Letters of Recommendation

and Committee Letter Process

Pic of Main Campus

Applying to medical, dental, or veterinary school is a highly competitive process that requires much preparation on the part of the applicant. The University Health Professions Office (UHPO) provides special support services during the application process, such as through the letter of recommendation and the committee letter processes and the review of personal statements. You must schedule an appointment with a UHPO advisor to review the letter of recommendation and committee letter processes before being able to establish a file for recommendation letters or to schedule a committee interview. For a complete list of application process support services offered by the UHPO, please see the “Medical, Dental, and Veterinary School Application Process” handout.

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation, from faculty members as well as from work and volunteer supervisors, are an essential to a successful application. Strong letters require preparation on behalf of both the applicant and the recommender. For helpful tips through this part of the process, you should review the “Asking for Letters of Recommendation” handout. If your recommender has not written an academic letter of recommendation letter previously, you may provide him or her a copy of the “Guidelines for Writing a Recommendation Letter (for recommenders)” handout.

The UHPO offers a letter of recommendation service to UTSA students and alumni applying to health profession schools. To authorize the UHPO to collect recommendation letters on your behalf, you must meet with a UHPO advisor and sign a release form. This form also serves to inform recommenders whether or not you wish the letter to be confidential. We suggest waiving your right of access to the letters as this sends a message of trust both to your recommenders and to admission committees.

If utilizing this service, you should ask your recommenders to mail their typed and signed letters of recommendation on official letterhead, along with a copy of the waiver form you have given them, directly to the UHPO office. The UHPO will not accept the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) Evaluation Form as a recommendation letter nor will we accept letters of recommendations walked in by students under any circumstance. The UHPO will contact you via email as each letter is received. However, it is your responsibility to notify us once all expected letters have been received. Although there is not a limit to the number of recommendation letters that can be submitted to the UHPO on your behalf, the UHPO will select between one to five letters to be included in your committee packet of evaluation.

In order to forward your committee packet of evaluation to the correct schools and/or application services, the UHPO will ask that you fill out and submit a Committee Packet Student Information form to us that includes information such as the application services you have used and the schools to which you are applying. If you are utilizing this service, you may ask your UHPO advisor about this form. Phone requests to submit a committee packet are not acceptable.

NOTE: The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is piloting an electronic letter system for the Fall 2009 admission cycle. If you are applying to any medical schools via AMCAS, please read the “Instructions for Applicants Applying to AMCAS Letter Pilot Schools” handout to learn extra steps you must take regarding your committee packet.

UHPO Committee Letter of Support

This letter will be written by your UHPO advisor and reviewed by other committee members; it is a form of support and advocacy. It is meant to capture aspects of your life, your personality, and general circumstances that cannot otherwise be found in your application. You must meet certain requirements to be eligible for a committee letter to be written on your behalf. To see if you are eligible to utilize this service, please read the “Medical, Dental, and Veterinary School Application Process” handout thoroughly.

In order to allow your UHPO advisor to learn as much as possible about you before writing a committee letter on your behalf, you must meet with him or her during a committee interview. If you have previously met with a UHPO advisor and spoken about the committee letter process, you may schedule an appointment for an hour-long interview by calling or visiting our office. If you have visited the UHPO previously, but have not yet signed a release form regarding the UHPO committee letter/ recommendation letter packet process, you should meet with an advisor to discuss the process during either a walk-in or appointment prior to scheduling a committee interview. If you are new to the UHPO, you must first meet with an advisor for a 30 minute appointment prior to scheduling a committee interview.

You must submit an autobiographical sketch, resume, photo, and calculated GPAs (overall, science [BCMP], and last 30 hours) to your UHPO advisor at least two business days prior to your scheduled committee interview. This sketch should reflect your motivations, your academic background, work and volunteer experiences, and any additional information you wish to share about your background and pursuit of your career goal, and should be limited to 2-3 pages.

All committee interviews for Fall 2009 admission to medical, dental, and veterinary school will be conducted from March 1 to September 1, 2008. The UHPO will complete all scheduled interviews by September 1. After September 1, the UHPO will forward your letters on file without a committee letter of support at your request.

Note to Re-applicants: The UHPO will need to review your file and academic record before writing a new letter of support. You will need to submit an autobiographical sketch, resume, and calculated GPAs to reflect any updated information since your previous application year. You also may need to meet with a UHPO advisor to discuss any of these updates. Please call or visit our office for more information.

Rev. 06/16/2008

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