How complete does my App need to be for me to apply, and when should I send it

[coralis]

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In the EM Info sticky I found this question without an answer: "How complete does my App need to be for me to apply, and when should I send it in? by SAEM"

I am looking for some advice from attendings and/or residents about when to apply when SLORs are delayed?!

Can anyone advise on if I should wait and only submit my application AFTER the SLOR or submit my application w/ only 2 LORs and just amend my application later and make sure to state in my PS that SLORs are coming?

ANY advice is appreciated....... thanks

 

[RafaTech]

I was told by a program director to send you application with what you have, and not to wait for all your SLORs to be in. He said that a lot of places send you interview invites with only a couple of letters if everything else in your application looks solid. The programs get emails whenever you upload another letter onto ERAS.

 

[coralis]

I was told by a program director to send you application with what you have, and not to wait for all your SLORs to be in. He said that a lot of places send you interview invites with only a couple of letters if everything else in your application looks solid. The programs get emails whenever you upload another letter onto ERAS.

Thanks Rafa, I kinda feel the same way. One of my advisors told me to wait until October though?! :s

So far my plan is this: apply to all the programs on Sept 15 with only 2 LOR for those requesting 2 SLORs and 3 LORs for those requesting 1 SLOR. Then when I do receive my SLORs I can just fwd them to the programs. Good plan? Or just send everyone 2 LORs bec/ sending 2 SLORs later weigh more anyway than some random LOR?!

 

[Transmogrifier]

Our PD told us to send the application on September 15. Let the SLORs come in after that if they're not ready yet.

 

[coralis]

Our PD told us to send the application on September 15. Let the SLORs come in after that if they're not ready yet.

Ok... glad to see I am confirming this from different PDs points of view. That brings up another question. Let's say I apply w/o a SLOR and the program deadline is Nov 1st and my SLOR can only be uploaded Nov 9th, add 2 weeks to that... and I'm .. well..... not in a good place. That is just a hypothetical though for extra SLORs.

 

[coralis]

Thanks guys you helped ease my mind A LOT.

 

[bad virus]

my PD told me that everyone knows that letters sometime take a while to come out, so don't worry about it. No program is anal enough to reject you completely because your letters aren't in by Sep/15.

Good luck, looking forward to learning with all of you.

 

[b-real]

I would like to echo everyone's advice here, having applied last year. Get your apps in Sept. 15! SLORs and other recs can be uploaded whenever they are available. I started getting invites 1 week after submission, with only an internal medicine rec in. In fact, my third and final SLOR (from an away) wasn't available until mid-December, about 2 months after I had completed the rotation.

 

[RustedFox]

I would like to echo everyone's advice here, having applied last year. Get your apps in Sept. 15! SLORs and other recs can be uploaded whenever they are available. I started getting invites 1 week after submission, with only an internal medicine rec in. In fact, my third and final SLOR (from an away) wasn't available until mid-December, about 2 months after I had completed the rotation.

Yep... only thing that I'd add here is that you need to be on ERAS'(s) ASS about scanning and uploading them. E-mail, call... make sure that they're ACTUALLY "in", and not just "well, we received 'em, yeah."

 

[b-real]

Yep... only thing that I'd add here is that you need to be on ERAS'(s) ASS about scanning and uploading them. E-mail, call... make sure that they're ACTUALLY "in", and not just "well, we received 'em, yeah."

RustedFox, I think the procedure is different than when you applied. Letter writers send recs to the Dean's office, and the administrator there directly uploads the letter into ERAS. In fact, I think there's even now a pilot program for letter writers to have their own access to ERAS for purposes of uploading, eliminating the Dean's office middleman. Your advice is solid, no matter who is doing the uploading, stay on their ass!

 

[RustedFox]

RustedFox, I think the procedure is different than when you applied. Letter writers send recs to the Dean's office, and the administrator there directly uploads the letter into ERAS. In fact, I think there's even now a pilot program for letter writers to have their own access to ERAS for purposes of uploading, eliminating the Dean's office middleman. Your advice is solid, no matter who is doing the uploading, stay on their ass!

Ah, it used to be (this was only three years ago): Dean's office SnailMails LORs to ERAS office. You could see when it was "received" and when it was "uploaded".

Waaay better this way.

 

[Docuronium]

Ah, it used to be (this was only three years ago): Dean's office SnailMails LORs to ERAS office. You could see when it was "received" and when it was "uploaded".

Waaay better this way.

Agreed---compared to the LOR process involved in applying to medical school, this is quite easy. That being said, it's important to remember that normal decorum of LORs apply, I'd imagine it might get easier to forget some of that stuff now that it's all electronic.

 

[blackavar]

A co-applicant when I applied (two years ago) and I were talking around mid october. He was confused as to why he was getting no interview invites despite others of us already having upwards of 5-10 even though we had all submitted our applications around the same time. Turns out, he had no LOR or SLORs in, had not uploaded his personal statement nor had he uploaded his list and description of activities, and hadn't taken step 2 yet. I pointed out then basically programs were assessing him by his address and his step 1 at this point while for other applicants they had complete or near complete apps. He quickly got his act together, submitted everything and did match, but still...I'm sure it was tough to have everyone else getting invites when you're just sitting there. Lesson of the story, don't just submit early, submit as much as possible as early as possible. SLORs obviously you have less control over, but anything you have influence over, get in ASAP.

 

[RustedFox]

A co-applicant when I applied (two years ago) and I were talking around mid october. He was confused as to why he was getting no interview invites despite others of us already having upwards of 5-10 even though we had all submitted our applications around the same time. Turns out, he had no LOR or SLORs in, had not uploaded his personal statement nor had he uploaded his list and description of activities, and hadn't taken step 2 yet. I pointed out then basically programs were assessing him by his address and his step 1 at this point while for other applicants they had complete or near complete apps. He quickly got his act together, submitted everything and did match, but still...I'm sure it was tough to have everyone else getting invites when you're just sitting there. Lesson of the story, don't just submit early, submit as much as possible as early as possible. SLORs obviously you have less control over, but anything you have influence over, get in ASAP.

This.

 

[homanga]

Does anyone have any thoughts on if I won't have my step 2 score back yet, and I have a relatively week step 1 (219) if I should apply on the 15th or wait til the 26th when I will get my score? I am expecting a decent bump in my Step 2 score, with a realistic shot at 240+, I would hate to get filtered out based on my Step 1 where my Step 2 would potentially prevent that. Any thoughts?

 

[winkleweizen]

Does anyone have any thoughts on if I won't have my step 2 score back yet, and I have a relatively week step 1 (219) if I should apply on the 15th or wait til the 26th when I will get my score? I am expecting a decent bump in my Step 2 score, with a realistic shot at 240+, I would hate to get filtered out based on my Step 1 where my Step 2 would potentially prevent that. Any thoughts?

I would apply on step 1, and automatically release your step 2. That way they will know to expect them. I also doubt that they will reject anyone before sept 26

 

[jiffywerk]

Do most programs require a certain number of SLORs as opposed to regular LORs? Also if 1 have only done 1 EM rotation and need an extra SLOR should I get it from another department?

 

[coralis]

Do most programs require a certain number of SLORs as opposed to regular LORs? Also if 1 have only done 1 EM rotation and need an extra SLOR should I get it from another department?

Most programs require at least 1 SLOR, some programs require 2 SLORs and some say that they prefer all 3 letters to be in SLOR format.

Only EM physicians from a program with a residency can write a SLOR, so no another department cannot give you a SLOR.