Pre-Professional Evaluation and Letters of Recommendation

Beginning with the 2010 entering class, the UT Health Science Center College of Medicine Admissions Office is a participant in the AMCAS letter of recommendation service. All letters of evaluation, including the pre-professional evaluation must be submitted directly to AMCAS and will become part of the AMCAS application. AMCAS will accept letters from users of [VE] Virtual Evals, [IP] Interfolio and via the postal system. The address to which recommendation letters should be mailed will appear on the AMCAS letter request form. For more information on this process, please visit AMCAS FAQs.

As a part of the application process for the UTHSC College of Medicine's program, the pre-professional evaluation is an important component of the Admissions Committee's efforts to evaluate your application. The Committee relies upon these observations in its efforts to formulate a comprehensive picture of the applicant's personal characteristics and qualifications. A student's undergraduate faculty should be in a position to provide information which extends beyond knowledge of the student's pure cognitive functioning.

If you have already graduated from the undergraduate institution and your school feels too much time has lapsed for them to complete an evaluation, you will need to submit three (3) letters of reference with at least two (2) from science professors and one non-science reference letter. In addition, optional non-academic reference letters may be submitted, although no more than three (3). Please keep in mind that all letters should be sent directly to AMCAS letter of recommendation service.

Suggestions For Evaluation Letters

Evaluation letters should address areas such as personal characteristics, problem solving abilities, specific areas of strength, special experiences, leadership experiences, decision-making skills, communication skills, work habits, attitude and character. Also, it is not necessary for an evaluation, of a work or volunteer experience, to be from a medical setting exclusively. Please inform your recommender(s) that letters should be sent directly to AMCAS letter of recommendation service.

Updated Information

Updates to an application are reserved for candidates who have been invited for an interview. If you have questions about the AMCAS primary application, contact the AAMC Section for Student Services at 202.828.0600. For information about AMCAS post-submission actions and permitted changes, you can follow this link.