Originally posted by Olanzapine
Could someone tell me 1. when the earliest we can turn in our application is 2. Will there be secondaries to fill out for IM programs, if so, when will they go out 3. when we should be asking our attendings to write their letters of recc 4. when we need to send our transcripts in 5. when anything else we need to send in needs to get sent in. I am jsut a little nervous about being off campus while things need to get done on campus. The only thing that I know right now is that interviews are dec/jan.
This is just my $0.02 and experience:
1) I think it is mid to late August, but most people try to get everything in by the end of September.
2) The only nice thing about residency applications is there are no secondaries!!!!!!
3) You should be asking at near to the end of your rotations.
4) From what I understand, schools differ on when they want to send out transcripts. Check with your school. There is the trade off of getting more grades on the transcipt vs getting it in early. I would say that NOV 1st should be your absolute deadline. You can always send it in early, then update programs when you get those awesome honors. This is the only thing I would let go this late.
Schools also differ on the Dean's letter. Some will let you see it, others won't. If you school will let you see it, check it out as soon as possible for mistakes. If you get to write your own Dean's letter (FMG's), check out AAMC's website on the new format, and get cracking on it now. You will need to be able to see your letters of rec to do this.
5) You can always start on your personal statement. You should try several drafts at a minimum. You should have it in by the end of Sept. This will probably be the second hardest part of the application. The hardest part is choosing where you are going to apply. You can start looking now.
Don't be penny foolish in considering where you are going to apply. You have made a huge investment in your career so far. The extra money you may need to spend for extra applications can be very much worth it.
Most of the application process can be done over the internet, so you really don't have to be on campus. If you are worried about time, it can be a bit of a pickle. Traditionally, you would want to take you audition rotations in Sept and Oct (so the letter is available for the application). Most people don't finish their required 3rd year rotations until the end of Aug. Find which month would be easiest to take a light rotation, or try to get everything done in advance so that all you have to do is fill in the blanks. You might also want to decide when you want to do interviews, and schedule a light rotation then as well.
One last thing, don't forget that ERAS is not NMRP and vice versa. You gotta register for both.
