aProgDirector... is it possible to update personal statement?

[TOXOSIS]

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aPD, I have had applied to internships without mentioning what I will pursue after internship. I did this because I was torn between 2 specialties (one of which requires an internship year) and I did not want to sound undecisive. Well, now several programs have emailed me asking what I will pursue after internship and I answered honestly - I'm sure that others have just tossed my application to the side. Is it practical to update my personal statement to those programs that have not offered me an interview yet and mention how I would like to do an internship and decide my specialty in one of the two specialities of interest during internship? Thanks !!!

 

[NotAProgDirector]

It's easy to do so. You write a new personal statement on MyERAS, and then simply assign it to programs. The next time the programs connect to the ERAS postoffice, the original PS will be discarded and the new one will take it's place. If the program prints out your application, they will now have both of them on paper. If they only use an electronic application, then they only have the new one.

Why are programs concerned about this? PGY-1 prelims without a PGY-2 landing spot raise some concerns. First, you'll need to be interviewing during your PGY-1 for possible PGY-2 spots, which creates a complicated schedule. Second, it raises the concern that you'll leave in the middle of the year if you find a spot in a field that doesn't need a prelim. Third, it makes you stand out -- very few people do a medicine prelim without a PGY-2 plan.