When preparing for medical or dental school application, Texas Tech students can either obtain individual letters of recommendation (also known as letters of evaluation) or have a packet prepared, combining their letters and including a summary cover letter.

Letters of Evaluation (LoE) Packets can be generated in partnership with and uploaded by a PPHC advisor, while individual letters are traditionally requested from and uploaded by those whom applicants ask write letters. Both are acceptable ways of submitting letters for all application services.

The LoE process may require multiple advising appointments if an applicant has not previously established an advising relationship with their assigned PPHC advisor.

Evaluation forms for letter writers will only be provided after the LoE advising appointment.  

To begin the process of creating an LoE Packet with a PPHC advisor, please make sure you meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Hold at least a cumulative GPA of 3.0 of higher (including all college-level coursework, not just TTU GPA)
• No more than 24 months have passed since graduating from Texas Tech University (if applicable) at time of packet submission
• Not currently enrolled in another institution of higher education
• You have not submitted 2 LoE packets in previous application cycles

PPHC works with students to prepare and submit LoE Packets between February 15th and October 15th for each year's application cycle, however students may not begin the LoE process any later than August 1st (which is already an extremely late start). PPHC advisors will not upload any letter packets after October 15th.

• Begin: February 15th
• End: October 15th
• PPHC will not begin a letter packet after August 1st

Admissions committees expect to see letters from the following people:

• A science professor, upper-level preferred
• A supervisor from clinical or research experience
• A professor from your undergraduate major
• A professional with whom you have shadowed
• Your supervisor, if you are currently employed or volunteering

Avoid sending letters from teaching assistants, friends, school alumni, relatives, clergy, or politicians, UNLESS
they personally supervised your professional work or research and can comment on the specific attributes being
evaluated in the admissions process.

A substantive letter of evaluation has three important features:

• The author knows the required intellectual ability and professional effectiveness necessary to succeed in
  health professions program specified.
• The author knows the applicant well enough to evaluate his or her relevant qualifications.
• The writer provides not only an overall assessment of the applicant, but enough supporting detail to
  validate his or her conclusions.

Letters of Evaluation Dos and Do Nots

• DO inform your letter writers you will be applying to multiple institutions. They will want to address your
  letters of evaluation generally (i.e. Dear Admissions Committee, To Whom It May Concern).
• DO ask if your letter writer is willing to write you a strong recommendation.
• DONOT wait until the last minute to ask for a letter. Professional courtesy is one month.
• DO NOT wait to provide supporting documents (resume, Applicant Evaluation Form, etc.).
• DO NOT forget to write a thank you note or card afterward!   

From time to time, students will ask if a Pre-Professional Health Careers Advisor will write a letter for them, whether in support of their application to a health professions program or for a scholarship, internship, fellowship, etc. While PPHC does all it can to champion and advocate for pre-health students at Texas Tech University, below are a few items to consider when requesting a letter from a PPHC Advisor:

• Our advisors are super helpful and nice but they may not be the right person to write a letter. Faculty - whether in prerequisite science courses, in a student's major, or otherwise - are often at the top of the list of the best people to write letters, and for many reasons. Not least among those reasons is the fact that students usually spend much more time each semester with their faculty than they do with an advisor. Pre-health students should consider each instructor in every course they take (and any other faculty members they might meet or work with) as potential letter writers.
• In addition to faculty, healthcare professionals are often cited as beneficial individuals from whom to request letters, particularly when the student has spent a meaningful amount of time shadowing, observing, volunteering, or working with that healthcare professional. All pre-health students should be engaging their professional fields of interest in consistent and diverse ways each and every semester, including summers. Students should always consider the healthcare professionals they meet in those settings as potential letter writers.
• If there has been an established advising relationship between a student and a PPHC Advisor or if the student had the Advisor as an instructor in a special PPHC section of RaiderReady (IS 1100), then perhaps a letter request is, in fact, appropriate and reasonable. However, PPHC Advisors will most likely not write a letter for a student if they have not met on at least three (3) separate occasions. Letters should be written by people who have had ample time and appropriate opportunities to accurately and effectively get to know the student.
• While there is no consensus on how much time one should give a letter writer, most advice on that question usually suggests at least one full week, and often much more than that. PPHC Advisors will not accept a letter request from a student without at least one full week to write the letter. Please plan accordingly.

The best letters are not only written by people who know the student well, and are given enough time to be written, but they are also supported with informational documents like a student's resume and a statement of intent. Students may feel like they don't have much by way of experience to put on a resume, but that is often not the case. PPHC encourages all students to work with the University Career Center, the University Writing Center, and the important people in their lives to construct a working resume and a statement of intent. These can be very helpful for any letter writers when considering how best to respond to the request and how to write the best letter possible. PPHC Advisors will not accept a letter writing request if a student does not make these items available at least one week before the letter is needed.

Please contact your assigned PPHC Advisor if you have any questions about letters, letter writers, or how best to make such requests.

The following resources have more information on Letters of Recommendation and what to expect with your application:

TxHES - The Ws of Letters

Medical and Dental Application Information

Princeton Review

Kaplan

Shemmassian

In general letter writers are asked to "Provide an accurate assessment of the applicant's suitability for medical school rather than advocate for the applicant," according to AAMC guidelines.

Most schools request that submitted letters include the following:

• A physical signature
• A current date
• That it be completed on letterhead

Some students will apply to multiple schools and may request that the letter be addressed generally to medical/dental admissions or 'To whom it may concern'. 

Find more guidelines on how to write a letter of recommendation for a medical or dental school applicant on the AAMC website.

The Applicant Evaluation Form includes a list of quantitative questions about student competencies. This PDF will cover all AAMC Professional Competencies which also include a few qualitative items not listed on the evaluation form. Writers may choose to expand on the additional competencies in their letter if they so choose.

As of 2024 PPHC asks that students beginning a letter packet through our LOE service automatically waive their rights to view letters as a part of the terms of service. Evaluators are instructed to send letters and evaluation forms directly to PPHC to maintain confidentiality. Letters may be sent electronically to PPHC@ttu.edu.

Letters may also be mailed to:

Pre-Professional Health Careers
Texas Tech University
Box 41038
Lubbock, TX 79409