Pre-Med Folder

The Pre-Med Folder contains the basic elements that one will use when applying to any health-related professional school, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy and optometry. By opening a Pre-Med Folder with the University Pre-Med Advising Office, one is taking the initiative to assimilate the application materials that will be needed when formal application is made. One of the purposes of the University Pre-Med Advising Committee is to review these materials and offer a critique for potential improvement.
The Pre-Med Folder is also the foundation of the interview offered by the Pre-Med Advising Office. Without the folder, one is ineligible to participate in the interview. Without the interview, it is very difficult to write a letter supporting the application of a candidate.

If one is serious about pursuing any health professional career, but specifically medicine or dentistry, it is to his or her benefit to partner with the University Pre-Med Advising Office, the University Pre-Med Advisor, and to open a Pre-Med folder and prepare for a critique of the application materials and an interview.

Elements of the Folder

The Pink Sheet

When one comes by the Pre-Med office (137 Hillcrest) and picks up the packet of information to open the folder, the one sheet that accomplishes this task is the pink sheet. This sheet is a basic, general resume. Most students complete this quickly and return it to the Pre-Med secretary, who then creates an actual folder and puts the pink sheet in it. The other materials can be brought by later.

Photograph

Absolutely essential. Over 100 letters of reference are written each year for young people working with this office. It is impossible to remember all the students by name. A picture is truly worth a letter when it comes to jogging the memory. Also, photographs are now “legal” parts of one's medical/dental school dossier. The picture in one's application will be compared to the picture used for residency, and both will be compared with the picture one submits for a position. All pictures must be the same person! They must demonstrate that one is who they say they are.

Resume

Submit an updated one each semester. Take the old one from the folder and replace with the updated one. A resume may contain clinical experience, but such experience should be clearly delineated from “work experience” and other kinds of experience. Clinical experience should stand alone.

Personal Statement

There are many, many articles on what a personal statement should include. Two examples are provided in the packet of information you will pick up. Prepare one that is cohesive and clearly explains why one wants to pursue a career in medicine, or another field, and what special qualities one brings to the table for consideration.

Academic Record

Taken off Hokie Spa. Use the official VT transcript for the formal application.

Letters of Reference

The last two pages of the instructions for Pre-Med Folder are to distribute to those individuals who will prepare letters of recommendation. The first page contains information about the University Pre-Med Advising Committee and the kinds of information it would appreciate having. The second page is the waiver and release form. This sheet needs to be signed and dated and waive the right to see the letter. ALWAYS waive the right to see the letter because not doing so suggests that the reference letter is less than honest. To waive the right to see the letter implies that the reviewer is being completely honest.

The reviewer will check the box that allows us to use his or her letter in our packet that is sent to the professional schools of one's choice.

It would be beneficial to prepare a folder of information about oneself to give to each person asked to write a letter on one's behalf. This folder should contain: a photograph (most professors will lose the request in the stack of stuff on their desk, and most don’t get back to the request for several weeks; by that time, they have forgotten who you are – a picture helps to jog the memory of even the brightest professors), a resume, a personal statement, one's academic record off Hokie Spa and any professional experience not listed on the resume. Remember, most professors only know what they know about you through class, which is a very narrow view. When one provides a complete picture of oneself, their knowledge about you as a person has more breadth and depth, and, hence, a better letter can be developed.

Pre-Med Letter of Evaluation Request

Here are a few reminders for students requesting letters of evaluation to be sent to medical or dental schools:

• Please make your request(s) via e-mail to honors@vt.edu.  Please do not leave your requests on our voice mail.
• When making a request, please include the request, your full name and address of the school, and an e-mail address, or telephone number, where you can be reached.
• We will notify you by e-mail or phone when we have met your request.
• There is a fee of $5 for every request over 10.  Please make checks payable to Treasurer, VA Tech.  No cash please.

If you have any additional questions, please call us or send an email.

Downloading Material

The elements of the Pre-Med folder just discussed are not available for downloading. Those interested in developing a partnership with the University Pre-Med Advising Office should come by Hillcrest Hall and personally pick up the packet. We are concerned that downloading promotes obscurity and anonymity. Dr. Sitz does not wish to promote either. He would like the individual to find Hillcrest Hall, find the Pre-Med Advising Office (137 Hillcrest), come by, meet the secretary in the office and personally request the packet. We want to develop a mutually beneficial relationship that is not "virtual".

Developing a Partnership with the University Pre-Med Advising Office and the Pre-Med Advisor

I am rather resistant to writing letters for students that I do not know and those who have basically ignored this office, and who have not taken the initiative to distinguish themselves in a positive way. It is not in the interest of this office to accept responsibility for application materials when the student has chosen not to interact with us.