The guy has done an extensive work and is one of the best maintained and updated websites I have seen. I believe some universities in India do not allow you to break internship in between so in those cases it is worthwhile to try to clerkships. See where you fit in and what is that you can afford. Where to start: USMLEtoMD is a good website to start and get some nice info about electives, clerkships, observerships etc and get some fair idea about the terminology. Within a month everything got done and now I have taken an extension of the last two months which I will finish when I get back after my electives.Ģ. Finally just 3 months left for my internship to get, I filled up my applications. Advice from some seniors and online resources such as this one made me think about electives seriously. Was not so keen on electives in the beginning so didn’t think about it so seriously but as my internship drew towards the half way mark, I got more serious. I began my research work when I entered internship.

Do not be over zealous to apply before the application process has even begun, your application will not even be looked into. Though different universities have different guidelines on how early you may apply and please follow them religiously. There is no fixed deadline so as to how early you should begin doing your research but the earlier you start, the better it is. In India this means that you should still be enrolled in your internship while for students in Pakistan I guess it means that they should be in the Penultimate year (Since the medical diploma is granted before the beginning of internship there.). Remember that you still need to be a final year student when you are doing your electives. If not, it is worthwhile to take some break during your internship and prolong it (read extension) till you secure electives. If you are just into your internship, well and good. There is no denying the fact that after your MLE scores the single most important factor that seals your fate is USCE and electives are undoubtedly the best of them all. When to start: The process of finding electives should start as soon as you decide to pursue the USMLE path. You have to search for the best place that suits you and that accepts you. And no one person can collect all the info at one place. Things change and the so do the policies of the colleges. There is no one single source that will give you all the info and neither am I trying to do so. But before I begin, let me tell you one more thing. Through people who have secured electives on these communities, their descriptions, various websites etc I too was able to chart out my plan and thus got electives. Internet has practically been my source of all the info and let me assure you, it is good enough. I have no family in the US and not many seniors or friends to guide me with the process either. Coming to the main story, how I got my electives. I am an Intern and like you all here I too am planning to pursue a residency in the US.

Uab suspicious package