Emil Chuck

As a new faculty member teaching introductory biology or chemistry, one of the “duties-as-needed” becomes apparent as the end of the first year approaches and dozens of students interested in a letter of recommendation appear. The majority of these requests will come from anxious pre-health/pre-med students planning their graduate and medical school applications. If the faculty member is overwhelmed, it is becoming common for postdocs write letters on behalf of these students. This article shares some resources and advice to help manage the challenge of evaluation-writing as a postdoc or faculty member.

The quality of letters of recommendation can vary widely when letter writers are unfamiliar with the evaluation process. One method that can be used to gain guidance in writing letters of recommendation is to use a rubric to focus on key characteristics and competencies. Some such rubrics have already been devised and can be accessed online.

Applicants frequently wonder whether it is feasible to get recommendations from graduate students, postdocs, or staff scientists. Such letters are considered acceptable. While in general admissions officers prefer graduate student-written letters have their instructor-of-record co-sign their evaluations, those from postdocs and research PhD staff (non-faculty) do not require co-signatures from supervising faculty.

Pre-health Advising

A quick search an institutional website will reveal if there is a pre-health advising office. Such offices can be housed within an undergraduate academic advising center, a career advising office, a science-college-specific administrative office (often a small, ad hoc committee of faculty), or a stand-alone office under a dean. To this end, the pre-health advising office is a reliable resource for questions students have about getting into their desired health professional program.

Pre-health advising offices may also have specific resources to help letter writers adhere to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) guidelines. It is always best to reach out to this office at the beginning of a school year, before fielding any requests for letters of recommendation. If there is no centralized resource available, it is possible connect with members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions for advice.

Ethics of Writing Strong Letters of Evaluation

Acceptance into medical school or other health curriculum is highly competitive, and it is expected that the evaluations that are submitted are honest appraisals of the strengths and weaknesses of the student. Postdocs or faculty who do not feel comfortable providing such an evaluation, or do not know the applicant well enough to write and reliably submit a strong evaluation, should decline the request. It is important to submit the review in a timely manner, as not doing so will often put the applicant at a disadvantage. Before accepting any request, the reviewer should agree to write a confidential letter and submit it within a reasonable amount of time—two weeks maximum.

Content for Evaluation

When the evaluator has taught the applicant in a lecture, lab, or seminar, the evaluation should summarize teaching style, learning assessments, and opportunities students have to do group work or present. It is very helpful to admissions committees if they know whether the applicant was trained to use active learning techniques and how interpersonal and communication skills are evaluated. It is also helpful to have specific examples of how the applicant showed engagement with discussion during the class.

Before writing an evaluation it is reasonable to personally interview applicants. The applicant can share any application materials they are preparing (usually at least one application essay and some evidence of observing their desired profession) and perhaps a short resume. When this is done, the evaluation should note that the candidate was interviewed.

Evaluation letters should be written on official letterhead or with a proper logo and contain a valid signature. Many schools will outright reject consideration of letters without a valid signature and letterhead.

In the end, admissions committee members only want an honest, objective perspective on the applicant’s preparation to handle a highly rigorous professional education and whether they have the personal qualities that would make their mentors trust their suitability as a health care professional. Many admissions committees will harbor their own opinions of the types of students and colleagues they desire (as most people might concerning their own health care providers), so keep those ideas in mind when crafting any evaluation.

Emil Chuck, PhD, is director of admissions at the School of Dental Medicine, Case Western Reserve University and former diversity co-chair of the National Postdoctoral Association.