As of yesterday, applicants can begin applying to ACGME accredited residency programs through myERAS. Getting your application in early is a help, but make sure you don’t rush it if it’s not in its final form. Take an extra week to make sure you submit your best work.
Blog Archives
Medical School and Residency Interview Social Events: Dine but Don’t Whine
In an effort to attract desirable applicants, some medical schools and residency programs invite candidates to social events immediately before or during the interview day. The events usually include dinner, lunch, or even drinks with the students or residents.
It’s in your interest to attend these events: They show institutions that you are serious about their programs, afford you the opportunity to score social points, and allow you to gain valuable information about the students’ or residents’ satisfaction.
One insider piece of advice, however: Ensure you act professionally even if you are told that what you say will not affect your candidacy or get back to admissions. Even if everyone has good intentions, information garnered from these events can make its way to decision-makers. If you had a bad experience at the interview day, have a significant other who doesn’t want to move, or know your first choice is a different program, these social events are not the time to reveal that information.
For insider help with medical school or residency interviews, contact me.
Think Before You Post
Before you tweet that racy comment or post a picture of yourself partying on Facebook, I recommend you pause. A recent study “Social Network Activity May Affect Medical School Acceptance” from the Postgraduate Medical Journal indicates that social networking is affecting medical school and residency admissions. Nine percent of the medical school and residency program survey participants acknowledged routine use of social networking sites as part of the selection process.
The American Medical Association has advised doctors that social network content can adversely affect physicians’ reputations. That advice seems straightforward. However, what troubles me is that admissions officers can intentionally or subconsciously form negatively judgments about applicants based on the candidates’ family situations (e.g. a woman applicant with a new baby), political leanings, or romantic relationships.
Contact me for help with your residency application and medical school candidacy.
Residency Application Help: AMSA National Convention
I have been asked to be a featured speaker at the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Annual Convention for the fourth year in a row. I’m grateful for the opportunity to interact with AMSA members again. In the past, the American Medical Student Association’s national meetings have been the largest annual gatherings of medical students in the United States.
I’ll be offering an interactive lecture called, “Getting Into Residency: An Insider’s Tips” on Friday, March 13 at 3pm in Washington, DC. Last year, we had a standing-room only crowd. More on the talk as we approach the date.
In the meantime, for those applying to residency programs this year or next, contact me for help with your residency application, the residency interview, and personal statement writing.
MSPE Releases Today
Just a reminder that the ERAS Medical School Performance Evaluation (MSPE) release is scheduled for today – October 1st – instead of November 1st, as in years past. Likely this will lead to earlier interview invitations at many residency programs.
If you are interested in mock interview assistance, please consider contacting me early, so you are not caught with a surprisingly early interview without professionally-guided practice.
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
