Evaluation Letters
All health professions schools require applicants to submit letters of evaluation; however, the format of these letters differs between professions. Medical (human) and dental schools almost uniformly require applicants to submit a composite evaluation letter from a pre-health professions committee – a letter based on evaluation letters written by faculty members and on the committee members' knowledge of the applicant. Veterinary medical schools and most other health professions schools require applicants to submit letters or evaluation forms from individual faculty members or work supervisors. In almost all cases, a letter from a health professional is also either required or highly desirable.
Admissions committees are looking for candid evaluations of an applicant's
- suitability for a career as a health professional and
- ability to handle an academically demanding curriculum.
Evaluation criteria include: integrity, emotional maturity, teamwork, motivation, leadership, social adjustment, and academic skills.