions about what to expect in med school to this thread.