- Complete a Pre-Health Applicant Data Form.
- Complete a Pre-Health Autobiography
The Autobiography is a comprehensive, guided questionnaire that is designed for self-reflection about your interests and experiences, as well as your background. The Autobiography is also designed to serve as a starting point for your individual preparation for the application process to medical or dental schools.
- Schedule a Pre-Health Autobiography Appointment
The Pre-Health Autobiography Appointment is an opportunity for current applicants to discuss their interest in medicine or dentistry with the Director of Pre-Professional Advising. It is a 45-minute mandatory meeting, during which your responses to the Pre-Health Autobiography will be reviewed, with the intention of providing information for a highly personalized and comprehensive Committee Letter to be written. Autobiography Appointments, much like pre-health advising appointments, are all scheduled through Handshake.
- Deadline to Complete Pre-Health Autobiography Appointment: March 15
- Request letters of recommendation
Your letters of recommendation from faculty, staff, and supervisors are an important component of your application and, as such, will be included along with the Committee Letter in a institutional packet. We recommend sending 3-6 letters of recommendation to medical and dental schools, representing a range of your academic, research, professional, and extracurricular experiences. A good rule of thumb is to request letters from your recommenders at least 4-6 weeks prior to the deadline to allow ample time for them to write the strongest possible letter of recommendations on your behalf.
- Deadline to Submit Letters of Recommendation: April 1
Pre-Health Advising
Letters of Evaluation and Autobiography
Haverford College Committee Letter
The Haverford College Committee Letter is presented to medical and dental schools as a comprehensive, holistic summary of your academic, extracurricular, research, clinical, community service, leadership, and professional experiences. It also speaks to your motivation for and commitment to a career in the health professions from the perspective of faculty and supervisors.
The Director of Pre-Professional Advising writes all Committee Letters based on thoughtful reflections and in discussion with the Pre-Health Faculty Committee. Your individual letters of recommendation, Autobiography, and your current resume will also be used as points of reference in the Committee Letter writing process.
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Process for Obtaining a Haverford College Committee Letter
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Process for Submitting a Committee Letter
On your primary applications for medical or dental school, please answer 'Yes' to the question asking if you have a Committee Letter. After you select 'Committee Letter' and add the staff contact information, a form will be generated that includes a 9-digit Letter ID. Please send that form to Todd Rothman, Director of Pre-Professional Advising. We need both the Letter ID and your AMCAS (or AADSAS) ID to upload your Committee Letter directly into the system.
Staff Contact Information:
- Author: Todd Rothman
- Director of Pre-Professional Advising
- Haverford College
- 370 Lancaster Avenue
- Haverford, PA 19041
- trothman [at] haverford.edu
- 610-896-1047
Pre-Health Autobiography
The Pre-Health Autobiography is designed to be a thorough, narrative description of your journey towards a career in the health professions. It will also allow the Pre-Health Faculty Committee to learn more about your candidacy to inform your Haverford College Committee Letter..
Instructions for Medical and Dental School Applicants
- Complete the Pre-Health Applicant Data Form
- Complete the Pre-Health Autobiography by March 15.
- Schedule an Autobiography Appointment by March 15 via Handshake.
Please note:
- The Pre-Health Autobiography is an internal document and will only be viewed by the Haverford College Pre-Health Committee as part of the Committee Letter process.
- You may 'Save and Continue' your progress while you're completing the Pre-Health Autobiography.
- A copy of your completed Pre-Health Autobiography will be emailed to you after submission for your future reference.
Letters of Recommendation
Admissions Committees are interested in reading letters of recommendation from people who know you well in a context relevant to medicine. This, of course, includes professors, research supervisors, internship managers, and coaches. Letters of recommendation should reflect your academic abilities, intellectual potential, personal strengths, and your readiness for advanced graduate study. Applicants should be targeting between four and six letters of recommendation for inclusion in their Committee Letter.
Professor Kristen Whalen has provided some excellent resources and advice for the letter of recommendation requesting process for faculty.
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Who To Ask
- All applicants to medical and dental school should target between 4-6 letters of recommendation to include with theHaverford College Committee Letter.
- At least two academic letters of recommendation should be from professors in the sciences; one letter of recommendation might be from a non-science professor, if applicable.
- Additional non-academic letters of recommendation can be from supervisors from extracurricular experiences in research, clinical volunteering/employment, summer internships/full-time jobs, community service, and athletics.
- Applicants to osteopathic (DO) medical schools should target at least one letter of recommendation from a shadowing experience with an osteopathic physician.
- Applicants to MD-PhD programs should check with individual programs to determine their specific requirements and preferences for letters of recommendation.
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How to Collect Confidential Letters of Recommendation
Haverford College uses PrivateFolio for current medical and dental school applicants to store letters of recommendation confidentially. Please follow our instructions to create a PrivateFolio account and contact your recommenders in this process. At least three letters of recommendation (maximum of six) must be submitted to PrivateFolio by April 1.
In order to use PrivateFolio, create an account using the Haverford-specific link. This will be provided to you after you complete the Pre-Health Applicant Data Form. Using this link provides every current applicant with complimentary access to the PrivateFolio portal for the full application year. If you would like to use PrivateFolio for another year, you may use an additional $10 credit. The Director of Pre-Professional Advising has access to all Haverford-linked accounts, so your letters of recommendation can be accessed for inclusion with the Haverford College Committee Letter.
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Waive Your Access Rights
Medical and dental schools have a strong preference that applicants waive their access rights to individual letters of recommendation and the Haverford College Committee Letter to maintain confidentiality. If you opt to waive your rights, you will not have any access to any individual letters of recommendation or the Committee Letter.