eras personal statement user guide

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How to Make a Statement with Your ERAS Personal Statement

  • by Med School Tutors
  • Jun 29, 2023
  • Reviewed by: Amy Rontal, MD

eras personal statement user guide

Dr. Leila Javidi, Taylor Purvis, and Dr. Brian Radvansky contributed to this article.

Starting your residency application can feel like an overwhelming task, especially when it comes to writing your ERAS personal statement. It’s not clear why essays of this nature are so intimidating—maybe it’s because not all medical students are well-versed in language arts, many of us dislike writing, or maybe just the thought of putting “who you are” onto paper brings to the surface some uncomfortable feelings of self-awareness (whoa—this just got intense!).

This is a joke or course, but to be honest, sometimes when we sit down to write our ERAS personal statement we immediately think things like, “I’m not that interesting,” or “I haven’t done anything cool in life, I’ve spent most of my time in school thus far.” And that is completely normal. The majority of us haven’t had those pivotal moments in life that shake the ground beneath us and form a new foundation for who we are, and that’s OK!

Your ERAS personal statement isn’t intended to be a best-selling memoir. It’s intended to add another dimension to the otherwise black-and-white application full of scores and grades. It is an opportunity to show program directors your personality, what motivates you, and what you’re looking for in a residency program.

While you’ve probably heard all of this before, we bet you have more specific questions about how to tackle the ERAS personal statement. All of us sure did! So, without further ado, h ere are answers to the 12 most important questions about medical residency personal statements.

12 Frequently-Asked Questions About the ERAS Personal Statement

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1. How big of a deal is my ERAS personal statement to program directors?

According to the 2020 NRMP program director survey , 78% of program directors cite the ERAS personal statement as an important factor in deciding which candidates to interview,  making it the fourth-highest ranked factor behind USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2, and letters of recommendation. So, it’s pretty important in the grand scheme of your application!

Now, from experience in talking to different program directors and mentors, it’s clear that the most important thing is that your ERAS personal statement is well organized, well written, with proper grammar, no red flags, and that it’s only one page single-spaced. The standard ERAS personal statement length is typically 500-800 words (roughly four paragraphs).

A personal statement typically isn’t the “maker” of your residency application—however, it can be a deal “breaker” if it doesn’t have those attributes. That said, if you have a memorable, well-written personal statement, program directors will mention it, and it will make you stand out as an applicant. If they are on the fence about whether or not to interview you, a personal statement could potentially be the deciding factor. So, it’s pretty important!

2. What are things I should include in my ERAS personal statement?

A good ERAS personal statement should include the following: 

A catchy introduction to grab the reader

There are different ways to go about doing this, but if you’re stuck, an effective way to grab the reader’s attention is to open with a patient vignette. An interesting case is sure to pique the curiosity of your reader and keep them engaged as they read. Preventing boredom is something to strive for, as your application is one of perhaps hundreds that they are reading.

Ultimately, though, remember this is a personal statement. After you reveal the diagnosis or outcome of the patient vignette, you need to let the reader know what the case meant to you! The point of relating the vignette is to reveal something about yourself, not just present an interesting story about a patient. 

An overview of your desirable qualities

When letting the reader know what your positive qualities are, it’s important to remember a basic rule of good writing: SHOW, don’t tell. For example, instead of saying you are compassionate, describe a story from your life that demonstrates your compassion.

Highlights from your life experience 

This includes jobs, extracurricular activities, and hobbies that would help you to be an ideal candidate for whichever residency you are applying to. Pro tip: DON’T REGURGITATE YOUR CV. This is your opportunity to tell people things that aren’t on your CV. Do you play chess in the park every Saturday, or have you traveled to some amazing places? Tell us about it!

You shouldn’t rehash your CV in your personal statement, but it is a great place to elaborate on activities listed on your CV. It can be used to explain why those activities are so important to you, how they have helped you grow as a person, and other things that don’t often shine through on the CV itself.

Proof of why you should be accepted 

The most important part of your statement is providing proof of why you should be accepted. Describe your strengths, but do not talk about things too generally. You should be able to back up everything you say. Give details and examples. Which doctors have you shadowed? What kind of research have you been involved in, and where was it published? Don’t just mention that you have volunteered, say the names of places you were at and what you were doing.

Why you are interested in your specialty

This doesn’t have to be a profound story, but it should be the truth!

What you are looking for in a residency program

Is a strong procedural curriculum important to you? Is the culture of the program more important? Try to mention things you know your programs of choice embody.

Address any red flags on your application

Did you do poorly on Step 1? Did you take a leave of absence for a long time? Best to just come out and talk about it without being defensive. Show how you have grown from the experience, rather than apologizing for it!

A cohesive closing statement

Sometimes the first and the last sentence of the statement are the hardest to come up with, but it’s worth your time to make it tidy, even if it isn’t profound.

3. What are things I shouldn’t include in my ERAS personal statement?

Controversial topics.

Stay away from extreme religious or political statements. It doesn’t mean you can’t say you are an active member of church, but don’t use this as an opportunity to discuss whether or not you are pro-choice. You never know who is going to be reading this, and anything too polarizing can be off-putting for some readers. 

Feelings of bitterness or negativity

Leave out any traces of bitterness, defensiveness, or anger about anything that has happened in your life. Everything must have a positive spin.  

Too much self-praise or too much modesty

Avoid talking about yourself in a glorifying manner, but don’t go too far the other way and come off as too modest.

Too many qualifiers

You don’t want to go overboard with the qualifiers, which are words such as “really,” “quite,” “very,” etc. In fact, in many cases, it’s better not to use them at all. 

“Flowery” language you wouldn’t use in real life

It’s a personal statement, not a creative writing assignment. Keep the language in your statement simple. You’re not going to score any points by using unnecessarily fancy words. Your goal is clear communication.

Also, don’t try to sound like a doctor. This is just another way of trying to impress the reader. You want the reader to like you based on the way you write, not be turned off because you are trying to impress them.

“Try to avoid using a lot of jargon and abbreviations,” advises Mary Dundas, educator at Academized. 

Exaggerations

Avoid talking hyperbolically about how passionate you are. As noted earlier, it’s better to show than tell so give examples of things you have done. Above all, keep the writing in your statement professional.

If you avoid these common mistakes, you’ll be way ahead of most applicants! 

4. How can I make my ERAS personal statement unique?

As evidenced by The Voice and American Idol , it is everyone’s impulse to divulge their “sob story” to help them stand out and garner sympathy from the audience. While it’s important to include stories that helped shape you as a person, it is very transparent and cliché to talk about that person you know who was struck by a medical tragedy, and how ever since you vowed to “save people.”

The best way to make your statement unique is to allow your personality to shine through. Use your words, your humor, and your depth to tell your story. Find a way to show yourself to your reader, and if you do this, your essay will be unique!

5. Should I have more than one ERAS personal statement to upload?

In short, absolutely have multiple personal statements to upload. Especially if you are applying to more than one specialty, it’s essential that you have several versions of your personal statement.

That doesn’t mean you have to write a whole new one, you just have to tailor it to fit that specialty. If you’re applying for a preliminary year, tailor your personal statement to explain how important you feel a solid foundation in medicine is for dermatology (or whichever specialty you are applying to) and what you’re looking for in a preliminary year.

Furthermore, I found that for the programs I really wanted to interview with, I would upload a tailored personal statement for that program saying something like, “I am seeking a family medicine residency position with ABC University program because of their dedication to XYZ.” Simply name-dropping their institution and noting the strength of their program demonstrates your attention to detail and interest in their institution. Even if you are an amazing applicant, if a program doesn’t feel you are interested in their specific program, they won’t interview you. It’s best to make sure you give those out-of-state programs some extra attention so they know you are willing to relocate for them!

Lastly, you should know that you can upload as many versions of your personal statement as you like onto ERAS, but be especially careful when uploading and make sure you apply the correct personal statement to each program! Triple-check your work! Pro Tip: Use your file names to help you stay organized. Pick a format and stick with it, such as “PS-JohnsHopkins,” “USCF-PS,” etc.

6. When should I start writing my ERAS personal statement?

The sooner the better, people. Get cracking now! You can even begin to think of ideas during your third year as you develop your interests in specific specialties. As ideas come to you, jot them into your phone so you don’t forget!

One of the best ways to begin writing your personal statement is to go over some questions about yourself. Ask yourself, who are you and what drives you forward? Think about the kinds of things that interest you and why you developed those interests. Maybe consider some mistakes you have made, how you learned from them, and how they have changed you. Or ask yourself, how do your interests and personality contribute to the goals you have set? 

Think about those kinds of questions and write down the answers. Reflect on them, put them away, and come back to them. Then, use them to form an outline—this will help you figure out all your points and what you want to say before you start writing. 

If you still feel like you just don’t know how to get started, give the five-point essay format a shot and see if it works for you. In short, you begin with a paragraph that is about four or five sentences long. The goal of this first paragraph is to grab a reader’s attention. Use the next three or four body paragraphs to talk about yourself. Try and have one of them focus on your clinical understanding, while another talks about service. Then end with a solid conclusion paragraph that mirrors your introduction, summarizes who you are, and ends by looking toward the future. 

7. Should I ask for any help with my ERAS personal statement?

Yes. Yes. A thousand times, YES! Absolutely ask for feedback on your personal statement. After getting your draft finished, show it to whoever will look at it—however, please remember to take everyone’s advice with a grain of salt and to strongly consider the source. It is absolutely essential to have your personal statement reviewed by an objective third party to ensure that the message you are trying to communicate is loud and clear. This means that you shouldn’t give it to a friend or family member who is going to placate you with a useless, “Yeah, looks great!”

Find a mentor, advisor, chief resident or attending, someone who is accustomed to reading ERAS personal statements, and get feedback from them. You can be certain that going through this step will only make your personal statement better. If you take their advice and don’t like how things are panning out, you can always revert back to an older draft.

But in just about every case, another set of eyes to give you big-picture feedback on what you’ve written will improve your piece. Do this early in the process, when you have gotten a simple draft together, so that you don’t present someone with an idea that you are married to, only to find out that it doesn’t come through clearly.

Be sure to ask other people what they think of your draft, but be careful about asking other students for help. Sometimes they get weird, and try to give you advice about making your statement more like theirs because they want to feel justified in their own efforts.

Finally, it should be mentioned that there are services out there that will “write your personal statement” for you. Aside from the obvious reasons why not to do this, you have to be really careful. Those services don’t know you, don’t know your voice, and oftentimes have very generic ways of putting these statements together.  Using a service to help polish your statement, though, is A-OK. Some you may find useful in that regard are ViaWriting , Writing Populist , StateofWriting , and SimpleGrad .

Lastly, you may consider working with a residency counselor who can help set your application apart with insider advice and ensure you optimize all elements of the residency application process. Our residency consultants are residents and attendings who have successfully guided hundreds of students from residency applications through the Match!

Typical residency consulting work consists of:

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Not sure if a residency consultant is the right fit for you? Take this quiz to see if you would benefit from some extra guidance during the residency application process!

8. Where can I find examples of ERAS personal statements to inspire me?

Every good writer learned how to write by reading the works of other people. This includes personal statements! Very often your career offices from your undergraduate studies will have examples of personal statements that can serve as inspiration for your own masterpiece. You can also ask older classmates and recent graduates if they would feel comfortable sharing their personal statements with you. 

Remember, too, that inspiration can come from nontraditional sources. Try reading poetry or a novel before sitting down to write your statement. You might be surprised by how it helps to get your creative juices flowing!

9. Is it better to cover all of my experiences, or focus on a few in particular?

It’s better to focus on several key experiences rather than provide a broad overview of your life up to the present time. Your resume will fill in any gaps for your reader. The point of the personal statement is to spend a few paragraphs reflecting on one or two themes that define who you are as a person. Stay focused, and go deep!

10. How much should I share about my career goals in my ERAS personal statement?

Remember, the majority of training programs you will be applying to are academic medical centers. For those programs in particular, make sure to emphasize why an academic environment is a good fit for you. This does not have to mean research! Perhaps you like the idea of becoming a clinician educator and want to be at XYZ program for the opportunity to teach medical students. 

Likewise, if you are applying to a program at a community hospital, make sure to reflect on how your career goals are suited for that environment. Maybe private practice is on your radar, or you want to practice in a hospital that is more close-knit than a large academic center.

Whatever the case, try to make your stated career goals align with the orientation of the program you’re applying to. In reality, you may have no idea what direction you want your career to go in. But for a personal statement, try to commit to one general theme if possible.

11. What about my personal statements for preliminary or transitional year programs?

For applicants who are also applying to preliminary or transitional year programs, it can seem daunting to tailor your personal statement to a position that isn’t part of your ultimate specialty. But don’t worry—preliminary and transitional year programs still want to know who you are as a person and why you’re interested in anesthesiology, dermatology, or whatever advanced specialty you’re aiming for. You don’t need to change your personal statement as much as you may think!

The goal of a personal statement for these one-year programs is not to convince the reader that you suddenly love internal medicine despite going into radiology. The reader knows this is a temporary stopping place for you. Instead, emphasize the traits that make you YOU and will enhance their hospital!

12. What if I’m interested in a non-traditional path after residency?

Some of you may be thinking of alternative career paths after residency such as consulting or pharmaceutical work. It’s probably best to leave those specific goals out of your ERAS personal statement and allow readers to assume that you want to continue in clinical medicine after graduating from residency. You might want to instead phrase it as something you want to be incorporated into your clinical career, but not something you would leave medicine for, even if that’s what you have in mind!

Remember, you are under no obligation to share your every thought and desire in a personal statement! These statements are being read by reviewers who dedicated their lives to education and clinical medicine, so keep that in mind.

Further Reading

Keep these tips in mind as you write your ERAS personal statement, and you’ll be way ahead of the other applicants. If you start to get stressed out, remember, you have an amazing story to tell, and we are here to help tease that story out from the confines of your brain! For more help, reach out to one of our residency advisors .

Looking for more help during the residency application process? We’ve got you covered with more (free!) content written by Blueprint tutors:

  • How to Get Standout Letters of Recommendation for Your Residency Application
  • How to Maximize Your Chances of Matching With Your Dream Residency
  • What’s It Like Working With a Medical Residency Consultant?
  • Residency Interview Tips & Tricks: The Ultimate Guide
  • Dual Applying for Residency: Is It Right For Me?

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How To Write A Good ERAS Personal Statement [Ultimate Guide]

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Are you dealing with an ERAS personal statement for the first time? It’s not a simple document, and while you’re at it, you must make sure that yours stands out among other candidates .

I’m here to tell you what unsuccessful applicants do — not pay attention to miscellaneous details in the process, such as writing their residency personal statement !

Perhaps you’re searching for how to write one like a pro. If so, then stay put and read on to achieve a captivating personal statement and have a good shot at getting the interview!

Bonus: Want to learn how I got a 3.9 GPA in med school using a simple-to-follow study strategy? Get access to my exact study method from med school for free here. 

Table Of Contents

What Is The ERAS Personal Statement?

Getting into the best residency program is vital for every medical professional. Not only will it add substantial value to your career, but it will also help you grow in more ways than you think.

You might be thinking about how exactly you get accepted into one. It would be best if you focused on writing a well-crafted personal statement for residency , among other things.

A personal statement is a one-page essay articulating who you are and why you want to be part of your chosen specialty .

An ERAS personal statement is essential to the whole ERAS application process. It must create an ideal picture of you as a candidate and why program directors should consider your application despite the limited slots available.

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eras personal statement user guide

How To Write A Good ERAS Personal Statement

An ERAS personal statement should very much remind you of essay writing — it follows a logical order and requires distinctive sections such as an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Step #1 Start With An Outline

Too many ideas can cloud our heads, and they can sabotage our personal statements. To keep our thoughts organized, writing an outline is the best way to start !

Step #2 Lead With Details

As I’ve mentioned, a residency personal statement must be concise — under 3,500 characters plus the spaces are enough, but it creates constraints.

For a good introduction, you may want to start with an anecdote to hook your readers . You may describe an experience or a situation related to your specialty.

The point here is to pin a unique story to build momentum. My additional tip for you is to write straightforwardly but be as detailed as possible !

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Step #3 Connect Your Narrative To The Main Topic

One way to keep a reader invested is by being a compelling storyteller . The body portion of your statement is the perfect place to develop transitions.

This is the section where you must describe what kind of medical specialist you aspire to be . You may also add the interests that made you pursue the specialty .

Your personal statement’s body can be of two sections or paragraphs — one for discussing your specialty and the other for your advocacy.

Step #4 Tie Them All Together

Your last paragraph should leave program committees with an understanding of who you are and your reasons for applying .

Keep this short and precise.

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Does The Personal Statement Matter For Residency?

Some people think a personal statement is only for formality, and most directors would not take the time to read them thoroughly. 

Yet, according to the 2021 NRMP Program Director Survey , the personal statement ranks second with 83.8 percent in terms of deciding whom the program directors want to interview !

Regardless of what others may think, a personal statement can be your gateway to acquiring an interview if it’s appealing enough. Moreover, you may want to keep an eye on your letters of recommendation as it ranks first in the 2021 survey .

However, presenting good letters of recommendation only offers qualitative information. The personal statement allows you to make a case about yourself in qualitative terms directly.

To answer the question of whether a personal statement matters for your residency application, of course, it does! Note that a poorly-written personal statement could hurt your firm application, but a good one could help you advance to the interviews.

how to write a letter of intent

What Should I Put In My ERAS Personal Statement?

Remember that a sound ERAS personal statement is not a hundred percent about what you do but better about who you are and how you present your passion, skills, and ambitions .

Your personal statement should contain information not found in your resume — it should offer new details about you . It must highlight what uniquely ties you with your specialty .

Try answering one or two of the queries below and convince the program directors that you are a good fit for them.

  • What are your long-term or career plans?
  • What outside interests do you have?
  • What are your grounds for choosing the specific specialty?
  • What accomplishments do you want to emphasize?
  • What contributions can you provide to the residency program?

These elements give program directors information about who you are on a deeper level and what kind of associate you would be if you become part of their team.

You may also add a story to spice up your personal statement.

How Long Should An ERAS Personal Statement Be?

There are no specific word counts or number of paragraphs you need to follow to perfect your ERAS personal statement.

You may write long passages but only for proofreading purposes. Chances are, you still have to chop and delete some unnecessary words or phrases.

You know what they say, “less talk, less mistakes.” You don’t have to make your personal statement too long just to prove a point.

More likely, if your personal statement is too long, they won’t take the time to read it. One page single-spaced personal statement could be enough.

The format of your personal statement can be about four paragraphs. Make sure it’s short, precise, and easy to read.

More importantly, the length of your ERAS personal statement should not be your only concern. Plagiarism and grammar must also be on your list of priorities.

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What Are the Things To Avoid In Writing An ERAS Personal Statement?

After knowing what to put and what to write, it’s time to understand what things you should avoid in writing an ERAS personal statement.

Incorrect Grammar, Spelling, And Punctuation

Check your grammar thoroughly! There are plenty of free apps that may help you with this one.

SpellCheckPlus and Grammarly are some tools you might want to familiarize yourself with to be a better writer. 

Don’t overcomplicate your sentences. Make sure not to give your readers a hard time decoding what you’re trying to say.

More importantly, try not to sound like a thesaurus. Be as authentic as you can.

ERAS Personal statement

An ERAS Personal Statement Should Not Be Like A Resume

Think of it this way, your CV or resume is the fancy, polished, and summarized version of you in a paper . Your personal statement is your chance to be more personal, honest, and vulnerable .

Give the program directors the chance to connect with you, so don’t just list off your accomplishments and focus exclusively on the momentous shiny parts of your life.

Don’t Make Someone Else The Hero

Yes, you may talk about a few people who have influenced you , but make sure you’re still the story’s main character! It’s a “personal” statement for a reason, not “someone else’s” essay!

When you re-read your personal statement and realize that you have a whole paragraph talking about someone else, scratch them and write a new one.

Don’t Whine In Your ERAS Personal Statement

You can write about the challenges you’ve encountered in your life or how much you’ve grown, but don’t spend too much time discussing how tough you’ve had it . After all, you’re vying for respect, not pity.

Additionally, if you’re talking about overcoming a specific challenge, make sure to focus on them, not just simply brush over it.

Don’t Put Anything Irrelevant

A lack of focus is one of the most common issues in any type of writing. Don’t throw in any information that isn’t relevant to your story.

Every sentence you write must contribute to the overall point of the personal statement . Unless you’re planning to dig deeper into details, it’s much better not to include them.

Should I Put My Red Flags In The Personal Statement?

This question heavily depends on what red flag you’re talking about. As much as we all want to be as honest as we can, sometimes, leaving out some details is the best way to do it.

Putting situations like having a low passing grade on your exams is not something the program committee would want to hear from a medical candidate.

On the other hand, let’s say you failed your first exam on the first try. Don’t make excuses; take ownership of why and what happened , and explain what you’ve learned from such circumstances .

Honestly, it’s all about how serious the red flag is and how far you can explain yourself as truthful and mature. 

what is a residency personal statement

Do I Need To Hire A Professional To Write An ERAS Personal Statement For Me?

The truth is, you don’t need to hire a professional to write your residency personal statement . As the name suggests, writing one can be done by you personally.

Although you don’t need one, hiring a professional writer who knows what they are doing might help you progress . Take note that writing an ERAS personal statement is not as easy as it sounds.

If you don’t feel like engaging with a professional, try at least asking for others’ opinions regarding your personal statement . This way, you’d receive constructive feedback to further enhance what you’ve written. 

I’m not talking about random friends here. Make sure you’re asking the right people — friends who have gone through the ERAS application cycle or faculty with whom you have developed a relationship.

When Should I Start Writing My ERAS Personal Statement?

Give yourself plenty of time to write. Start as early as now !

Most of the time, our first writing draft is not the best one. Generally speaking, you should start working on your residency personal statement as early as possible to have more time for a couple of revisions .

Edit your residency personal statement and proofread it carefully. Remember that every word counts, so take time to edit them until you’re fully satisfied.

Can I Edit My Residency Personal Statement After Uploading It To The ERAS?

Yes, you won’t have to worry about last-minute corrections. ERAS allows applicants to edit their personal statements anytime , but only during the application season!

Although we want to expose the best things about ourselves, sometimes, writing less is more. Always remember that program directors have limited time, so don’t make your ERAS personal statement hard to read at first glance.

Most importantly, a solid residency personal statement may or may not guarantee an interview, but a poorly-crafted one will indeed comprise your shot at the residency program.

Here is a step-by-step course to teach you exactly how to crush your first year of residency, even if you’re unsure of what to expect, overwhelmed by the workload, and even if you are starting to doubt if you’re even cut out to be a doctor.

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If this blog has assisted you in some ways, I’m sure you’ll learn more from these other content:

  • How To Write A Medical School Letter Of Intent
  • How To Write A Thank You Note After A Residency Interview
  • How Tanya Went From C’s To Being A Top Student [Case Study]
  • How To Apply As A Nontraditional Medical Student [Ultimate Guide]
  • Medical School Interview Outfits
  • 5 Crazy Ways AI Can Improve Your Life As A Med Student

Until the next one, my friend…

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Personal Statement Guidelines

Guidelines for writing personal statements.

The Personal Statement should be personal and specific to you and your experience/s. The goal of the personal statement is so that reviewers can get to know you as unique applicant and what you will bring to the program and the field. Consider the following when putting together your personal statement.      

  • Never use another person or program to write your personal statement.
  • Never copy another individual’s personal statement. This is a violation of professional conduct and the Match.

Before you get started:

  • Some specialties may require that you have a separate personal statement for each program.
  • Some students will choose to make a common personal statement but modify a paragraph that is program or location specific.
  • Be sure to check with specialty and program requirements when drafting your personal statement.

General Tips :

  • Grammarly® is an example of a free online resource.
  • Stick to 1 page
  • Save these highlights for your interview or your noteworthy characteristics.
  • We recommend that you create your personal statements in a text file.
  • The way you create a text file is Click on 'Start' menu on the desktop, under 'All Programs' Click 'Accessories', Click 'Notepad'. Change the Font to Courier New 10 which is used by ERAS. Keep it to less than one-page single spaced with one-inch margins all around and spaces between paragraphs.
  • Do not use any special characters such as Bold, Italics, Underlines, &, ñ, µ, @,#,% etc.
  • You don’t want it to look too cluttered.

When you may need more than ONE personal statement :

  • If you are dual applying, you likely will need separate personal statements
  • For a preliminary program personal statement, you may consider a separate personal statement or modify the personal statement to include what you are looking for in a preliminary program.
  • You may consider personalizing a personal statement due to location, family, other circumstances. We recommend that you do this either early or at the end of the personal statement.
  • If you are deciding between two or more specialties, it is sometimes helpful to write a personal statement for each. If you cannot see the real differences among them, others who read your statements may be able to discover your true passion.
  • Label your personal statement files well so that you know which personal statement is being used for which specialty or program

Before drafting your personal statement, please use the information below to help you organize your thoughts :  

  • 2-3 paragraphs with a theme (see prompts below)
  • Final thoughts/projections forward

Suggested prompts for your personal statement might be : 

  • Why you chose this field? 
  • Personality traits
  • Experiences such as education, leadership, service, research, or volunteerism
  • Related hobbies, etc. 
  • A brief explanation of gap time particularly for research, dual-degree or certification and how you see this time as beneficial to your residency goals.
  • Some things of that nature might be best explained in your MSPE, if you wish.  Discuss this with the OSA dean writing your MSPE. 
  • Applicants can describe any challenges or hardships that influenced their journey to residency. This could include experiences related to family background, financial background, community setting, educational experiences, and/or general life experiences. This question is intended for applicants who have overcome major challenges or obstacles.
  • Some projection into your future, of both a professional and personal nature, if you wish. You may not want to be too specific about sub-specialty aspirations, though. People like to see an open mind. 
  • What you see as the next exciting things happening in your field of interest? How do you see yourself as part of them?

Common Pitfalls:

  • Avoid being a just list of reasons that you like the specialty
  • Balance being personal without overly revealing in these cases
  • If you don’t want to talk about a situation in your interview, it shouldn’t be in your personal statement
  • If you can’t talk about a situation without becoming overly emotional, you may want to brainstorm if that should be in your personal statement (remember this is a job interview)
  • If the description of your story is 1/3 of your personal statement, you are missing an opportunity to talk more about yourself.
  • AVOID: I disliked all other specialties till I rotated on XXX.
  • AVOID: I noticed that I didn’t really like the way XXX interacted with patients
  • AVOID: The patient was angry and non-compliant.
  • Run the risk of losing the reader’s attention

Final Thoughts :

  • Be specific in what you ask them to review (I.e. grammar, content, voice)
  • Faculty members in the type of program to which you are applying.
  • People who know you well, on whom you can count for honest feedback, and who can make any necessary corrections in syntax and grammar. 
  • Read your personal statement out loud to yourself- this is the best way to hear/find things that do not make sense grammatically or in syntax.

Additional Resources:

  • Personal Statement Worksheet
  • Personal Growth Program
  • Residency Application

The Top ERAS Personal Statement Requirements You Need To Know

Featured Expert: Dr. Michael Chung, MD

Unique ERAS Personal Statements

You’re tired, exhausted, spent; you don’t want to write another personal statement ever again, especially since ERAS personal statement requirements are different from medical school personal statement requirements, which means you have to write a completely new one. We get it. At this point in your journey, you already know things like how to choose a medical specialty , and whether you want to enter a family medicine residency or an internal medicine residency , but maybe your skills have been dulled by writing countless patient histories and physicals, which do not lend themselves to writing a personal statement (but they can, also). If that is the case, we can help you sharpen your writing skills, and give you strategies to mine your past and personal experiences that will make you a memorable candidate. This blog will provide a step-by-step guide to master your ERAS personal statement, regardless of the specialty you are going into and hopefully get you in on your first try.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 22 min read

Eras personal statement requirements.

Learning How to Write, Again

You are unique, but so is everyone else. That’s the challenge of getting into any professional program, whether medical school, a residency, law school or an MBA, how do you stand out from all these other unique individuals who have also graduated medical school and are now your competition? 

What are the most competitive and least competitive residencies? Find out in this video:

The answer is simple – your personal statement.

Your personal statement is a safe space for you to get out anything that motivates you, inspires you, troubles you, makes you scared, makes you angry, or gives you strength. But neither is it a confessional. If you talk about all those things, you have to talk about how you made those emotions real through your actions.

Your residency personal statement can be an outlet for all the things you experienced during school or clinical rotations that you made a mental note of but didn’t know how or where to express it.

The first time you heard a patient cry out in pain.

The first time you saw a baby born.

The first time you felt a pulse stop. 

How did all that make you feel? How did you react? How did it change you?

These are the things that all residency program directors want to know (but, not only).

A great personal statement should cover the future, as well as the past.

What will this residency program add to who you are, as a future physician, researcher, and overall person? And vice-versa, what will you add to it, and how?

These are also important questions to answer.

We don’t have to tell you how important a personal statement is; that fact has been drilled into you since you applied to medical school. You want to make a great first impression with your personal statement as it directly addressed to the residency program directors.

But, let’s be real. The best residency personal statement will not save an application that is poor or below average in other areas, such as having too low a GPA, too many failed courses, or lack of experiences.

Still, many residency programs do review applications holistically, meaning they look at all the aspects of your application, not just the metrics. So, what you need to know is how to be creative, how to develop a voice and style that is unlike any other.

Of course, this is not easy. It can take years of practice and writing to develop an unmistakeable and uncanny writing style.

But, hopefully, by the end of this article you will have discovered the following:

  • Learn how to write the why (you know why you want to enter this program, but how do you say it)
  • The differences between average writing and great writing
  • How to incorporate experiences, important events, emotions, people and other perspectives into your writing

Before we get to helping you find your voice, the ERAS system has a few requirements that you should know, which can help you format and structure your statement so you don’t go over the word length or use the wrong format. Word and page limits can seem daunting, like walls closing in on you. 

But they can actually be quite useful. Knowing you can only use a certain number of words should help you during the editing process, where the word limit will make you less afraid to remove words, sentences and paragraphs that you don’t need. But keep whatever you take out and use it in your interview or supplemental essays, if the program requires them.

The length of an ERAS personal statement is generally one page. In words, that’s about 500-600 words. The other format requirements include:

  • Write your statement in plain text in either Notepad (for Windows) or Text Edit (for Apple)
  • Write your statement directly into the online dialog box

These are all the technical ERAS personal statement requirements you need to know. But one thing we need to make clear, before we get to anything, is to give yourself a lot of time. You should start following these steps at least six months before you actually have to submit your application; taking into account all your rough drafts, rewrites, editing, asking for advice and letting others read your statement.

Now, let’s focus on how to start your personal statement, which can involve many different steps and strategies.

Finding Your Voice

You’re a smart, accomplished medical school graduate. We don’t have to explain what the ERAS is or how important it is, because you know all that. However, after years of working with hundreds of residency candidates like you, who we helped get into their programs, we know a thing or two about writing residency personal statements , and writing, in general.

And the first thing we want to say about writing an ERAS personal statement is:

Take the pressure off.

Think of writing your statement as seeing a friend or visiting a relative you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s an opportunity. You can finally say all the things you’ve bottled up inside or internalized from the four amazing and chaotic years you just had (longer, if you’re a non-traditional medical school applicant or took a gap year before residency ).

The pressure you and everyone else puts on you leads to panic and desperation. It leads to rushed, uninteresting, forgettable statements. It leads to cliches ( I’ve always wanted to be a doctor because I want to help people ). You don’t want that. The people reading your statement don’t want that. 

How do you take the pressure off?

Feel proud of all you’ve accomplished up to this point. You’ve done a lot! Look at your diploma, or a research project you participated in. Look over your old medical school personal statements and see how you have changed, and what is different about you now.

Let that give you the confidence you need to write confidently about all you’ve accomplished and all you still want to accomplish. But everything in moderation. Seeming arrogant or boastful is not good either.

Then, think about your failures. Pour water on all those cocky impulses by remembering when you completely failed your first block of exams or how an anatomy class left you in a haze of details you couldn’t remember.

This is you creating a voice. The good and bad. Complex, and interesting.

Working on your ERAS letter of recommendation?

Pre-Writing  

After you’ve relaxed, and gotten into the right mindset, start thinking about what you want to write. 

There are a few basics you should cover in your statement, such as:

  • Why this program?
  • Why this specialty?
  • What makes you special, as a person, future resident, and physician?
  • What have you done to show your commitment to medicine, or this specialty?
  • Why medicine?

But here we return to the how . You know why you want to enter this residency (good reputation, expert faculty, etc.) but the trick is saying it in a meaningful and substantive way.

And here opinions differ.

Some suggest stating your reasons for wanting to enter the program right away in the opening or the second paragraph. But that method runs the risk of turning the rest of the statement into a recitation of your CV:

I want to join this residency because of this....

And here’s why...

We recommend beginning with a bit of your background first.

Talk about who you are (background; family); important moments in your life that made you choose medicine. Then talk about your progress; things you’ve learned (academically or personally) that have changed you; things that have influenced you to follow this branch of medicine, whether it be people, a class you took, a book, film, piece of music, or article you read.

Keep going forward in time until you reach the last few paragraphs where you tie everything together and state clearly and plainly why you are interested in this program, and what you would give to the program.

To recap, and this is optional, you can choose to use another outline:

  • Something interesting about yourself (opening)
  • Why medicine, or an “inciting incident” that made you choose medicine (second paragraph)
  • Show what you did because your specialty excites you or makes you curious
  • Talk about how the program reflects your interests, and how you connect to its mission

Start Writing

Then, start writing. Write anything and write often. Write. Every. Day.

Don’t fall into the trap of “waiting for inspiration” or “not feeling it today”. You have to sit down and spend all those uncomfortable hours in front of a blank page to write something great.

It’s good practice to help you develop a rhythm, style, and, discipline.

If you’re not sure what to write about, write about your firsts (first day of medical school, first biochemistry class, first interaction with a patient, etc.) When writing use active voice in the beginning and short sentences (here is where writing histories and note-taking will help you).

If you have a memory or first in mind, establish other details.

Where was it? Who was it with? What did it involve? What did you do?

Give the reader details that you remember and try to be as accurate as possible.

The more detail you include gives your readers insight into what you remember or think of as important (sounds, smells, colors) and that most importantly, you pay attention to detail; something extremely important in medicine.

And, at this point, don’t worry about word or page lengths.

Those don’t matter now. You can cut it all later. In fact, write more than the page or word count to give yourself a lot of material and then cut down later. The same way directors shoot hours and hours of film, only to whittle it all down to a few seconds.

With all this in mind, we’ll do something a little different. We’ll write a poor opening paragraph so you can compare your writing to something objectively bad.

We’ll provide the details like setting, people, and a short example to show what we mean.

The body of your statement is next. Referring to the questions above, it is in the body of your statement where you show, don’t tell. Just as Alice was about to mention her work organizing people to lobby Congress, in the middle of your statement is where can talk about a singular achievement, experience, person, event that put you on the path to this residency program. Since you have word limits, you usually want to talk about only one experience; you can mention other experiences in other statements you write to other programs or residency interviews .

But basically, you want the middle of your statement to be where you demonstrate how you’ve lived up to the ideals of the program you are entering; whether it was through opening a new line of investigation in a field of research. But don’t be lulled into thinking you have to mention something academic, scientific or related to medical science. You can talk about something personal that moved you – for example, in Alice’s case, it could be something like this:

I created an impromptu Facebook group of families living with diabetes, and we started sharing what we all did to get cheaper insulin. Some people went all the way to Mexico, or Canada to get cheaper insulin. And some, unfortunately, choose not to get their medication because they simply couldn’t afford it. With the support of my group, I contacted my Representative in Congress and asked what I could do to bring attention to this issue at the federal level.

She told me that the Senate committee that oversees the pharmaceutical industry was meeting so and that I should attend with my group. We all went to Washington, and it was during a break in one of the sessions when I started a conversation with a prominent endocrinologist, Dr. Sarah Capito. When I told her I was in medical school, she asked where I was going to do my residency. I told her I hadn’t decided yet, and she suggested NYU Grossman, if I was passionate about pediatric diabetes and endocrinology.

But we can cut this down.

I created an impromptu Facebook group of families living with diabetes, and we started sharing thinking about what we could do to get cheaper insulin. what we all did to get cheaper insulin. Some people went all the way to Mexico, or Canada to get cheaper insulin. And some, unfortunately, choose not to get their medication because they simply couldn’t afford it. With the support of my group,. To cover all my bases, I contacted my Representative in Congress and asked what I could do to bring attention to this issue at the federal level.

She told me that the Senate committee that oversees the pharmaceutical industry was meeting soon and that I should attend with my group. We all went to Washington, an In Washington, during a break in the session, I started a conversation with a woman who I later realized was a prominent endocrinologist, Dr. Sarah Capito. When I told her I was in medical school. During our conversation, she asked where I was going to do my residency. I told her I hadn’t decided yet, and she suggested NYU Grossman, if I was passionate about pediatric diabetes, endocrinology, and drug policy.

Of course, you won’t have this same exact experience. We are using this example to illustrate that it is better to show than to tell what you did, but your example could be something much smaller, but still, significant. Pull from anything you still remember vividly, preferably from your recent past, not from when you were a teenager or undergraduate.

Once you feel like you have relayed your passion and dedication to your specialty, then, you need to connect that passion to the program you are applying to. In Alice’s example, a single individual got her interested in NYU, but the final paragraphs should reveal what Alice has discovered on her own about the program, and what about it ultimately appeals to her.

You need to do the same. Research the program inside and out and take notes while you are researching. Jot down all the interesting facts and lines of research current residents are involved in or past residents did. At the end is where you also want to demonstrate a very important quality: humility.

Yes, you’ve accomplished a lot. You finished medical school and, in Alice’s case, you’ve shown your commitment to your field and improving lives, but you also want to talk about what you want to do after you finish your residency. What’s next? And here you can talk about what you still want to investigate, or how you plan to take an interdisciplinary approach to investigate something that interests you, or describe how you see yourself as a future physician. 

Let’s use Alice’s case:

NYU Grossman was not on my radar, but when Dr. Capito mentioned it, I became intrigued. I researched the program and found out that Dr. Capito was right, NYU Grossman hosts one of the best diabetes research programs in the country. Not only that, but research and instruction in performed at each of the medical school’s various branches throughout New York City, and the thought of living in New York City, while following my interests to investigate how to revise the diagnostic criteria for juvenile diabetes, which does not take into account the rapid rise in childhood obesity that took place after these criteria was established, and what role socio-economic factors play into children developing diabetes, is something that appeals to me.

But let’s cut it down:

NYU Grossman was not on my radar, but when Dr. Capito mentioned it, I became intrigued. I researched the program and found out that Dr. Capito was right. I was delighted to read that NYU Grossman hosts one of the best diabetes research programs in the country. Not only that, but research and instruction is performed at each of the medical school’s various branches throughout New York City, which is something that would aid my research in determining the socio-economic factors that play into children developing diabetes.

And then, for the finish:

No one in my family thought my brother would ever develop diabetes, and even though I was prepared to shoulder the burden for him and my parents, I want to discover ways to prevent diabetes in young children so it does not become a burden to anyone. I would like to improve diagnostic and management protocols to identify risk factors and ultimately reduce the number of children diagnosed with diabetes each year. By combining my personal experiences with my passion for research, I am confident that I will be at the forefront of advancing pediatric endocrinology and making significant contributions to the field.

Alice’s full, revised ERAS personal statement:

My younger brother’s diabetes diagnosis was my unofficial introduction into pediatrics. I was the one that had to take care of him. I was the one that had to inject him with insulin and show him how to inject himself, if necessary. I was the one who had to make sure that he stuck to his diet. I was the one that had to make sure we always had orange juice or other sugary foods in our house, just in case.

But I loved every minute of it. I felt good taking the burden off my parents who were busy at their respective jobs; my father, a construction worker; my mother, a hairdresser. However, as my brother and I grew into adulthood, he became more adept at taking care of himself, and I had already decided on a career in medicine. But when I was in medical school, I started to wonder what else I could do to help people with diabetes.

I did some research online and discovered that insulin is much cheaper in other countries for a variety of reasons. I learned that the exorbitant cost of insulin forces some diabetics to forego this life-saving medicine. Learning that made me feel like I had to do something. I created an impromptu Facebook group of families living with diabetes, and we started thinking about what we could do to get cheaper insulin.

To cover all my bases, I contacted my Representative in Congress and asked what I could do to bring attention to this issue at the federal and regulatory level. She told me that the Senate committee that oversees the pharmaceutical industry was meeting soon and that I should attend with my group to voice my concerns. In Washington, during a break in the session, I started a conversation with a woman who I later realized was an endocrinologist, Dr. Sarah Capito.

During our conversation, she asked where I was going to do my residency. I told her I hadn’t decided yet, and she suggested NYU Grossman, if I was passionate about pediatric diabetes, endocrinology, and drug policy. NYU Grossman was not on my radar, but when Dr. Capito mentioned it, I became intrigued.

I was delighted to read that NYU Grossman hosts both a top-notch pediatrics program but also one of the best diabetes research programs in the country. Not only that, but research and instruction are done at each of the medical school’s various branches throughout New York City, which is something that would aid my research in determining the socio-economic factors that play into children developing diabetes.

I want to ultimately combine my interest in pediatrics with endocrinology to discover ways to prevent diabetes in young children. I would like to improve diagnostic and management protocols to identify risk factors and ultimately reduce the number of children diagnosed with diabetes each year. I feel that by combining my personal experiences with my passion for research, I am confident that I will be at the forefront of advancing pediatric endocrinology and making significant contributions to the field.

Total Word Count: 504

Total Characters (no spaces): 2,374

This example covers all the things that we talked about as essential in an ERAS personal statement:

  • A revealing opening
  • An inciting incident, although we introduced it in the opening
  • Showing, not telling
  • Explaining why you are interested in your field
  • Connecting your mission and skills with the program’s mission

But let’s write another applicant profile, and use the same formula to write about another program and candidate.

  • Don’t put any more pressure on yourself than you already feel; approach writing your statement calmly, and confident that you have the knowledge, experience, and writing skills to write a great statement.
  • Start as early as possible thinking about what you want to write about; write multiple drafts and let others read your work; but don’t let anyone write your statement for you.
  • Develop your writing skills by writing every day; make it a part of your routine; even a page or a few paragraphs is enough to make you feel like you did something.
  • For content, think about all your past experiences in medical school; think about things that made you feel real emotion (anger, shame, fear, joy) and focus on the details about that experience (who was involved? What happened? When did it happen? And, most importantly, how did it change you?)
  • Don’t use cliches; be original.
  • Put everything in context; or, put another way, make everything connect; don’t dwell on irrelevant details; mention the specific event, person, or experience and keep moving forward.

There aren’t many ERAS personal statement requirements for you to follow, but the point of writing your residency personal statement is explaining in rich, and concise detail, why you are interested in this specialty, program, and how you have prepared for it. You should write your statement relaxed and think of it in the same way you would an interview. Write as many drafts as possible and continue editing until you have a tight, coherent story.

Yes, but technically you are writing the personal statement for the residency program, it is only being uploaded to ERAS as part of your residency application, similar how you are asked to upload an AMCAS personal statement , but it has nothing to do with the service itself. But all residency programs ask for a personal statement, or letter of intent, in some cases, and you have to submit one.

The program you are applying to may have specific format or length requirements. Check with them to be sure, but if none is listed, try to aim for a maximum of 500 words or less.

You can talk about a lot of things in your ERAS personal statement, but you should focus on why you want to pursue your specialty, what you are looking for most in a residency program , why you want to train at this particular program, and what has influenced your decision to pursue both. You should focus on the time you spent at medical school and not go too deep into your past, unless its relevant to your choice of residency. Use your emotions, and experiences as stepping stones to talk about the actions you took to be an ideal residency candidate. 

Do not recite your research resume or residency CV ; do not disparage or speak ill of other specialties or programs; do not boast or be arrogant. Do not use unprofessional language. Do not talk in length about your past. Do not dwell on these events, but use them to move your narrative forward to a logical conclusion. 

Yes, it matters a lot. With that said, if your application is lackluster in other areas, a great personal statement may not (or may, you never know) won’t make much of a difference to the residency directors. However, if your application is otherwise stellar, a poorly-written personal statement can sink your chances. 

You should write a different personal statement for each program you apply to. Yes, that seems like a lot of work, but putting in the work to create new statements show dedication and passion and helps you improve your writing skills overall. 

No. If you think AI can help you write a residency statement, try using it and see what comes out. AI can only write according to the parameters you introduce. It does not have memories, experiences, and emotions. The best AI can give you is a generic, uninteresting blob of words that lacks the humanity all residency directors are looking for. The time and effort you put into humanizing an AI-generated statement could instead be put into writing it yourself, with a much better result. 

There are no set requirements other than typing your personal statement in plain text so you can transfer it to the online dialog box on the ERAS application. The format and content requirements are set by the program you want to enter, but they often center around questions such as, “ what do you hope to gain from our residency program? ” and similar questions about your goals and intentions. 

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How to Write Your ERAS Personal Statement

Alexandra R., MD

A prospective resident sitting at a desk, working on her ERAS personal statement.

4 Keys to Writing A Compelling Residency Application Personal Statement

There are a variety of mixed opinions about the importance of the ERAS personal statement in the residency application process. Some people think that a personal statement, if it is captivating enough, can be your gateway to obtaining an interview. Others, however, think that a personal statement is simply a formality and that most programs do not take the time to look at it closely. Thus, in the latter scenario, the main goal is to not have your personal statement stand out in a negative way. Regardless of what you have heard and may continue to hear throughout the residency application process, you need to interpret the advice in the context of your particular scenario: decide for yourself how important the ERAS personal statement may be in the setting of your background and experiences as well as how important it may be for the field that you are applying into.

In general, you should start working on your ERAS personal statement early so that you can have multiple rounds of revisions. It is actually completely normal (and a good sign) if you end up having multiple completely different versions! The hardest part is sitting down and starting- just do it! The earlier you start writing, the more time you have to continue re-working and re-thinking your story. Sometimes it’s even good to put it away for a few weeks at a time so that when you look at it again you can have a fresh perspective. Remember, having a great personal statement hook is a key component to writing a compelling statement that residency program directors will actually want to read. The hook is so important, we have actually dedicated an entire post to writing it correctly here. Sometimes it’s even good to put it away for a few weeks at a time so that when you look at it again you can have a fresh perspective.

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Choosing Your Specialty: Gaining Insights from Clinical Clerkships

Once you feel comfortable with a first draft, consider who you would like to share it with to receive constructive feedback. Ideally, it would be somebody whose opinions you value and who has demonstrated some success of their own accord – either friends who have gone through the application cycle and matched at one of their top 3 ranked programs, or faculty you have developed a relationship with. Often, medical schools also have advisory deans or some advising office, who may provide valuable insight into what residency program directors are looking for. An alternative advising source may even be the career center at your university. Even though career centers advise undergraduates, professional degree students (MD, JD, MS, etc), and even graduate students, their writing advice is broadly applicable to any field and their close attention to detail can be invaluable. Additionally, if you have friends that have applied in previous years, particularly in the same specialty in which you are currently applying, it can be helpful to see if they feel comfortable letting you read their statement – this can give you insight into the many shapes and form the PS may take and can provide helpful tidbits of information they’ve gleaned from the application process itself. You can also ask your advising office / deans for examples of personal statements specific to your specialty. In the event that you exhaust the resources available to you and you still feel uncertain about your statement, we welcome residency applicants to look into our residency matching services at Elite Medical Prep. We offer focused professional personal statement help from students who have successfully matched into some of the most competitive and prestigious residency programs in the world. 

Keep in mind that you do not need to incorporate everyone’s feedback into your personal statement. However, it is helpful to have multiple people’s advice and perspective, thus we encourage you to reach out to more than one person. We took a survey of our EMP tutors and ~60% said they worked with 6+ people, ~30% worked with 3-5 people, and 10% worked with <3 people to edit, read, and provide suggestions.

Lastly, once you have your personal statement finalized, please make sure you know what it is about. More than 85% of our tutors surveyed had an interview question about something specifically relating to their personal statement that was not anywhere else on their application. Be ready to talk about whatever stories you included—use the personal statement as an opportunity to help you shine and be remembered in a positive way!

We surveyed our tutors about advise they received about their own personal statements and collected feedback points from ERAS personal statements they have reviewed to see what feedback you should remember:

1) Don’t make your ERAS personal statement too long:

  • The structure of the personal statement should be about 4 paragraphs.
  • You do not want it to be more than one page single-spaced (standard font like arial or times new roman, size 12).
  • If your personal statement is too long, it is even more likely for programs to not read it completely.

2) Don’t make your ERAS personal statement weird or controversial:

  • “It’s okay to make your personal statement ‘vanilla’. You don’t want it to be a red flag /too creative that it strikes readers the wrong way.”
  • “It’s far more likely that your personal statement will be entirely forgettable than that stand out, and that’s OK. Better to have a relatively bland, but acceptable PS and otherwise stellar application than to have a stellar application tainted by a PS that went too far in trying to be too interesting or original, or having something you write strike a reader the wrong way.”
  • “Never write about something that could possibly make you cry if brought up.”
  • “ Unless you feel very strongly about certain political beliefs or controversial topics (i.e. abortion) and would not want to be at a program where anyone felt otherwise, it’s probably better to avoid writing about anything polarizing in your statement.”
  • “Your personal statement should be neither personal nor a statement”… basically, you aren’t necessarily going to stand out with your personal statement, you just want it to support the rest of your application, and it doesn’t need to be groundbreaking.”

3) Highlight what uniquely draws you to that particular specialty:

  • “Remember that everyone reading your statement has gone into the field you have chosen and they know why it is awesome – so avoid singing general praises of a field – it needs to be PERSONAL!”
  • “Tie everything into why you chose that particular specialty.”

4) Make your statement easy to read by telling a short and concise story about yourself:

  • “That was way too long and formulaic. Cut to the chase but also paint a story rather than tell one.
  • “Tell a unique story that gives insight to who you are as a person.”
  • “Think about the purpose of your personal statement in the context of all the other components of your application: this is mainly useful as more of a personality gauge – ie who are you and what makes you tick?”
  • “After reading your personal statement, the reader should come away with the feeling that they really want to meet you – not that you just summarized your ERAS in paragraph form. This is your opportunity to convey what is intangible on ERAS and in your letters – so use it as such!”
  • “Even though your life is not coherent, you should present a coherent narrative – and make it brief! Not more than 500 words.”
  • “Build a story around an interesting fact or experience.”
  • “Show, don’t tell” – Try to use anecdotes as much as possible

Good Luck!!!

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Alexandra earned her Neuroscience degree from the University of Michigan, graduating with Summa Cum Laude recognition in 2014. She continued her education at the University…

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How to write your personal statement for ERAS/residency applications

The personal statement is occasionally a chance to “make” your application, but it’s always a risk to “break” it.

Keep in mind: it’s only 1 page (literally—it should fit on no more than one page when printed from the ERAS application, which is somewhere around 750-800 words on the longer end; 600-650 is a better goal; mine was around 500). On one interview, I was told that the program’s main criteria for evaluating personal statements was not noteworthiness but rather inoffensiveness .

Questions to ask yourself in approaching the PS:

  • What are the reasons for choosing the specialty?
  • What are my career plans?
  • What accomplishments do I want to emphasize?
  • What outside interests do I have?
  • What contributions can I make to the specialty and the residency program?

You don’t have to answer all of these questions, but answering one or two will help you get the point of view you need to get a draft going.

The personal statement is a chance to state why you are choosing a specialty (and a location or a specific program) and to try to convince the reader that you are a good fit. While you are trying to say that you are awesome, you cannot simply say you are awesome . Like fiction, you should show, not tell when possible. This is not a CV in paragraph form. You must be more subtle.

Things to do:

  • Give yourself plenty of time to write; start now.
  • Write more than one. Tell your story from multiple angles and see which one comes out on top.
  • Often your first essay is not the best.
  • Consider explaining gaps in your application (leave of absence, course failure, low Step 1)
  • If there are particular programs you are desperate for, you may consider tailoring your statement for them. The individualized approach is obvious and is unlikely to make the desired impact. If you tailor, don’t be a sycophant (it’s too transparent). The most important time to individualize your PS is if you discuss, for example, your desire to be part of a big bustling academic center: make sure to change that if you are applying to a small community program.
  • Be straightforward in your writing
  • Edit and proofread your work carefully . Then do it again. And again. And then one last time for good measure.
  • Be concise. Edit down until every word counts. I personally subscribe to the common reviewer adage: “The more you write, the less I read.”
  • Ask for second opinions and feedback; you don’t always have to listen but it’s important to receive.
  • Your parents and significant others are wonderful readers, but they are generally insufficient. They love you too much. Have your PS vetted by your Specialty and Faculty Mentors .

Things to avoid:

  • Self-Congratulatory Statements
  • Self-Centered Statements
  • “Emotional” Stories (give it a try, but be wary). Telling your reader about your feelings directly often makes the feelings themselves feel contrived.
  • Reality embellishment (anything you write is fair game as interview fodder; if you can’t discuss it at length, then it shouldn’t be there)
  • Using tired analogies (or any analogies, really)
  • Quotations (you couldn’t think of 500 words of your own?)
  • Remember, your reader has a stack of applications. Don’t make your essay hurt to read, overly cutesy, or sappy to the point where it’s no longer convincing.

For most people, your personal statement will not/cannot stand out in a good way (standing out in a bad way, though, is entirely possible). Why you pursued medicine may have been an interesting story (hint: it probably wasn’t), but why you chose your specialty is likely even more banal. If you don’t feel like you have anything special to say, it’s because you don’t. That’s normal. Aim for competence.

There are sample essays available for perusal on medfools . I think even the “good” ones are pretty painful in general, but your mileage may vary. Here are some good tips from UNC. The AAMC Advisor also has some quick advice . If your remember your login, Careers in Medicine also has similar stuff.

These are very good recommendations. In addition to proofreading and seeking advice from friends and family, I would also suggest considering a professional editing service. Although some of them can be costly, they see thousands of personal statements and will be able to objectively tell you if yours is competitive. This article also provides some good advice on residency personal statements: https://www.codeblueessays.com/top-7-tips-writing-residency/

I don’t agree with the need for professional services for the vast majority of applicants, and I really dislike people promoting their services through comments on my blog. In this case, the linked article isn’t terrible, so I’m not deleting this.

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Related posts, explanations for the 2018-2019 official step 2 ck practice questions, helping surgeons stop lying on their duty hours, pedigree is a poor proxy for quality, residency and the craftsman mentality.

Med School Insiders

2024-2025 ERAS Residency Application Guide

  • By Med School Insiders
  • March 26, 2024
  • Medical Student
  • Residency , Residency Application

The ERAS residency application is completed in your final year of medical school—but really—you should begin preparing yourself for this crucial step throughout your entire time at med school.

Although residencies are educational, they’re quite a bit different from medical school. A residency provides on-the-job training for people to acquire their medical license so that they can become a practicing physician.

This means the application components are quite different from your original medical school application. They must reflect a sense of maturity, growth, and deepened dedication to medicine. Continue reading our ERAS residency application guide, which covers the following topics:

An Introduction to the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)

Eras residency application timeline, what happens next, eras residency application checklist, residency application mistakes to avoid, eras residency application faqs.

The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) is the centralized online application service applicants use to deliver their application and supporting documents to residency programs. ERAS streamlines the application process for applicants as well as their Designated Dean’s Office, letter of recommendation authors, and program directors.

ERAS includes four individual but connected applications, which were created to meet the needs of each user group involved in the application process. ERAS provides an impartial, confidential transmission of all applications to programs.

The 4 ERAS Applications:

  • MyERAS is where applicants complete their applications, assign supporting documents, select programs, and submit the materials for their selected programs.
  • Dean’s Office Workstation (DWS) is where Designated Dean’s Offices upload medical school transcripts and medical school performance evaluations (MSPEs) in support of the applications submitted through ERAS.
  • Letters of Recommendation Portal (LoRP) is where letters of recommendation authors submit their letters in support of the applicant applying through ERAS.
  • Program Director’s Workstation (PDWS) is where training programs receive and review applications and supporting documents.

How ERAS Works:

  • Applicants receive a token (one-time access code) from their Designated Dean’s Office.
  • Applicants use the token to register with MyERAS.
  • Applicants complete their MyERAS application, assign supporting documents, select programs, and apply to programs.
  • The applicant’s Designated Dean’s Office and letters of recommendation authors upload supporting documents.
  • Examining boards receive and process requests for transcripts.
  • Programs receive the application materials through the Program Director’s Workstation (PDWS).

Residency Application Timeline September calendar

Technically speaking, ERAS season begins in June, but you should be thinking about your residency application long before then. Use the earlier part of the year to prepare for application season. In the spring, you should be considering which schools you want to apply to, acquiring letters of recommendation, and thinking about the direction you want to take your personal statement.

The ERAS season begins in early June. Obtain your token (one-time access code) at this time by contacting your Designated Dean’s Office. This will grant you access to MyERAS. It’s also a good idea to determine if you will need to take the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics, also known as Casper.

Here is a list of medical schools that require Casper . If you need to take the test, read our Casper Test Guide for information about scoring, preparation, and more.

Start filling in your application with your work, volunteering, and research experience. Take full advantage of the ERAS Tools and Worksheets for Residency Applicants ; this will help you to determine exactly what kind of information you need to gather to complete your application.

As you work on your application, search for programs you’re interested in and save them for later so that you can organize the correct documents for each program.

June – August

You can only register for ERAS once. Do your utmost to ensure your application is flawless. DO NOT certify your application before you are absolutely sure it is complete, accurate, and exactly what you want to submit. You can only certify your application once—doing so will lock in your application, making it unchangeable for the rest of the application season.

Get all of your details in order and continue fine-tuning your application. Check in to ensure your letters of recommendation are confirmed, get feedback on your personal statement, and make final decisions about which residency programs you want to apply to.

Read: How to Choose a Medical Specialty in 6 Steps

Request your relevant transcripts (USMLE, COMLEX-USA, MSPE, etc.) during this time. You should also begin interview prep during these months so that you are prepared and able to present your best self on the residency interview trail .

ERAS will start accepting applications at the beginning of September. We highly recommend submitting your application well before the deadline . The site also tends to crash around the time they are due because of the high volume of applicants, so ensure you’re not leaving it to the last possible day.

Applications are released to programs at the end of September, and interview invitations can be sent out as early as the next day, so if you submit your application close to the day ERAS releases your application, you could miss out on the first round of interviews.

You also have to apply for the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) , also known as The Match, around this time, which requires a separate application.

ERAS Residency Application Timeline

1 | Residency Interviews

Interview season for residency programs begins in October and lasts until February. Don’t stray too far from your computer or phone during this time as ideal interview slots fill up fast. Keep your calendar updated at all times so that you can pick optimal dates as soon as they become available.

Read our Residency Interview Guide , which includes common interview questions, 7 strategies for preparing, what to wear, and resources to guarantee your success.

2 | Matched Through NRMP (National Residency Match Program)

The NRMP, also known as The Match, is a system based on a Nobel Prize-winning algorithm designed to allow medical students who are applying for residency to be placed or “matched” into a residency spot at a US program in their chosen specialty.

To participate in a Match, you need to use the NRMP’s secure Registration, Ranking, and Results (R3) system to register and create a username and password. You must have an AAMC ID to register for the Main Residency Match. After registering with NRMP, log back into ERAS and update your profile with your NRMP ID so that program directors can more easily identify you for placement on the program’s rank order lists.

Learn the 7 Things You Must Know About the NRMP Residency Match .

Application Checklist paper with checkmarks

1 | ERAS Experiences Section

The experience section on the residency application provides an opportunity for you to share your work, volunteering, and research experience. Include all relevant experience—not only the experiences relevant to your specialty. You can tailor your personal statement to your specialty, but when it comes to experiences, you want to highlight all that you’ve been up to and what you’ve learned.

When describing each activity, try to answer these three questions in three sentences: What is it? What did you do? What did you learn? This will help the reader to quickly understand your background and what each activity meant to you. A lot of your interview questions will come from this section, so be sure to review it before any interviews.

2 | ERAS Personal Statement

The residency personal statement is your chance to tell your story, explain why you want to join a certain specialty, and demonstrate why you’re qualified to do so. It’s your single opportunity outside of interviews to personally highlight anything that you feel was underrepresented in other parts of your application and provide necessary context for your accomplishments.

Much of your residency application material focuses on your scores and grades, which don’t tell much about who you are as a person or what you’re passionate about. Your letters of recommendation will shed light on your dedication and professionalism, but the personal statement is your chance to tell your story as you see it.

While this may sound like the medical school personal statement, don’t assume you’ll be able to rehash it when writing your residency personal statement. The two are quite different. Residency programs aren’t looking for medical students; they’re looking for young professionals who have vastly improved their medical knowledge, earned their doctorate, and deepened their focus and dedication to medicine.

Your residency personal statement must reflect these differences. You are no longer a wide-eyed premed. Keep the focus of your personal statement on your professional development and why your experiences have made you want to join a certain specialty. Be confident yet humble about your accomplishments so far, and speak passionately about what you hope to accomplish in the specialty.

Technically, the residency personal statement allows for 28,000 characters. We do not recommend using all of this space. Keep your personal statement to one typed page, which is about 700-800 words.

A stand out essay can be enough to get you an interview offer while a poor statement can shut the door on an otherwise top-tier applicant. View our database of Residency Personal Statement Samples , take careful care editing, ask mentors for feedback, and consider professional personal statement editing .

3 | ERAS Letters of Recommendation

Just like the letters of recommendation for your medical school application, ERAS letters of recommendation give residency programs crucial insight into how professional physicians see you—your work ethic, character, specific strengths and attributes, and how well you’ll fit in and contribute to your chosen specialty.

You are allowed to upload an unlimited number of references, but only a maximum of four letters of recommendation per program. Your MSPE or Dean’s Letter do not count as one of your letters. Your letters do not need to be addressed to the specific residency program but should instead be standardized, so that letter writers do not need to draft multiple letters.

It’s ideal to find writers from a range of different specialties and experiences who you have worked closely with, know you extremely well, and who will speak highly of your skills, work ethic, and personal characteristics. You must have at least one letter from an attending you worked with closely, a department chair, or a mentor in your chosen specialty so that they can speak to your aptitude and suitability for that specific specialty.

Your program may also require a letter from someone outside the field of medicine. Carefully scan the specific program requirements of each program on their website to determine exactly what you’ll need.

4 | ERAS Photo

Adding a photo is optional for your application, but it’s highly recommended, as a friendly, professional photo will help those assessing your application remember you. Faculty will see your photo as they make decisions and deliberate over your potential candidacy for residency, and it will help them identify you when you report to interviews.

Upload your own photo in MyERAS by selecting Upload New Photo in the Actions column.

The photo file cannot exceed these requirements:

  • Dimensions: 2.5 in. x 3.5 in.
  • Resolution: 150dpi
  • File Size: 100kb

Ensure it’s a professional-looking, high-quality photo. Wear professional clothing; ideally, something that would be appropriate for a medical school interview. Smile, and ensure you appear friendly and approachable. The background should be plain and subtle, with nothing that will distract from you.

If you know any photographer friends, this is a good time to ask for a favor. If you aren’t experienced using a professional camera yourself, and you don’t know anyone who is, you should pay for a professional photo. You’ve come all this way and have already spent an unbelievable amount of money on medical school. Pay this small cost to ensure you have a quality headshot.

Learn more: ERAS Residency Application Photo Requirements and Tips .

5 | Transcripts

You need to request your USMLE transcript (or COMLEX-USA transcript for DO schools) for your application. Authorize the release of this document during the summer. As you create a timeline for your final years of medical school, ensure you schedule Step 2CK well before the September of your residency application, as it can take weeks for test results to come back.

If you’ve made the request, your school will assemble your MSPE (Medical School Performance Evaluation) letter and transcripts and upload them for you.

ERAS Residency Application Checklist

Avoid these common mistakes when preparing for and submitting your residency application.

  • Certifying (locking in) your ERAS application before it’s perfect.
  • Submitting a bland personal statement that doesn’t directly address why you will be a good fit to join a certain specialty.
  • Allowing small mistakes to slip through due to carelessness and sloppy editing.
  • Not getting strong letters of recommendation from people who will speak highly of you.
  • Rehashing your original medical school personal statement.
  • Not bothering to submit a photo of yourself.
  • Submitting a low-quality or distracting photo.
  • Waiting until the deadline to submit your application.
  • Waiting too long to begin researching and considering your preferred specialty.
  • Not taking notes during your work, volunteer, and research experiences. (Notes will help you describe your experiences in detail.)
  • Not considering your residency application throughout your time in medical school.

Applying to residency is quite a bit different than applying to medical school. Read our 9 essential strategies for applying to residency .

How Do I Access MyERAS?

Contact your Designated Dean’s Office to access MyERAS . They will issue you a token, which is a one-time access code to register for MyERAS.

You must acquire an ERAS token from your own Designated Dean’s Office, as your documents will not be accurately uploaded with a token from a different school or organization. You also must make sure that your ERAS token is from the current MyERAS season, as a token from a previous season will not work. ERAS tokens can only be used once to register.

An AAMC account is required to register for MyERAS. If you don’t already have one, you will need to register for one.

How Much Do Residency Applications Cost?

ERAS application fees are based on the number of programs applied to per specialty. If you apply to up to ten programs, it will cost you $99. If you apply to 11-20 programs, the cost is $19 each. Applying to 21-30 programs will cost you $23 each, and applying to 31 programs or more will cost you $27 each.

Additional fees include your USMLE transcript ($80) or your COMLEX-USA transcript ($80), both of which are assessed once per season.

MyERAS automatically calculates your fees. You can pay online using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. ERAS does not offer refunds for any reason.

Are There Programs That Don’t Participate in ERAS?

Some specialties or programs do not participate in ERAS. If that’s the case for a program you are interested in, you need to contact that program directly to determine how to apply.

Which Specialties Require a Supplemental ERAS Application?

There are a few specialties that require a supplemental ERAS application in addition to the main MyERAS application. Internal medicine, dermatology, and general surgery use a short (and free) supplemental ERAS application with new questions that provide programs with more information about applicants.

Residency Application Editing With Med School Insiders

Approaching your residency application with care and tact is critical to your success. Our team of doctors has years of experience helping medical students get matched with their ideal program.

Med School Insiders can help you prepare a stand out residency application. We offer a number of Residency Admissions Consulting Services tailored to your needs, including personal statement editing , USMLE tutoring , interview prep and mock interviews , and overall application editing .

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Med School Insiders

eras personal statement user guide

Medical School vs Residency Comparison

The transition from Medical School to Residency is often misunderstood. Learn about the key differences between med school and residency so that you can best prepare yourself for both types of training.

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2024 SOAP Match Guide (Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program)

Our SOAP Guide covers the Match Week process, strategies for SOAP success, and answers to frequently asked questions about SOAP.

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2024 Residency Match Day Schedule (and How to Prepare)

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Writing a brilliant Personal Statement for ERAS application

image

Your personal statement is a page-long window looking into you - your story, your experiences, aspirations, regrets, goals, losses, anecdotes, everything.

If you can put anybody else’s name on your PS and it would still be relevant, then you need to do a better job at making it unique and “your” PS.

It is important that you have honest comprehension of your story - what genuinely got you interested in this profession, what you look for in life and residency, what are your career goals, what aspects of it are important to you, and how have your experiences shaped you? A generic copied cliché answer won’t work anymore. You have got to think. I HIGHLY recommend you sit down one day with a blank page and formulate the answer to all of these for yourself. Free-form thinking is all you want here, don’t limit yourself.

Some brain fodder for you to formulate answers to (These experiences can be drawn from anywhere and anytime in your life – clinical work, volunteer work, hobbies, vacation times, family, etc.)

  • What first drew you to medicine?
  • Was there an experience, clinical or otherwise, that had a significant impact on you? What was it, and why is it meaningful?
  • When did you know you wanted to pursue the specialty in question? What attracted you to the specialty?
  • What are your greatest qualities? When have you demonstrated these qualities?
  • Where do you see yourself 20 years into your career as a physician?
  • What’s an important part of who you are that isn’t on your resume?
  • Who are your role models, and why?
  • What are your most meaningful extracurricular activities? Why?
  • What’s an accomplishment you are most proud of?
  • What was your most enlightening moment?
  • What medical cause do you care about most, and how did you come to care about it?

This list will help you immensely while writing your personal statement. You will be asked multiple times during interviews - “What are some qualities that you bring to the table”? This will be your go-to list for all questions of that kind as well.

Instead of writing in your PS that you have a particular quality, try to show by citing an example when you demonstrated that quality.

image

🔷  WHAT SHOULD I WRITE?

Having a structure to your PS is extremely important, in my opinion, with a proper theme for each paragraph and not random subjects woven together to make an essay. Here is a rough template that I followed.

Paragraph-1

The essence of your first paragraph should be what got you interested in the specialty. It has to be interesting; no way around it. Please don’t start with a quote - it’s cliché. You can talk about any particular case you came across or any experience you had, or just about anything, as long as it’s interesting and relevant to you.

Paragraph-2

In this paragraph, you can go into more detail as to why you like the particular specialty specifically.

Paragraph-3

Talk about why you are a good fit for this specialty. Talk about your experiences (do not reiterate your CV, though. Noone wants to read it twice) and why they are relevant to you, how they helped shape the person that you are today, and how this person is ready to face the challenges of residency. Talk about the specific qualities/traits you acquired from those experiences.

Paragraph-4

Write about your future goals in the field. Doesn’t have to be a specific fellowship but a general idea of what kind of physician you see yourself as, say around, in 10 years’ time. You can also talk about your expectations from a residency program. Even though you shouldn’t overplay it and make it seem like you’re cherry-picking, you don’t want to seem too desperate to just get any program with no clear insight as to what you want from the program either. This is also where you talk specifically about what excites you about the program and personalize your PS for it.

The personal statement can weed out applicants who don’t demonstrate an adequate understanding of their specialty of interest or who come across as pretentious and pompous. For this reason, in addition to the basic requirements of proper grammar and spelling, you’ll need to strike the right tone with your essay: seeming aware of your motivations and accomplishments to date, passionate about what you hope to achieve in the specialty, and also humble.

Some tips for the content of your PS

  • If you have failed an attempt on a step exam, you can address it in your personal statement in terms of what you learned from it. If you’d rather keep it positive, that’s good too. You do not have to explain.
  • Do not talk about your achievements from very early on, like in high school. It would show you did not have the same passion/achievements in college for you to be able to talk about it.
  • It can be tough, but try to tread the thin line between sounding boastful and being too modest. You want to hit just the right amount of each so you are able to convey your aptitude without shoving it in the face.
  • “Show rather than say” - rather than saying “I am hardworking” or “I advocate for my patients”, give an anecdote where you actually showcased that quality. It’s much more credible and interesting.
  • Keep it professional but a little personal – think of your PS as a guided view into your professional self but colored by your personal experiences that led you to that professional stance.

🔷  HOW LONG DOES IT HAVE TO BE?

One page in ERAS is the way to go, even if you have to edit and cut short quite a bit. Nobody wants to read more than 1 page, no matter how interesting your life may have been. Try to write compact sentences.

When you paste it into ERAS, make sure you first go through a simple formatting app like TextEdit (if on Mac) to get rid of any unnecessary gaps, periods, etc.

🔷  WHEN TO START WRITING?

Contrary to popular opinion, it does not make a lot of sense to me to start writing your personal statement too early and way before you would need it. Most of you, you are yet to have the experiences that you would want to talk about during your internship or electives, so it’s alright if you start writing it a few months from when your applications are due. You can definitely keep a running list of ideas when sudden light bulbs go in your head and then build on them later.

The level of maturity and insight you actually have into the profession and upcoming training (especially the not-so-glamorous parts of it) reflects in your personal statement. It takes time to get clarity on the specialty you are applying for - exactly what intrigues you about it, what your future goals are in that field, what you are looking for in a program, etc. You do not want to sound uninformed or delusional by any means, so take your time to build that awareness and comprehension.

That being said, do not delay it to a point where you don’t have time to be innovative and have to churn out an average one because you are close to the deadline. Yes, PS can be edited throughout the season even after you have certified and submitted your application, but you never know when programs might view yours. You need to have enough time to get it reviewed and make it free of errors.

🔷  PERSONALISING YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT

Quite naturally, programs do like to see that you have put the time and effort into researching why they are a good fit for you. I would recommend that you try to keep the overall body and structure of your PS the same for the common draft but modify the last paragraph to personalize it for the programs that you are especially interested in. This last paragraph should outline the specific factors why you like the program a lot and should be genuine. Vague statements asserting that the program is a good fit for you without any supporting evidence or information are useless, so do your research and work on articulating the reasons for your interest in each program. Do not regurgitate information from the website either, but frame it in your own words. Also, personalization does not just mean changing the program name. Trust me, it would look really bad if you were just using the same draft and cutting-pasting the program name each time and thinking you were “personalizing” it. You need to do more.

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Some programs specifically mention it on the website whether they want a personalized statement or not, so make a note of that. Some require a separate “optional” essay allowing you to discuss why you want to attend that program and how your future goals align with it. If that is the case, write a separate essay, and omit the personalized paragraph from your personal statement.

For the programs I wasn’t personalizing it for, I made sure to at least keep the 2 distinct versions correct - whether it was a community or a university/affiliated program (differing in the last paragraph) - and assign them appropriately.

The absolute last thing you want is a goof-up and the wrong personal statement being uploaded to a program. Save each personalized personal statement with the program’s name right in the title, and upload it very, very carefully when you get to it. It never hurts to double or even triple-check.

🔷  REVIEWING YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT

Before uploading, no number of checks is too many checks when it comes to making sure the grammar is correct, and you do not have any typos. While it might be an unintentional small error, it can make you look careless, and you do not want that by any means. Grammarly can do a great job at helping you with this.

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Get it reviewed down to a T. Get some of your friends to read it and tell you what they think of the overall picture and what they think is the message they’re getting from it. They’ll all have a different perspective and be able to guide you on what they think about it from multiple aspects. You want to run it by someone who has a good hold over the language as well, so they can correct grammatical errors for you if there are any. Get professional help if you feel you need it. PS is important, do not take it lightly. It might not be able to get you an interview if your profile is completely out of what the program requirements are, but a well-written one can certainly tip the scales in your favor when you are on the fence.

I got my PS reviewed by 5 people - of which some commented on the big picture and what they thought of it overall, and a couple who made sure even a full stop wasn’t out of place.

🔷  Miscellaneous tips:

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  • Try not to completely modify your story or fabricate an entirely untrue one for the sake of fitting into the mold of what you feel is a “good PS”. Your story is just as interesting to make your PS unique.
  • Keep a running log of interesting patients you came across during your medical school rotations, internship, electives, or any other work experience you had. This will help you greatly when you write your PS, and you will find yourself pulling these anecdotes to talk about during your interviews. Honestly, I like going through my log from time to time, just to walk down the memory lane and see how far I’ve come.
  • You do not need to use flowery language. Keep it easy to read.
  • It should all read seamlessly as one story, and not random paragraphs stitched together. They should all bear the same coherence.
  • If you have a particular hobby that is very important to you, try to leverage it to showcase a particular skill that might help you in the specialty you are applying for.
  • DO NOT title it, sign it with your name, or end it with “Thank you for considering my application”.
  • If you are using a patient story, modifying it a bit to keep it interesting is fine, but making up an entirely untrue patient story just for the sake of it should be avoided, as you might be asked to talk about it in your interview, and you’ll be busted then.
  • Try to be politically correct and avoid commenting on any controversies.

Other links to refer to:

Residency personal statement: the ultimate guide (example included) - shemmassian academic consulting.

A step-by-step medical residency personal statement guide to help you match into your dream program

eras personal statement user guide

www.shemmassianconsulting.com

Residency Personal Statement: The Ultimate Guide (Example Included) - Shemmassian Academic Consulting

Has everything that I want to say about this subject written in better way than I could explain it to you in. Highly recommend you give it a read.

Confessions of a Program Director: The Residency Personal Statement - Thalamus

Although the residency personal statement is rarely the part of the application that determines interview eligibility, it is still a major source of stress for many medical students. For some of you, this is an opportunity to show off the non-scientific side of yourselves. Perhaps this is even a strong point!

eras personal statement user guide

thalamusgme.com

Confessions of a Program Director: The Residency Personal Statement - Thalamus

Kimberly D. Manning, MD on Twitter: "1/Residency Interview, Circa 1995Him: "You say here in your #PERSONALSTATEMENT 'Research is the linchpin of a thriving academic medical center.'" Me: *smug smile*Him: "Tell me what you meant by that." Me: 😳Rut roh.Real talk? I just wanted to use the word "linchpin." pic.twitter.com/jRDq2eJ9Uu / Twitter"

1/Residency Interview, Circa 1995Him: "You say here in your #PERSONALSTATEMENT 'Research is the linchpin of a thriving academic medical center.'" Me: *smug smile*Him: "Tell me what you meant by that." Me: 😳Rut roh.Real talk? I just wanted to use the word "linchpin." pic.twitter.com/jRDq2eJ9Uu

eras personal statement user guide

twitter.com

Kimberly D. Manning, MD on Twitter: "1/Residency Interview, Circa 1995Him: "You say here in your #PERSONALSTATEMENT 'Research is the linchpin of a thriving academic medical center.'" Me: *smug smile*Him: "Tell me what you meant by that." Me: 😳Rut roh.Real talk? I just wanted to use the word "linchpin." pic.twitter.com/jRDq2eJ9Uu / Twitter"

Writing Resources: Personal Statements and Letters of Recommendation

While OCPD doesn't not endorse any copy editing service, students could perform a google search for copy editing to find proof readers. It is every student's responsibility to research and validate their options so please make sure to engage in due diligence if contracting any service.

eras personal statement user guide

career.ucsf.edu

Writing Resources: Personal Statements and Letters of Recommendation

Residency Statement's Blog - How to Write a Personal Statement for Residency

ERAS Changes to Personal Statement Format

AAMC’s ® ERAS ® system generally makes small changes to their systems to improve performance and generally make life easier for medical residency applicants. This year, they’ve made quite a few big changes to their timeline , but there was an unexpected change as well.

This year, ERAS announced they would be allowing several additional formatting options on the Personal Statement page such as:

  • Strikethrough
  • Align Right
  • Increase Indent
  • Decrease Indent
  • Insert hyperlink

A Note from ERAS: “ Personal Statements created outside of MyERAS should be done in a plain text word processing application such as Notepad (for Windows users) or SimpleText (for Mac Users). Personal Statements created in word processing applications not using plain text may contain hidden and potentially invalid formatting. ”

But, what does this mean?

While it’s kind of ERAS to allow for more freedom in formatting for the Personal Statement– just because it’s available, doesn’t necessarily mean you should use these options.

The medical residency Personal Statement is a professional and formal document , and should be treated as such. You wouldn’t normally use bolding, italics, underline, or strikethrough in a formal document as these are looked at as unprofessional.

You should NEVER EVER use:

  • Bullets – All content should be in paragraph form, bulleted lists are lazy!
  • Numbering – For the same reasons as bulleting.
  • Centering – Not considered proper formatting for a professional document.
  • Align Right – For the same reasons as Centering.

You may consider using:

  • Increase/Decrease indentation

Use these tools with caution. Aligning left should be ok, because this is common formatting for any written paper. However, indenting can eat up valuable space in your document. If you choose to indent, consider not putting spaces between your paragraphs (this is not advised as it makes the document harder to read).

If you have a professional website, possibly consider hyperlinking to that website to help Program Review Committees get to know you better beyond the Personal Statement . But, this will only work if the Program Director is reading the Personal Statement on a computer as opposed to a print out.

These new changes to the Personal Statement formatting options are exciting, but remember to use common sense when deciding to use any of them. If you are in doubt, it’s better to go without.

Related Posts

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eras personal statement user guide

How to include engaging patient stories in your Personal Statement

eras personal statement user guide

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Documents for ERAS® Residency Applicants

New section.

Each program sets individual requirements for an credentials that should be submitted with the MyERAS® application. Exist sure to exploring each program individually to determine those requirements before making document missions.

Newly section

  • Sign In to this MyERAS® Portal
  • ERAS® Timelines for Residency Applicants
  • ERAS Participating Specialties and Programs

Within your MyERAS account, you allow create personal statement(s); identify of people who become write letters of endorse (LoRs); authorize that release of your Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licencing Examination (COMLEX-USA) and/or United States Electronic Licensing Verification (USMLE) transcripts; the manage all different documents. Below is an survey of each is the main documents used in ERAS. For detailed information, please see the Documents section of the MyERAS User Guide. Former residency admissions officer offers picks and examples of how to compose your residency personal statement. Advice you can trust.

Tracking Documents

The dashboard provide a snapshot of the progress a diverse print and their statuses in the MyERAS portal.

  • Uploaded but Undesignated LoRs  - Count of LoRs this have be uploaded but are not assigned to any programs, highlighting ensure assignments may needing to be made.
  • Unassigned Personal Statements  - Count of Personal Statements that having are saved but are not assigned to anyone programs, highlighting that assignments may need to be made.
  • Latest USMLE Request Status  - Currently status to an latest request made to NBME or ECFMG (for IMG Residency) after at least one program has been uses to use the USMLE transcriptassigned.
  • Last COMLEX-USA Request Job  - Running status of the lastest call made to NBOME after at least one programs has been applied to with the COMLEX-USA transcript assigned.
  • Your of Fresh Documents  - Your of all other applicable documents as either  Not Uploaded  or  Uploaded .

The  Photo  is most often pre-owned by show to help distinguish applicants when reporting for an interview. Applicants must upload theirs own  Photo  in the MyERAS portal at selecting  Upload New Photo  in the  Actions  column. A photo folder should non exceed dieser application:

  • Dimensions: 2.5 in. x 3.5 into.
  • Resolution: 150dpi
  • File Size: 150kb

Personal Statement

And personal order may be used to personalize the application to a specific program or to different specialized. There is not a limit to how many personal statements she may create; however, they may only assign one (1) for each program.

Note : There been a number concerning websites that provide examples of Personal Reports. Do not copy any information from above-mentioned business and use them in your Personal Statements without donate trust to the author. This is included plagiarism. See the  HOURS Investigation Policy

Special Note About Date

  • Personalities Statements must be formed in plain textbook formatting. HTML and other custom text formatting, such as bold, italics, underline, text color, and alignment, are not allowed. Personal statements formed outer of that MyERAS organization should live do in a simpler script word treatment application such as Notepad (for Windows users) or Text Edit (for Mac Users) to ensure text stays as clean as possible.

LoRs must be uploaded through the ERAS Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP) according the  LoR Author . It is the applicant’s responsibility the follow up with  LoR Authors  regarding Los.

  • Compose LoR Entries  - You must create a LoR entrance for each LoR you intend to use during the application pick.
  • Confirming LoR Item  - You must confirm a LoR entry befor an associated  Schriftzug ID  can be generated.
  • Uploading LoRs  - The Briefe ID contained into the LoR Request form must be used to upload the gesellschafterin LoR through the Letter a Recommendation Door (LoRP).
  • Resending New Scores  - Apply must take action in their MyERAS gates to resend USMLE scores to programs previously designated to receive them.

The USMLE transcript is required by many MD residency programs as part of an application to be thoughtful for their positions.

  • Authorizes the Liberate for the USMLE Transcript  - Hopefuls required authorize the release off their USMLE transcript in order to make assignments of the USMLE transcript to the programs they designate.
  • Paying for the USMLE Translate  - Aforementioned NBME alternatively ECFMG (for IMG Residency) charges a one time fee of $80 with transmitting USMLE transcripts to the programs designated by applicants.
  • Viewing the USMLE Questions Status Report  - Applicants can view the USMLE Requests Status Report to track an status of their USMLE query by program.

The COMLEX-USA transcript is required by many AOA-accredited and ACGME-accredited residency programs while share of a D.O. applicant’s application to be considered in their positions.

  • Authorizing the Release for the  COMLEX-USA  Transcript  - Applicants must authorize the release of their COMLEX-USA transcript in order to make assignments of the   COMLEX-USA transcript to the programs they designate.
  • Paying for the  COMLEX-USA  Transcript  - And NBOME charges a one time fee of $80 to transmitting COMLEX-USA transcripts to the programs designated via applicants.
  • Viewing the  COMLEX-USA  Requests Status Report  - Applicants can view the COMLEX-USA Requests Status Report to track the statuses of their COMLEX-USA requests by program.

Uploading : An applicant’s Specified Dean's Post is responsible for uploading the Medical School Performance Evaluation (MSPE or “Dean’s Letter”) into the DAYS system for residency applicants. Find out more stylish the frequently question questions section.

IMGs Only : IMG residency project must bezeichnen in and MyERAS system if they themselves with their medically school wish provide a MSPE to the ERAS Documents office at the ECFMG. Instructions for submission can breathe create here:  https://www.ecfmg.org/eras/applicants-documents-index.html .

Gesundheitswesen School (MS) Transcript

Uploading : An applicant’s Assigned Dean's Office exists responsible for uploading the  MS Transcript  into who PERIODS netz in residency applicants. Find out continue in the frequently asked getting section.

IMGs Only :

  • IMG residence candidates must indicate in the MyERAS device supposing they themselves or their medical school become provide one MS Transcript to the ERAS Documents office at ECFMG. Instructions for submission pot to found here:  https://www.ecfmg.org/eras/applicants-documents-index.html .
  • ECFMG Status Story:   The  ECFMG Status Report  confirms the ECFMG certification status for with IMG occupancy applicant. Those report contains the month and year that examinations inhered passed for ECFMG Certificates, but done not contain your USMLE trial.
  • Uploading:  The ECFMG is responsible for uploading the ECFMG Status Report into of ERAS system for IMG residency applicants.
  • Sign In to the MyERAS® Gateway
  • ERAS® Timelines with Residency Applicants
  • ERAS Participating Specialties also Programs
  • ERAS 2024 Webinars for Residency Competitors

Please contact the AAMC Support Center (ASC).

Send us one message.

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET 

Closed Wednesday, 3 - 5 p.m. ET

Please visit this page in stay up to date on ERAS news and announcements.

Use and release Residency Explorer™ tool to find and compare programs. Browse the AAMC's Careers inches Medicine website the research specialties.

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There Are New Reports On Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce's Relationship After Their Appearance At Coachella

They were very handsy at Coachella.

Chelsea Stewart

BuzzFeed Staff

A source shared new details about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship — including the couple's surprise appearance at Coachella.

Closeup of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift after one of his football games

In case you missed it, Taylor and Travis attended Day 2 on Saturday. They watched performances by "Karma" rapper Ice Spice and the Bleachers, the band helmed by her close friend and collaborator Jack Antonoff . The couple was also seen dancing and kissing backstage at points.

Closeup of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Coachella. They&#x27;re both wearing somewhat casual clothes and baseball caps

"Taylor and Travis were so excited to go to Coachella together," a source told Entertainment Tonight . "They wanted to be there to support their friends and just have fun. They had the best time at the festival and were in their own world even though so many people were around them."

Closeup of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift holding hands as they exit a building at night

The insider also discussed the pair's relationship, and from the sounds of it, things are going pretty great for them. "They are very in love and in sync in so many aspects of their lives, and it's very sweet to see."

Group of people including Taylor Swift in a VIP box cheering on Kelce and his team

Since getting together last fall , the pair has made it a priority to support each other at events. Taylor has been seen at various Kansas City Chiefs games, while Travis attended several of her Eras Tour stops.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Coachella holding hands

"They are very supportive of each other," a source told People. "They're enjoying solo dates, but have also been hanging out with their friends." In June, Taylor will be back on the road to resume her Eras Tour, but in the meantime, the source said she and Travis have been "all about quality time together."

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift kissing after a football game

Coachella is "one of many adventures yet to come for the duo," the ET source added.

Reps for taylor and travis didn't immediately return buzzfeed's request for comment, but we'll let you know if we hear anything back., share this article.

eras personal statement user guide

MyERAS® Documents for Fellowship Applicants

New section.

  • Sign In to MyERAS
  • ERAS® Fellowship Application Timeline
  • ERAS® Participating Specialties and Programs

Within your MyERAS ® account, you may create personal statement(s); identify the people who will write your letters of recommendation (LoRs); and release your Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) and/or United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) transcripts. You will also assign most documents to the programs, track the status of these and any additional ERAS documents. Applicants should research programs individually to determine those requirements before making document assignments.

The ERAS Fellowship Documents Office ( EFDO) is the Designated Dean's Office for all fellowship applicants whether a U.S. medical school graduate or an international medical school graduate. Applicants should visit the EFDO website for information about submitting their documents for upload or obtaining contact information when additional information is needed. The EFDO no longer accepts paper documents for fellowship applications. Documents sent via mail or courier to their offices will not be processed.

EFDO Online Services allows applicants to upload certain document types themselves, as well as send requests to your medical school to upload their MSPE and medical school transcript. A unique link to the EFDO Online Services account for each applicant is only available within the MyERAS portal on the Additional Documents page under Documents.

Below you will find an overview of each of the main documents used in ERAS. For detailed information, please see the Documents section of the MyERAS user guide.

Tracking Documents

Uploaded but Unassigned LoRs - Count of LoRs that have been uploaded but are not assigned to any programs, highlighting that assignments may need to be made.

Unassigned Personal Statements - Count of Personal Statements that have been saved but are not assigned to any programs, highlighting that assignments may need to be made.

Latest USMLE Request Status - Current status of the latest request made to the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) or the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates ( ECFMG) (for IMG Residency) after at least one program has been applied to with the USMLE transcript assigned.

Latest COMLEX-USA Request Status - Current status of the latest request made to the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) after at least one program has been applied to with the COMLEX-USA transcript assigned.

Status of Additional Documents - Status of all other applicable documents as either Not Uploaded or Uploaded.

Dimensions: 2.5 in. x 3.5 in.

File Size: 100kb

Personal Statement

Special Note About Formatting

Creating LoR Entries - You must create a LoR entry for each LoR you intend to use during the application season.

Confirming LoR Entries - You must confirm a LoR entry before an associated Letter ID can be generated.

Uploading LoRs - The Letter ID contained in the LoR Request form must be used to upload the associated LoR through the Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP) .

Assigning LoRs - Applicants may assign of up to four (4) LoRs to each program.

Authorizing the Release for the USMLE Transcript - Applicants must authorize the release of their USMLE transcript in order to make assignments of the USMLE transcript to the programs they designate.

Paying for the USMLE Transcript - The NBME or ECFMG (for IMG Residency) charges a one time fee of $80 for transmitting USMLE transcripts to the programs designated by applicants.

Viewing the USMLE Requests Status Report - Applicants can view the USMLE Requests Status Report to track the status of their USMLE requests by program.

Authorizing the Release for the COMLEX-USA Transcript - Applicants must authorize the release of their COMLEX-USA transcript in order to make assignments of the COMLEX-USA transcript to the programs they designate.

Paying for the COMLEX-USA Transcript - The NBOME or ECFMG (for IMG Residency) charges a one time fee of $80 for transmitting COMLEX-USA transcripts to the programs designated by applicants.

Viewing the COMLEX-USA Requests Status Report - Applicants can view the COMLEX-USA Requests Status Report to track the status of their COMLEX-USA requests by program.

Medical School (MS) Transcript

American board of surgery in-training examination (absite), img-only documents.

ECFMG Status Report: The ECFMG Status Report confirms the ECFMG certification status for an IMG residency applicant. This report contains the month and year that examinations were passed for ECFMG Certification, but does not contain your USMLE transcript.

Please contact the AAMC Support Center (ASC) .

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET

Closed Thursday, 3:30 - 4:45 p.m. ET

Please visit ERAS ®  Fellowships Documents Office (EFDO) website.

Please visit this page to stay up to date on ERAS news and announcements.

The MyERAS User Guide, ERAS timeline, FAQs and more are available to provide helpful information to fellowship applicants about the MyERAS application and ERAS process.

Google Chrome 

Mozilla Firefox 

Microsoft Edge 

Safari* 

*While most AAMC services  support certain browsers , the PDWS does not fully support Safari. We recommend Mac users use Firefox or Chrome.

IMAGES

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  2. ERAS Personal Statement

COMMENTS

  1. Personal Statement

    The personal statement is limited to 28,000 characters, which include letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation marks. There is not a limit to how many personal statements applicants can create. Personal statements created outside the MyERAS application should be done in a plain text word processing application such as Notepad (for Windows ...

  2. 2024 MyERAS® Applicant User Guide

    The 2024 MyERAS Applicant User Guide provides information about all sections of the 2024 application, including the newly added geographic preferences section and the revised and focused experiences options. Also new this year, residency applicants may also share program signals with programs in participating specialties.

  3. ERAS® Tools and Worksheets for Residency Applicants

    Guides and worksheets to help residency applicants complete their MyERAS ® application. The 2024 MyERAS Applicant User Guide provides information about all sections of the 2024 application for residency and fellowship applicants. FAQs will be updated throughout the 2024 ERAS ® season (June 7, 2023 to May 31, 2024).

  4. 12 Top Questions About the ERAS Personal Statement

    The standard ERAS personal statement length is typically 500-800 words (roughly four paragraphs). A personal statement typically isn't the "maker" of your residency application—however, it can be a deal "breaker" if it doesn't have those attributes. That said, if you have a memorable, well-written personal statement, program ...

  5. How To Write A Good ERAS Personal Statement [Ultimate Guide]

    Step #2 Lead With Details. As I've mentioned, a residency personal statement must be concise — under 3,500 characters plus the spaces are enough, but it creates constraints. For a good introduction, you may want to start with an anecdote to hook your readers. You may describe an experience or a situation related to your specialty.

  6. Personal Statement Guidelines

    Guidelines for Writing Personal Statements. The Personal Statement should be personal and specific to you and your experience/s. The goal of the personal statement is so that reviewers can get to know you as unique applicant and what you will bring to the program and the field. Consider the following when putting together your personal ...

  7. The Top ERAS Personal Statement Requirements You Need To Know

    The length of an ERAS personal statement is generally one page. In words, that's about 500-600 words. The other format requirements include: Write your statement in plain text in either Notepad (for Windows) or Text Edit (for Apple) Or. Write your statement directly into the online dialog box.

  8. How to Write Your ERAS Personal Statement

    4) Make your statement easy to read by telling a short and concise story about yourself: "That was way too long and formulaic. Cut to the chase but also paint a story rather than tell one. "Tell a unique story that gives insight to who you are as a person.". "Think about the purpose of your personal statement in the context of all the ...

  9. Documents for ERAS® Residency Applicants

    Tracking Documents. The dashboard provides a snapshot of the progress of various documents and their statuses in the MyERAS portal. Uploaded but Unassigned LoRs - Count of LoRs that have been uploaded but are not assigned to any programs, highlighting that assignments may need to be made.; Unassigned Personal Statements - Count of Personal Statements that have been saved but are not assigned ...

  10. How to write your personal statement for ERAS/residency applications

    The personal statement is occasionally a chance to "make" your application, but it's always a risk to "break" it. Keep in mind: it's only 1 page (literally—it should fit on no more than one page when printed from the ERAS application, which is somewhere around 750-800 words on the longer end; 600-650 is a better goal; mine was around 500).

  11. 2024-2025 ERAS Residency Application Guide

    ERAS application fees are based on the number of programs applied to per specialty. If you apply to up to ten programs, it will cost you $99. If you apply to 11-20 programs, the cost is $19 each. Applying to 21-30 programs will cost you $23 each, and applying to 31 programs or more will cost you $27 each.

  12. PDF MyERAS Residency USER GUIDE

    USER GUIDE ERAS2019 ... • Complete and submit your MyERAS application and personal statement(s) using MyERAS. • Authorize USMLE and/or COMLEX-USA transcripts then assign along with your LoRs, photo and any additional documents. • Distribute Letter Request Forms to LoR Author(s).

  13. Writing a brilliant Personal Statement for ERAS application

    If you have failed an attempt on a step exam, you can address it in your personal statement in terms of what you learned from it. If you'd rather keep it positive, that's good too. You do not have to explain. Do not talk about your achievements from very early on, like in high school. It would show you did not have the same passion ...

  14. ERAS Changes to Personal Statement Format

    A Note from ERAS: " Personal Statements created outside of MyERAS should be done in a plain text word processing application such as Notepad (for Windows users) or SimpleText (for Mac Users). Personal Statements created in word processing applications not using plain text may contain hidden and potentially invalid formatting. "

  15. eRA Commons User Guides

    Account Management Module (AMM) User Guide (PDF - 7 MB) - November 2021. Online Help. Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) User Guide (PDF - 2 MB) - February 2018. Online Help. Federal Financial Report User Guide (PDF - 1.1 MB) - January 2021. Online Help. eRA Commons Personal Profile Module User Guide (PDF - 5.9 MB)- January 2021. Online Help.

  16. 2024 MyERAS® Applicant User Guide

    Everything she need to know about using the MyERAS System- Everything you need at know about using aforementioned MyERAS System 2024 MyERAS® Applicant User Guide | Students & Residents - How to Write Your ERAS Personal Statement

  17. ERAS 2023

    • Complete and submit your MyERAS application and assign personal statement(s) usingMyERAS. • Authorize USMLE and/or COMLEX-USA . transcript. s then assign along with your LoRs, photo and any additional documents. ... ERAS 2023 - MyERAS Residency User Guide . . . . season. . . the

  18. PDF ERAS 2021

    USER GUIDE . ERAS® is a program of the . ... • Complete and submit your MyERAS application and assign personal statement(s) using MyERAS. • Authorize USMLE and/or COMLEX-USA transcript ... • Provide resources such as those found on the MyERAS website, including user guides. • Provide technical support to applicants, Designated Dean's ...

  19. Personal Statement

    Personal statements may be used at user the petition to a specific program or till different specialties. Personal statements maybe be used to customize the application to a specific plan or to distinct hot. Skip to Wichtigster Topics. AAMC.ORG; Students & Residents; Careers in Medicine (CiM) AAMC Store ...

  20. Documents for ERAS® Residency Applicants

    Applying to Residencies with ERAS® Register forward MyERAS® ERAS® 2024 Participating Specialties & Programs; MyERAS® Application and Application Signaling for 2023-24; Matching Services for Residencies; ERAS® Tools and Worksheets for Residency Apply; FAQ for ERAS® Habitation Applicants; FindAResident

  21. Personal Statement

    Personal claims may live used to customize to application to a specific plan or to different specialties. My statements may be used to customize the usage the adenine specific program or to different specialist.

  22. Experience

    2024 MyERAS® Applicant User Guide. 2024 MyERAS® Applicant User Guide; About the ERAS® Program. ERAS Timeline; Fees for ERAS 2024 Season; ERAS Policies; ... meaningful experiences descriptions should not repeat the information from your MSPE Noteworthy Characteristics and/or personal statement. While there may be overlap in the experiences ...

  23. Taylor Swift Travis Kelce Relationship Update April

    Taylor has been seen at various Kansas City Chiefs games, while Travis attended several of her Eras Tour stops. Gilbert Flores / WWD via Getty Images "They are very supportive of each other," a ...

  24. MyERAS® Documents for Fellowship Applicants

    Within your MyERAS ® account, you may create personal statement(s); identify the people who will write your letters of recommendation (LoRs); and release your Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) and/or United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) transcripts. You will also assign most documents to the programs, track the status of ...