The deadline for submitting your residency application is end of September, which is the beginning of your 4th year of medical school. But there is a TON of preparation that goes into your application. I’m going to share my timeline and what I suggest, but as always, we all work differently so tailor this to fit you and your specialty!
March/April: Decide on specialty, ask for letters, take headshot
Most students by the end of their 3rd year know what specialty they want to apply to. If you still do not know what you want to go into, when scheduling your acting/sub-internships for 4th year, schedule your internships as early as possible! Dual applying is much more challenging, but doable if this is what you end up doing.
Start asking for letters of recommendation if you haven’t already on your third year rotations/clerkships!
April/May: Apply for away/audition rotations
Important for more competitive specialties (derm, ortho, plastic surgery), however may be helpful if you want to go to residency at a particular institution.
June/July: Write personal statement, start away/audition rotations
Ask for letters of recommendation on your away/audition rotations!
August: Gather materials and complete ERAS (electronic residency application service)
- Personal statement
- Letters of recommendation
- Transcript
- Send Step scores to ERAS
- Dean’s Letter (MSPE, Medical Student Performance Evaluation)
- Department Chair letter (if applicable)
- CV (not required, but makes it easier to fill in activities/research section)
You don’t have to upload your own CV. ERAS creates one based on what you enter.
September: Supplemental application (if applicable. Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Dermatology)
Last year was the first year there was a supplemental application for certain specialties. Similar to the application for medical school, the supplemental residency application allowed you to choose your most meaningful activities, indicate your geographic preferences, and send signals to your top 5 programs (if they were participating in the supplemental application).
October: Interview invitations begin!
November to February: Interviews!
