The ERAS application season began on June 5th.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, ERAS is the platform used in the United States to apply for residency and fellowship programs.

Back in July 2022, I used ERAS to apply for residency. Now, in June 2025, three years have somehow flown by, and I find myself writing an application for a fellowship.

I’ve written applications for high school, undergrad, medical school, and residency… but no matter how many times I go through it, this process never gets familiar.

The process of writing a personal statement, organizing my career history, and weaving it all into a single narrative. It’s all familiar, yet at times, it feels burdensome and even tedious.

As the chart shows, ERAS tokens are issued starting June 5th. Only after receiving this token can you participate in the application cycle.

For now, my immediate goal is to finish and polish my application for submission by July 2.

Of course, as the chart indicates, programs won’t actually see my application until July 16th, so there’s no major issue as long as all documents are in by then. But the sooner, the better.

The fellowship application is structurally similar to the residency application. You upload a Personal Statement, a Curriculum Vitae (CV), and Letters of Recommendation.

Personal Statement

Me, writing a ‘Personal Statement’?

Writing a personal statement always forces me to reflect on my life. You have to tie the trajectory of your life into a single thread to explain why you’re applying for this specific path and what you hope to achieve.

It’s not an easy task. It’s also an opportunity to ask myself if this is the path I truly want.

If I’m not convinced myself, there’s no way I can convince others.

That’s how important the process of writing a personal statement is, and at the same time, it’s an enjoyable process of self-reflection.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

There isn’t much to add about the CV.

In a way, it’s a straightforward process of describing what I’ve done with my life, without embellishment.

However, ERAS limits you to writing about the 10 most important experiences rather than all of them. This makes sense. Everyone has a wide range of experiences, and reading through all of them would be endless.

“Excuse me, you expect me to read all this?” A CV that’s too long might just waste the interviewer’s time.

It’s difficult to fully capture a person’s vibrant, multifaceted life on a flat piece of paper. But you can’t just give up because it’s hard. I can only keep contemplating how to best show who I am.

Life exists in three dimensions, not two.

Letters of Recommendation

The process of requesting and receiving letters of recommendation is always nerve-wracking. It’s a moment to look back and wonder if I’ve lived a life worthy of someone’s recommendation.

Unlike in Korea, the LOR system is so common in the US that asking for one isn’t strange at all; in fact, it’s something supervisors expect. Still, from the requester’s perspective, I can’t help but feel immense gratitude when a mentor readily agrees to write one. (It’s polite to ask well in advance, as it can be a time-consuming process for them.)

Fortunately, I had people who saw me in a positive light, and I was able to receive excellent letters of recommendation this time as well.

I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude once again.

I started out just wanting to write down my feelings about the fellowship application, but I found myself outlining all the necessary components.

There were other unexpected situations, like suddenly being asked for my medical school transcripts and Dean’s letter, but I managed to resolve them.

Now, what’s left is to review my personal statement, contemplate how to present my experiences, and most importantly, decide which programs to apply to.

In the US, the system that pairs applicants with programs is called the ‘Match.’ You might say it’s just a fancier word for ‘application,’ but when you think about it, it’s quite an appropriate term.

Just as programs look for outstanding applicants, applicants also search for the program that will best allow them to develop their interests and potential. And if these interests align and both parties rank each other highly, a ‘Match’—or an acceptance—is made.

It’s a unique system and naming convention, but in retrospect, it feels perfectly fitting.

Anyway, to figure out where I truly want to spend the next two years, I need to once again look into each Clinical Informatics program in the US. I’ll probably be repeating this process until the moment I apply in July.

Starting something new is incredibly nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time. I can only do my best and hope for a result I won’t regret.

Where will I end up? I have a direction, but no destination. The place I reach after walking will simply become my destination.