WUSM Class of 2019 Advice for Class of 2020

Time-saving tips for preparing your ERAS application

Aim to give your letter writers at least a month to get the letter together- as it gets closer and closer to the applicati
The writing center at the undergrad campus was extremely helpful in editing the personal statements- they see a lo
Make sure you stay in touch with your home program director at Wash U throughout the process- even if you are n

Start your personal statement early and show it to lots of people to keep honing it in the direction you want. I w

Don’t delay preparing the ERAS application until the last minute. Make sure to get LOR sooner rather than later.

Just give yourself much more time than you think you need to you can take a break and then come back to it with a fr

Did you discover any particularly helpful tools or resources that you’d recommend?

Swap and snooze is a website for med students and residents on the interview trail, kind of like couch surfing.

Talking to my fellow 4th years made me feel better about everything

How did you organize your research around programs and their requirements (e.g. a spreadsheet

Spreadsheet

I handwrote notes about the program right after each interview day. I also had a dedicated binder where I kept all my

What surprised you on the interview trail? Is there anything you wish you had been better prepa

A pleasant surprise was how nice it was to meet my co-applicants on the trail, and some people who turned out to be

The program my fiancé suggested (which I had no interest in) ended up being my favorite. Maybe I had less expe

What were 1-2 unexpected interview questions? What 1-2 questions were you asked over and ove

There were a lot of questions asking me to talk about some sort of patient encounter - something memorable, somethi
I was asked to name a faculty member in the department at washu whose work I admire and would like to emulate.

The moral/ethical ones. “Where have you seen injustice and what did you do about it?”

How did you track your experience at each program?

I found it useful to keep a running rank list during interview season and place each program in my preliminary rank li
I found it useful to create a “bank” of patient encounters for myself - typed up a list of twenty or so patient encounters
In a similar vein, for any sub-I’s or elective rotations you have left, jot down some notes about memorable patient enc

- Decided on the most important measurable things for me, quantified it for each program, and qu
o I hypothesized resident wellness was inversely proportional to work hours/block x yea
o Sometimes felt awkward asking residents for hours, but quickly realized it was import
o Usually when a resident says “I never count the number of shifts”, their institution wa
- I qualitatively recorded resident’s happiness (facial expressions, bags under eyes, interest in applic
- I tried to find someone I had a connection with at the residency, they were always more open with
- I ask them “do you feel burned out?” – with one resident, this question opened up a half-hour lon

If I had it to do over again, I’d….(fill in the rest with whatever answer comes to mind)

I would apply for my airline credit card much earlier, like in August! That way you can use it to pay for ERAS, and g

Can you offer any advice specific to your specialty? Or, any additional advice in general?

Especially after the interview process: Always take anything programs say with a grain of salt unless you know the pr

Internal Medicine:
If possible, try and work together to create a joint spreadsheet with your classmates who are also applying in IM! A
Make sure you have the emails of a few interns/residents at each program you interview at. The closer it gets to ran
Common questions for IM that I was asked:
Where do you see your career 10 years from now?
What is it about this program that you find most attractive?
Do you have any specific questions about our program?
Don’t stress out too much if you are unable to make some of the pre-interview dinners the night before. They are u
Be prepared for long interview days for IM interviews. They usually started around 7:00-7:30 and ended only arou

For the off-cycle MSTPs: I would have worried less about missing 3 rd year courses. One of my MSTP colleagues d
d closer to the application deadline some writers will get overwhelmed and might say no due to time constraints
tatements- they see a lot of them every year so they have experience in helping you edit and polish the statement
ocess- even if you are not interested in staying here they can help make phone calls and give you valuable advice throughout the

he direction you want. I went to the tutor that the writing center offered and her advice was polar opposite to the attendings who were ad

er rather than later.

ome back to it with a fresh mind.

e couch surfing.

nts (e.g. a spreadsheet or an online tool)?

der where I kept all my residency application and interview season materials.

had been better prepared for?

e who turned out to be my co-residents now! So be nice to everyone because you may be working together for the next 3-7 years

ite. Maybe I had less expectation?

ou asked over and over again?

ng memorable, something that went well, something that didn’t go well, something that made me feel I was in the right field, etc
would like to emulate.

n my preliminary rank list after each interview.

or so patient encounters that were in some way remarkable, and looked them over before each interview so I could think of som
t memorable patient encounters you might want to draw upon. It can be a memorable patient, or particularly good or bad team dy

for each program, and qualifying that which was difficult to quantif y
to work hours/block x years which I quantified for every program
ckly realized it was important to lots of ppl
hifts”, their institution was on the worse end of the spectrum
der eyes, interest in applicants, effusiveness about program)
re always more open with information
opened up a half-hour long answer (yes they were)

es to mind)

to pay for ERAS, and get your free miles bonus in time to actually use it for interview season.

ice in general?

unless you know the program directors and administration personally and trust them completely like MIR in my case. Many pro

e also applying in IM! A group of 6 of us did for IM where we were able to track interview offers, as well as dates so that we cou
The closer it gets to rank lists, there are specific questions that you can ask them to help you finalize the list. Also, don’t forget t

night before. They are usually just hosted by interns and residents in a very low-pressure environment. While they are pretty enjo
30 and ended only around 3:30-4:00

e of my MSTP colleagues didn’t even offer to make up missed days. I did, because I was worried, and I ended up working weekends, losing a
 e advice throughout the season

e attendings who were advising me. This caused a number of re-writes which were somewhat difficult

er for the next 3-7 years. I didn’t feel fully prepared for talking about what I wanted to do within my already quite specialized fie

was in the right field, etc. I was asked a lot about my path to my specialty choice (the question is worded a bit differently each tim
so I could think of something quickly when asked. Otherwise it is very difficult to pull a patient vignette out of thin air.
rly good or bad team dynamics, or a time you learned some sort of lesson, or illustrates something you’re passionate about, etc..

R in my case. Many program directors are nice but nice does not translate much when it comes to selecting residents for their inc

l as dates so that we could go to interviews together and also share our thoughts on specific programs
list. Also, don’t forget to reach out to WUSM alumni on the trail! They are usually more than happy to answer questions before/

hile they are pretty enjoyable, it is definitely not worth it if you have to scramble to arrange flights or have an important engagem

orking weekends, losing a hotel booking/ticket and adding to the stress. There should be a better policy on this.
ady quite specialized field.

a bit differently each time). I was asked countless times about whether I had specific subspecialty interests (they say you don’t ha
 out of thin air.
e passionate about, etc..

ng residents for their incoming class.

nswer questions before/after the interview and even help host

ve an important engagement
s (they say you don’t have to know, but I do think they are looking for you to at least express interest in a specific area). And abo
specific area). And about what I thought would be the most challenging and the most exciting thing about residency.