eras q's

[shreebee]

hey guys,

i have a few eras questions that i hope someone can answer for me...

1. do we need to have at least 3 recc letters in before we can send the app out on sept 1?

2. if we get recc letters in october, can these still be submitted after the initial eras app goes out?

3. if we get grades after september, can these be submitted after the app has been sent?

4. when do the grades go out? nov 1 with the deans letter?

thanks for the help!

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[njbmd]

hey guys,

i have a few eras questions that i hope someone can answer for me...

1. do we need to have at least 3 recc letters in before we can send the app out on sept 1?

2. if we get recc letters in october, can these still be submitted after the initial eras app goes out?

3. if we get grades after september, can these be submitted after the app has been sent?

4. when do the grades go out? nov 1 with the deans letter?

thanks for the help!

Hi there,
My dean's office loaded all of our letters of recommendation, transcripts, photos long before the Dean's letter went out. We were responsible for loading our Personal Statement and CV (load as you go on line). Your USMLE stuff was sent to ERAS by the NBME (you pay a fee for this service).

Letters can be loaded as soon as they are received. Usually, transcripts are loaded once and that is all. The grades that count the most are your third year clerkship grades and these are usually on your transcript by September. Elective grades are usually not available for ERAS.

Programs download a couple of times per week during interview season. As documents become available in your ERAS account, they will be downloaded by the programs that you apply to. You get a notation when something has been uploaded to your account and when something is downloaded by the programs that you have applied to.

I hope that this answers your questions.

njbmd

 

[s42brown]

I had the same questions. Thanks for the help.

 

[kaos]

How about another one:

For the stuff that needs explaining (like work and research experience), do you write in full sentences or in bullet points/phrases?

 

[elperro]

How about another one:

For the stuff that needs explaining (like work and research experience), do you write in full sentences or in bullet points/phrases?

Also, how much should you explain the experience? I mean, 1000 characters is kind of a lot. Do they really want to read that much?

 

[njbmd]

How about another one:

For the stuff that needs explaining (like work and research experience), do you write in full sentences or in bullet points/phrases?

Hi there,
Either is fine as long as you explain what you were doing. The key point is to be concise and brief. If a reader is wading through tons of applications, they want you to get to the point. Don't make them work to understand your explanations.

njbmd

 

[shreebee]

hi njbmd,
thanks for replying. i was actually trying to find out what is the least amount if info i can have in eras to start applying to programs sept 1? i ask b/c a lot of my things...lor's, new surgery grade, step 2 scores will be trickling in after that date. should i wait until those things are in before sending out my appliction?

Hi there,
Either is fine as long as you explain what you were doing. The key point is to be concise and brief. If a reader is wading through tons of applications, they want you to get to the point. Don't make them work to understand your explanations.

njbmd

 

[njbmd]

hi njbmd,
thanks for replying. i was actually trying to find out what is the least amount if info i can have in eras to start applying to programs sept 1? i ask b/c a lot of my things...lor's, new surgery grade, step 2 scores will be trickling in after that date. should i wait until those things are in before sending out my appliction?

Hi there,
No, do not wait for these things. Get as much of your application done and submitted as possible. When you apply to a program, your application will be downloaded by that program. Some programs download several times weekly and some programs download weekly. As new material is added to your application, it is downloaded automatically.

If you wait for these things to come in, you might miss an opportunity to interview. Many programs make their decisions to interview based on the first download materials so you would miss out there if all of their interview slots filled before your application was even downloaded.

ERAS is very different from medical school applications. For one thing, you get notations as materials from your application are downloaded by programs. Again, submit early. Even though Deans letters do not go out until Nov 1, many folks have already been interviewed by this time.

Your third year grade should be on your transcript by the time your Deans office sends out the transcripts. Most things that go out after the Deans letter won't make much difference one way or the other in your application anyway. If a program interviews you and needs more information or materials, they will notify you by e-mail or wait for the upgrades. Fourth-year surgery grades are not going to be that important.

Here's how my program rankings work: We have four interview days. After we have interviewed all of the candidates, the faculy and senior residents rank each candidate from on interview day.

After all interview days are done, the program director and senior faculty will meet one more time to do the final rank list with combines the previous four rankings. This final list is submitted before the program rank list deadline which is in February. By that time, everything in your ERAS application should be complete along with your interview. Again, my program essentially makes their decision on interview day with input from all of the folks that actually interviewed the candidates.

njbmd