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Medical Residency Admissions: Apply Early

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Because matching to a medical residency program continues to get harder each year, the submission of a strong residency application is critical. Following a timeline and getting your materials in early can assist you in improving your candidacy and thus, your chances of success.

Getting your ERAS® and residency personal statement in early is essential. ERAS opens in July and materials can be assigned to residency programs in early September. I recommend submitting your written materials as early as possible, while maintaining quality. Some residency admissions officers have more time to carefully review residency applications earlier in the season before the onslaught of application submissions. You should also move quickly on interview requests. Invitations for interviews warrant a quick response for two reasons: First, you want to demonstrate your appreciation and responsibility. Second, the faster you respond the more likely you are to procure a time slot that works best for you. Read more ›

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The Medical Residency Interview: What if You Haven’t Received an Invitation?

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Once your ERAS has been submitted, getting into residency kicks into high gear with the interview season. But what if you’ve completed your residency application and yet haven’t been invited to interview?

First of all, realize that residency admissions have become increasingly competitive of late. This is especially true for “lifestyle” specialties like Radiology, Opthalmology, Anesthesia and Dermatology (often termed the “ROAD”). The number of applicants in those fields and others is generally increasing, as the number of medical students continues to increase. Thus, the lack of an invite may just represent overloaded admissions offices. Read more ›

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The Medical Residency Interview: Mistakes to Avoid

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Once your ERAS has been submitted, your residency admission pivots on your interview performance. And because residency admissions have become so competitive of late – especially in this weaker economy – the medical residency interview has become critical.

There are a few, simple easy mistakes that you can avoid with a little preparation:

  1. Don’t speak in general terms. Your goal is to distinguish yourself from all of the other applicants by highlighting your achievements. Answer questions with specific examples of what you have done in order to demonstrate that you are distinctive. Don’t worry about repeating what is in your residency application. It is expected that you will flesh out your ERAS and personal statement during the interview. Read more ›
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How to Make a List of Programs to Target for Your Medical Residency Application

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Because getting into residency continues to get harder each year, the submission of a strong residency application is critical. It’s important too, to ensure you create a realistic list of programs to target. When I review re-applicants’ candidacies to see what went wrong the year before, I oftentimes note that the applicants did not have realistic expectations.

If an applicant’s scores, letters of recommendation and medical school grades are suboptimal, there is little to no chance that person will match into a competitive specialty like dermatology, radiology and ophthalmology. Furthermore, even if an applicant is pursuing a less competitive specialty, the candidate must show early commitment to the field. That could mean research, successful rotations in the specialty and presentations or attendance at national conferences. Too often I see applicants pursue specialties for which their application demonstrates no particular connection. Read more ›

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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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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

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