Residency Planning: Dean’s Letters
Objective:
- Overview of the student’s academic career to date
- Not the same as a letter of recommendation
- Complements other aspects of the entire application, not merely recapitulates them
- What’s in it:
- Information about background, college, path to medicine and specialty choice, academic performance in medical school, research experiences, outside activities and interests
- Excerpts from evaluations from clinical/research rotations
- What’s not:
- GPA
- Class rank
Process:
- All applicants meet with one of the Deans in the Office of Student Affairs
- With rare exceptions, all letters for students in a given specialty will be written by the same Dean
- Deans meet with students in mid-summer through mid-September to discuss application process and strategy, and to obtain information for Dean’s Letter
- Students fill out an interview questionnaire prior to meeting which will be sent out well in advance
- Students review and sign-off on letters for factual accuracy. Excerpts chosen from evaluations are not negotiable
