I made a serious error while applying for radiology, and I don't know what to do about it

[Not_so_temporary_throwout]

I completed and sent in my ERAS early this week on Sunday. I want to do IR, but since I also considered myself to be a great fit for DR, and aware of how competitive IR is, for the sake of ESIR, I applied for the latter specialty as well.

Naturally, I wrote two separate personal statements, one for each of the specialties and were initially correctly labelled with appropriate programs.

Two days ago, however, there were few places for IR I was debating on applying, but I ultimately added those programs on my eras. When I found out a new way to assign my essays more efficiently, I foolishly thought the list that popped up only included the new programs I added that day instead of every single place I applied for. This morning, I stumbled upon this error and realized all of my programs had my IR essays and desperately switched each of the DR programs back to the DR essays.

As of this morning, all the essays are once again correctly labelled, including the transitional year places.

Because there was a time period when all my essays were correctly assigned before I added few more IR places two days ago, I don't know if the PDs for DR residencies took a look at the correct essays already or they haven't yet and took a look at the wrong ones, but I am now not feeling very well after this. I don't know what to do.

I already understand I made a stupid error and of course I'll make sure I won't make this kind of mistake ever again. I don't need anyone to tell me this. I'm just feeling distraught and I don't know how to go about this. I appreciate any help I can get at this point.

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[SeisK]

I don’t think this is as big a deal as you’re fretting, for a few reasons.

1) Applicant materials are downloaded at discrete time points. Most likely it’s downloaded when ERAS first opens and around Oct 1. Any time point in between is much less likely to be the date your documents are downloaded, and so because it was a random day this error was made, and for such a short time period, most likely it was at most a handful of DR programs that caught wind of this mistake.

2) Even if the above weren’t true, DR knows there are a lot of IR applicants, and while there are some programs that try to whiff out the dual applyers and select against them, others are just dandy with it. From what I’ve experienced the latter is much more common. If for some reason a DR program caught your mistake, they have BOTH essays, and will realize you’re a dual-applying applicant who made a human mistake. Maybe the mistake is a reason for a program to select against you, but I don’t think the buyers market for applicants is good enough that programs can be choosy enough to toss an otherwise stellar applicant who committed one booboo, despite what some PDs are saying now.

It really isn’t such a big deal. This season has a lot of us stressing out, and I’m sure you’re going to be fine. There isn’t much you can do at this point, but honestly I don’t think there is much that would be worth doing if you could.

It’ll be alright

 

[RadiologyPD]

Don't worry. I can guarantee you that no one has downloaded your actual application, because MSPE isn't out yet.

Programs don't download application materials until they select interviews (and even then, often just before the interview). We download "fields" (i.e, applicant first name, last name, etc) for import into spreadsheets, but not documents (such as personal statements).

When a program downloads an application, they get a nice little consolidated PDF packet that has all the materials. Since MSPE isn't out yet, I can assure you the nobody downloaded your actual materials yet. No program would want to go back and then go through the hassle (all the clicks) that would be needed to later download the MSPE.

 

[Not_so_temporary_throwout]

Don't worry. I can guarantee you that no one has downloaded your actual application, because MSPE isn't out yet.

Programs don't download application materials until they select interviews (and even then, often just before the interview). We download "fields" (i.e, applicant first name, last name, etc) for import into spreadsheets, but not documents (such as personal statements).

When a program downloads an application, they get a nice little consolidated PDF packet that has all the materials. Since MSPE isn't out yet, I can assure you the nobody downloaded your actual materials yet. No program would want to go back and then go through the hassle (all the clicks) that would be needed to later download the MSPE.

That is true. With the MSPE not being out yet, it does make sense that they have no need to download the actual application. You have given me a huge sigh of relief. Thank you for letting me know about this.

 

[NDcienporciento100]

I completed and sent in my ERAS early this week on Sunday. I want to do IR, but since I also considered myself to be a great fit for DR, and aware of how competitive IR is, for the sake of ESIR, I applied for the latter specialty as well.

Naturally, I wrote two separate personal statements, one for each of the specialties and were initially correctly labelled with appropriate programs.

Two days ago, however, there were few places for IR I was debating on applying, but I ultimately added those programs on my eras. When I found out a new way to assign my essays more efficiently, I foolishly thought the list that popped up only included the new programs I added that day instead of every single place I applied for. This morning, I stumbled upon this error and realized all of my programs had my IR essays and desperately switched each of the DR programs back to the DR essays.

As of this morning, all the essays are once again correctly labelled, including the transitional year places.

Because there was a time period when all my essays were correctly assigned before I added few more IR places two days ago, I don't know if the PDs for DR residencies took a look at the correct essays already or they haven't yet and took a look at the wrong ones, but I am now not feeling very well after this. I don't know what to do.

I already understand I made a stupid error and of course I'll make sure I won't make this kind of mistake ever again. I don't need anyone to tell me this. I'm just feeling distraught and I don't know how to go about this. I appreciate any help I can get at this point.

The good thing is it’s not like your applying to anesthesiology and ER and you mixed up those letters. When I applied to both I never tried to hide the fact that my end goal was IR, that said My DR letter are then my my IR letters. I think you will be fine because most PDs don’t read letters this early anyway.

 

[Not_so_temporary_throwout]

The good thing is it’s not like your applying to anesthesiology and ER and you mixed up those letters. When I applied to both I never tried to hide the fact that my end goal was IR, that said My DR letter are then my my IR letters. I think you will be fine because most PDs don’t read letters this early anyway.

Yeah, on a similar note I have my IR letter being used for DR programs as well.

 

[Oh_Gee]

Don't worry. I can guarantee you that no one has downloaded your actual application, because MSPE isn't out yet.

Programs don't download application materials until they select interviews (and even then, often just before the interview). We download "fields" (i.e, applicant first name, last name, etc) for import into spreadsheets, but not documents (such as personal statements).

When a program downloads an application, they get a nice little consolidated PDF packet that has all the materials. Since MSPE isn't out yet, I can assure you the nobody downloaded your actual materials yet. No program would want to go back and then go through the hassle (all the clicks) that would be needed to later download the MSPE.

for the applicants who got interviews already, have programs "downloaded" their applications?

 

[shadowlightfox]

for the applicants who got interviews already, have programs "downloaded" their applications?

This would make sense. According to my interview invite emails it seems some programs do download the applications in advance and hint that they if their initial view of you is favorable enough they'll extend an interview to you.

Even if a lot more programs do this, OP I think you're still fine. Like NDPorcient said, IR and DR are not entirely separate species that you have to be worried. I'm sure most of the programs still didn't download your or any of our apps yet and even so, many diagnostic PDs are used to having many prospective IRs and won't hold it against you if some of them did view your interventional essay.

Hope you land somewhere awesome OP.

 

[RadiologyPD]

Not at all--it would be a tremendous pain in the butt to have to create 2 pdf files (one "pre-MSPE", the other "post-MSPE")

Don't confuse "download the application" with "review the application"

Yes, everyone who has sent interview invites has "reviewed" those applications. They may even have downloaded many metrics in the application to a spreadsheet, to help them organize. The words in a PS don't get downloaded when you download an applicants "metrics" (i.e., Step scores, etc).

The OP had the wrong PS up for a few days (it seems), and I can guarantee you that the old PS never got "downloaded". It could have been read in the 2 days it was up by the PD, but it no longer exists, and no one else on the selection committee is going to read that old version.

Applications get downloaded as a PDF sometime between "selection for interview" and "the actual interview" when they are distributed to selection committee members. BUT, I can't imagine anyone doing that before MSPE is released.