Starting the process

[lu2003]

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😱 Wow, can't believe it's already here! Okay, for all of you going into psych, what have you been doing? Me, I've been putting together my personal statement, asking for rec. letters. What deadline have you been giving your letter writers? Also, when are you going to submit the apps? I heard you shouldn't do it too early - any other thoughts on this? Okay, good luck to all of you!!!

 

[Anasazi23]

Just FYI, it really doesn't matter when you submit your apps, because the ERAS "postoffice" won't release them all country-wide until a specific time and date. I had an interview the morning they were released, so don't worry about submitting ERAS too early. I found it helpful to schedule all the interviews as the offers came in early. That way you can cancel some later if need be. Plus, if places are still signing out (I heard that was over as of last year, btw - is that true?), they'll technically match less. You'd rather be early than late in this game.

 

[kcrd]

I haven't started yet at all! I guess I should get cracking. From whom is everyone asking for letters? I was planning on asking for a letter from my psych sub-I attending, my 3rd year psych attending, and (if my med sub I goes well), that attending. I may ask for a letter from ob/gyn, too. Is this too many psych letters, or just right?

 

[lu2003]

I don't think that is too many letters. I'm getting 2 psych letters, 1 from my sub-I attending, 1 from the residency director. Then, 1 from my sub-I in med (hope that it goes well, too) and possibly a neuro? Hmmm...

What about personal statements? Anyone working on it yet? Are you going to keep it at 1 page?

 

[kcrd]

I just spoke to my 3rd year attending - who is the medical director of our psych hospital - and he asked me if I would rather have him write my Deans Letter, rather than a LOR. Any opinions about this? I thought that the Deans letter was just a fill-in-the-blanks kind of thing, where the writer just includes info from your 3rd year evals. Is there any value in having the writer know and like you? I feel like I'd rather have him write a LOR, but I just want to make sure I'm not missing something.