Question about ERAS ? Please help - ayash

[ArchivalUser]

I plan to join the 2012 match. I plan to do an externship sometime beginning february-march.

Now I know that LOR's hold more weight if sent from the letter writer to ERAS through ECFMG directly without me seeing it.

Now should I register with ERAS now so that LOR's earned in April could be sent to my ERAS account ? Will that hurt my application since I dont plan to participate in the match this year since i'm not ECFMG certified yet?

[ArchivalUser]

Your stuff are sent to ECFMG and they forward it to ERAS. If you register for ERAS now, you would just be wasting 60 usd. You can register next year, ERAS will close next year around June, and reopen in July or so for the beginning of the 2012 matching season. Why not wait until then to register, you'll have all the time needed, you can send your stuff in during that time. If you send it for this match, when ERAS closes next year for 2011 match season, everything will be deleted from ERAS account

[ArchivalUser]

however, when ERAS reopen for the next matching season, all your stuff will be resend from ECFMG to ERAS if you allow it so by ticking which documents you want resend.

[ArchivalUser]

this sounds like good news, we can apply every year for eternity

[ArchivalUser]

makes alot of sense. Thanks Qwery. Though I want to reiterate, so lets say LOR writers will send my Letter to ECFMG in april, will ECFMG wait till ERAS open to scan my documents?

[ArchivalUser]

you can sent it to ECFMG anyway, ERAS only upload once you chose to via registering with ERAS. Otherwise ECFMG can store it with them till you request via ERAS to be uploaded there.

[ArchivalUser]

Perfect! Thanks Qwery thats exactly what I needed to know.