1. I don't think you can actually transmit info to programs until Sept 1, but you should have everything in the system, ready to go. You should also have your list of programs. Deciding on which programs to apply to in advance will cut down on lots of internal debates about, "should I send them one or not?"
2. Hound your letter-writers. I had one who didn't get his letter to the dean's office until the middle of October. Fortunately, I had enough without his, but I still wanted one from him because I'd worked with him exclusively on his service for a month.
3. The CV that programs are asking for is probably just the personal info that you spent hours typing into ERAS. There's a checklist on the transmission report that shows something like: CV, transcript, USMLE scores, personal statement, and LORs. You can see which items are loaded into ERAS, which have been sent to programs, and which have been downloaded by the programs. Keep track of this. There were a couple of surgery programs last year that waited until the last minute to download the information. If you don't see a fairly quick download from a program, email or call the PD's secretary and ask if there's something wrong with your transmission. A few times last year there were people who had scrambled applications (not me, thank God). If so, you need to know in order to resend your application.
Get ready for one of the most confusing, frustrating, painful, humbling, expensive, and irritating half-year of your life. Put up a calendar for Match Day and think lots of happy thoughts. The good thing about 4th year is that most rotations don't expect much from you once Nov/Dec hits; they know that you're stressed out trying to keep up with applications, scheduling (rescheduling, descheduling) interviews, trying to figure out which programs you really want to visit and which ones you'll skip.
Carry a paper calendar (I printed my Palm calendar) for November through February (maybe even March) and fill in the interview dates as you receive them. Your biggest headache (hopefully) will be finding a way to visit 5 different programs on the same two weekends in January when they all interview.
I was on the SICU during Nov, and it was a general rule that in late morning, after all major patient care was complete, I disappeared for an hour to respond to emails about interviews, call programs to schedule stuff, and to check in with my advisor. Probably wasn't a good idea to schedule a busy (Q3 call) ICU rotation during the height of scheduling, but it all worked out.
