Letters of Recommendation

 
General Guidelines for Letters of Recommendation:
(Be sure to read the ERAS-specific instructions following these general guidelines)

• You are responsible for obtaining 3 faculty letters of recommendation.
• At least 1 should be from a faculty member in the discipline to which you are applying.
• Be sure to check with the office of the faculty writing your letters to ensure that your letters have been faxed.
• The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) is a must for all programs and NOT counted as a faculty LOR..
• Some programs require a letter from the department chair.
• Other letters should be written by faculty members who know you well and can comment in detail on your personal qualities. They should have interacted with you sufficiently so that they can provide specific information concerning your cognitive knowledge, commitment, and work habits. At least one should be in your specialty area.
• DO NOT submit more letters than requested by the individual program.
• DO NOT solicit letters from residents. Although they may know you well, their recommendations will not be as influential as those of faculty members.
• When soliciting letters, provide the faculty members with copies of your CV, personal statement and grades for the clinical rotations. Inform the faculty members of any special issues that you wish to have them address.
• For EARLY MATCH and NON-ERAS programs, follow the specific guidelines required by your specialty program. You should request that the department put your letter in a sealed envelope for you to send with your application.
• Be certain to provide faculty members with special forms that programs may require.
• Student Affairs does NOT send letters of recommendataion for non-ERAS programs, except for some Dermatology programs.

ERAS-Specific Guidelines for Letters of Recommendation:

• Carefully review the faculty "Request for ERAS Letter of Recommendation" form for detailed instructions.
• A sample Request form is enclosed in your Match packet. You must make copies of this form or print it from the Student Affairs web site, under Residency Info, ERAS Request Form.
• Fill out your portion of the form and give it to the faculty member; review it with them to make sure they are aware of ERAS specifications.
• NOTE: The faculty member must FAX the letter of recommendation to Student Affairs at 434/924-5739.
• You are responsible for checking the status of which letters have been received by Student Affairs using MyERAS (you can track the status after you certify your application), or by checking the ERAS binder in Ginny Atwell's office AFTER you have registered with ERAS.
• Letters will be accepted anytime AFTER June 1st.