Letters of Evaluation

Letters of Evaluation allow people who know you and have worked with you to support your application.

A strong letter provides information about characteristics that will enhance your success in graduate professional school, and as a practitioner. They speak to qualities such as your resourcefulness, integrity, motivation, drive, altruism, interpersonal skills, intellectual drive and curiosity.

Evaluators typically put tremendous time and effort into letters that they write. It is expected that all LOEs that are received in support of your career goal will be sent on to health professional schools. Students are not allowed to “letter shop,” asking for extra letters and then choosing the best ones to submit.

Before selecting evaluators, please consider that participation in the Letter of Evaluation (LOE) process is voluntary. Anyone writing a letter of evaluation for a health professional school bears an obligation of candor to you, the institutions to whom it is addressed, and to the institution the writer represents. It is the writer’s responsibility to determine how to respond to your request for a letter. If a prospective evaluator feels that they are not able to write a letter, then it is their responsibility to decline. Individuals should not press for a letter after receiving a response of no. Additionally, this may not produce the quality of letter that would help the person’s candidacy. Moreover, if a person finds difficulty securing letters of evaluation, this could be an indication that they are not ready to apply.

The Northeastern University PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program supports candidates applying with either individual letters of evaluation or a Northeastern University Letter Packet.

The university PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program offers a Letter Packet service for students and alumni applying to medical, dental, or podiatry programs, who are applying for the first time within three years of graduation or completion of their pre-medical studies.

If you are applying for admission to programs of optometry, physician assistant, veterinary, or are a first-time applicant to medical, dental, or podiatry programs who graduated/completed their pre-medical studies more than three years ago, it is required that you apply with individual letters of evaluation.

Applicants are responsible for selecting the letter type that best aligns with their program’s requirements and personal circumstances. If you’re uncertain about which letter option to choose, consult with your PreHealth Advisor for personalized guidance.

LETTER PACKET Process

A letter packet is a collection of letters of recommendation that is assembled and sent to schools as part of your application. These packets are typically compiled by a pre-health advising office at your undergraduate institution and can vary in format and content.

A Northeastern University Letter Packet includes all evaluations requested via your Medical Applicant Portal, plus an institutional cover sheet from the PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program. The PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program’s institutional cover sheet provides context to your academic and experiential preparation. For NU undergraduate students and alumni, this includes information about Northeastern’s Cooperative Education program, Global Pathways programs, unique aspects of our curriculum (I.e., our single-semester general chemistry course), and more. For students and alumni of the Northeastern University Pre-Medical Studies, Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate program this includes program details and requirements.

While do not restrict our Letter Packet service based on grades or exam scores, applicants and re-applicants* must meet all the deadlines and requirements below in order to be eligible to request a Letter Packet.

Students and alumni of the Northeastern University Pre-Medical Studies, Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate program must also complete the program, earning a minimum grade of C in all courses, by the conclusion of the Spring semester of their application year to qualify for a Letter Packet.

Letter Packet Policies

Letter Packets are restricted to use within the designated health professional program for which they were originally intended. Thus, we are unable to send letters to medical masters or post-baccalaureate programs. Additionally, we do not facilitate the forwarding of letters to external storage platforms like Interfolio. Please contact your evaluators directly to request that letters be tailored to the program to which you are applying.
Applicants who are accepted to a program and decline matriculation are not eligible for future Letter Packets.
The PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program has a three-time limit for Letter Packets.
Letter Packets are only valid for one application cycle/year.
These policies are only applicable for the current application cycle. If an applicant decides to defer their application, or must reapply, they are still responsible for meeting all Letter Packet deadlines and requirements for their new application cycle*.
- *Exception: letters of evaluation submitted to the Medical Applicant Portal can be retained for use in future application cycles.

Letter PACket requirements

To be completed in your application year. Requirements and deadlines are subject to change.

February 1: First-time applicant priority deadline to complete the Self-Assessment (early access to book your Application Readiness Meeting).
March 1: First-time applicant final deadline to complete the Self-Assessment
March 1: First-time applicant deadline to request all required letters of evaluation in MAP (see below).
April 1: Re-applicant* deadline to complete the Self-Assessment.
April 1: Re-applicant* deadline to request all NEW and/or UPDATED external letters of evaluation in MAP (see below).
May 1: Submission deadline for all letters of evaluation in MAP (see below).
June 1: Deadline to complete required Application Readiness Meeting with your individual PreMed/PreHealth Advisor.
June 1: Deadline to take entrance exam (medical & dental ONLY).
July 1: Deadline to SUBMIT primary application (medical & dental ONLY).
July 1: Deadline to complete MAP (medical & dental ONLY).
July 1: Deadline to request Letter Packet (medical & dental ONLY).
September 1: Deadline to take entrance exam (podiatry ONLY).
October 1: Deadline to SUBMIT primary application (podiatry ONLY).
October 1: Deadline to complete MAP (podiatry ONLY).
October 1: Deadline to request Letter Packet (podiatry ONLY).

*Re-applicant refers to Northeastern University students and alumni who have already completed the PreMed/PreHealth Letter Process for a previous cycle and are requesting a Letter Packet to re-apply to their programs.

The following letters of evaluation must be requested through MAP to be eligible to request a Northeastern University Letter Packet.

While the components of the Northeastern University Letter Packet generally fulfill the letter requirements for most health graduate programs, applicants are responsible for reviewing the specific letter of evaluation requirements for each school, as these can vary.

Internal Letters

THREE internal faculty letters of evaluation are required. The Letter Packet has a THREE internal letter MAXIMUM. Do not request more than the required number of internal letters.
Internal, faculty letters must meet the following criteria: Letters must be from Northeastern faculty (current, former, or retired). Letters must be from a graded course (at least 3-credit lecture or 1-credit lab). Evaluations can be requested from in-progress courses. Two of the three required internal letters must be from Biology, Chemistry, Math, or Physics (BCMP). One letter must come from an academic faculty member in a non-BCMP discipline. Letters from the approved list of Internal Science Letters can be utilized as either BCMP or non-BCMP. (Note: If one or more of your BCMP letters is from the approved list of Internal Science Letters, it is crucial to classify the associated course in your primary application according to the BCMP department that best matches the course content. Some programs may use this classification to determine if the letter meets their requirements.)
- Note: students and alumni of the Northeastern University Pre-Medical Studies, Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate program have the option to substitute their third letter of evaluation from a faculty member at their undergraduate institution. Postbacc letters from an undergraduate faculty member should be requested as an “external letter” in MAP but will count toward the 3-faculty letter requirement.

External Letters

ONE external clinical letter of evaluation is required. This letter must come from a clinician in the field you wish to pursue, such as a doctor (MD or DO), dentist, or podiatrist. The letter should reflect a college-level experience, with a strong preference for in-person patient care experience. This experience must take place within the United States or, if abroad, must be affiliated with a State Department, U.S. university/hospital-sponsored program, or recognized U.S. organization. Applicants to medical programs may obtain a clinical letter from an MD or DO. Applicants to podiatry programs may obtain a clinical letter from either a podiatrist or a physician, but should be aware that most podiatry schools require a letter specifically from a podiatrist (which can be submitted separately from the Letter Packet). Clinical letters cannot be written by a family member.
Up to two additional external letters of evaluation are optional. These may be requested from supervisors, research PIs, clinicians, coaches, etc. Applicants may NOT use optional letter slots for additional internal letters unless there is a relationship with the faculty member outside of your academic coursework (i.e. research supervisor). Applicants applying to MD and DO programs are strongly encouraged to obtain a physician letter from BOTH an MD and a DO, utilizing one of their optional letter slots.

Consult with your individual PreHealth Advisor if you have any questions about applying with a Letter Packet.

When you’re applying with individual letters, it means you’re submitting separate letters of recommendation from different individuals rather than using a letter packet.

It is common to request between 3-5 individual letters of evaluation for your application(s). Be aware of any limit to the number of individual letters you are able to request within the application service you will be utilizing before requesting letters. Letters of evaluation that are most effective at demonstrating your readiness for a health graduate program, and are often required, are academic (faculty) references, professional references (clinical, research, etc.), and personal references (coaches, mentors, etc.).

Candidates applying with individual letters should begin asking for letters of evaluation at least 2-3 months in advance of their health graduate program applications opening for submission to give their evaluators ample time to draft the letters of recommendation.

If you choose to send individual Letters of Evaluation, please do not request them through your Medical Applicant Portal. Instead, once the application is open, applicants can input their evaluators’ information into their application. The evaluator will receive an email with instructions to upload the letter of recommendation directly to the applicant’s application. Evaluations can be submitted closer to the application submission timeframe, and even after you’ve submitted your application. Communicate with your letter writers directly to determine a letter submission deadline that is mutually convenient.

Consult with your individual PreHealth Advisor if you have any questions about applying with individual letters of evaluation.

Here are the best practices for requesting letters of evaluation. Please review this information thoroughly as you begin the process. We also suggest reviewing the Letters of Evaluation Workshop for additional strategies and guidelines on how to request these letters effectively. To stay organized, try using the LOE Request Tracking Sheet!

Under most circumstances you will want to wait until you are at least 12 months from the date you intend to apply to health graduate programs before requesting letters of evaluation.

For internal letters from NU faculty this will allow you the opportunity to take your smaller, upper-level courses before you request a letter of evaluation. In addition, if you have a professor who you particularly like, you may enroll in another class or complete a directed study with them. After a second class the professor will be able to write a better evaluation. Remember to keep in touch with faculty after class ends; stop by for advice about a co-op or research position, tutor their class, or assist with their research. Make an effort to check in with a couple of former science professors once a semester to let them know what you are doing, and to maintain your relationship.

For external letters you may request letters within a few months of your experience end date. However, it may be more effective to maintain a relationship with your evaluator and ask for a letter closer to your application time. This allows a letter writer to see how you’ve grown over time. It also helps to establish that you are able to maintain long-term professional relationships and verifies continued/current endorsement of your application to the admissions committee.

IDENTIFY LETTER WRITERS

Choosing the best evaluators for your health graduate school applications can be challenging. To assist you in identifying potential letter writers, please review the following resource:

AAMC Worksheet: Identifying Your Letter Writers

If you are applying with a Northeastern University Letter Packet, ensure that you thoroughly review the letter of evaluation requirements within the Letter Packet Process on the corresponding health professions applying webpage: Allopathic & Osteopathic Medicine (MD/DO), Dental Medicine, Podiatric Medicine.

PLAN your ask

Once you have chosen who to ask, it is time to plan out how to ask! Whenever possible we recommend that you make an appointment to meet with your potential evaluator to request a letter of evaluation. In your email request for an appointment let the evaluator know that you would like to meet with them to discuss your application to a health graduate program. This sets the stage for your meeting and, in the unlikely event that the evaluator doesn’t feel that they can recommend you, allows them to decline.

When you go to your appointment bring a current resume, a draft of your personal statement, and a copy of your degree audit or unofficial transcript to leave behind with the evaluator. Be prepared to talk about your passion for healthcare and future aspirations. The following resource can help you plan out your ask!

AAMC How to Request Letters of Evaluation

Gratitude

Thank them! Expressing gratitude to individuals who agree to write letters of evaluation is crucial, as it acknowledges their time and effort in supporting your academic and professional aspirations.

make it official

Once an evaluator has agreed to write a recommendation for you, you will send an official request to them via the Medical Applicant Portal (MAP), if you are applying with a NU Letter Packet, or directly from the application service you are utilizing, if you are applying with individual letters.

When requesting evaluations in MAP, log in and navigate to the “Evaluations” section of your portal. Enter the contact information for your evaluator. MAP will automatically send instructions for submission directly to the email address that you enter. Under no circumstances should you send a letter request to your own email address.

provide resources

Ensure that your letter writer has the necessary materials to write an authentic and individualized letter of evaluation on your behalf. If you have not already done so, provide them with relevant documents, such as a current resume, a draft of your personal statement, and/or a copy of your degree audit or unofficial transcript.

Additionally, you may wish to provide them a copy of the AAMC’s Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation for a Medical School Applicant. This brochure was developed for allopathic medicine programs but generalizes well to other types of health profession.

Next Steps

Be patient! Please be respectful of potential evaluators. It is not appropriate to send multiple requests, reminders, or ask for the letter earlier than its due date, particularly if they’ve already agreed to write your letter and acknowledged receipt of our instructions.

After your letter has been uploaded, we encourage you to again express gratitude to your letter writers. A simple thank-you email goes a long way in showing appreciation for their time and effort.

Finally, keep your letter writers updated throughout the application cycle! Let your letter writers know how your application cycle progresses.

Deferral Process

If you decide to defer your application to a future cycle the PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program will retain letters of evaluation (LOEs) submitted to MAP for inclusion in a Letter Packet. LOEs will be available for future use if you decide to defer your application, or if you are not successful the first time you apply.

For those applying with individual letters of recommendation, applicants should stay in contact with evaluators to obtain new or updated letters of recommendation in accordance with their application year. Applicants may also choose to utilize a letter service, such as Interfolio, to store letters of evaluation.

Please note: The PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program cannot forward letters to any program other than what was designated on the original request. We are unable to send letters to medical master’s, Post-Bacc, Physician’s Assistant, Nursing (etc.) programs. Additionally, we do not facilitate the forwarding of letters to external storage platforms like Interfolio. Please contact your evaluators directly to request that letters be tailored to the program to which you are applying.