What is an Institutional Letter of Support?

While a letter of recommendation evaluates your personal qualifications, work ethic, character, and career suitability based on your performance in a specific context (e.g. class, clinical experience, etc.), a letter of support focuses on validating your application for success in medical/dental/veterinary school, based on the entirety of your application. An Institutional Letter of Support (formally “Committee Letter”) is written in support of a Wesleyan applicant after an interview with HP Advisor and submission of relevant components of the application. Through the interview the HP Advisor will gain unique insight on each applicant, along with details about their motivations for pursuing a health profession. 

Previously, Wesleyan utilized a Health Professions Panel of faculty and staff who mutually awarded one of five levels of recommendation to each applicant. In accordance with other NECOME (Northeast Consortium of Medical Education) institutions, as of 2025, we are no longer utilizing the panel or the levels. We take pride in the caliber of our students and alumni and advocate for their holistic and equitable evaluation.

The support indicated in the Institutional Letter of Support is unique to each applicant and determined based on your undergraduate and/or post-baccalaureate academic breadth and performance, lived experiences, letters of recommendation, experience in research and clinical settings, the nature and extent of your contributions to the community, and an assessment of your aptitude for and commitment to your chosen profession.

The name change to “Institutional Letter of Support” reflects the removal of an internal review panel (Committee) from our process. However, on application platforms (e.g., AMCAS), you should still expect to see and select the “Committee Letter” designation.

Health professional programs greatly appreciate the Institutional Letter/Committee Letter; this comprehensive document is used to assess whether applicants will be offered an interview and for consideration as a member of their incoming cohort. All students and alumni planning on applying to medical, dental, or veterinary programs should consider requesting an Institutional Letter File; while not required, schools expect to see this document from Wesleyan applicants.

Outline and Expectations

The Health Professions (HP) office provides services to help you develop your application. This includes application preparation and review, the Institutional Letter of Support (formerly “Committee Letter”), or the letter packet. You will have access to the services that are most appropriate for your plans and schedule. Each service will require different levels of work from you and contributions from the HP staff.

You will be working directly with,

• Yashoda Sharma, PhD – Health Professions and Life Sciences Career Advisor 
  (HP Advisor) >> ysharma@wesleyan.edu 
• Darwin Pappas-Fernandes, MA – Health Professions Administrative Assistant
  (HP Admin) >> dpappasferna@wesleyan.edu 

The information and services provided here are intended to support you throughout the application process. This is a collaboration between you and the HP staff. Therefore, a high level of professionalism is required. 

You are required to: 

• be aware of and adhere to deadlines. 
• be responsive and open to criticism.
• communicate with the staff often for updates. 

The HP staff will: 

• provide honest feedback and recommendations based on data and their experience.​ 
• help you present yourself in the best light through your academics and activities.​
• facilitate your timely, well-crafted application​ preparation and submission.
• use a first come, first serve application process; therefore, we highly recommend that you begin working on your application early.

The services available to you for the Profession School Application Cycle are:

• Application Readiness Assessment
• Application Preparation: Self-Assessment
• Application Preparation: Narrative Refinement 
• Application Review, Refinement, and Alignment
• Institutional Letter of Support
• Letter Packet

Details on these services, timelines, forms, and associated requirements and deadlines are provided below.

If you have questions about any of the information provided, you may contact health.professions@wesleyan.edu.

A Quick Note on Language

Throughout these instructions and in resources you see online, you may come across references to “EY” and “AY.”

• AY (Application Year) is the year in which you submit your primary and secondary applications to medical, dental, or veterinary schools.
• EY (Entry Year) is the year in which you begin classes at the professional school you will ultimately attend.

Because the application process typically spans more than one calendar year, it is important to pay close attention to whether a resource is referring to the AY or EY cycle so that you understand the timeline and ultimately complete the correct application(s).

For example, an AY2027 applicant submits applications during the spring and summer of 2027 and, if accepted, begins the professional school in the fall of 2028. In other words, AY2027 and EY2028 refer to the same application cycle. On this page, in our advising appointments, and on documentation generally, we tend to use the EY Designation.

Use the QuickLink Buttons below to help navigate this page.

The Institutional Letter of Support File will contain:

• A Cover Page explaining general Wesleyan information (identical for all applicants).
• An Institutional Letter of Support unique to each applicant, written by the HP/LS Advisor.
• All individual Letters of Recommendation, in their entirety.
• A Health Professions Curriculum Vitae (CV) prepared by the applicant.

The Gordon Career Center Health Professions Program manages your letters of recommendation confidentially and securely.

This Institutional Letter File will be uploaded to centralized application system(s) (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, TMDSAS) in conjunction with your application. Assuming all deadlines and requirements have been met by the applicant, the guaranteed latest submission of the ILS File to these systems is the 1st week in August.

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Applicants are responsible for all deadlines and requirements outlined on this webpage.

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A minimum of three and maximum of six letters of recommendation must be uploaded by your writers as PDFs, signed and on letterhead, prior to April 23rd.

The ideal number of recommendations varies from applicant to applicant. If you are unsure whom to ask how many letters to request, talk with the Health Professions and Life Sciences Career Advisor.

All letters of recommendation are confidential and may not be viewed by the applicant. Admissions committees strongly recommend confidential letters, as they carry greater credibility.

• At least two letters must come from Wesleyan University faculty or staff.
• Two science-related letters (e.g., from science faculty) is strongly advised
• At least one clinically-related letter from a health professional (such as doctor, nurse, PA, etc.) is strongly advised.
• Check each school’s requirements: some may ask specifically for letters from a PI, MD, or research supervisor.

Give writers at least 8 weeks’ notice before the deadline, and provide each of them with:

• Your unique document upload link
• Letter of Recommendation Guidelines
• AAMC Letter Writer Guidelines
• Your full name, major(s), minor(s)/certificates, graduation year, GPA and an updated resume
• Brief statement about your interest in the health profession

Consider also scheduling a meeting with each letter writer to discuss your background and career goals.

Notify the HPAA if there are changes to your list of letter of recommendation writers by submitting the LOR Writer Update.

Questions? Letter writers can contact the HPAA at:

📞 860-685-3376
✉️ health.professions@wesleyan.edu

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Details addressing FAQs related to Transcripts, Institutional Action, and Letter Designation are supplied below. However, Official Applicant Guides from the relevant centralized application system are the best resource for information related to the application content and process.

Official Applicant Guides

• AMCAS Applicant Guide (EY 2027)
• AACOMAS Applicant Guide
• TMDSAS Application Guide

• AADSAS Applicant Guide

• VMCAS Applicant Guide (AY 2026)

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Our office does not send transcripts to the centralized application systems. You will be required to independently submit an official transcript for every college/university attended.

For Wesleyan, you will request the official transcript with Parchment, via the Registrar’s website.

• On AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, or VMCAS: enter Wesleyan as your institution and generate the Transcript Request Form. Take note of the “TranscriptID” on this document.
• Create an account on Parchment. Enter Wesleyan as your Institution, and click “Transcript Order.”
• On Parchment, when you reach the “delivery destination” field, you should type in your centralized application system (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, etc.). The organization should autofill from the search, and you will click “Select”
• Fill in your AAMC(etc.) ID, Transcript ID (from the Transcript Request Form noted above), and complete the payment.

Entering Wesleyan Credits

When you are working on your primary centralized application you will find a section to enter your coursework. In this section, you must enter everything, including the number of credits, exactly as appears on your official transcript.

The centralized application staff will convert credits to a four-credit scale to normalize all applicants’ academic records. Unless it is explicitly stated otherwise in the official instructions, do not convert them on your own.

Generally speaking, a one-credit course at Wesleyan is equivalent to four semester credits; a 0.75 credit course is equivalent to three semester credits; a 0.50 credit course is equivalent to two semester credits; a 0.25 credit course is equivalent to one semester credit.

For Dual-Degree Graduates

If you have received a BA/MA or MALS Degree from Wesleyan, you need to enter your degrees individually on AMCAS; however, you only need to request ONE official transcript from Wesleyan (the official transcript transmitted via Parchment will contain all coursework for all degrees).

Complete your undergraduate transcript request as described above. Then on AMCAS, for your MA or MALS degree, you should select a transcript exception. You should choose the option that states “Multiple Degree or consortium/cross registration program with no separate transcript available.” The explanatory text will say something like:

Choose this option if no separate transcript is available from the school where coursework was attempted. Only one transcript is required for schools that you attended more than once, as long as all coursework appears on the same official transcript.

For TMDSAS, please view transcript upload instructions here: https://www.tmdsas.com/application-guide/transcripts.html

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If you have any record of disciplinary sanctions at Wesleyan, you will receive the official wording describing the violation in detail (e.g., assistance without knowledge, plagiarism, intoxication, disturbance of the peace, unauthorized pets, candles, etc.). While completing your centralized application, you will be required to disclose any incident that pertains to either academic misconduct or non-academic conduct violations. While discussing the incident(s) you should reflect on what you learned from this experience and how it may have contributed to your growth.

As part of your initial request for an Institutional Letter of Recommendation File (or request for a Letter Packet), you will have completed the Institutional Letter Request and Consent form, which includes acknowledgement about this process.

In AMCAS, the exact language that appears is:

“If you were ever the recipient of any institutional action by any college or medical school for unacceptable academic performance or conduct violation, you must answer Yes, even if such action did not interrupt your enrollment or require you to withdraw. Furthermore, select Yes even if the action does not appear on, or has been deleted or expunged from, your official transcripts as a consequence of institutional policy or personal petition.

Failure to provide an accurate answer to the question about institutional action or, if applicable, failure to complete the form provided by the school will result in an investigation. Medical schools require you to answer the question accurately and provide all relevant information. Medical schools understand that many individuals learn from the past and emerge stronger as a result. Full disclosure will enable medical schools to evaluate the information more effectively within the context of your application.”

If a health professional school requests a Letter of Academic and Disciplinary Clearance, please forward the request(s) to: health.professions@wesleyan.edu. If the program requests a digital upload of this document, please provide health.professions@wesleyan.edu as the relevant email address. We will send a cover letter from our office along with a copy of the original Letter of Academic and Disciplinary Clearance to that specific program.

If you would like to discuss your Institutional Action prior to applying, including how to write about the incident on your application, or how to appropriately discuss the details in interviews, please make an appointment with the HP/LS CA.

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There are different types of letters that can be uploaded to the centralized application systems. The applicant must select a type of letter and enter the evaluator’s information.

If you have requested an Institutional Letter from Wesleyan, and have met all of the deadlines, you will indicate “Committee Letter” when completing your primary application. In the AMCAS application, this entry generates a unique Request ID # for the Wesleyan Institutional Letter, which will be provided to us as part of your Formal Request for ILR Upload (details above).

For the Evaluator Information for the Institutional Letter, please use the HP/LS CA’s contact information:

Yashoda Sharma, PhD
Health Professions & Life Sciences Career Advisor
health.professions@wesleyan.edu
860-685-2180 | Gordon Career Center
41 Wyllys Ave, Middletown, CT 06459

If you have additional Letters of Recommendation that are not included in the Institutional Letter File, you may add a separate entry for an “individual letter writer” even after having selected “Committee Letter” as your first entry. Those individuals would need to upload their letters of recommendation independently

Waiving Your Right to Access the Letters of Recommendation:

When you submit your request via centralized application systems, you’ll be asked to waive your right to view the recommendation documents. Medical schools and other health professions programs strongly prefer confidential letters, which are considered to be more credible and objective.

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Your file will be uploaded by August 6, 2027 if:

• All requirements are met by May 1, 2027
• Your Institutional Letter Interview takes place no later than May 31, 2027
• You complete the Formal Request for Upload by June 1, 2027
• You take the MCAT (or DAT) by the last test date in July, or earlier*
• You file the centralized application to medical/dental/veterinary school by the end of July.**

*It is highly recommended that you take your MCAT/DAT with enough time to have your scores available when choosing the schools that you will be adding to your application. If you decide to re-take the MCAT/DAT, consult with the Health Professions/Life Sciences Career Advisor regarding the timing.

**It can take 4-6 weeks to process, verify, and transmit your primary centralized application. Medical schools will then send out secondaries. Ideally, all application materials should be in the hands of the medical schools by mid-August. This includes the primary application, the Institutional Letter of Recommendation File or Letter Packet, and the secondary applications.

If you had your Institutional Letter interview in the fall, and have important updates (such as new clinical experiences) by the spring, please make a new advising appointment with the HP/LS CA no later than May 2026 so the updates can be incorporated.

If you miss designated deadlines, or do not take the MCAT/DAT for the first time by the last test date in July, we will be unable to provide you with an Institutional Letter of Recommendation File. However, you may still request a Letter Packet.

If you have earlier submission deadlines for documents in support of your application to your health professions programs (such as program-specific requirements or Early-Decision applications), we will need a minimum of 2-months advanced notice. You may need to ask schools for extensions regarding the arrival of the Institutional Letter of Recommendation File.

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