Letters of Evaluation

Letters of evaluation, sometimes referred to as letters of recommendation, are a critical component of the podiatry school application process.  Letters offer admissions committee members additional perspectives on an applicant's traits, competencies, and growth as it relates to podiatry school preparation.  

The AACPMAS application limits applicants to entering information for three evaluations.  Applicants who wish to submit more than three evaluations must submit additional information directly to podiatry programs. In general, podiatry schools are looking for letters from science professors and podiatrists.  It is up to the applicant to check specific letter writer requirements at each of the podiatry schools they plan to apply to.  The College Information Book and AACPM website are great resources for each podiatry school.  

Outside of meeting the letter writer requirements set forth by podiatry schools, applicants should be asking individuals who know them well.  The letter writer should have a good sense of the applicant's goals, reasons for pursuing podiatric medicine, and awareness of the courses and experiences the applicant has engaged in to prepare for podiatry school.  Developing a meaningful relationship with a professor, mentor, research PI, employer or supervisor takes dedication and work from the applicant.  The PMHSC advisors encourage pre-podiatry students to practice relationship-building early on by utilizing office hours, asking questions in class, and exploring additional learning opportunities such as shadowing.  

Letter Storage 

Podiatry schools prefer that letters of evaluation remain confidential from the applicant.  This means that the letter writer will be responsible for uploading their letter to the application.  This cannot happen until the application is started by the applicant though.  The AACPMAS Applicant Help Center provides a good set of directions about evaluations.  The AACPMAS website also lays out additional storage options for students.  

Tips for Asking a Letter Writer 

1. Ask in person whenever possible 
2. Be prepared with a CV/resume. Some letter writers ask for a personal statement too. 
3. Know what competencies you'd like for the letter writer to comment on.  Some students like to provide their letter writers with the AAMC Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation. 
4. Be ready to describe what the letter writer will do once they are ready to turn it in 
5. Never agree to write the letter for your letter writer.  Instead, offer to create a shortlist of bullet points from your resume and interactions with the letter writer that they can use