Applying to medical school this year and a bit confused about the new letter service program that AMCAS has instituted? First of all, remember that it is a pilot program so AMCAS is going to be as flexible as possible with you. In the future, it is safe to assume that all of the kinks in this system will be resolved which will make the submission process even easier. Also, do your best not to over analyze the instructions because they are for the most part, straight forward. And lastly, do not worry too much about how the Career Center will forward your letters because this pilot program has minimal impact on how your letters will be forwarded to AMCAS. When in doubt, always contact either AMCAS or our Letter Service unit directly.
In a nutshell, AMCAS provides two options for you to submit your letters of recommendation:
Option #1
You can send all of your letters to AMCAS under the designation of “Letter Packet” which they will consider as “one letter”. In choosing this option, you would only need to print out one AMCAS “Letter Request Form”. All of your letters will be forwarded to every medical school that you apply to who are participating in this pilot program
Option #2
You can send individual letters to a medical school. In choosing this option, you will need to attach the letter request form to each letter which will then be entered as individual letters. AMCAS has communicated to the career center that they prefer option #1 over option #2 in order to help reduce the amount of forms received.
The Result:
Once you have decided which option to pursue, fill out the form(s) accordingly and forward it to us by fax, mail, email or in person. The Letter Service will post your form(s) into your account. When the form(s) are posted in your LETTERS section, you can then request for both form(s) and letters to be mailed to AMCAS in one packet via our online system.
For more information regarding the AMCAS letter pilot program, please visit their FAQ website: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/amcaslettersfaq.htm
Good luck with applying to medical school this year!
