Letters of recommendation are a crucial part of an application to health profession schools. Your candid evaluation of an applicant’s abilities and potential will greatly aid in the admission process for health profession schools.

Below are some resources that we hope will assist you in the letter-writing process. If you have any additional questions, please contact our coordinator, Amanda Sauter, at alp25@buffalo.edu.

Please see some general guidelines below:

• The letter must be typed and on letterhead. If you are not in a position to use letterhead, include all contact information below your signature.
• The letter must be signed. Only handwritten or Adobe validated/verified signatures will be accepted. Typed signatures are not allowed.
• The letter must be dated.
• The letter should be addressed to “Dear Admission Committee”.
• The letter should recommend more generally to “medical school,” “dental school,” etc. Please do not name a specific school or program, as most students apply to more than one. 

The purpose of your letter of recommendation is to share your insights regarding the applicant’s character, motivations, and specific abilities that would be of value in the professional health system. You, as the writer, should have a good sense of their achievements academically, professionally and/or personally. Schools value your perspectives.

• Relationship with the applicant, period of time and capacity.
• Applicant’s intellectual readiness and maturity for health profession schools.
• Difficulty of coursework or the applicant’s experience.
• Applicant’s special attributes and assets academically, professionally, and personally.
• Comparison of the applicant to other applicants you have recommended.
• Specific examples or supporting circumstances.

• Repetition of grades; information on the applicant’s transcript.
• Positive recommendation without specific examples or supporting circumstances.
• References to the applicant’s appearance.
• Referencing specific school(s) where the applicant is applying (e.g., UB).

See also the AAMC Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation for a Medical School Applicant (also applicable to other health profession schools).