Letters of Recommendation
- Identify those who know you personally, can speak to the quality of your work and work ethic, and can address your core competencies for medicine.
- ?Admissions committees give more weight to letters that have a professional tie (i.e. not family members or close friends).
- You will need two LORs from science faculty, ideally from professors of two different scientific disciplines.
- Most applicants from Hamilton obtain between 4-6 letters. Focus on attaining quality over quantity.
- Begin reaching out to your reference writers in early November.
- When you approach someone to write a LOR, ask whether he/she can write a strong endorsement of your candidacy for medical school. If the person says no or hesitates in any way, look elsewhere for a LOR from someone (a professor, coach, supervisor, etc.) who knows you well.
- Admissions committees favor letters of recommendation that address a candidate's nonacademic strengths & characteristics in addition to their academic qualifications.
- For those who agree to write a letter on your behalf, schedule a brief meeting to discuss your experiences and goals. Provide them with your resume and transcript.
- Let your letter writers know that you will be generating a letter request email from veCollect in December to request that they submit their LORs by April 1st.
- Once you've confirmed that your letters have been submitted, send thank you notes to the writers.
Special Notes:
- As part of your application to medical/dental school, you will be expected to waive your right of access to your letters of recommendation.
- If you plan to apply to osteopathic medical school, most DO schools require or prefer a LOR from an osteopathic physician whom you have shadowed.
Contact
Contact Name
Courtney Hance
Director of Health Professions Advising