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Composite Letter Services

Case Western Reserve University undergraduate students and recent alumni applying to medical or dental schools may apply for a Composite Letter Packet to be submitted by a healthcare careers advisor. The packet consists of individual letters of recommendation submitted to the Career Center from faculty, professional mentors and supervisors, and a letter of evaluation from a healthcare careers advisor.

Required Letters of Recommendation

The Composite Letter Packet requires three letters of recommendation from CWRU faculty. Two faculty letters must come from the areas of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Mathematics. At least one of these two letters must come from a faculty member who has taught a course in which you were enrolled. The third faculty letter must come from a non-STEM area, such as the arts, humanities, social sciences or business. 

Up to two additional letters may be submitted for inclusion in the letter packet. These optional letters may come from additional faculty members (CWRU or non-CWRU), primary investigators and research mentors, health professionals you have shadowed, or supervisors.

    First-Time Applicants that completed the Medical School Application and Preparation Canvas Course by the posted deadline and Re-Applicants for Composite Letter Packets will collect letters of recommendation through PrivateFolio.

    Create Your PrivateFolio Account

    1. Use the CWRU referral link to create your PrivateFolio account: privatefolio.com/auth/webUser/signup?invitedReferralCode=Case-Western-Pre-Health
    2. Enter your information, choose a password, and press "Submit" to create your account.
    3. You will receive a confirmation email. Click on the confirmation link in this email, and then log in to your account using your email address and password.
    4. You will be asked to choose an account term. The cost for one year of access to PrivateFolio is $9.99; they also offer three years of access for $24.99, and five years of access for $37.99.

    Request Confidential Letters of Recommendation

    1. Log in to your PrivateFolio account.
    2. Under "Recommendation Letters", click on "Request a Letter."
    3. Fill in your letter writer's name and contact information, as well as a title for the document (e.g., Professor FIRST NAME, LAST NAME - Letter of Recommendation). This title will be visible to the writer and any institution you send deliveries to.
    4. You have the option of modifying the text of the request that will be sent to your letter writer. We highly recommend that you specify a due date for the letter and that it should be signed.
    5. Check the box indicating that you waive rights of access (this is required to ensure the confidentiality of letters).
    6. Click on "Submit."
    7. Your letter writer will receive an email with the details of your request and a link through which he or she can upload the letter.
    8. You will receive a confirmation email once the letter writer has submitted their letter to PrivateFolio and it is available. Our Healthcare Careers staff will also be able to view the letter.

    For additional guidance, visit the "Collecting Letters of Recommendation for Composite Letter Packets" page in the Canvas course.

    Eligibility for a Composite Letter Packet / Important Dates and Deadlines

    The 2024-2025 composite letter cycle has concluded. Information regarding the 2025-2026 cycle will be made available in October. You can pre-register for the application requirements info session scheduled for Tuesday, October 29th, on Handshake.