Residency Support - Timeline

Note - September 1 is not a real deadline. IMGs have been told for years that they must complete their applications by September 1 or they will not get any interviews, and that is false. September 1 is the first day that applicants can send out their information to programs, and IMGs should send their applications out early to ensure that program directors will pay more attention. But don't certify your CAF or send it out early with mistakes! You absolutely should take the time to have your CAF and personal statement thoroughly reviewed and edited; sending out your application with errors and poor grammar won't help you, no matter how early the program directors see it.

Here are some thoughts on the application timeline and how I can help you:

• July 1 - ERAS opens for applicants only

Your medical school will give you a login token so you can access ERAS and begin working on your Common Application Form and personal statement, request letters of recommendation, and release your USMLE scores. Residency programs cannot yet see anything you do. This is a great time to begin working with a professional on your application.
• September 1 - the first day that ERAS allows you to transmit your application

Regardless of what your medical school might tell you, this is *not* an application deadline! Very few applicants send out their information on this date. It's not too late - don't send your application out through ERAS without having it thoroughly vetted by a professional.
• Mid-September to early October - when you *should* transmit your application

Every residency program sets its own application deadline. These deadlines are not specialty-specific and vary from site to site. However, this time frame is a great target deadline to set for yourself to have your entire application finished. If you have not yet had your application reviewed by a professional, do so now.
• November 1 - all MSPEs / dean's letters are transmitted through ERAS

All residency program directors will log into ERAS on or just after this date. Any late documents (such as a letter of recommendation that wasn't submitted on time) will be automatically downloaded. This is the absolute deadline to submit your application, and it is too late for most programs.
• November through January - interview season

Some residency directors will begin scheduling interview dates the moment your complete application (CAF, personal statement, LORs, USMLE scores, medical school transcript, photograph) is received. Others will wait until after November 1 when the MSPE / dean's letter is received, along with any late LORs, and perhaps an updated transcript or new USMLE scores. But this is the timeframe in which most interviews happen.