Timeline Guide for 3rd and 4th Year of Medical SchoolThird year July: Start clinical rotations* March-April: Decide on career path, choose a specialty specific advisor, consider attendings who you could ask for letters. You will need three letters, so if you have only worked with one or two surgery attendings, you need a fourth year elective or a research project to expose you to a couple of more surgeons who can write you letters. May June: Adjust fourth year accordingly (see section on electives), do any surgery sub internships in July or August so the attendings you rotate with can write you letters Fourth year July-August: Surgery sub-I's, ask everyone for advice on which programs are worthwhile considering Sept-Oct: Application process. You will get information from your school or visit the FREIDA web site, do other electives Nov-Dec: Start to arrange interviews. Some programs interview in December. All surgical specialties have separate matches except Orthopedics (they go through the regular match). Jan-Feb: Consider scheduling free time for one of these months as the majority of your interviews will take place in the first six weeks of the calendar year (programs and you have to submit match lists by mid February) March-April: Electives (see section on electives) May: Graduation! *If you think you want to be a surgeon, the standard recommendation for planning your third year of medical school is to do your rotation in the middle of the year. If you do it first, you won't have much experience on clinical rotations and this inexperience in and of itself can prove detrimental. If you do it last, you often have missed opportunities (getting involved in research projects that you might be able to conclude prior to the application process).
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