According to the AAMC, the 2027 season works differently in a few ways:

• VSLO is moving to a new platform. The old system closes on December 14, 2026 at 8 a.m. ET, and nobody can log in until the new one opens.
• Students get access earlier. You can log in from mid-January once your home school invites you, and host programs can make electives visible before applications open so that you can pin the ones you like.
• VSLO applications open in early February. That is when you can start submitting to host programs that are accepting applications.
• The fee is going up. Each elective now costs $18 instead of $15, although requesting extra dates for the same elective does not add to the cost.

For you, this means December and January are the time to prepare. A student who logs in for the first time in March will be competing with classmates who pinned their electives and uploaded their documents weeks earlier.

This data comes from the AAMC 2026 Graduation Questionnaire, and the average and median count only students who completed at least one away rotation. You can see all 24 specialties in How Many Away Rotations by Specialty.

If most students in your field skip away rotations, you should have a specific reason for doing one, such as a region where you want to train, a program you are targeting or the lack of a home department in your specialty.

• Specialties where away rotations are expected (Orthopedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Urology, Neurosurgery and Plastic Surgery): most students complete 2 to 3, and our advisors usually suggest 10 to 15 applications in order to secure 3 to 4 rotations.
• Specialties where one rotation is common (Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, OBGYN and General Surgery): plan for 1 to 2 rotations and apply to a few more programs than that.
• Specialties where most students skip them (Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Family Medicine): plan for 0 to 1, and only when you have a clear reason.

You should also check the guidance from your own specialty, since some fields cap or discourage additional away rotations.

It is worth working out the cost before you apply. Twelve applications at $18 each come to $216 in fees, and a month of housing, travel and transportation in another city will usually cost far more than that, so build a budget for each rotation before you commit to several.

Here is a simple way to build your list:

1. Start with fit instead of prestige. Most of your list should be programs that match your profile in terms of degree, board scores and research, with reach programs making up a small minority.
2. Use your school's match list. When students from your school match at a program year after year, that program already trusts your training.
3. Follow geography you can explain. Programs take a regional tie seriously when you can describe it plainly, whether that is family, a partner's job or the place where you grew up.
4. Find out what the rotation is really like. Some rotations give you real responsibility and time with the program director while others leave you observing from the back of the operating room, which is why we built the VSLO Rotation Review Database.
5. Check the requirements early. Look for board score cutoffs, required clerkships and immunization forms, and confirm whether the program accepts DO or international students.

• Email the program coordinator. Confirm the rotation dates, the requirements and when the program begins reviewing applications, and keep the message to a few sentences.
• Talk to residents and recent graduates from your school. They can tell you what the rotation is like, and they may be willing to mention your name to the chief residents or the program director.
• Attend virtual open houses and meet-and-greets. Many programs host them before application season, and attending gives you something specific to mention in your statement of interest.
• Ask a mentor for an introduction. A faculty member who knows someone at the program can connect you more warmly than a cold email can.

One thoughtful message is enough, because repeated follow-ups tend to work against you. Our guide to networking in medical school includes a cold email script you can adapt, and VSLO Essentials comes with coordinator email templates.

You should aim to submit during the week applications open. Many programs fill their rotation blocks as applications arrive, so an application sent in February is often in a stronger position than the same one sent in April.

1. Now to mid-DecemberYou are here
   Get your paperwork moving

   Narrow down your specialty, update your CV and start on the items that take the longest, which are immunization records, titers, BLS certification and a background check. This is also a good time to ask your school how many away blocks you are allowed.

2. December 14, 2026You are here
   The old VSLO closes

   The system goes offline at 8 a.m. ET for the move to the new platform, so use the gap to build your program list from program websites and rotation reviews.

3. Mid-January 2027You are here
   Students get access

   Once your home school invites you, log in to pin electives, read the requirements for each host program and upload your documents.

4. Early February 2027You are here
   Applications open

   Submit to your top programs first, and check the open and close dates for every host program because each one sets its own.

5. March to AprilYou are here
   The busiest stretch

   Most applications and offers move during these months, and offers come with a response window, so check your email every day and keep your fourth-year schedule flexible.

6. Summer to early fallYou are here
   Audition season

   You will be on your rotations during these months, and it helps to finish the most important ones before you submit ERAS so that the letters can go into your application.

The platform dates come from the AAMC, while the timing after February is general guidance that varies by program. For the rest of the application cycle, see the complete ERAS timeline.

If you are deciding when to schedule the exam, our Step 2 and Level 2 dedicated study plan lays out a timeline you can follow, and our USMLE and COMLEX tutors can help you reach your target score on a shorter schedule.

• An updated CV that runs through your most recent clerkship
• Your transcript and board scores, including Step 2 or Level 2 if you have taken it
• Immunization forms and titers, which delay more applications than anything else
• A BLS card, background check and drug screen when the host program asks for them
• A short statement of interest that explains why you chose this program and region
• A professional photo that you can reuse for ERAS later
• A letter from a faculty member in the specialty, which some programs require

Reviewers read these statements quickly, so your first two sentences need to carry the message. Our personal statement guide explains how to write one that sounds like you.

1. Safety and self-awareness. You recognize the limits of what you know and ask for help when you reach them.
2. Coachability. Feedback you receive on Tuesday shows up as better work on Wednesday.
3. Reliability. When you say you will do something, the team can count on it getting done.
4. Knowledge and real interest. Both matter, although they rank below the qualities above.
5. Initiative without overstepping. You take ownership of your patients and recognize when to hand something off.
6. Respect for everyone. Nurses, techs and coordinators share their impressions of you with the residents.

You can find the full version, including how to approach the first 48 hours and how to handle being pimped, in The Sub-I and Away Rotation Playbook and our 4 rules for succeeding on your sub-internship.

• Ask for feedback at the end of the first week. Acting on that feedback gives your letter writer a specific story to tell about you.
• Ask whether they can write you a strong letter. Including the word "strong" gives the attending a polite way to decline, and our letters of recommendation guide covers the rest.
• Plan your signals around your rotations. Specialties treat signaling a rotation site differently, so read the guidance for your field and then see where to send your program signals.
• Send a short thank-you note. Write to the people you worked with most closely once the rotation ends.

• Confirm eligibility before you pay. Each host program states who it accepts and which exams it requires, and some ask DO students for USMLE scores.
• Look at who the program has matched. A program with DO or IMG residents on its current roster is usually a better use of a month than one without any.
• Find a mentor outside your school. A single resident or attending in your field can change the way you choose programs.

For more detail, read our breakdown of DO vs MD match rates by specialty and the story of how one of our advisors matched Academic Anesthesiology as a DO without a home program.

• Applying late, which really means submitting any time after the first day your program opens its application
• Getting specialty-specific strategy too late, because the plan for your field needs to be in place before applications open
• Relying only on general advice from your school, which is often the same for every specialty and can arrive after programs have started reviewing applications
• Applying only to reach programs and then scrambling for any open spot in May
• Starting immunization paperwork in February, when titers alone can take weeks to come back
• Rotating at a program you would not rank, which uses up a month you cannot get back
• Getting too comfortable with the team, because even a friendly team is evaluating you every day