MD & DO Co’22 ERAS Panic Thread

[DrStephenStrange]

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Wrote mine the week of in one evening. People worry way too much about the wrong things

Not everyone will be as skilled a writer as you are. For someone like me who is not a native English speaker, it might take a day or two.

 

[MedScat]

Look into the ERAS Applicant Worksheet, which you can fill out now and copy/paste into the ERAS portal when it opens later. ERAS CV has character limits for activities so you may not truly be able to copy paste from your own CV.

Am i blind or is there no spot for research you've done, only publications?

 

[AzBasRad]

Am i blind or is there no spot for research you've done, only publications?

The experience section on pg 9 is subdivided into Research, Volunteer and Work Experiences in the real application portal. The formatting remains identical.

 

[efle]

Not everyone will be as skilled a writer as you are. For someone like me who is not a native English speaker, it might take a day or two.

I'm not a skilled writer. It was entirely bland and forgettable just like 95% of others. If you have a unique life story or need to address red flags or something, it makes sense to care a lot of about your statement. But sometimes normal people with normal stories stress about this essay for weeks and weeks, and it's totally unnecessary!

 

[AzBasRad]

Not everyone will be as skilled a writer as you are. For someone like me who is not a native English speaker, it might take a day or two.

Yeah man, don't feel bad about spending time on your PS (if you can spare). I personally took a few months, and my first draft was only 50% similar to my final draft. It's an element of my application I can control and thus, I wanted to ensure it was the best work I can produce. Did it end up making a significant difference in getting IVs? I don't know but it was brought up in quite a few of my IVs.

 

[FindersFee5]

Yeah man, don't feel bad about spending time on your PS (if you can spare). I personally took a few months, and my first draft was only 50% similar to my final draft. It's an element of my application I can control and thus, I wanted to ensure it was the best work I can produce. Did it end up making a significant difference in getting IVs? I don't know but it was brought up in quite a few of my IVs.

I think this is the way to do it. I wrote my first draft in about 2 hours and then revisited it about once a month for the next few months. I also wrote down impactful patient experiences during my third year and sub-is as they happened, so they were fresh. Then I drew from those for my PS and answers to interview questions.

 

[Ho0v-man]

I'm not a skilled writer. It was entirely bland and forgettable just like 95% of others. If you have a unique life story or need to address red flags or something, it makes sense to care a lot of about your statement. But sometimes normal people with normal stories stress about this essay for weeks and weeks, and it's totally unnecessary!

I think it’s residual from when we applied to med school where we all had to stand out and try to be interesting and unique in some way to appease the administrators who need to feel like they’re selecting for the most special snowflakes.

Then we apply to residency and the people calling the shots are actual physicians who care about things that are much more objective.

I think this is the way to do it. I wrote my first draft in about 2 hours and then revisited it about once a month for the next few months. I also wrote down impactful patient experiences during my third year and sub-is as they happened, so they were fresh. Then I drew from those for my PS and answers to interview questions.

This is a good idea. I kept getting asked about impactful patient experiences in interviews and all of my patient encounters made me realize I’d rather be in a darkroom so not the best for interview answers.

 

[AzBasRad]

Does anyone know if you have to put every undergrad school you attended (currently looking at the ERAS worksheet)? I went to night school at a CC one semester because I wanted to take a cool astronomy class and then went to another CC for a coding class another semester.

And for experiences: paragraph or bullet point form?

Personally, I excluded college level courses I took at a different university after finishing high school prior to starting my undergrad. I would try to avoid any gaps in your CV that cannot be explained by school, work or volunteering experience. For example, if you were already enrolled in a different school or had been working AND took the coding or astronomy class, I don't think it will matter if you excluded those classes since you time was occupied/can be explained by something else. However, if you weren't doing anything else (i.e. no school/work/volunteering), I would definitely include those experiences.

For experiences: I used bullet point form w/ longer sentences per bullet point, and it worked out fine.

 

[InFreudWeTrust]

Personally, I excluded college level courses I took at a different university after finishing high school prior to starting my undergrad. I would try to avoid any gaps in your CV that cannot be explained by school, work or volunteering experience. For example, if you were already enrolled in a different school or had been working AND took the coding or astronomy class, I don't think it will matter if you excluded those classes since you time was occupied/can be explained by something else. However, if you weren't doing anything else (i.e. no school/work/volunteering), I would definitely include those experiences.

For experiences: I used bullet point form w/ longer sentences per bullet point, and it worked out fine.

Deleted as I thought it may have been a dumb question. Thank you so much for the response, super helpful!

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Yeah, there is no advantage to submitting early. As long it's in by September 29th, you're good from what I was told by several people at my school and some PDs.

My suggestion: don't wait until the 29th. ERAS can get clogged up when lots of people are using it. Set a deadline the prior week, get it all done and in. The last thing you want to worry about is a website crash / internet failure / etc.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

So...while browsing programs, I found one that says they are recruiting outside of the match for next year...assuming that's a red flag?

 

[Ganon]

So...while browsing programs, I found one that says they are recruiting outside of the match for next year...assuming that's a red flag?

I’d wanna’ know why they are choosing that for sure!

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

So...while browsing programs, I found one that says they are recruiting outside of the match for next year...assuming that's a red flag?

I mean if they're recruiting outside the match, you can't apply for regular match anyway right? all in rule and whatnot

 

[aaronrodgers]

Discord thread for anyone applying into rads Join the Radiology Discord Network Discord Server!

 

[DrStephenStrange]

So...while browsing programs, I found one that says they are recruiting outside of the match for next year...assuming that's a red flag?

I've noticed this with mostly the brand new programs. I have no idea why though. Maybe it has something to do with paperwork and stuff to be able to participate in the match.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I've noticed this with mostly the brand new programs. I have no idea why though. Maybe it has something to do with paperwork and stuff to be able to participate in the match.

They're not brand new though, they have all of their classes and they even have a page listing past grads. They are also still going through ERAS as well. It's just...odd. It doesn't even seem like an awful program.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

They're not brand new though, they have all of their classes and they even have a page listing past grads. They are also still going through ERAS as well. It's just...odd. It doesn't even seem like an awful program.

this makes no sense, unless they're planning to withdraw from the match if they find candidates outside the match. unless this is recruitment for unfilled spots from this years match, or non-pgy1 positions?

edit: although i guess you could use ERAS as an app system and just not go through NRMP for match? forgot about that option

 

[sunshinefl]

this makes no sense, unless they're planning to withdraw from the match if they find candidates outside the match. unless this is recruitment for unfilled spots from this years match, or non-pgy1 positions?

edit: although i guess you could use ERAS as an app system and just not go through NRMP for match? forgot about that option

I saw a few programs this year that still used ERAS as an app system despite not using The Match.

 

[stickgirl390]

BTW, how much time are you guys blocking out to dedicate to filling out ERAS apps, work on PS, select programs, etc. Is it enough to take 2 weeks? Do we need more time? Also, there's no benefit to submitting before the morning of September 29th, right? As in, Sep 1st, 15th, or 28th won't make a difference since programs can't review until the morning of the 29th, correct?

There is no time stamp on items that you upload prior to Sept 29, so no - it doesn’t matter when you submit as long as it’s on time.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Consensus on PS length? Google says 750-850 words. I'm at 850-900 words right now (writing several program-specific ones) and I feel like that's too long lol, but if it's not I'd rather not cut anything.

According to the interwebs, if anyone else is curious: Length; Since one page in length in a Word Doc is not the same as what one page will equal one page in ERAS for personal statement formatting, the key is stick to 750-850 words for your ERAS/residency application personal statement. One page in ERAS equals nearly 1,200 words, however most programs preferences for a typical personal statements in terms of Word Count will be within range of 650-850 – this will be acceptable for most residency programs.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Consensus on PS length? Google says 750-850 words. I'm at 850-900 words right now (writing several program-specific ones) and I feel like that's too long lol, but if it's not I'd rather not cut anything.

According to the interwebs, if anyone else is curious: Length; Since one page in length in a Word Doc is not the same as what one page will equal one page in ERAS for personal statement formatting, the key is stick to 750-850 words for your ERAS/residency application personal statement. One page in ERAS equals nearly 1,200 words, however most programs preferences for a typical personal statements in terms of Word Count will be within range of 650-850 – this will be acceptable for most residency programs.

~650 words is 1 page for Eras, and that's what we were advised to do.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

~650 words is 1 page for Eras, and that's what we were advised to do.

Maybe @NotAProgDirector can help with this.

 

[Neopolymath]

Consensus on PS length? Google says 750-850 words. I'm at 850-900 words right now (writing several program-specific ones) and I feel like that's too long lol, but if it's not I'd rather not cut anything.

According to the interwebs, if anyone else is curious: Length; Since one page in length in a Word Doc is not the same as what one page will equal one page in ERAS for personal statement formatting, the key is stick to 750-850 words for your ERAS/residency application personal statement. One page in ERAS equals nearly 1,200 words, however most programs preferences for a typical personal statements in terms of Word Count will be within range of 650-850 – this will be acceptable for most residency programs.

When you type it up in Word you need to make it plain text by pasting it into notepad before putting it into ERAS, BTW. The majority of posts by people saying their PS is less than a page and then more than a page when pasted onto ERAS are from people who don't understand formatting, IMO.

Paste or just create the PS in notepad and after the last sentence also hold down the delete key for a few seconds to make sure the formatting is completely gone. Then paste into ERAS.

Everyone should do this to avoid having to troubleshoot later.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Quick question for you guys, I may have already asked this and forgotten but, does it matter when we submit applications before Sept 29th when they can be released to programs? I think I remember the answer being "no" as long as we get it in before the deadline.

Also, say we don't hear from our top choices early, when should we contact them about being considered for an interview? Mid October?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Quick question for you guys, I may have already asked this and forgotten but, does it matter when we submit applications before Sept 29th when they can be released to programs? I think I remember the answer being "no" as long as we get it in before the deadline.

like 5 posts up

There is no time stamp on items that you upload prior to Sept 29, so no - it doesn’t matter when you submit as long as it’s on time.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

like 5 posts up

You are the remedy to my post-Uworld blocks laziness, thank you.

 

[AzBasRad]

Also, say we don't hear from our top choices early, when should we contact them about being considered for an interview? Mid October?

Generally, within a few days of the institution's first wave of interviews. Some programs (like Cali DR programs) release interviews late and so there is no point of sending a letter of interest before any IVs are released.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You are the remedy to my post-Uworld blocks laziness, thank you.

What are you doing uworld for?

 

[Steve_Zissou]

What are you doing uworld for?

Got step 2 in 3 weeks, level 2 the week after, so it's grind time. One week of dedicated in and my brain is already starting to fry.

Edit: Well, more of a light sizzle, less of a fry.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Got step 2 in 3 weeks, level 2 the week after, so it's grind time. One week of dedicated in and my brain is already starting to fry.

Edit: Well, more of a light sizzle, less of a fry.

Oh jeez. I assumed you were done all that stuff already. Good luck!

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Oh jeez. I assumed you were done all that stuff already. Good luck!

Thanks! Can't wait to be free of board exams and comats and Anki for at least a few months.

 

[NicMouse64]

Anyone who uses a mac+iphone figured out how to get a gmail or other type of email set up for ERAS that gets notifications sent right away? I am trying not to miss important emails but for some reason the new gmail account doesn't push the notifications to my iphone right away....

 

[efle]

Anyone who uses a mac+iphone figured out how to get a gmail or other type of email set up for ERAS that gets notifications sent right away? I am trying not to miss important emails but for some reason the new gmail account doesn't push the notifications to my iphone right away....

I wouldn't trust any kind of forwarding on any device if you're going to be racing to accept before someone else can take your spot. Just make a new email account specifically for ERAS communications. The added bonus is that you can assign those notifications a special ringtone so you know whether you need to answer immediately or not.

 

[sunshinefl]

Anyone who uses a mac+iphone figured out how to get a gmail or other type of email set up for ERAS that gets notifications sent right away? I am trying not to miss important emails but for some reason the new gmail account doesn't push the notifications to my iphone right away....

I had a keyword forwarding setup from my gmail to my cell phone text, and to my husbands cell phone text as back up. I cancelled it after the match but the keywords were like “invite, interview, ERAS, thalamus” etc.

the text was instantaneous on receipt of the email, vs waiting for the mail app to refresh and download the email.

 

[MedScat]

I had a keyword forwarding setup from my gmail to my cell phone text, and to my husbands cell phone text as back up. I cancelled it after the match but the keywords were like “invite, interview, ERAS, thalamus” etc.

the text was instantaneous on receipt of the email, vs waiting for the mail app to refresh and download the email.

Can you talk more about how to do this?!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Anyone who uses a mac+iphone figured out how to get a gmail or other type of email set up for ERAS that gets notifications sent right away? I am trying not to miss important emails but for some reason the new gmail account doesn't push the notifications to my iphone right away....

I set up text message forwarding of a Gmail account I made specifically for ERAS. I don't remember off the top of my head how I did it but I just googled and figured it out!

 

[frenchyn]

I had a keyword forwarding setup from my gmail to my cell phone text, and to my husbands cell phone text as back up. I cancelled it after the match but the keywords were like “invite, interview, ERAS, thalamus” etc.

the text was instantaneous on receipt of the email, vs waiting for the mail app to refresh and download the email.

Just FYI...The text was delayed for me...it is not reliable...it may have to do w cell phone service...my service is t mobile

 

[NicMouse64]

I set up text message forwarding of a Gmail account I made specifically for ERAS. I don't remember off the top of my head how I did it but I just googled and figured it out!

finally figured it out. Took me awhile as apple mail and settings can be a bit finnicky.

 

[MakeLifeHappen13]

Anyone who uses a mac+iphone figured out how to get a gmail or other type of email set up for ERAS that gets notifications sent right away? I am trying not to miss important emails but for some reason the new gmail account doesn't push the notifications to my iphone right away....

I had this problem last year. The iPhone mail app sucks for immediate notifications. You have to download the Gmail app and it should immediately send you a notification

 

[NicMouse64]

I had this problem last year. The iPhone mail app sucks for immediate notifications. You have to download the Gmail app and it should immediately send you a notification when you receive email.

Yeah I just did that, seems to be better. Was looking into different mail clients, god what a pain in the a** it was to figure out.

 

[sunshinefl]

Can you talk more about how to do this?!

Just FYI...The text was delayed for me...it is not reliable...it may have to do w cell phone service...my service is t mobile

Yeah I just did that, seems to be better. Was looking into different mail clients, god what a pain in the a** it was to figure out.

I have AT&T and an iPhone. Not sure how much any of that matters. I implore you to also set up a forwarding just in case, even if you’re using the gmail app.

on a desktop, log into gmail website (or select full site if on mobile).

select “create filter”

enter the keywords: ERAS, thalamus, interview, invite, etc

setup the forwarding email address (for AT&T it’s [email protected])(google for other formats)

approve the forward on the recipient side

profit

 

[NicMouse64]

I have AT&T and an iPhone. Not sure how much any of that matters. I implore you to also set up a forwarding just in case, even if you’re using the gmail app.

on a desktop, log into gmail website (or select full site if on mobile).

select “create filter”

enter the keywords: ERAS, thalamus, interview, invite, etc

setup the forwarding email address (for AT&T it’s [email protected])(google for other formats)

approve the forward on the recipient side

profit

I figured out a way to get all emails automatically forwarded to my phone. Not just ones with keywords. WHile maybe overkill, don't wanna miss any emails on this ERAS gmail.

 

[Ho0v-man]

The best thing about interviews being over was turning off that email alert.

 

[sunshinefl]

I figured out a way to get all emails automatically forwarded to my phone. Not just ones with keywords. WHile maybe overkill, don't wanna miss any emails on this ERAS gmail.

Gotcha. That works too. I just used the filters. I just didn’t want you to only count on the gmail app.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

I figured out a way to get all emails automatically forwarded to my phone. Not just ones with keywords. WHile maybe overkill, don't wanna miss any emails on this ERAS gmail.

Could you provide an explanation?

I tried to figure it out a few weeks ago using the filter method, but it didn’t seem to work for me.

 

[NicMouse64]

Could you provide an explanation?

I tried to figure it out a few weeks ago using the filter method, but it didn’t seem to work for me.

You have to go into gmail settings, then have it forwarded to your phone. For verizon it'll be your phone number @vtext.com. feel free to PM me if you want more info/instructions.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

It’s about that time

 

[The wise one]

Greetings guys,

I am late to the party, but what is ERAS and how does it affect us?

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Greetings guys,

I am late to the party, but what is ERAS and how does it affect us?

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

Are you a medical student entering your fourth year?

 

[InFreudWeTrust]

Thanks ERAS, for the whole 510 characters for "Awards and Accomplishments"...I almost fit the titles and dates for two of them.