Starting to get nervous about ERAS........need advice

[FUBAR]

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ERAS issue here. I submitted my application (CAF and most supporting documentation minus Dean's Letter and Transcript) about a week ago, and have thus far not received ANY responses from ANY programs (positive or negative). I am applying for General Surgery. Anyone out there have some info they can pass along about the timeline that most programs follow in terms of downloading app's and sending out interview requests? I am starting to get a little nervous as NONE of my documents have been downloaded by any of the programs I applied to. Maybe it is just too early, but I have friends who are applying to other specialities who's app's have been downloaded by multiple programs, and after reading some posts on here it looks like others have even gotten some interviews already. So now my future ulcer is starting to act up and I need some relief before it eats a hole through my belly. Should I be worried?




P.S. To all my fellow brother and sisters who are fighting through the ERAS app process right now...........I feel your pain. Several times over the last 3 weeks I have come this (insert very tiny space) close to tossing my computer out the window and ditching med school for a career as a rock star instead of as a surgeon. Hang in there. Salvation is nearly at hand.

Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer me. My ulcer and I will forever be in your debt.............

 

[rirriri]

hey,

I'm in the same boat as you, but I think it's normal for these programs to take their sweet time. I applied on opening day to numerous programs and have heard absolutely nothing.

From what I know, the bulk of contact occurs in October...so don't get stressed. These things also depend on which specialty you are applying to. Surgery PDs are probably just playing mind games with you (already...haha).

Just chill.

as for being a rock and roll star...either you are or you aren't. You can't decide this.

CHEERS and all the best

 

[FUBAR]

thanks. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who hasn't heard anything bak yet. I guess that sorta makes me feel better. It's just gonna be wait and see then i guess. Good luck to you in the match and thanks for the words of support.

 

[grouptherapy]

pop a benzo. relax. cutdown your visits to ADTS to twice a day. go read a non-medical book. they might ask if you have during the interview. reread iserson's. catchup on issues of healthcare. go shopping. eat, sleep and workout. you don't want to look sickly for all those interviews you'll score, do you?

fubar. YOU WILL DO GREAT

 

[Scrubbs]

RELAX!!!! These things happen slowly... about 50% of my interviews came before Dean's letters, but the other 50% came AFTER Nov. 1st! You have time, so just sit back and relax. Try to enjoy your 4th year... the hard part is over! The traveling and interviews are fun! Getting the app in is the pain in the butt part! And... your rotations don't mean anything anymore (ie - they won't be on your transcript), so get a good case of senioritis and chill a little bit!

 

[Winged Scapula]

Its WAAAAYYY too early to be stressing about this. Some programs only download information right before committee meetings - these can be as frequent as once a week, or as infrequent as once a month. Some programs wait until a "critical mass" of applications has been received, some wait until a certain date, some download everything on a Tuesday, etc. Every program does it differently.

 

[FUBAR]

once again, thank you for the replies. I am trying not to get nervous about this, but when I saw that people were posting about how they had already gotten some interview requests and some of my own friends had heard from some programs, I started to panic a little. I'm felling better about it now, but I would still prefer to have had at least SOME of the programs I applied to download my app. In any case, I am officially not going to worry about this anymore. Thanks.

Out of curiosity, anyone getting a sense of how Gernal surgery is looking this year? It looks like applications were up last year, so I am just curious if you all think it is gonna go up again or taper off a bit.

 

[supercut]

You sound almost exactly like me last year. I didn't check if things had been downloaded but was very disheartened when talking to my classmates going into gen surg. I'd say 98% of those I spoke to got many more offers much faster than I did. By mid October, I had like 2 offers and everyone else I spoke to had 5-8.
It was especially hard to deal with cuz I knew I was one of the strongest applicants from my class (you could tell this when the AOA nomination list came out...lots of people who weren't on it were those getting all the offers)

In fact, I even panicked and sent out more applications. Turns out I didn't need to.

In the end, out of a total of 28 applications, I wound up with 18 offers. I couldn't go to them all.

It is very early. It's good that you applied early, I did. But I didn't get any offers at all til late Sept and most came after Nov 1.

Moral: don't compare your process with your classmates. It's a stressful process. Stop checking if things have been downloaded...that only adds to your stress!

 

[DrQuinn]

Some of those people who have already received interviews may be:

A) Shatting you
B) Be a student at that institution
C) Be God's Gift to IM

Relax. It takes several weeks, if not a month, to get your first responses.

Q, DO

 

[FUBAR]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their input.............it reaaly helped to get me thru the last couple of weeks.

i am extremely happy to report that my app has now been downloaded by a significant number of the programs i applied to, and I have received 4 interviews so far. Granted, they are community programs ( with univ affiliations), but at this point I am juat thankful that I have any interviews at all.

So omce again, thanks for the info, and good luck to everyone whos in the match this year.

 

[DrQuinn]

Congratulations!

Q< DO

 

[FUBAR]

thank you! And please let me aplogize to everyone who reads my posts. I know my posts look like i dont know how to spell, but i assure you, it is my typing, not my grammar skills, that need work. Sorry.

😱