Letters of Recommendation 

Whom to Ask and How

The two central issues to ponder in considering who should write letters of recommendation are:

Who can write a strong letter?
Letters that comment on the attributes indicative of your potential to become a good physician usually are written by people who are:

• well-acquainted with you from school, work, health-related activities, laboratory performance, volunteer work, etc.
• knowledgeable and experienced in assessing prehealth professions students,
• knowledgeable about you in more than one area,
• able to compare you with other Cornellians, and
• able to write well.

Who can help you build a balanced profile of your various endeavors in the college years?
One person may not be able to discuss all aspects of your candidacy but, if you choose three recommenders carefully, all aspects should be covered. Generally good sources of letters to achieve this goal might be:

• a faculty member, either science or nonscience discipline,
• the major, permanent faculty advisor, or professor for whom you've worked,
• an employer, club advisor, supervisor of a voluntary activity or research experience, camp director, chaplain, coach, etc.

In general, medical schools prefer not to have letters from Teaching Assistants only. If the candidate knows a T.A. well, then perhaps one such letter would be appropriate but should be ratified and signed by the professor in charge of the course. In general, the HCEC prefers to have the core of letters from professors. If you feel that a professor does not know you well, you may ask a T.A. to submit notes to the professor on which to base his/her letter to the HCEC.

If in doubt about whom to ask to be recommenders, attend the briefing: "HCEC Letter of Recommendation: Whom to Ask and How." (Check the CCS calendar of Upcoming Events to learn when it's offered.) If you still have questions, you may consult the Health Careers Advisor, your academic advisor, or the premedical advisor in your college.

Protocol
Four questions asked directly of proposed recommenders (preferably in person or possibly in a personal letter or telephone call) may help them to provide a good recommendation:

• "Would you be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me?"
  
• "Do you feel it can be a strong, supportive letter?"
  
• "May I make an appointment to come talk with you and review my qualifications?"
  
• "I'd like you to mention (fill in the blank) in my letter. Do you feel you could do that? (The decision rests with the writer.)
  

If the answer to these questions is not an enthusiastic "yes," you may indicate that you want to do further thinking before proceeding, or you may simply say, "No thank you, I'll try to find another recommender."

Material to Provide for Recommenders

• A resume or summary including in some detail the development of your interest in medicine and your goals.

• A "Recommendation Request" form with waiver form completed and "Writers of Letters of Recommendation to the Health Careers Evaluation Committee" memorandum. Undergraduates receive these materials when you register with the HCEC in January.

How Many?
Three letters of recommendation, and no more than three, may be received by the HCEC. Letters arriving after the first three will be retained in the file and will not be used.

Because almost all registrants with the HCEC submit three letters to their file, it may be a disadvantage for a registrant to have fewer than three letters.

If you retain the right to access your file you may read the letters of recommendation/evaluation in your file, but you may not withdraw a letter after reading it and/or substitute a new letter.

Deadline for Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation must be received by the stated deadline in order to be included with your folder when it is sent to the interviewer. The interviewer needs these letters for interviewing you and for writing the composite letter of evaluation. Therefore, you have two important responsibilities:

1. Check with the the HCEC to see that your letters of recommendation have arrived.
2. Remind letter writers, if necessary. A written note or an e-mail reminder to the letter writer is probably more effective than telephoning or seeing him/her in person. The frequency of such reminders should be carefully considered to avoid annoying the writer.

Transfer Students
Transfer students with individual concerns may want to speak with the health careers advisor.