Navigating the Letter of Recommendation Section on AMCAS

1. Navigating the Letter of Recommendation Section on AMCAS For Medical School Applicants using the Letter of Recommendation Service provided by Lewis Associates

2. Letter of Recommendation Section – Special Notes • This section DOES NOT HAVE TO BE COMPLETED in order to submit your primary application (AMCAS). • You can log onto your AMCAS account after your AMCAS application has been submitted to enter the Letter of Recommendation information if you wish since medical schools ask for your letters AFTER your AMCAS application is submitted.

3. Letter of Recommendation Section • Make sure you have completed the following sections: • Biographical Information • Colleges Attended • You may then skip over to the “Letters of Evaluation/Recommendation Summary” Section. • There is a link that lists all the medical schools participating in the 2011 AMCAS Letters Service. • Click on it to see if any of your schools are listed.

4. Letter of Recommendation Section • Since 131 of the 138 schools are participating this year, you need to complete this section. • Click “YES”.

6. Letter of Recommendation Section • If you selected “YES”: • The next window will ask you to select the “type of letter.” • For Lewis Associates Packet Letter select: • “Letter Packet” • And then “Continue” • It’s okay to complete this section either prior to or after submitting your AMCAS.

8. Letter of Recommendation Section • You will then be asked to indicate where the letters originate. • If you are using the Lewis Associates’ Letter of Recommendation Service, select “other”, then select: • State - California • School - Other (Not Listed) • School Name - Lewis Associates • Click on “Continue.”

10. Letter of Recommendation Section • You will be asked to provide a title for your Letter Packet. • Here are suggested easy titles. • X College_Packet (your undergraduate school) • Lewis Associates_Packet • Primary Contact/Author information: • Dr. Cynthia Lewis • drlewis@lewisassoc.com • 805-226-9669 • Organization Name: Lewis Associates • Address: 1885 Laguna Del Campo • Templeton, CA 93465 • We advise completing the ADDITIONAL AUTHORS so that AMCAS has names of all your letter authors in this packet, but this is optional and cannot be changed once submitted. So, be accurate! If you do not have a letter sitting in your file yet, do not name that author. You can add it later.

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13. Letter of Recommendation Section • If you choose to list the individual letters within the packet, consider the following suggestions for identifying the authors: • Dr. John Smith – Science Letter • Dr. Jane Doe – Non-science Letter • Dr. Samantha Jones – Health Care Experience • Jim Jones - Job Supervisor • Move on to the next step by clicking “Continue.”

14. Letter of Recommendation SectionIMPORTANT ! • Click “YES” to Print the Letter Request Form. • PC users: • Save it as a PDF file and email to us. • MAC users: • Open with Acrobat Reader, then save it as a PDF and email to us. • We will then provide this form that identifies your Letter Recommendation ID # andyour AAMC ID # with your letter packet to AMCAS by USPS mail. • You should send this form to your college if they have your letters.

16. Letter of Recommendation Section • You will then see a window listing: • The letter packet • The title of the packet • Status of the letter packet • Specific Letter ID number

18. Letter of Recommendation Section • Click “Done” • If you have not submitted your application yet: • - Go to Section 7: Medical Schools • You DO NOT NEED to know ALL the schools where you want to send application before you submit it. • Select the ones where you do know you will apply. • You can return to this section after submitting, select additional schools, if you wish. But, you cannot remove schools once submitted. • If you have already submitted your application: • - you need to go to the Schools section and assign the letter service you just entered (like Lewis Associates packet) to the schools where you want them sent, then you must resubmit your application.

19. Special Notes for Medical School Designation • AMCAS is running a program for conducting criminal background checks. • 91 schools are participating this year. • If you happen to select a school that is participating in the Criminal Background Checks (CBC), a NEW icon “CBC” will appear.

20. Criminal Background Checks – CBC • Upon your initial, conditional acceptance by a participating medical school, or upon request by a participating medical school that adds you to its alternate list, AMCAS partner in this service, Certiphi Screening, Inc., will send an email to the preferred email address you entered in your AMCAS application. This email will provide you with additional information and access to a secure, online form via which you will provide consent for this report to be procured. Your consent will serve for all medical schools, and you will not be asked to provide consent upon receiving additional, conditional acceptance offers by participating medical schools. For more information, visit http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/backgrounddetails.htm

21. Medical School Designation • You will be selecting schools, one at a time. • After selecting a school, click “CONTINUE.”

23. Medical School Designation • You will see the school you selected and the cost of the AMCAS application. • $160.00 for 1 school • $32.00 for each additional school. • Click “Add another school” if you want to select another and repeat the process.

25. Medical School Designation • If you SELECT any of the schools participating in the AMCAS Letter of Recommendation Pilot Program: • You will see a NEW icon “LOE” • It is a reminder that you need to complete the Letter of Recommendation/Evaluation Summary section (which we have now done).

26. Letter of Recommendation Designation • The next window asks which letters are to be sent to the school you just indicated. • If you are using Lewis Associates’ letter service, you need to click on the letter packet title, “Lewis Associates” packet • If you are also sending letters from your university, you will need to complete the letter source information for them plus provide them your Letter of Recommendation ID #, AAMC ID #, and a letter form. Note: If there are 3 sources of letters, then there are 3 Letter of Recommendation ID#s and 3 forms to give, one to each source, so they can send that packet/letter to AMCAS with its identifying data. • Click “Continue”

28. Medical School Designation • You will now see an updated medical school designation list. • You will also know which schools are AMCAS LETTER AND CBC PILOT SCHOOLS, and which are not. • If you want to choose more schools, you will repeat the last procedure and click on Add Another Medical School.

30. Final Words • This process is different from what you may have heard from students who applied last year. • Take it one step at a time. • DO NOT RUSH. ERRORS cannot be fixed after submission. • Utilize the AWESOME help provided by AMCAS. • If you are not using Lewis Associates, but only your college letter service, still make sure you and Dr. Lewis have discussed your letter plan.