1
Pre-Med/Health Advising Office Frequent Asked Questions
FAQ’s – General Topics
FAQ’s – Letters of Recommendation
FAQ’s – General Topics
1. Is there anywhere I can find the medical school requirements? What are med school pre-
requisites?
The requirements
for FSU College of Medicine are on the web.
There are general med school requirements, but each medical school determines what they
require. Find the details in our Premedical Manual
online and talk with a pre-health advisor
about starting the process and getting on your path to med school. Go online to schedule your
appointment or call 850-644-7678 if there are no appointments available.
2. May I talk to someone about the medical school application?
Yes, it is an important process that takes a lot of planning and effort. Make an appointment to
talk with a pre-health advisor. Go online
to schedule your appointment or call 850-644-7678 if
there are no appointments available. We recommend meeting with your pre-health advisor at
least once each semester.
3. Can I talk to someone about the Physician Assistant (PA) program?
The FSU College of Medicine Physician Assistant Program staff
can help you with specific
questions. And you can go online for more information about their program:
http://med.fsu.edu/index.cfm?page=pa.home
And FAQ’s:
https://med.fsu.edu/pa/faq
We have general information about PA programs in our Pre-PA Manual online.
Our pre-health advisors can help, too. Go online to schedule your appointment or call 850-644-
7678 if there are no appointments available.
4. What is the best major for medical school?
There is no “pre-med” major at FSU. Any major is acceptable for medical school as long as you
satisfy the prerequisite courses. Your major is a chance for you to explore and engage in your
interests. Science majors are a typical choice because they contain many of the prerequisite
courses. However, you can complete the program prerequisites with any major. Please contact
a pre-health advisor for an appointment. Go online
to schedule your appointment or call 850-
644-7678 if there are no appointments available.
2
5. How do I schedule an appointment with a pre-med/pre-health advisor? It’s easy. You can go
online
to schedule your appointment or call 850-644-7678 if there are no appointments
available.
6. Who can schedule an appointment with a pre-med/pre-health advisor?
Appointments are currently prioritized for FSU students and alumni, FAMU, and TCC students.
Appointment availability for non-FSU students is limited depending on the time of year,
application season, and demand for advising. Prospective students may consult with an FSU
prehealth advisor in late summer and mid-December as advisor availability permits.
7. Can I talk to the advisor about my classes so that I make sure I get the right ones?
Yes! You need to meet with your major advisor to make sure you’re on track for your degree
AND meet with your pre-health advisor
to discuss to path to graduate and professional school.
8. Can I take a class in the community college in summer when I am back home?
A general liberal studies course is OK but most professional schools prefer science courses from
a four-year college or university. Discuss with your choices with your pre-health advisor
because circumstances are different for each student.
9. Do medical schools accept pass or fail class’s credits?
We do not advise students to elect to take any courses pass/fail. Medical school prerequisites
must be taken for a letter grade.
10. Are there any student organizations for pre-health students?
Yes! Please visit this website
for more information.
11. Where can I find a list of places in Tallahassee where pre-health students can volunteer?
Please visit this website
.
12. I have graduated from FSU. Can I still see the pre-health advisors?
Of course! Please go online
to schedule your appointment or call 850-644-7678 if there are no
appointments available. Appointments may be in-person, virtual or phone appointment.
3
FAQ’s – Letters of Recommendation
13. I heard you guys do a letters service, how does it work?
Yes, we offer a letter packet service for medical school applicants only (allopathic and/or
osteopathic schools). Letter writers send their letters to us electronically and we submit a letter
packet to be uploaded with your professional school application.
More information and details are on our website:
http://med.fsu.edu/index.cfm?page=AdvisingOutreach.premedLetters
To start the letter packet process, you must meet with a pre-health advisor. Go online
to
schedule your appointment or call 850-644-7678 if there are no appointments available.
14. Do I have to use the Letter Packet service?
No, the Letter Packet service is optional and is a service for FSU students to make sure that their
letters are getting to the right place and are formatted correctly. Students can use the Letter
Packet Service or ask their writers to upload letters directly. Here is a link with instructions for
the letter writers to create an account and upload letters letter to AMCAS:
https://services.aamc.org/letterwriter/
15. Can your office provide a committee letter?
FSU does not have a pre-med committee so does not offer a “committee letter”. FSU students
need to request letters of recommendation from letter writers like faculty, healthcare providers,
community service coordinators, etc.
16. What’s the difference between a “Committee Letter” and a “Letter Packet”?
FSU does not have a pre-med committee so does not offer a “committee letter”. Letter writers
send their letters to us electronically and we submit a letter packet to be uploaded with your
professional school application.
17. I am requesting letters of recommendation but can’t remember if I signed the waiver or not.
How can I find out if I did?
Questions like this one regarding our letter packet service and the process of submitting letters
of recommendation can be emailed to [email protected].edu
. If you still have questions, you
can go online to schedule your appointment or call 850-644-7678 if there are no appointments
available.
18. My professor said they sent their letter, but they did not receive a confirmation email. Did you
get my letter?
Letter writers will receive confirmation that their letter was received within 2- 3 days.
Students will also be emailed within 72 hours after their letters are received. If they have not
been notified by our office, that means the letter has not been sent yet.
Students do not need to call or email to check back – just check their emails for the
confirmation. They can also check with their letter writer directly for confirmation that they
sent the letter.
4
19. I want to check how many letters that you guys have received, so that I could know who else
hasn’t sent it yet.
Students will be emailed within 72 hours after their letters are received. If they have not been
notified by our office, that means the letter has not been sent yet. They do not need to call or
email to check back – just check their emails. They can also check with their letter writer
directly for confirmation that they sent the letter.
20. I checked my AMCAS application and my letter status still says “Letters not received” but I got
confirmation from Virtual Evals. I am confused. What’s going on?
Submitting letter packets is a multistep process. Because so many students apply, it can take
AMCAS 2 – 3 business days to process and upload letters for each applicant. Upon receiving
your Virtual Evals confirmation, please wait 1 – 2 business days for your AMCAS letter status to
update. If you still have problems, let us know! Email us at [email protected]
or go
online to schedule your appointment or call 850-644-7678 if there are no appointments
available.
21. I am worried my letter writer can’t get my letter done on time. What should I do?
There isn’t one definitive answer for this. We like to advise you personally, on a case-by-case
basis, for these types of situations. Please call 850-644-7678 or go online
to schedule an in
person or phone appointment.
22. Can students reuse the letters from the past year or previous application cycle?
Letters on file from a previous application cycle cannot be included in a letter packet without
consent from the letter writers. Students need to have their letter writers email
with an updated letter OR written permission to use the previously
submitted letter. It’s in the student’s best interest to 1) have current letters; 2) receive permission
to use a letter written in the past; 3) keep their letter writers updated on their application plans.
Some programs do not like to see letters older than a year. It also looks better to show the
student is still in communication with their letter writers.
23. May a student have letters of recommendation forwarded directly to AMCAS from one letter
writer and from our Letter of Recommendations Service if it is a different letter writer?
Letter writers are permitted to submit their letters directly. The student can either use the
AMCAS Interfolio service or the FSU Pre-Health Office letter service. For AMCAS Interfolio,
students need to include the letter writers’ information in AMCAS so they would receive the
request and the link to submit. The other option is for a student to make a letter request form for
each individual letter and would need to send this request to each letter writer.
Below is the link that better explains the two options so the student can review them.
https://students-residents.aamc.org/how-apply-medical-school-amcas/section-6-amcas-
application-letters-evaluation
24. Can students submit their AMCAS application without their letter packet? Will they consider my
application if it is not complete?
Yes! students can submit their applications without their letter packets. (All application items
5
must be in before submission except for MCAT score and letters since they don’t require
verification). AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS verify students’ applications before sending them
out to individual schools; this process takes 4-6 weeks. So, we advise students to have their
letters in within this time so all materials will be sent to schools at the same time. However, even
if letters are added later than that, they are still accepted.
