wildcard Posted October 16, 2010 Report Share Posted October 16, 2010 Hey all, I'm participating in the American (ERAS) as well as Cdn match. I'm applying to the same programs for both. Since all my apps for ERAS are already completed and submitted, I have my personal letters ready and done. However, I was going thru the Cdn program requirements on Carms and many programs have completely different requirements for what should be included in the personal letter. So, do you write a separate personal letter for each program based on their individual requirements? That seems rather cumbersome...esp since I'm trying to study for step 2 as well! Any insight/experience is welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted October 16, 2010 Report Share Posted October 16, 2010 Yes, you should write a different letter for each program ensuring that you have the content that each place requests. Usually you have your "base letter" and then add/take away what you need to make sure you have the necessary info. Aahhhh carms....so glad it is becoming a distant memory for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarakj Posted October 16, 2010 Report Share Posted October 16, 2010 This is one of the most important part of application!!!! Read each program requirement for PL and write it very specific to that program.. Although it seems redundant, there are small differences in each program pL section. They want to know if u read what they want and if u a actually put some time to make it personal to their program.. Good luck Sara Kj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcard Posted October 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2010 Yeah, I know personal letters are imp.....I was just getting anxious over the tediousness (is that even a word) of the whole process. But its just how it is....thanks for the comments. One more Q: have y'all actually sent your undergrad transcripts to the programs in the past? Do you recommend this? For programs that list it in their required docs....are they for real?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcard Posted October 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 Some programs don't mention what length they expect the personal letters to be. For example: MUN's FM program. So what is a good length? I was aiming for 600-650 words....that a fair length? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darla Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 I think keeping it to a page single space is your best bet. So, ya, somewhere between 500 and 650 is likely the best length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcard Posted October 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 I think keeping it to a page single space is your best bet. So, ya, somewhere between 500 and 650 is likely the best length. Great! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incepted Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 Hey all, I'm participating in the American (ERAS) as well as Cdn match. I'm applying to the same programs for both. Since all my apps for ERAS are already completed and submitted, I have my personal letters ready and done. However, I was going thru the Cdn program requirements on Carms and many programs have completely different requirements for what should be included in the personal letter. So, do you write a separate personal letter for each program based on their individual requirements? That seems rather cumbersome...esp since I'm trying to study for step 2 as well! Any insight/experience is welcome! Are the requirements really that different, or can you just use elements from the letters you have already wrote? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcard Posted October 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 Are the requirements really that different, or can you just use elements from the letters you have already wrote? I meant that the Cdn program requirements for the personal letters differ btwn each other. I can definitely use elements from my ERAS personal statments - they will serve as a base, and I will just add whatever needs to be added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incepted Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I meant that the Cdn program requirements for the personal letters differ btwn each other. I can definitely use elements from my ERAS personal statments - they will serve as a base, and I will just add whatever needs to be added. I would guess that would be the best approach. I am thinking of applying through eras myself, so I am trying to get an idea about what to expect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcard Posted October 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I would guess that would be the best approach. I am thinking of applying through eras myself, so I am trying to get an idea about what to expect Deadlines for American programs are fast approaching. For some of them it is Nov 1st. If you're a Cdn grad, you'll be fine since you're obviously applying for CaRMS, but if you're an IMG/FMG you should get the ERAS apps done asap. I found the ERAS process much easier, mostly b/c the requirements are standardized across all programs. Whereas with CaRMS, every program has slightly different requirements in terms of what docs are required so that makes it more tedious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 One more Q: have y'all actually sent your undergrad transcripts to the programs in the past? Do you recommend this? For programs that list it in their required docs....are they for real?! If a program requests undergrad transcripts, they are likely to assign weight to them when considering your application, so I would send them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_b Posted October 30, 2010 Report Share Posted October 30, 2010 It's probably a little early for me to be thinking about carms, but is there a good probability for Canadians applying to the States through eras to get matched? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverjelly Posted October 31, 2010 Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 If a program requests undergrad transcripts, they are likely to assign weight to them when considering your application, so I would send them. Wait....some programs want undergrad transcripts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABC Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Wow, I had no idea that each program had different requirements for the PL. The whole process must take a ton of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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