For the HP Advising office to hold your letters, you must submit a signed Health Professions File Waiver Form to healthprofessions@holycross.edu and submit an excel spreadsheet with your list of requested letters. Below are detailed instructions, as well as a template to request letters.
We require a minimum of three letters of the following types for a preliminary committee review, but almost always need more to craft a compelling committee letter. If you are unable to obtain any of these letters contact Prof. Cahill to discuss the situation. Please ask that at least three letters be submitted by February 15. If letters come in late, it may delay your review.
- A professor from your major department at Holy Cross with whom you completed at least one class
- Two professors from laboratory science courses (ideally from Holy Cross) including one outside of your major with whom you completed at least one class if you are a science major. (Notes: this requirement may be met by the instructor of the lecture portion of the laboratory science course, e.g. introductory biology. Letters from laboratory instructors are helpful as additional letters but do not meet this requirement.)
- Someone who supervised your work in a clinical (or similar) setting
- If you are an alumnus and currently employed, a letter from a supervisor. If you just started your position, you may request the letter to arrive by April 15.
However, more letters are almost always necessary for both a comprehensive review and to write a strong composite committee letter to your health professions school. We need evaluations from people who have known you in a variety of classroom, laboratory, clinical, and professional settings. Additional letters from a professor, coach, advisor, mentor, or supervisor who can review your academic, volunteer or professional activities are helpful. Letters from instructors in humanities classes are especially valuable. More than one letter from your major and laboratory sciences are usually needed. In general, it is helpful to ask letters from all those with whom you have worked closely, and from a range of activities. Note that if you are applying to osteopathic medical school (DO) you need a letter from an osteopathic physician, and if you are applying to dental school you need a letter from a dentist before you apply to your graduate program. We continue to accept letters until your letter is submitted to the application service in summer. We will securely hold submitted letters until you apply, so you do not need to re-request letters if you delay your application for a year or more.