Confused about the ERAS timeline

[Hungry student]

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I have 2 questions about when to submit ERAS.

On September 15 at 8 am, I will submit my ERAS application and then I register with NRMP at noon. Can I continue to update my ERAS profile after it has been submitted (so I can add in my NRMP number)?

Also, I know we don't have to wait for our LOR to be uploaded before we submit ERAS, but what about other things that the dean's office will upload (med school transcripts and professional photo)? Where do we see if those have been uploaded, and if they aren't uploaded can we still submit on September 15?

Thank you!!

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Yes, anything that's in your "profile" can be changed or updated at any time. So you can add your NRMP number.

Or, you could simply register for NRMP, get your number, then apply. Whether you apply on Sept 15 8AM or later in the day, or later in the week, is basically meaningless.

Yes, you can add pics, MSPE, transcripts after you apply. If you want to know the status of those things, you use the ADTS (Applicant Document Tracking System) part of MyERAS

 

[Hungry student]

Thank you for this information!

 

[shiftingmirage]

Also, I know we don't have to wait for our LOR to be uploaded before we submit ERAS, but what about other things that the dean's office will upload (med school transcripts and professional photo)? Where do we see if those have been uploaded, and if they aren't uploaded can we still submit on September 15?

Thank you!!

This has changed. Letters must be uploaded before you apply. (Just learned of this from my school this week.)

Reference
https://www.aamc.org/download/258342/data/lor_process.pdf

To see if they are uploaded:
Documents>LOR>scroll down to the bottom on the right "track my LOR"

 

[johncalvin]

This has changed. Letters must be uploaded before you apply. (Just learned of this from my school this week.)

Reference
https://www.aamc.org/download/258342/data/lor_process.pdf

To see if they are uploaded:
Documents>LOR>scroll down to the bottom on the right "track my LOR"

But you can always add-on letters later, correct? So if I have 4 letters finalized, but only 2 uploaded to PostOffice...I can submit on September 15 with 2 letters. As the remaining 2 letters get uploaded, I can then submit them to the programs.

The only difference is that before, programs could see "2 letters completed, 2 pending," whereas now they only see "2 letters completed." Am I getting the gist of it?

 

[mvenus929]

This has changed. Letters must be uploaded before you apply. (Just learned of this from my school this week.)

Reference
https://www.aamc.org/download/258342/data/lor_process.pdf

To see if they are uploaded:
Documents>LOR>scroll down to the bottom on the right "track my LOR"

No, the changes are as follows:
1) You cannot assign a LOR to a program until it has been uploaded.
2) You cannot unassign a LOR once you have applied to that program.

However, you will not be considered complete at a program until they receive the number of letters they require. So if you only have one letter uploaded prior to Sept 15th, you can apply to all your programs with that letter, but you probably won't get many interview invites until all your letters are uploaded and assigned.

Also, to see if they're uploaded, you can also log-in, go to the upper right hand corner of the screen and click 'ADTS', which will bring you to the page that will show you what documents have been uploaded and when. Apparently ERAS is giving some people some difficulty at present, so there may be a slight delay in getting letters uploaded.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

But you can always add-on letters later, correct? So if I have 4 letters finalized, but only 2 uploaded to PostOffice...I can submit on September 15 with 2 letters. As the remaining 2 letters get uploaded, I can then submit them to the programs.

The only difference is that before, programs could see "2 letters completed, 2 pending," whereas now they only see "2 letters completed." Am I getting the gist of it?

Actually, in the prior versions of ERAS, we couldn't see the pending letters at all. They probably changed their process to avoid confusion.

But, yes, the rest is correct.

You can only assign letters that are fully uploaded (new)
You cannot remove letters once assigned (old - mostly)
You can add letters at any time (old - no change)

 

[Rebs28]

I do have a new (I think) question:

Once we submit our application, can we add and finalize new letter writers? Or do they all have to be finalized before we submit? I may ask for a letter from the clerkship directors of my current rotation, but I'm not sure yet. Should I add and finalize them before I submit, in case?

 

[kaleerkalut]

I do have a new (I think) question:

Once we submit our application, can we add and finalize new letter writers? Or do they all have to be finalized before we submit? I may ask for a letter from the clerkship directors of my current rotation, but I'm not sure yet. Should I add and finalize them before I submit, in case?

Same question here. Once we submit our app, can we add new letter writers AND finalize the new letter? Or is it only letter writers we DID finalize PRIOR to submission? Thanks in advance.

 

[johncalvin]

Same question here. Once we submit our app, can we add new letter writers AND finalize the new letter? Or is it only letter writers we DID finalize PRIOR to submission? Thanks in advance.

So you can definitely add new letter writers and finalize. As for letter writers already finalized, I can't see why you wouldn't be able to...

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I do have a new (I think) question:

Once we submit our application, can we add and finalize new letter writers? Or do they all have to be finalized before we submit? I may ask for a letter from the clerkship directors of my current rotation, but I'm not sure yet. Should I add and finalize them before I submit, in case?

It's not really a new question, asked here multiple times. Yes, you can always add, finalize, and then attach new letters that are uploaded at any time.

 

[Rebs28]

It's not really a new question, asked here multiple times. Yes, you can always add, finalize, and then attach new letters that are uploaded at any time.

Thank you!

 

[kaleerkalut]

It's not really a new question, asked here multiple times. Yes, you can always add, finalize, and then attach new letters that are uploaded at any time.

Thanks aPD. The confusion I think partly stemmed from a section of the below PDF somebody posted on here:

https://www.aamc.org/download/258342/data/lor_process.pdf

Good to know we do not have to finalize LOR authors in order to add them after submission of our application.