The Application Process
> Letters of RecommendationPrior to your application, you will need to gather individual letters of recommendation from faculty and others who will provide their support of your application. Excerpts from individual letters of recommendation are included in the Board's composite letter; the complete unabridged letters are attached to the composite letter and sent to the schools to which you are applying.
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| You should plan on asking for at least three letters of recommendation that address your academic ability. These letters generally come from faculty or research directors. Letters from faculty members are preferable to letters from TAs, although TAs and faculty may co-write letters. At least one of these letters should be from a faculty member who taught you in a science course. |
| Faculty from other schools, such as those who have taught you in a summer course or while abroad, may be used. |
| Off-campus letters will be accepted from individuals who can speak to your candidacy (e.g., internship coordinators, research mentors, physicians whom you have shadowed). |
| In every case try to obtain letters from people who know you well. |
| Letters from peers (i.e. other undergraduate students at Brandeis or elsewhere) will not be accepted. Similarly, personal friends of your family or politicians should not be asked to write unless they have had a chance to supervise you in a work situation or volunteer position. |
| It is recommended that at least one letter of recommendation be submitted before your interview with the Board of Premedical Advisors (early in Spring semester). |
| All letters of recommendation are due in the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs by June 1 for earliest completion of your composite letter of recommendation. |
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| It is reasonable to request that recommendations be submitted within three to four weeks. Members of the faculty often make use of semester breaks to write letters, so you may want to request letters just prior to a break. |
| Letters from professors and others at Brandeis University should be submitted by e-mail to Assistant Dean Kate Fukawa-Connelly. They can be sent as e-mail text or as attachments in Microsoft Word. The waiver form can be submitted separately through campus mail to Kate Fukawa-Connelly at MS 001. External recommendations should be submitted as hard copies on institutional letterhead (not by e-mail) to Kate Fukawa-Connelly in the Office of Academic Services. A waiver form must accompany all letters of recommendation. |
| It is your responsibility to request letters of recommendation and make sure that they are submitted in a timely fashion. In addition, It is your responsibility to remind your letter-writers to write! Although an individual has agreed to write a letter, he/she sometimes procrastinates and does not send it in a timely fashion. A polite e-mail message or telephone call should do the trick. |
| You will be able to check on the status of your letters of recommendation through the Pre-Health Applicant Latte course. |
One final note: letters do occasionally get lost in the mail. Be sure to ask your letter-writers specifically to keep a copy of your letter just in case a replacement is needed.
Confidentiality of Individual Letters
The form for requesting letters of recommendation is discussed at the Applicant Workshops held in the fall semester. This form should be given to each person from whom you are requesting a letter of recommendation. Included on this form is a waiver statement. If a student signs this waiver, he/she will not be entitled to read the letter of recommendation submitted on his/her behalf. Note that most health profession schools prefer that recommendations, both from individuals and from the Board of Premedical Advisors, be confidential; that is, they prefer to receive letters that the student has waived his/her right of access to the letters. Moreover, many individuals who write recommendations prefer to do so knowing that the letter is confidential. We recommend that you discuss with each person from whom you request a letter of recommendation whether or not you should waive your right to see the letter.