Committee Letter and Letters of Recommendation

Haverford College Committee Letter

The Haverford College Committee Letter is presented to medical and dental schools as a comprehensive, holistic summary of your academic, extracurricular, research, clinical, community service, leadership, and professional experiences. It also speaks to your motivation for and commitment to a career in the health professions from the perspective of faculty and supervisors.

The Director of Pre-Professional Advising writes all Committee Letters based on thoughtful reflections and in discussion with the Pre-Health Faculty Committee. Your individual letters of recommendation, Self-Assessment Form, and your current resume will also be used as points of reference in the Committee Letter writing process.

Process for Obtaining a Haverford College Committee Letter
Complete and sign the Pre-Health Committee Letter: Applicant Waiver

Medical and dental schools have a strong preference for applicants to waive their access rights to individual letters of recommendation and the Haverford College Committee Letter to maintain confidentiality. If you opt to waive your rights, you will not have any access to any individual letters of recommendation or the Committee Letter.

Complete a Pre-Health Applicant Data Form

The Applicant Data Form is the first required step of the process, as it communicates your plans to apply to medical or dental school in the upcoming cycle.

Complete a Pre-Health Applicant Self-Assessment Form
The Applicant Self-Assessment Form is a comprehensive, guided questionnaire that is designed for self-reflection about your interests and experiences, as well as your background. The Form is also designed as a starting point for your individual preparation for the application process to medical or dental schools.

Schedule a Self-Assessment Form Review
The Self-Assessment Form Review is an opportunity for current applicants to discuss their interest in medicine or dentistry with the Director of Pre-Professional Advising. It is a 45-minute mandatory meeting, during which your responses to the completed Self-Assessment Form will be reviewed, with the intention of providing information for a highly personalized and comprehensive Committee Letter to be written. The Self-Assessment Form Review, much like pre-health advising appointments, is scheduled through Handshake.

Deadline to Complete Self-Assessment Form Review: March 15

Request letters of recommendation
Your letters of recommendation from faculty, staff, and supervisors are an important component of your application and, as such, will be included along with the Committee Letter in a institutional packet. We recommend sending 3-6 letters of recommendation to medical and dental schools, representing a range of your academic, research, professional, and extracurricular experiences. A good rule of thumb is to request letters from your recommenders at least 4-6 weeks prior to the deadline to allow ample time for them to write the strongest possible letter of recommendations on your behalf.

Deadline to Submit Letters of Recommendation: April 1
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Process for Submitting a Committee Letter
On your primary applications for medical or dental school, please answer 'Yes' to the question asking if you have a Committee Letter. After you select 'Committee Letter' and add the staff contact information, a form will be generated that includes a 9-digit Letter ID. Please send that form to Todd Rothman, Director of Pre-Professional Advising. We need both the Letter ID and your AMCAS (or AADSAS) ID to upload your Committee Letter directly into the system.

Staff Contact Information:

Author: Todd Rothman

Director of Pre-Professional Advising

Haverford College

370 Lancaster Avenue

Haverford, PA 19041

trothman [at] haverford.edu

610-896-1047
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Pre-Health Applicant Self-Assessment Form

The Pre-Health Applicant Self-Assessment Form is designed to be a thorough, narrative description of your journey towards a career in the health professions. It will also allow the Pre-Health Faculty Committee to learn more about your candidacy to inform your Haverford College Committee Letter.

Instructions for Medical and Dental School Applicants

Complete the Pre-Health Applicant Data Form by January 15.
Complete the Pre-Health Applicant Self-Assessment Form by March 15.
Schedule an Self-Assessment Form Review Appointment via Handshake by March 15.

Please note:

The Pre-Health Applicant Self-Assessment Form is an internal document and will only be viewed by the Director of Pre-Professional Advising and the Pre-Health Faculty Committee as part of the Committee Letter process.
You may 'Save and Continue' your progress while you're completing the Self-Assessment Form.
A copy of your completed Self-Assessment Form will be emailed to you after submission for your future reference.

Letters of Recommendation

Your letters of recommendation from faculty, staff, and supervisors are an important component of your application and, as such, will be included along with the Committee Letter in a institutional packet. We recommend sending 3-6 letters of recommendation to medical and dental schools, representing a range of your academic, research, professional, and extracurricular experiences. A good rule of thumb is to request letters from your recommenders at least 4-6 weeks prior to the deadline to allow ample time for them to write the strongest possible letter of recommendations on your behalf.

Admissions Committees are interested in reading letters of recommendation from people who know you well in a context relevant to medicine or dentistry. This, of course, includes professors, research supervisors, internship managers, and coaches. Letters of recommendation should reflect your academic abilities, intellectual potential, personal strengths, and your readiness for advanced graduate study. Applicants should be targeting between 3-6 letters of recommendation for inclusion with the Committee Letter.

Professor Kristen Whalen has provided some excellent resources and advice for the letter of recommendation requesting process for faculty.

Who To Ask
All applicants to medical and dental school should target between 3-6 letters of recommendation to include with the Haverford College Committee Letter.

At least two academic letters of recommendation should be from professors in the sciences; one letter of recommendation might be from a non-science professor, if applicable.

Additional non-academic letters of recommendation can be from supervisors from extracurricular experiences in research, clinical volunteering/employment, summer internships/full-time jobs, community service, and athletics.

Applicants to osteopathic (DO) medical schools should target at least one letter of recommendation from a shadowing experience with an osteopathic physician.

Applicants to MD-PhD programs should check with individual programs to determine their specific requirements and preferences for letters of recommendation.
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How to Collect and Store Confidential Letters of Recommendation

Haverford College has partnered with PrivateFolio for all current medical and dental school applicants to collect and store their letters of recommendation confidentially. At least three letters of recommendation (maximum of six) must be submitted by your recommenders to PrivateFolio by April 1.

A Haverford-specific link will be provided to you after submission of your Pre-Health Applicant Data Form. Using this link provides all current applicant with free access to the PrivateFolio portal for the full application year. The Director of Pre-Professional Advising has access to all Haverford-linked accounts, so your letters of recommendation can be accessed for inclusion with the Haverford College Committee Letter.

Medical and dental schools have a strong preference for applicants to waive their access rights to individual letters of recommendation and the Haverford College Committee Letter to maintain confidentiality. If you opt to waive your rights, you will not have any access to any individual letters of recommendation or the Committee Letter.

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Pre-Health Advising