VCUPre‐healthAdvisoryCommittee
Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising
Instructions for Completing and Submitting Documentation to Participate in VCU Pre-health
Committee and/or Start a Letter of Evaluation File
All applications are to be filled out and submitted electronically. To participate in the Pre-health Advisory committee, all application
materials and two (2) letters of recommendation must be submitted by April 12, 2013 by 5:00 p.m. EST.
This pdf requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please do not use Mac computers. Documents processed on Mac computers are not readable
by our computers.
Completing Online Application for Committee Participants
1) Complete each form.
Form A: Access Waiver
Make sure you select an option – committee or file service. Your application will not be processed without a selection
and without waiving your rights to access the materials.
Form B: Recommendation Request Form
Please give an accurate listing of the persons submitting recommendations on your behalf.
Form C: Personal Background Information
Please give detailed information about each of your experiences and quantify the numbers of hours spent in each area.
This pdf form will allow you to enter detailed information. The font becomes smaller as you fill the text box. Make sure
you select the box by the validation statement. Your application cannot be processed with a selection.
Form D: Personal Statement
Please check your personal statement for grammatical and typing errors. You can copy and paste your personal
statement into Form D. Do not provide additional forms or sheets to the one provided.
Form E: GPA Calculation Sheet
Please complete the GPA calculation in the boxes provided. Do not add additional forms or spreadsheets to this
application.
Form F: Time Available for Interview
Please list the times you are not available for an interview only.
Form G: Check Submission Form and Verification of Payment
Please complete and print form with a $20 check or money order payable to Virginia Commonwealth University and submit
in an envelope to Mark Bassard in the Campus Learning Center, Hibbs 108. Cash, credit and/or debit cards and starter
checks are not accepted.
Form H: For Re-applicants
Please complete if you have participated in the Pre-health Advisory Committee in previous years.
Completing Online Application for File Service
1) Complete each form.
Form A: Access Waiver
Make sure you select an option – committee or file service. Your application will not be processed without a selection.
Form B: Recommendation Request Form
Please give an accurate listing of the persons submitting recommendations on your behalf.
Form G: Check Submission Form and Verification of Payment
Please complete and print form with a $20 check or money order payable to Virginia Commonwealth University and submit
in an envelope to Mark Bassard in the Campus Learning Center, Hibbs 108. Cash, credit and/or debit cards and starter
checks are not accepted.
2) Save your file as yourlastnameyourfirstname(2014) - i.e., doejohn(2014).
3) Email your completed file to prehealthadv@vcu.edu by April 12, 2013 by 5:00 p.m. EST.
You will receive a confirmation email of receipt of your application within 24 hours of submission. You can check the status of your letters of recommendation in
Blackboard course – pre-health file for 2014 applicants.
Applications that are hand delivered to the Office of Pre-health Advising will not be processed. All applications must be submitted
electronically to prehealthadv@vcu.edu. Applications submitted to any other email address will not be processed.
VCUPre‐healthAdvisoryCommittee
Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising
Application Form for Fall 2014 Admissions Cycle The process to obtain a Pre-health Advisory Committee letter for applications to schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Optometry,
Osteopathic Medicine and Podiatric Medicine occurs once a year during the Spring semester of each academic year. Eligible VCU
students and alumni must submit an application, references and participate in the interview process to obtain a committee letter.
The committee letter is valid for the current application cycle only.
Students who wish to participate in the Pre-health Advisory Committee for the Fall 2014 application cycle must attend an
application workshop and complete and return forms A, B,C D, E, F and H (Committee re-applicants only) via email at
prehealthadv@vcu.edu, by April 12, 2013 by 5:00 p.m. EST. Additionally, applicants must have at least (2) letters of
recommendations submitted by April 12, 2013 by 5:00 p.m. EST.
Students who are setting up a letter of evaluation file should complete and return forms A and B via email at prehealthadv@vcu.edu.
A $20.00 fee is required for participating in the Pre-health Advisory Committee and/or setting up a letter of evaluation file. Form G
must be submitted with a $20 check or money order, payable to Virginia Commonwealth University, to Mark Bassard in the Campus
Learning Center, Hibbs 108.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Letters of evaluation are required by all applicants to schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine
and Podiatric Medicine.
The Office of Pre-Health Sciences Advising acts a central agency to:
 Provide waiver forms for letters of evaluation and instructions designed to assist students in the collection of
letters.
 Maintain a confidential file of the student’s recommendation letters (up to five).
 Students applying to both school of Osteopathic and Allopathic Medicine and/or MD/PHD programs may
have a maximum of six letters.
 Transmit letters of evaluation files to schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine and
Podiatric Medicine as designated by the student.
This process saves the applicant and letter writers from transmitting correspondence to every school for which a student
makes an application.
WHEN TO START A FILE
Students who plan to apply for admission to schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine and
Podiatric Medicine in fall 2014 should start a file in the early part of the spring 2013 semester. Letters should not be more
than one year old; from the time dated by the letter writer and actually sent to the schools. Your file should be completed
by mid-July, 2013. Don’t wait too long thinking that professors who know you will write a letter in a day or so and send it
directly to the Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising. This very rarely happens. Students have been known to wait for
six months or longer for letters of evaluation to arrive in their files.
WHO SHOULD WRITE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION?
Each school has its own idea of what kind of evaluation package they want you to submit. To cover your bases, we
suggest four letters; two from science faculty, one from a non-science faculty, and one health care worker with whom you
have done shadowing or service. Letters from personal friends or family members are not acceptable.
Research early to determine if a school has letter requirements that will not be met by letters you have requested for your
file. You do not want to desperately search for someone to write a letter during the summer semesters when many
faculty are away or beginning of the fall semester when they are extremely busy preparing for their classes.
Choose faculty who know you well and are favorably impressed by you. Although faculty letters are preferred by
admissions committee, you can have a letter from a graduate teaching assistant if it is endorsed by the faculty member in
charge of the course. Transfer students may wish to have a letter from one or two professors at the school in which they
were previously enrolled.
VCU utilizes an evaluation form. This form is a fillable pdf and downloadable form from the Pre-health Sciences Advising
website –http://uc.vcu.edu/academic-advising/pre-health/. You should give these forms to your evaluators and request
that they complete the form and send it directly into the address indicated on the back. Letters writers can also email
forms back to prehealthadv@vcu.edu. Even though the option exists for you letter writers to email letters in for
you, it is important that you initiate a conversation with you letter writers prior to requesting a letter.
Make sure you complete the top of the form before giving it to an evaluator and provide an envelope with the appropriate
address and postage, if necessary. All letters and evaluation forms must be received from the e-mail address of your
evaluator or in a sealed envelope with the evaluator’s name written across the seal. These forms will replace evaluation
forms that are provided by individual schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine and Podiatric
Medicine.
Keep in mind that the Office of Pre-Health Sciences Advising sends out the same packet of evaluations to every school. If
the person evaluating you is going to write a letter in addition to completing the evaluation form, please ask the letter
writers to address the letter to the following: Ms. Sonya Barnes, Co-Chair - Pre-health Advisory Committee.
Waiving your right to inspect the content of the evaluation lets the admission committee know that the evaluation is
confidential.
REGULATIONS CONCERNING COLLECTION AND TRANSMISSION OF LETTERS

All schools that you will apply to will receive a copy of the evaluations that you request to have submitted to the
Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising.

Upon filing with centralized application services (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AACPMAS, AADSAS or OptomCAS), it is
highly recommended that you release your application information to your pre-health advisor. This will ensure
that the Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising has an updated and comprehensive list of all the schools that
you are applying to.

If you are participating in the Pre-health Advisory Committee, the committee letter will be part of your file and will
be sent out as part of your evaluation packet.

Before you request that your letters be transmitted, your file should be complete. If you request that your file to
be sent while incomplete, any late letters will have to be sent by the evaluator to each of the schools you are
applying to.

The Office of Pre-Health Sciences Advising requires that no more than five letters of evaluation be kept in your
file for MD, OD,DPM or DDS programs, 6 for MD/PhD. programs, and 6 for D.O. programs.

ALL LETTERS in your active file will be sent to each school that you request. Although some schools may only
require one or two letters, sending the entire file is a commonly accepted practice from letter service
organizations.

You will not be allowed to view the contents of your file or handle your own letters at any time. All transmission
of packets must take place between the Office of Pre-Health Sciences Advising and the programs you are
applying to.

This service is designed to assist students applying to MD, DO, OD,DPM, DDS, DDM and joint MD/PhD
programs. Letters can also be sent to military scholarship programs, post-baccalaureate or pre-health sciences
certificate programs. Letters will not be mailed to admissions offices in other health care programs, academic
departments, other graduate programs or employers.

All files can only by transmitted from July 15, 2013 to June 1, 2014 for professional school classes
starting in fall 2014. All materials in your file will be shredded at the end of the application cycle. If you
apply to start professional schools in subsequent admission cycles, you must start a new file by
submitting new forms and requesting new letters of evaluation at the beginning of each application
cycle. To obtain a committee letter, re-applicants must go before the Pre-health Advisory Committee
again and get an updated committee letter before reapplying to professional programs.

It is important that you check your VCU e-mail for updates pertaining to the file service and applying to medical
school.

A payment of $20 must be made (see form G) to establish a letter file with the Office of Prehelath Advising.
Payments are non-refundable upon submission even if a student des not submit application to medical, dental,
podiatric or optometry schools or does not meet the minimum requirements to participate in the advisory
committee.
This file service is a convenience offered by the Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising and must work within
the limits of its resources. You are not required to use this service, but if you choose to do so, abide by the
above regulations.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REQUESTING LETTERS OF EVALUATION
1. Take an evaluation form to each person who you are asking to assist you. Provide each evaluator with a short
résumé and a rough draft of your personal statement. When the letter is completed, it will be returned directly to
the Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising, Hibbs119 in one of three ways:
 By the letter writer
 By you, IF the letter is in an envelope that is signed at the seal by the author of the letters
 Letters can also be emailed by the letter writer to prehealthadv@vcu.edu
2. As letters are received by the Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising, they are logged into Blackboard.
Blackboard accounts are updated each business day.
3. Remember to write your evaluators a thank you note approximately 2-3 weeks after your request. By sending a
thank you note, it will serve as a reminder for them to write your letter if they have not already done so.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR OPENING A FILE WITH THE OFFICE OF PRE-HEALTH SCIENCES ADVISING
1. Complete Forms A, B, C, D, E, F and H (for re-applicants) if you are starting an evaluation file and
participating in the Pre-health Advisory Committee. These forms are due by 5pm on April 12, 2013.
Form G must be submitted with a $20 check or money order payable to Virginia Commonwealth
University, to Mark Bassard in the Campus Learning Center, Hibbs 108 by 5pm on April 12, 2013. Please
make sure you meet the minimum qualifications to participate in the Pre-Health Advisory Committee before
submitting application and payment. Payments are non-refundable.
2. Complete Forms A, B and G, recommended deadline July 12, 2013. Form G must be submitted with a $20
check or money order payable to Virginia Commonwealth University, to Mark Bassard in the Campus Learning
Center, Hibbs 108 if you are starting an evaluation file ( but NOT participating in the Pre-health Advisory
Committee) with the Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising.
3. Return the completed forms to Office of Pre-Health Advising via email at prehealthadv@vcu.edu. Form G must
be hand delivered or mailed with a $20 check or money order payable to Virginia Commonwealth University, to
Mark Bassard in the Campus Learning Center, Hibbs 108. After a folder is created for you, these documents
and all letters of evaluation that come in for you will be kept in your folder. You can check the status of your
folder through the on-line system that is available on Blackboard. Blackboard keeps tracks of the letters that
have been received and will verify your payment. The letter file will appear on your Blackboard account as a
course entitled “pre-health file” once your letters start arriving. Look in the grade book function for updates.
Received letters will be acknowledged in Blackboard by the listing of the last name of the author of the letter.
REGULATIONS CONCERNING PARTICIPATION IN PRE-HEALTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Due to limited interview space, the Pre-health Advisory Committee cannot guarantee all students an interview.
In order to obtain an interview, students must meet the following minimum criteria:




Have completed at least 25 credit hours by June 1, 2013 (Spring enrollment will be considered).
A minimum cumulative VCU GPA of 3.2 by the end of Fall 2012 semester (including repeated courses)
OR a 3.5 cumulative GPA (including curse repeats) in the last 60 credit hours attempted at VCU
Attend at one of the orientation sessions. Check for dates, times, and locations of sessions at
http://uc.vcu.edu/academic-advising/pre-health/
Complete a pre-health advisory committee applications which includes:
o Forms A,B,C,D,E,F and H (for re-applicants) emailed to prehealthadv@vcu.edu by April 12,
2013 at 5 pm
o Submit form G with a $20 check or money order payable to Virginia Commonwealth University,
to Mark Bassard in the Campus Learning Center, Hibbs 108 by April 12, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.
o At least 2 letters of evaluation received at the Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising by April
12, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.
o All letters of evaluation should be sent to the attention of Ms. Sonya Barnes and dropped off or
mailed to University College Advising, Office of Pre-health Sciences, located on the 1st floor of
Hibbs Hall. Letters can also be sent directly from the letter writer via email to
prehealthadv@vcu.edu .
If your application is lacking any of these credentials or is received after the deadline, you will be notified via
your VCU e-mail that your application for a committee interview has been denied.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TRANSMITTING LETTERS
For pre-medical (allopathic and osteopathic) students:
Our office will transmit packets electronically directly through the AMCAS systems for most medical schools.
Additionally, VCU participates in VirtualEvals, a program that allows us to electronically transmit evaluation packets to all
other participating medical and osteopathic schools.
If applying through AMCAS, please indicate in the AMCAS system your assigned pre-health advisor’s name, title and
email address (see the advisor assignment list below).
Once you have confirmed that all of your letters of evaluation have been received in Blackboard and you have applied to
medical and/or osteopathic schools, you can request that your packets be transmitted to schools where you have
applied.
When you are ready for this step, email your assigned pre-health advisor (see advisor assignment below) with a request
to transmit your packet to your professional schools. Email requests may be sent to your adviser on or after July 15,
2013.
The email request must include:
 A statement from you giving the advisor permission to transmit your packet
 A list of the schools to which you are applying
 Your AMCAS #
 Your AACOMAS #
 Your AMCAS Letter ID
For pre-podiatry, and pre-optometry students:
VCU participates in VirtualEvals, a program that allows us to electronically transmit evaluation packets to all participating
optometry and podiatric schools. This technology allows us to send your packets to the participating schools before
secondary packets are requested from you. This is an advantage because it ensures timely and reliable delivery of your
materials.
Once you have confirmed that all of your letters of evaluation have been received in Blackboard and you have applied to
optometry and podiatric schools, you can request that your packets be transmitted to schools where you have applied.
When you are ready for this step, email your assigned pre-health advisor (see advisor assignment below) with a request
to transmit your packet to your professional schools. Email requests may be sent to your advisor on or after July 15,
2013.
The email request must include:
 A statement from you giving the advisor permission to transmit your packet
 A list of the schools to which you are applying
For pre-dental students:
Letters are sent electronically through the AADSAS system. AADSAS will transmit your packet to all of the dental
schools that you apply to. When you are filling out the letter of reference portion of the AADSAS application, it is
important you list, the name and email address of your assigned pre-health advisor AADSAS will contact your pre-health
advisor and make a request that your letter of evaluation be uploaded into the AADSAS system.
Once you have confirmed that all of your letters of evaluation have been received in Blackboard and you have applied to
medical and/or osteopathic schools, you can request that your packets be transmitted to schools where you have
applied.
When you are ready for this step, email your pre-health adviser (see advisor assignment below) with a request to
transmit your packet to your professional schools. Email requests may be sent to your adviser on or after July 15, 2013.
The email request must include:
 A statement from you giving the advisor permission to transmit your packet
 Your AADSAS #
All transmissions requests are processed within five business days.
Pre-health Advisor Assignment – First Letter of Your Last Name
A-C assigned to Ms. Prajana Kulkarni (kulkarnipv@vcu.edu)
D-G assigned to Ms. Betty Ann Moriarty (bamoriarty@vcu.edu)
H-K assigned to Ms. Sarah Pezzat (scpezzat@vcu.edu)
L-P assigned to Ms. Amber Cummings (cummingsam@vcu.edu)
Q-S assigned to Mr. John Hendershot (hendershotje@vcu.edu)
T-Z assigned to Ms. Sonya Barnes (slbarnes@vcu.edu)
Only one transmission can be made so make sure your packet is updated with all the evaluations you want the
professional schools to view before sending instructions to transmit materials.
TRANSMITTING LETTERS
To maximize your chance of admission to professional schools, you will want to be considered by admissions
committees early in the process (when there are more spaces available in the entering class for which you are applying).
Therefore, it is to your advantage to have your file complete and letters ready to transmit by July 15, 2013. Letters are
transmitted by the Office of Pre-health Advising within 5 business days from the receipt of your letter
transmission request.
It is your responsibility to have your file complete and request your letters in a timely fashion. The Office of Pre-health
Sciences Advising will neither guarantee that letters will arrive by the school’s deadline, nor provide special rush
services (such as faxing or next day service) for any individual student. Letters are sent on a first requested, first
transmitted basis. Packet transmission will begin on July 15, 2013.
ApplicationforPre‐healthAdvisoryCommitteeand/orLetterofEvaluationFile
Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising
FORM A: ACCESS WAIVER
PLEASE FILL OUT THE PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CHECK ONE OF THE STATEMENTS.
Personal Information:
Last Name
First Name
Middle
VCU ID# (Social Security Number not acceptable)
Local Address
Local Phone
Email Address
ACCESS WAIVER
In accordance with the provisions of the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1975 as amended (20 U.S.C.
1232g), I understand that I have the right to either waive or retain access to evaluation letters obtained in
support of my application to professional school (s). I recognize that waiving my right of access is not a
requirement for consideration of my application or for any other services provided by the Office of PreHealth Sciences Advising at Virginia Commonwealth University.
I desire to be evaluated by the VCU Pre-health Advisory Committee and I waive my right to access the
Committee evaluation and all evaluations submitted by individuals. I have read and understand all the regulations that
relate to the collection of letters stated above. I pledge on my honor that all information that I am presenting to the Prehealth Advisory committee and the Office of Pre-health Advising is factual and original materials. If selecting this
option, complete Forms A, B, C, D, E, F and G of this packet, H for reapplicants.
I do not desire to be evaluated by the VCU Pre-health Advisory Committee but I would like the Office of PreHealth Advising to collect letters of evaluation on my behalf and submit them to designated schools. I waive my right to
access all evaluations submitted by individuals. I have read and understand all the regulations that relate to the
collection of letters stated above. I pledge on my honor that all information that I am presenting to the Office of Prehealth Advising is factual and original materials. If selecting this option, complete Forms A, B and G of this packet.
ApplicationforPre‐healthAdvisoryCommitteeand/orLetterofEvaluationFile
Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising
FORM B: RECOMMENDATION REQUEST FILE FORM
PLEASE COMPLETE ALL FIELDS.
Last Name
First Name
Middle
V# (Social Security Number not acceptable)
AACOMAS/AADSAS/AMCAS/AACPMAS/OptomCAS # if known
Local Address
Local Phone
Email Address
Which professional school are you applying to?
Medical
Osteopathic
Podiatry
Will you be applying to allopathic and osteopathic schools simultaneously?
Dental
Optometry
Yes
No
When do you plan to enter Medical/Dental/Optometry School?
Please list the name(s) of the evaluator(s) you plan to ask for letters.
NAME OF EVALUATOR
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Additional Evaluator if applying to MD/Ph. D
program or D.O. schools
6.
INSTITUTION, DEPARTMENT or
BUSINESS
DATE OF
REQUEST
ApplicationforPre‐healthAdvisoryCommitteeand/orLetterofEvaluationFile
Office of Pre-health Sciences Advising
FORM G: PAYMENT VERFICATION
Participating in the Pre-health Advisory Committee process or establishing a letter of recommendation file
with the Office of Pre-health Advising requires you to submit a $20.00 fee. This fee is used to offset
administrative, training and other costs associated with the Pre-Health Advisory Committee and the
transmission of documents.
Please complete this form and enclose with a $20 check (starter checks are not accepted) or money order
payable to Virginia Commonwealth University in an envelope and hand deliver to Mark Bassard in the
Campus Learning Center, Hibbs 108 or mail to:
Mark Bassard
University College
Campus Learning Center
PO Box 842500
Richmond, VA 23284-2500
Name:
V#
Phone Number:
Email address:
Payments will be accepted between February 1, 2013 and April 12, 2013 for a committee interview. A
$50.00 returned check will be imposed by VCU Treasury Department. Early payment is encouraged
to avoid any delay in the processing of your Pre-health Committee application.
Student Receipt
Payment for $20.00 received on
Form of Payment:
Check
Money Order
Check #
Money Order #