Pre-Medical Advising: Letters of Recommendation

For students applying to medical schools, the FSU Pre-Health Professions Advising Office offers a letter of evaluation packet service. To find out more, contact the advising office at 850-644-7678. 

Other helpful information on Letters of Evaluation

Points to Consider Before Asking For A Letter:

Before approaching faculty or employer or graduate program for letters of recommendation, take some time to reflect on how these can best be used to strengthen your application.

• List the qualities that the employer or graduate program may be seeking in an applicant. If you are applying for an international internship, the program may be looking for mature students who have had experiences in unfamiliar environments. A small consulting firm may be looking for employees who can work independently with little supervision. Medical schools seek students who can handle a science-intense curriculum, but who have also shown evidence of compassion and strong motivation for medical careers. In order to get a sense of what the employer or graduate school is looking for in a candidate, think about who succeeds in the program or job you are seeking.
•  Who do you know can positively comment on these relevant personal qualities?Ideally, your letter writer should be someone who knows you well, is involved with the career you are considering, can compare you to other applicants, and is very enthusiastic about supporting your application.
•  If you need to provide several letters of recommendation, consider how each letter can fill different needs and r equest letter from individuals who know you in different contexts and can comment on different strengths. A psychology professor can comment on your intellectual curiosity, academic skills, participation in class, while an internship supervisor can comment on your patience with children, your creativity in programming, etc.
• What would you like someone to include in the letter that may be missing in the rest of your application?Who can comment on your professional behavior: your maturity? Did you take a particularly challenging sequence of courses that is not necessarily obvious from your transcript? Are there extenuating circumstances that might account for atypical grades?
• Decide whether you want to waive your rightto see the letter of recommendation. For many employees and graduate programs, confidential letters have greater credibility and they are assigned a greater weight in the application process. Interestingly, many letter writers are less inhibited in praising an applicant when the letter is confidential.
• Allow plenty of “turnaround time”. You want to be sure the letter writer has the opportunity to write a thoughtful, complete letter without worrying about an unrealistic deadline.

Points To Consider When Contacting The Letter Writer:After deciding which individuals can provide the most positive and most complete picture of your relevant skills, experiences, and character traits. Make an appointment to meet with each of the potential writers.

• Ask the letter writer if she can write a strong letter of supportfor your application. If she seems hesitant or ambivalent, thank her for her time but do not request a letter from this individual. It is crucial that the person writing your letter is positive about your application and conveys that in her letter. If a letter is lukewarm or negative, it can reflect poorly on your ability to judge how you appear to others as well as give the employer or graduate program feedback that you did not intend to convey.
•   The letter of recommendation will be especially effective if the writers describe specific examples and instanceswhenever possible. So, provide each letter writer with information relevant to your experience and application. This could be a resume, a personal statement, a reminder of particular incidents or discussions, etc. spend some time with the letter writer discussing how this information relates to your application. Let him know what would be helpful to include in the letter. Consider whether the writer can comment on any of the following topics:

1. Intellectual ability; rank as compared with FSU and non-FSU students, this year and/or previous years.
2. Follow through on assignments, rigor of the academic program.
3. Depth of involvement and achievement in work, lab, volunteer, and extracurricular activities.
4. Ability to communicate both in person and in writing.
5.  Maturity, emotional stability, concern for people, problem-solving skills, tenacity in reaching goals curiosity, creativity, capacity for leadership, self-discipline, and integrity.
6. Response to criticism, ability to relate to others, capacity for collaborative work with others, attitudes towards supervision.
7. Motivation and potential for success in career.

• Don’t forget to thank the person writing your letterby sending a thank you note. Let her know the outcome of your application. Not only could her letter make a difference in whether or not you are accepted, you most likely will want to ask her for a letter again in the future,

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Please make an appointment with a pre-med advisor by calling 850-644-7678 to discuss the letter of evaluation process which will include information on :
• Waiver Statement• Instructions for Letter Writers
• Instructions for Letter Packet Submission