Residency application: Submitted!

Today is a big day for fourth-year medical students all over the country, the day when we can finally apply for residency programs. This is done through ERAS, the Electronic Residency Application System that aggregates all application materials. The whole process is much simpler than applying for medical school. There are only three parts to ERAS that medical students have any control over: 1) the personal statement, 2) the curriculum vitae, and 3) letters of recommendation.

I did my fair share of freaking out about the personal statement. My perfectionist traits shine brightly when writing an essay that's meant to convey most of who I am and the kind of doctor I want to become, all in less than a page. But beyond that, I've had a surprisingly zen attitude about this new round of applications. It doesn't do to obsess about something that can't be changed. For all the nit-picking over my application this last week, the substance of my application has been settled for quite some time.

Perhaps that's why clicking the "Submit" button this afternoon felt anticlimactic. I celebrated, regardless. How exciting to think about all those program directors out there reading through my application! Nerve-wracking to wait for the interview offers? Yes. But I'm confident in my application and am looking forward to this next step in the long slog of becoming a doctor.