MD & DO Co’22 ERAS Panic Thread

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Ho0v-man said:
Maybe it was just rads, but I had a hard time breaking out of the region of my school, even though my hometown was listed on ERAS and I primarily applied to that region. I strongly recommend you look into programs in your school region that you’d like, even if you wouldn’t like the location.

The stupid yield protection is real. As a DO with high stats, low tier programs you’re interested in might not bother and think you’re applying wherever and not really interested. Meanwhile, more competitive programs don’t want a DO. I’ve actually wondered if my interview yield would’ve been higher if I shaved 15 points off my boards.

But hey at least we know sacral rocking so it evens out.
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This worries me because there are only a few programs in my region.
 
Steve_Zissou said:
This worries me because there are only a few programs in my region.
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By “region” I mean Midwest. Not just my state and adjacent states. I got an invite to every Midwest program I applied to except 2 I think. But I didn’t apply to many. But I’m from the northeast. I got 3 invites in the northeast and two of them were directly from emailing the PD.
 
Ho0v-man said:
By “region” I mean Midwest. Not just my state and adjacent states. I got an invite to every Midwest program I applied to except 2 I think. But I didn’t apply to many. But I’m from the northeast. I got 3 invites in the northeast and two of them were directly from emailing the PD.
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My region is “northwest,” there are like 5 programs out here between WA and OR. I also really don’t want to go to cali.
 
InFreudWeTrust said:
Question: I go to school in a different state than my hometown and I will not be applying anywhere within a 3 hour drive of my hometown. Would it be advantageous to leave that section blank? The last thing I would want is for programs to assume I want to be back in that dump.
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It's not just regional but also setting that influences invites, I think. If you're from a rural place and want to train in another rural place, then worth listing
 
Ho0v-man said:
By “region” I mean Midwest. Not just my state and adjacent states. I got an invite to every Midwest program I applied to except 2 I think. But I didn’t apply to many. But I’m from the northeast. I got 3 invites in the northeast and two of them were directly from emailing the PD.
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This is concerning as I go to school in Philly but want to match in NY, where I'm originally from. Do you have any suggestions on how to increase our chances in a specific region? Or just directly email the PD and hope for the best lol. Also, when is a good time to email the PD if you see time is going by and you aren't getting interviews?
 
MedScat said:
This is concerning as I go to school in Philly but want to match in NY, where I'm originally from. Do you have any suggestions on how to increase our chances in a specific region? Or just directly email the PD and hope for the best lol. Also, when is a good time to email the PD if you see time is going by and you aren't getting interviews?
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I’m pretty sure Philly and NY would be considered the same region, so you should be fine
 
Schwifty said:
I’m pretty sure Philly and NY would be considered the same region, so you should be fine
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Agree.

MedScat said:
This is concerning as I go to school in Philly but want to match in NY, where I'm originally from. Do you have any suggestions on how to increase our chances in a specific region? Or just directly email the PD and hope for the best lol. Also, when is a good time to email the PD if you see time is going by and you aren't getting interviews?
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There’s a million opinions about when to email PDs and it’s going to be program dependent what the yield is for that.

I emailed the place I ended up twice expressing my reasons for wanting to match there and on interview day they didn’t know about it.

I emailed another place after they’d released the first wave of invites. PD responded sayin something along the lines of “I’m reviewing the waitlist as we speak. Expect an interview this week.”

Another program I emailed twice and they squeezed me in after the second one and apologized for not offering me an interview sooner.

I think the spreadsheets had gunners telling people not to email PDs/PCs while they were emailing like crazy.

TLDR; it’s completely random. Don’t be weird and email every week or something. But beyond that, no one knows.
 
Ho0v-man said:
Agree.



There’s a million opinions about when to email PDs and it’s going to be program dependent what the yield is for that.

I emailed the place I ended up twice expressing my reasons for wanting to match there and on interview day they didn’t know about it.

I emailed another place after they’d released the first wave of invites. PD responded sayin something along the lines of “I’m reviewing the waitlist as we speak. Expect an interview this week.”

Another program I emailed twice and they squeezed me in after the second one and apologized for not offering me an interview sooner.

I think the spreadsheets had gunners telling people not to email PDs/PCs while they were emailing like crazy.

TLDR; it’s completely random. Don’t be weird and email every week or something. But beyond that, no one knows.
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Rads definitely had most people on the spreadsheet saying not to reach out and then they were actively doing it themselves. It was apparent later during the season when people let it slip.
 
Neopolymath said:
Rads definitely had most people on the spreadsheet saying not to reach out and then they were actively doing it themselves. It was apparent later during the season when people let it slip.
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thought spreadsheets were anonymous? How can u tell its the same people saying reaching out is not advised compared to the people who did it themselves ?
 
Chelsea FC said:
thought spreadsheets were anonymous? How can u tell its the same people saying reaching out is not advised compared to the people who did it themselves ?
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They are anonymous but there were instances of people saying things like "at first I said it was too early but the 3 I did send anyway resulted in interviews" and also by correlating writing styles and small details to people who posted the same things in the discord.

Hoov and I even independently noticed it and discussed it via PM earlier in the app season so I don't think it's me being hyperaware and paranoid.
 
DOVinciRobot said:
I played national level sports in high school and had a D1 opportunity in one of the big 3. Didn't list that. Eagle Scout is an honor that follows you for life, and like @Neopolymath said is often used as something that is viewed as representing character and leadership. And no, it isn't just at the good old boys programs either, the PD who was the most into it and literally told me it was one of the main reasons they interviewed me was the exact opposite of an old white guy.

I listed my ES because of two reasons,1. I had multiple physician mentors tell me to, and 2. my dad told me his has come up in every job interview he's ever had. It's definitely something that can be a talking point, and more than a few people in positions that matter obviously take it as an important accomplishment. After what happened this application cycle and seeing how much it came up I will list it on my CV until I die.

I think people forget residency is a job application, and there is more to life than just excellent academics. On similar train of thought since it came up a bit ago in the thread, I have no idea why anyone would not list work experiences that didn't occur in medical school or weren't healthcare related. Work experience is significant to employers, even if it is just being a part-time McDonald's employee in college. No you can't overcome crappy academics with tons of ECs, work, and life experience, but if you only have academics you're going to struggle pretty bad as well and then post on Reddit complaining how you didn't get the residency you wanted even though you did "everything right." I've seen that story play out far too many times for it to be a coincidence.

/end soapbox
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I've had chairs and PDs tell me being an Eagle Scout is one of the most important accomplishments an applicant can list. Might be specialty/region dependent but it is a major accomplishment, far more impressive than any "research" a medical student is doing. I actually think it would go a long way in making up a deficiency in scores, grades, ect
 
Type2Fiber said:
I've had chairs and PDs tell me being an Eagle Scout is one of the most important accomplishments an applicant can list. Might be specialty/region dependent but it is a major accomplishment, far more impressive than any "research" a medical student is doing. I actually think it would go a long way in making up a deficiency in scores, grades, ect
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I've heard spanish can be pretty important for certain programs too.
 
Type2Fiber said:
I've had chairs and PDs tell me being an Eagle Scout is one of the most important accomplishments an applicant can list. Might be specialty/region dependent but it is a major accomplishment, far more impressive than any "research" a medical student is doing. I actually think it would go a long way in making up a deficiency in scores, grades, ect
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That sounds pretty ridiculous.
 
The thing about eagle scout is that, regardless of the exact project/work put in, it historically serves as to mark a certain type of person/set of values that is very important to many groups of people. It probably resonates better with old boys club types of folks, but it's certainly resume worthy if you are that type of person and are seeking to appeal to people who are in the know. It carries a cultural weight (that unfortunately may not be shared by all achievements of similar effort, like a girl scout Gold Award or something, but I wouldn't begrudge someone for listing it)
 
TelemarketingEnigma said:
The thing about eagle scout is that, regardless of the exact project/work put in, it historically serves as to mark a certain type of person/set of values that is very important to many groups of people. It probably resonates better with old boys club types of folks, but it's certainly resume worthy if you are that type of person and are seeking to appeal to people who are in the know. It carries a cultural weight (that unfortunately may not be shared by all achievements of similar effort, like a girl scout Gold Award or something, but I wouldn't begrudge someone for listing it)
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I have literally never thought of an Eagle Scout as that kind of person. I always just assumed it was just someone who didn’t give up on Boy Scouts to do karate instead. I don’t think the view of them that way is widespread outside of certain regions. I’ve never even met anyone who did Eagle Scouts.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I have literally never thought of an Eagle Scout as that kind of person. I always just assumed it was just someone who didn’t give up on Boy Scouts to do karate instead. I don’t think the view of them that way is widespread outside of certain regions. I’ve never even met anyone who did Eagle Scouts.
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Nah it's more than that from the several friends i know who are Eagle Scouts
 
Lawpy said:
I'd definitely list Eagle Scout on ERAS entirely because of the cultural significance.
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Right this is what I’m saying. I think the cultural significance is limited to certain areas. I have never met an Eagle Scout or anyone who has done it, and I doubt many people I know irl know very much if anything about it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t list it. Just that it might not get you that much of a boost outside those areas.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Right this is what I’m saying. I think the cultural significance is limited to certain areas. I have never met an Eagle Scout or anyone who has done it, and I doubt many people I know irl know very much if anything about it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t list it. Just that it might not get you that much of a boost outside those areas.
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If you've met any Mormons then chances are one of them was an Eagle scout.
 
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Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Right this is what I’m saying. I think the cultural significance is limited to certain areas. I have never met an Eagle Scout or anyone who has done it, and I doubt many people I know irl know very much if anything about it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t list it. Just that it might not get you that much of a boost outside those areas.
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I don't know if it's totally regional so much as generational? like, i don't think anyone in my direct peer group would be super impressed, but people my parents age seem to place more cultural weight on it. which is why it can be useful on a resume, because the old guard will place significance in it. I don't know if that will still be true decades from now when my generation is the "old guard", but maybe.

I had one friend who did it in high school and we were proud of him but that's about it - the rest of us did other cool things too. he ended up going to the Air Force Academy which is in line with what I think of when i think "eagle scout", sort of clean cut and looking to be a leader within a structured organization.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I have literally never thought of an Eagle Scout as that kind of person. I always just assumed it was just someone who didn’t give up on Boy Scouts to do karate instead. I don’t think the view of them that way is widespread outside of certain regions. I’ve never even met anyone who did Eagle Scouts.
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:hello:
 
TelemarketingEnigma said:
he ended up going to the Air Force Academy which is in line with what I think of when i think "eagle scout", sort of clean cut and looking to be a leader within a structured organization.
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Maybe it’s just because I’m in the military, but those two things are way different to me. And I don’t even particularly view academy experience as real military experience lol.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
Maybe it’s just because I’m in the military, but those two things are way different to me. And I don’t even particularly view academy experience as real military experience lol.
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not saying that those experiences are at all on the same level, but that from a civilian perspective they both seem to attract a specific type of person? which is the cultural weight it carries. And I specifically mention academy because I think eagle scout lines up more with that route to the military than people I know who were enlisted. there's definitely socioeconomic factors involved as well
 
TelemarketingEnigma said:
not saying that those experiences are at all on the same level, but that from a civilian perspective they both seem to attract a specific type of person? which is the cultural weight it carries. And I specifically mention academy because I think eagle scout lines up more with that route to the military than people I know who were enlisted. there's definitely socioeconomic factors involved as well
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Yeah I don’t know enough about Eagle Scouts. I really thought it was like Boy Scouts where it was just something you did once a week or something.
 
YMMV, but my experiences in the boy scouts and as an eagle scout: starting from the age of 10: various physical and mental challenges that had to be passed in addition to moral and citizenship tests that required study and commitment to being a person of good "character". In order to advance to the next "rank" you had to meet with the "scoutmaster" and a committee where you did an interview and this committee then decided whether you were worthy of the next level. There were certain required badges in each rank that had to do with environmental science, citizenship, and first aid. If two scouts had a fight or something of the sort, or if the kids aren't able to resolve this, then the committee wouldn't advance the kid to the next "rank" in their interview until they had shown they are of good moral character. Various leadership opportunities allowed for kids to lead other kids. These responsibilities included planning meals for campouts, setting up camp, following various sterile procedures, and resolving disputes for younger kids in the troop. There were requirements on the health of meals that could be bought for campouts, and also there was prohibition on bringing electronic devices on campouts. In my troop of 60 people, there was an opportunity to be a Senior patrol leader where you have the opportunity to lead a large organization of 60 kids, usually at the age of 15-16. You as the 15-year-old kid would have to run all events whether fundraisers, campouts, or large cross country trips and come up with all of the logistics involved such as paperwork, finances/fundraising, and meeting points or carpools/plane tickets. In addition as a senior patrol leader you had to meet with the board which are the adult leaders who would give you guidance on the status of finances, how they think you are doing as a leader, and where the troop is in regards to recruitment and various other interpersonal conflicts.

I have just scratched the surface but the overall point of boy scouts was to make men of good moral character, with good work ethic, who are physically strong and mentally "awake". We also have an oath of 20 adjectives that all should follow in their lives and include trustworthiness and loyalty. Now of course there were some real f***s who got through and got their eagle scout, and I know plenty of people who are great and amazing who didn't finish, but the overall sentiment of those who become scouts is that they *will try* to follow this moral code in their lives.
 
NicMouse64 said:
YMMV, but my experiences in the boy scouts and as an eagle scout: starting from the age of 10: various physical and mental challenges that had to be passed in addition to moral and citizenship tests that required study and commitment to being a person of good "character". In order to advance to the next "rank" you had to meet with the "scoutmaster" and a committee where you did an interview and this committee then decided whether you were worthy of the next level. There were certain required badges in each rank that had to do with environmental science, citizenship, and first aid. If two scouts had a fight or something of the sort, or if the kids aren't able to resolve this, then the committee wouldn't advance the kid to the next "rank" in their interview until they had shown they are of good moral character. Various leadership opportunities allowed for kids to lead other kids. These responsibilities included planning meals for campouts, setting up camp, following various sterile procedures, and resolving disputes for younger kids in the troop. There were requirements on the health of meals that could be bought for campouts, and also there was prohibition on bringing electronic devices on campouts. In my troop of 60 people, there was an opportunity to be a Senior patrol leader where you have the opportunity to lead a large organization of 60 kids, usually at the age of 15-16. You as the 15-year-old kid would have to run all events whether fundraisers, campouts, or large cross country trips and come up with all of the logistics involved such as paperwork, finances/fundraising, and meeting points or carpools/plane tickets. In addition as a senior patrol leader you had to meet with the board which are the adult leaders who would give you guidance on the status of finances, how they think you are doing as a leader, and where the troop is in regards to recruitment and various other interpersonal conflicts.

I have just scratched the surface but the overall point of boy scouts was to make men of good moral character, with good work ethic, who are physically strong and mentally "awake". We also have an oath of 20 adjectives that all should follow in their lives and include trustworthiness and loyalty. Now of course there were some real f***s who got through and got their eagle scout, and I know plenty of people who are great and amazing who didn't finish, but the overall sentiment of those who become scouts is that they *will try* to follow this moral code in their lives.
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Well I can see why the mormons love boy scouts
 
sunshinefl said:
I read they automatically get a pay and/or rank bump in the military.
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They do not. At least at the Naval academy, they make like $75 a month during plebe summer and like $150 a month the rest of the year once all their expenses are deducted. When they graduate, they commission as an O-1 with less than 2 years. Pretty sure all the service academies are similar to that.
sunshinefl said:

This is from 2014 (but I don’t care enough to keep looking more), but funny you should mention the academy because this has the stats for Eagle Scouts in the military academies.
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Interesting. Had no idea.
 
For what it’s worth, I listed a flukey college job that involved a fishing shop. Doesn’t add to my academic prestige but it could be a good conversation starter for an attending who likes fly fishing. I feel like like little experiences like that add some color to otherwise cookie cutter apps. Just my thought.
 
If your school sent your ERAS token to your school affiliated email, is there a way to change the email address you will receive ERAS related info from? I'm asking because I made a separate email address specifically for interview season that I can get all notifications on my watch/texted to me. Id rather not get ALL my schools BS emails sent to me so is there a way I can change it to use the new email for when interviews start rolling out?
 
MedScat said:
If your school sent your ERAS token to your school affiliated email, is there a way to change the email address you will receive ERAS related info from? I'm asking because I made a separate email address specifically for interview season that I can get all notifications on my watch/texted to me. Id rather not get ALL my schools BS emails sent to me so is there a way I can change it to use the new email for when interviews start rolling out?
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Yes. Just change your account settings from any AAMC account-related thing. Pretty sure you can do it directly through ERAS too. But if you change your VSAS email or anything like that, it'll automatically default all AAMC things to that email. At least that's what happened when I changed mine.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I’d love to be educated on it more. I don’t really know much about it.
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This is the long story: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Scouts-BSA-Requirements-3321619.pdf

Short story:

There are 7 ranks in Scouting with Eagle being the last. They're broken down into 2 halves. The first half (Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First class) are pretty standardized for everyone and are the fundamentals of Scouting. Basic first aid/emergency preparedness, water safety, camping/outdoor skills, physical fitness, meaning behind what/why Scouting does, good citizenship, and personal safety (new since my time but stuff about bullying and child abuse). To advance to any rank, you do have to meet with your Scoutmaster to also describe how you follow the Scout Law and Oath in your regular life.

The second half (Star, Life, and Eagle) is centered around merit badges, service, and leadership in the troop. There are certain merit badges that everyone must complete to become an Eagle Scout (What Merit Badges are required for the Eagle Scout rank? | Boy Scouts of America). Outside of those, you can pick which ones you want to complete.

This all culminates in the final Eagle Project which is a service project planned and executed by the Scout from start to finish.
 
VA Hopeful Dr said:
This is the long story: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Scouts-BSA-Requirements-3321619.pdf

Short story:

There are 7 ranks in Scouting with Eagle being the last. They're broken down into 2 halves. The first half (Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First class) are pretty standardized for everyone and are the fundamentals of Scouting. Basic first aid/emergency preparedness, water safety, camping/outdoor skills, physical fitness, meaning behind what/why Scouting does, good citizenship, and personal safety (new since my time but stuff about bullying and child abuse). To advance to any rank, you do have to meet with your Scoutmaster to also describe how you follow the Scout Law and Oath in your regular life.

The second half (Star, Life, and Eagle) is centered around merit badges, service, and leadership in the troop. There are certain merit badges that everyone must complete to become an Eagle Scout (What Merit Badges are required for the Eagle Scout rank? | Boy Scouts of America). Outside of those, you can pick which ones you want to complete.

This all culminates in the final Eagle Project which is a service project planned and executed by the Scout from start to finish.
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What kind of projects are usually done? Are these like of significance or just like hey I cleaned up a street once?
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
What kind of projects are usually done? Are these like of significance or just like hey I cleaned up a street once?
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Depends on what you mean by significance. Remember these projects are being carried out by teenagers (18th birthday is the cutoff for getting ES), but they are generally more significant than just cleaning up a street. It’s a whole process to get a project set up, you have to submit a proposal to a council who has to approve it. The proposal is supposed to highlight exactly why your project is beneficial to the community, how it will be carried out, who will help, and how many hours it will take (it has to take so many hours, like it can’t just be a show up and bang it out kind of deal with no planning).

The idea is the scout is supposed to come up with the idea, do all of the planning and coordinating, and then direct the project as it’s carried out all by themselves and do something of significance that benefits their community.
 
DOVinciRobot said:
Depends on what you mean by significance. Remember these projects are being carried out by teenagers (18th birthday is the cutoff for getting ES), but they are generally more significant than just cleaning up a street. It’s a whole process to get a project set up, you have to submit a proposal to a council who has to approve it. The proposal is supposed to highlight exactly why your project is beneficial to the community, how it will be carried out, who will help, and how many hours it will take (it has to take so many hours, like it can’t just be a show up and bang it out kind of deal with no planning).

The idea is the scout is supposed to come up with the idea, do all of the planning and coordinating, and then direct the project as it’s carried out all by themselves and do something of significance that benefits their community.
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Yep.

For mine I noticed that there was an area around a covered walkway at a local elementary school that was basically a barren patch of dirt (20 yards by 20 yards, give or take). So I called the principal to get permission to landscape it. Got the city's permission to have a doughnut stand at the annual Christmas thing to raise money. Went to Lowe's to see what all I could afford to buy, plant wise. Went to a local pool to clean up a bunch of fallen pine needles since the budget wouldn't be enough to buy pine needles. Then spent 2 full Saturdays planting, pine needling, cleaning up afterwards.

Of course 5 years later the area was bulldozed to make room for an expansion of the school, but I try not to think about that part.
 
VA Hopeful Dr said:
Yep.

For mine I noticed that there was an area around a covered walkway at a local elementary school that was basically a barren patch of dirt (20 yards by 20 yards, give or take). So I called the principal to get permission to landscape it. Got the city's permission to have a doughnut stand at the annual Christmas thing to raise money. Went to Lowe's to see what all I could afford to buy, plant wise. Went to a local pool to clean up a bunch of fallen pine needles since the budget wouldn't be enough to buy pine needles. Then spent 2 full Saturdays planting, pine needling, cleaning up afterwards.

Of course 5 years later the area was bulldozed to make room for an expansion of the school, but I try not to think about that part.
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A for effort anyway.
 
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