Application Assembly

While not a formal part of your application, Prehealth Advising's guided self-assessment process is required for anyone who wants to work with Prehealth to gather letters of recommendation and have us submit your letter packet to your application for you. 

Applicants to PA and veterinary programs are welcome to use the self-assessment, but because those applications do not typically want letter packets submitted, you would not be using our office to gather recommendation letters. Please reach out to a Prehealth Advisor for more information. 

Research which central application(s) you should be submitting and determine their opening date so that you are ready to apply early in the cycle. Know which exam you need to take and give yourself several months to prepare for it. 

You should research schools early on that you are considering applying to so you know what types of letters will be asked for. However, when you finalize your list of schools, make sure you are covering the letters that each require. Letter packets submitted through the Prehealth office can override maximum limits from a school, but NOT required letters.

Here are some common requirements, but don't be surprised if you see others:

• 3-5 letters.
• At least one letter from a PhD level faculty member who has taught you in a natural science course. Many schools will ask for two of these letters so we would strongly recommend requesting at least two. 
• At least one letter from a clinically based experience in the profession you are applying for. 
• For anyone applying to a combined PhD program, a research letter is required. A research letter is recommended for other applicants who participated in research. 
• Some DO medical schools may recommend a letter from a DO physician, but it is not often required. 
• Some schools may recommend a faculty letter from a non-science course (humanities and/or social sciences). Please note the non-science letter does not need to be from a PhD level instructor.
  
• Other letters would depend on what other activities you participate in and could include areas like community service, athletics, leadership positions, and other professional positions. Consider who knows you best in an academic or professional capacity.
• Letters from family or close friends are strongly advised against.

You should be able to detail your clinical and non-clinical activities, provide a short description of your role, and be able to briefly discussion the importance of each activity. Keeping a journal throughout your experiences can help with this when it comes time to apply. 

You want to be able to answer two main questions:

• Why do you want to work in this profession?
• How do you know it is right for you?

You will need to request official transcripts be sent to your application from ALL schools where you have earned credits, including any credits earned during high school through a college (not test credits like AP or IB). We recommend ordering yourself copies of all transcripts ahead of time to use when completing your application.