Hi friends, happy Sunday and happy September!🗓️
As fall approaches🍁, this marks the time of year when medical students and residency programs start to gear up for the residency interview season ahead of Match 2025.
Med School Moose will of course be covering various topics throughout the interview season here on Sunday Morning Rounds😁, but today I wanted to start with some tips for completing the ERAS application.
Students were actually able to submit their MyERAS starting on September 4th, but if you haven't submitted yours yet, don't worry! Residency programs can't actually begin reviewing applications until September 25th😌. Click here for a rundown of the complete 2025 ERAS timeline🕐.
Now then, no more wasting time! Let's discuss some general tips for completing ERAS, based on my own ERAS experience and also several years of reviewing applications for residency interviews⬇️
- Stay organized🖥️. This probably goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyways! The ERAS application is lengthy, and it asks for a lot of information🤦🏻. Do you remember what month you started college? Which relevant professional organizations are you a member of? What's your medical school's zip code?!😵💫 ERAS wants to know all of this, so it's important to keep this information in a well-organized document, both for now and for the future📄.
- Be smart about experiences🌄. 2025 ERAS allows 10 entries for experiences that "communicate who you are, what you are passionate about, and what is most important to you." When I filled out ERAS, some of the experiences I included were a medical mission trip I took part in🩺, research I did during medical school🧪, positions I held in various organizations in med school, and being an RA in college🏫. While it can be nice to fill in all 10 of these slots, make sure to prioritize quality over quantity💡. Don't put anything in your experiences that you can't speak to🫢. Additionally, be cautious about mentioning very short term experiences. Chances are that health fair you only helped out with one time didn't change your life, and it won't reflect well if you have nothing constructive to say about it on interview day😅.
- Balance your meaningful experiences⚖️. In addition to 10 general entries for experiences, ERAS also allows applicants to select up to 3 meaningful experiences to discuss further3️⃣. Because this is a smaller section where the applicant can provide some more detail, I recommend filling in all 3 slots. An important thing to note here is the importance of creating a balance between these experiences. If an applicant lists 3 research experiences as meaningful, it may be a bit odd...especially if they aren't applying for a research-heavy specialty🙃. Instead, try to find a balance between the different experience types (professional organizations, research, teaching/mentoring, volunteering, etc.).
- Don't neglect hobbies and interests🎾. I view the Hobbies & Interests section as one of the most important parts of ERAS🤨. Although it has a 300 character limit, this is a section where students can shine a light on their personality and the things that help keep them sane during medical school and interview season🤪. This section is an absolute must to fill out, and I encourage students to be genuine! In my experience, I received multiple questions during my residency interviews about this section, and I have also asked students questions about the information they put here during residency interviews🤔.
- Understand signaling🚦. Signaling is one of the newer additions to MyERAS over the past few years, where applicants can signal participating programs that they are more deeply interested in🤗. This can be especially useful for applicants interested in a particular program due to things like ties to the area/program, geography, or couples match👫. Various specialties have a different number of program signals that can be used, which can be found here. One important thing to note is that the AAMC suggests applicants to signal their most interested programs regardless of whether they are home or away rotations, EXCEPT for Emergency Medicine, where it is recommended to NOT signal home or away rotations.
Sorry for a slightly longer read than normal, but this is important stuff!✅
If you have yet to submit your ERAS application, use these tips to help ensure everything is in order. If you have already submitted ERAS, be sure to keep these points in mind for interview season, which we'll be discussing very soon!👀
🔮 Next week: 2025 ERAS comes with a few changes compared to last year. Do you know what they are? Check back next week to find out!
💛 Something I love: When I get tired of working at my desk, I use my LAPGEAR lap desk to take my work to the couch. It's comfy, has plenty of space, and even has a slot for my phone!
📨 Subscribe to Sunday Morning Rounds: Sign up for my newsletter and receive weekly tips and resources to help you learn, grow, and become a better doctor.
📱 Social media: Find me at @MedSchoolMoose on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to enjoy more of my content!