PASS/MATCH Reference Letters

[Tristan28]

Hi there,

I will be applying to OMFS Residency programs this year and had some questions I was hoping those who have already been through it could help me out with... In regards to the reference letters, I know that the referees must send one to PASS/MATCH which then gets sent to all the programs you apply to. However, I notice that the majority of the programs also have supplemental applications/material that they require you to send to them directly. My question is, do the majority of these supplemental apps want additional reference letters or specific evaluation forms filled out by referees in addition to the PASS letter? I am hoping to get my apps done as soon as possible however, as I will be away from home most of July and August, my ability to get signed and sealed letters/forms after June will be very difficult so I wanted to know if I should be asking them now for a bunch of letters so that I can send to the individual programs.

So basically, what materials do programs usually want as part of the supplemental app that goes directly to them? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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[smogdodger]

Each program is different which makes the process a pain in the A**. Fortunately, most programs don't require additional letters. As long as your letter writers send things to PASS, you should be in pretty good shape. For particulars, all you must do is locate the specific req'ts for each program based on their codes once you have logged on to the PASS website. Look up your program on the site. Each program posts a tel # and email. Call or email each program and verify what you want them to physically send yourself aside from PASS. DO NOT ASSUME you know what they want. It is smart to find this out now so your letter writers know if they need to send hard copies to any programs.

Also, you will have to send your undergrad transcripts to many programs via hard copy. Just have your undergrad university mail you hard copies confidentialized with the university seal. A select few programs want transcripts sent directly from your undergrad but this is rare and it is wise to send your undergrad transcript with your CV and processing fees in the same envelope so everything looks neat and nothing gets lost.

If you haven't done so, make a sweet Excel spreadsheet so you can organize all of this and remember which programs require hard copies of NBDE scores and so forth. This will make your life soooooooooo much easier. Good luck future colleague.

 

[Tristan28]

Thanks for the advice, very much appreciated. Hopefully it all works out.