Blog Archives

Get y’ERAS in Gear

Last week (on Wednesday, September 27) program directors began reviewing MyERAS applications and MSPEs. Residency applicants often ask me about the timing of ERAS submissions. These are my thoughts:

1. Yes, getting your ERAS in early helps. As one of my program director friends points out, since the residency application is arguably one of the biggest steps in one’s medical career, getting the application in as early as possible should be a given. 

2. On the other hand, if your application is not in its best shape, then waiting a week (meaning this week) is preferable to submitting a suboptimal ERAS that will be tossed into the “do not invite” pile. I would suggest not going past this week, however.

Contact me for help with residency mock interviews.

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Earlier Release Date for Medical School Performance Evaluations (MSPEs)

This year the MyERAS PostOffice will release MSPEs to U.S. residency
programs on October 1, one month earlier than last year. (Remember:
The MSPE is a close equivalent to a dean’s letter.)

U.S. medical students’ designated deans’ offices will attach the MSPE
(and the medical school transcript) to applicants’ electronic files;
the documents are then automatically sent to all the programs to which
a candidate applies.

International applicants must ensure that their MSPEs are submitted to
ERAS Support Services at ECFMG. The documents are then processed and
transmitted to the ERAS PostOffice. (For more information on
submitting documents – including the MSPE – see the ERAS Support
Services for Applicants section of the ECFMG website at
http://www.ecfmg.org/eras/applicants-index.html.)

As always, please ensure your supporting documents are ready early in
order to avoid harmful delays in your application.

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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