Differences between January, May and September cycles

[murron]

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if someone can explain what the differences among each admission cycle. I mean why is May and January admission not as competitive as September admission?

I'm sorry if this issue has been addressed already. I tried to search it, but didn't come up with anything useful.

[mario345]

september is only competitive because of number of applications the school recieves as a normal progression from finishing your university/college in may of that year.

however, it is ENTIRELY incorrect to say that january and may classes are somehow inferior.

[drmatty]

I just recieved my admission notice. I was accepted for May 2010; but i applied for January. Is there anyway I could call and ask the admissions if they could somehow switch it to Jan term? I really don't want to wait till May. Any advice?

[darkmansaad]

my viewpoint =

1)Sep - the worst class to be in. Why? Timing. You are on a "regular" timetable, will struggle to finish your step 2 before sep 1 (eras deadline) and do your audition electives or Sub I's in time to get all your Letters of Rec by that deadline. Its not "necessary" per se to have everything in by that time, but as an IMG, it behooves you to take every advantage you can; one of which includes having all your scores and all your LORs in by Sep 1 or soon thereafter. Also you cannot finish in time to get ECFMG certified early (before rank deadline) which can be prohibitive to a lot of programs, especialy competitive ones.

2) May - I am biased, i found this to be the best option. Why? Timing! You have like 3 or 4 extra months to play with, which translate into step 1 and step 2 study time and if you move fast and not waste time you can graduate by the Jan deadline allowing you to be ECFMG certified by the end of january. This lets you be certified before Ranking (advantage) and now you are free from Jan (or earlier) til July to register and take Step 3 BEFORE YOUR INTERN YEAR! This is huge esp for surgery residents who have to worry about a tough year and absite not to mention step 3, skipping that intern requirement is a lifesaver. Btw you need to be ECFMG certified to register for step 3. Also you can do your electives early, get your LOR's early and take Step 2 earlier and have EVERYTHING ready in Sep. Personally I had all my scores and almost all my leters in by Sep 14, my last letter came on Sep 20 and my file was complete then. Advantageous and reduces stress, of which I have a lot now that I am in the process.

3) Jan - Similar to May but you have TOO MUCH TIME. Unless you take massive amounts of time for step 1 and 2 (or fail them) you wont need that much time and hurrying to match early can result in negative results come Match day. Not that having lots of time is bad, is infnitely better than too little time. But for me, i would get bored....but someone motivated could still finish early and do a lot of research to beef up their app, esp for competitive specialties.There are other intangibles like free time, avoiding burnout, spending time with family, etc etc. But those differ in priority from person to person. I chose my thoughts based on how advantageous it is to your career and your match and in my opinion you should just finish this terrible experience as fast as you can (i am referring to med school of course hahaha) and start making DOLLAZ!!!Hope this helps....</p>

[sxamei]

Jan-timing could either be too tight or too loose depends on how you plan on making your rotations and take USMLEs.

[TEXAG]

someone at Saba told me students who start in Jan. start residency the same time as people who start in May...is this true? i read a thread on another forum that stated Jan. people start residency a year earlier than the May people. TIA

[darkmansaad]

Dude, read my post I explained in depth the pros/cons of each trimester.

But since you want the information spoon fed =

Jan semester CAN START earlier than the following May but thats if you fly through and not take adequate time for USMLE's and stuff always happens (losing a rotation, random life events) that can take up time which can throw you off your plan. If this happens you have close to a year off which is too much time off in between that you could have originally used to study for and ACE your usmles. May is good, u have enough time to adequately rock both USMLEs and have scores in by Sep 1 ERAS deadline, have extra time off in between or at the end, and if your good enough, graduate early (Jan deadline) so you can get ecfmg certified early and take your step 3 before Intern year starts. Again, READ MY POST ABOVE its pretty informative and complete

[TEXAG]

thanks saad for the clarification.