Writing the ERAS Experiences Section

The Experiences section is where you tell programs what you did and who you are beyond scores. In the 2027 MyERAS cycle you can enter up to 10 experiences, mark up to 3 as most meaningful, optionally answer the Impactful Experiences question, and add a short Hobbies and Interests entry. Programs read it, and AAMC reports that a large majority of program directors surveyed used the most meaningful experiences when deciding whom to interview.

What the section asks for #

Each experience needs a position title, organization, approximate start and end dates, frequency (one time, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually), location and setting. There are no hour counts. Each experience has a type:

• Education/training (includes clerkships, away rotations, subinternships and structured observerships)
• Military service
• Professional organization
• Other extracurricular activity, club or hobby
• Research
• Teaching/mentoring
• Volunteer/service/advocacy
• Work (paid clinical, nonclinical, business or entrepreneurial)

You can also tag one primary focus area and one key characteristic per experience, such as communication, resilience and adaptability, or teamwork and leadership. Both are optional. Each experience has a description with a character limit (750 in the 2027 cycle), and each most meaningful experience adds a separate reflection (300 characters).

Choosing your 10 #

Think of the list as a portfolio. AAMC's own advice is to consider the experiences "as a complete set" that shows what matters to you. A useful way to choose:

1. Anchor experiences: the things programs expect an IMG to have, such as US clinical experience (see how programs view USCE), research, and your most important clinical or teaching roles at home.
2. Distinguishing experiences: things that show persistence, leadership or service that most applicants cannot claim.
3. Human experiences: a long-term hobby, caregiving or community role, if you gave real time to it. AAMC specifically notes that a hobby you devoted significant time and effort to can be a valid entry.

Combine small related activities into one entry rather than listing each separately. Leave out anything you cannot discuss for several minutes in an interview.

Writing a description #

Programs see the facts and the description together. Describe what you did, not what you hoped to learn.

A workable structure for a 750-character description:

1. Your role and context in one sentence (setting, patient or learner population, supervisor type).
2. What you personally did, with verbs and scale (what you managed, taught, built or analyzed).
3. A result or lasting effect, only if you can state it honestly.

Worked structure (not a sample to copy): Role and setting. Two or three concrete responsibilities. One outcome or change you contributed to. If you cannot fill the third part truthfully, leave it out.

Practical rules:

• Use first person, past tense for finished roles and present tense for ongoing ones.
• Use plain words. Avoid listing every task; pick the three that matter.
• Spell out abbreviations that programs may not know, especially local hospital or school terms.
• Do not exaggerate your role. Programs may ask you to explain any line.
• Do not paste the same text into your personal statement or CV.

The three most meaningful experiences #

AAMC's guidance is to focus these on why the experience was meaningful and how it affected you, because programs want introspection. If you tag a key characteristic or focus area, the reflection should explain why you chose it. Remember that programs see the reflection next to the standard description, so the description should still cover what you did.

A structure for the 300-character reflection:

1. What changed in how you think or act.
2. The moment or realization behind it (one specific detail, not a story).
3. How you will carry it into residency.

Choose experiences that differ from each other, and avoid repeating what your MSPE or personal statement already says. AAMC advises that overlap is fine but each section should add insight.

Impactful Experiences (optional) #

This question is for major challenges or obstacles you overcame, from any point in life, such as family or financial background, community setting, limited educational access or caregiving. AAMC reported that just over half of residency applicants answered it in 2023, and says programs do not expect everyone to. Points to keep in mind:

• It should not duplicate your personal statement.
• Anything you write may be discussed in interviews, so write only what you are comfortable discussing.
• Do not use it to explain a gap or exam failure; those belong in a factual, brief explanation elsewhere. See the personal statement guide for how to handle that.

Hobbies and interests #

A short free-text field of up to 300 characters in the 2027 cycle. Be specific ("long-distance running, board games, cooking my grandmother's recipes") because specific interests give interviewers an easy way to start a human conversation.

IMG-specific points #

• Put clinical roles at your home school and hospital in their correct type, with your level of responsibility stated clearly. Programs unfamiliar with your school need context.
• Observerships: be honest about whether it was observation or hands-on, because programs distinguish them. See observership vs externship.
• Research: state your actual role (data collection, analysis, writing). Publications belong in Scholarly Work as well.
• Dates should match your CV, MSPE and transcript.

A final check #

Read the list as a program director would. Can they tell in 60 seconds what you did, what you value and why you suit the specialty? If not, cut, merge or reword before you submit.