Dentistry

• Amgen Scholars Program 
  Programs at 12 of the major biomedical research institutions (below) program lengths range from 8-10 weeks, all students invited to attend the Amgen Scholars Symposium hosted at UCLA. The symposium is an opportunity to meet peers, attend workshops, network with professionals and get insights into what a career in industry and academia looks like.
  • Berkeley
  • Caltech
  • Columbia
  • Duke
  • Harvard
  • Johns Hopkins
  • NIH
  • Stanford
  • UCLA
  • UCSF
  • UT Southwestern
  • Washington U
  • Yale
• Mayo Clinic SURF program (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship)
• Enrichment Programs and pipeline programs: AAMC database enrichment programs on medical school campuses.
• Summer Undergraduate Research Programs: AAMC Summer Undergraduate Research Programs
• Browse ALL summer research programs including REUs, STEM Programs: www.pathwaytoscience.org
• Boston Children's Division of Neonatal Medicine - This summer research program spans 8-12 weeks and gives students the opportunity to perform bench, clinical/translational or epidemiological research. Students will also be able to observe newborn care in hospital nurseries, clinics and NICUs.
• Cancer Prevention Research Training Program (CPRTP) Summer Research Experience (SRE) - Summer program offered by the University of Texas's MD Anderson Cancer Center for undegraduate, graduate, and health profession students interested in cancer prevention research.
• The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute - This program is a 10-week competitive summer internship program for undergraduate students interested in careers in the biomedical sciences.
• Collegiate Medical Summer Internship Program - The Dialysis Clinic offers a unique internship across 19 cities in the U.S. in the clinical area of organ transplantation. The internship includes shadowing physicians, assisting in outpatient facilities and observing the coordination of a transplant.
• Eastern Virginia Medical School Summer Scholars Program - This program is a mentored research internship offered by the Department of Pediatrics of Eastern Virginia Medical School at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Gerstner Sloan Kettering Summer Undergraduate Research Program -The Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, sponsors a ten-week research program for outstanding undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing a career in the biomedical sciences.
• Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation - The MHIF research internship program offers research internship opportunities to undergraduate premed students and those studying in other health care disciplines.
• National Heart Lung and Blood Institute - The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute also offers three Biomedical Research Training Program for undergraduates.
• New York Stem Cell Foundation Summer Internship Program - NYSCF offers a ten week unique summer enrichment internship program that provides students a glimpse into the fast-paced world of stem cell research.
• NIH Summer Internship in Biomedical Research - Summer programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide an opportunity to spend a summer working at the NIH side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research.
• Northwestern University CURE Program - CURE (Continuing Umbrella of Research Experience Program) is a summer research program at the Lurie Cancer Center of Northwestern University for underserved college students interested in pursuing careers in the biomedical sciences.
• NovoNordisk - NovoNordisk is a medical firm specializing in diabetes care and other chronic conditions and offers summer undergraduate internships.
• NYU Summer Undergraduate Research Program - The NYU Grossman School of Medicine, within the Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, offers qualified college students who have completed their sophomore or junior year the opportunity to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program.
• Orthopedic Trauma Undergraduate Summer Internship - This Massachusetts General Hospital internship introduces students to the hospital experience through orthopedic research and observation. Students will gain a basic understanding about clinical research and have multiple opportunities to shadow doctors.
• Pfizer Summer Student Worker Program - Pfizer offers student summer employment programs at Pfizer locations across the United States.
• Red Cross - Red Cross offers a variety of volunteer opportunities across the country.
• Remote Area Medical - RAM is a major nonprofit provider of free pop-up clinics, with a mission to prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing free, quality healthcare to those in need. RAM offers opportunities to volunteer at its various locations across the country.
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) - NSF funded REU programs allow students to find research opportunities in the biological sciences, engineering, social sciences and more at various institutions such as Brandeis University, Department of Defense, University of Chicago and more.
• Savvy Pre-Med - Comprehensive list of summer opportunities for Pre-Med undergraduate students.
• SMART Program - This program was developed to provide frontier-level, biomedical summer research projects for undergraduates in a supportive environment with supplemental educational activities.
• University of Cincinnati Children's Summer Undergraduate Research Program - The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center offers undergraduates the chance to explore clinical, translational, and basic science research in laboratories in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
• Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy - The Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy (VSSA) gives college students earning a four- year degree the opportunity to participate in both research and clinical patient care at an academic medical center.
• Virginia Commonwealth University - Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health Sciences and Health Careers Pipeline is excited to announce a comprehensive six week, interdisciplinary summer
 program.
• Washington and Lee Summer Research Scholars - Washington and Lee offers opportunities for student summer research with W&L faculty.
• University of Nebraska College of Medicine SURP
• University of Nebraska College of Medicine MD/PhD SURP
• Chicago Botanical Garden Conservation and Land Management Internship Program
• Cancer Research Internships
• National Institute of Health list of external programs
• National Institute of Health
• NSF REU
• Neurological Sciences (NINDS)
• NCI Internship Program
• UTSouthwesternSURF
• SciTech internship
• Oceans Research in South Africa
• Duke Marine Lab Summer Program
• Student Conservation Association Internships
• Stowers Scholars Program
• Kellogg Biological Station
• Gertstner Sloan-Kettering SURP
• Des Moines University’s Health Professions Advanced Summer Scholars program (Sophomores and Juniors only)

• Minnesota Osteopathic Medical Society (Look under Quick Links, Find a DO)
• TRIA Institute
• Children's Minnesota Observer program application
• Mayo Clinic shadowing request form
• Job Shadowing at Ridgeview form
• Search Listings in Gustavus Handshake Database
• How do I ...shadow a doctor?
• Job shadowing information

Gustavus Letter of Recommendation Online Form

If you are requesting a letter of recommendation from a Gustavus faculty or other employee, you need to complete the online form. All pre-health applicants need to complete the form to request letters. 

How many letters do I need?

You need to review the particular health profession programs that you plan to apply and letter requirements for each particular program. The number of letters accepted may vary and whom the letters need to be written by may also vary by program.

Allopathic Medicine MD — AMCAS centralized application (10 total allowed)
Recommend three or four total: one or two science faculty, one non-science faculty in the humanities or social sciences and one Physician (MD), work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, research supervisor, coach, etc. 

Osteopathic Medicine DO — AACOM centralized application (Unlimited allowed; not yet in centralized application)
Recommended three or four total: one or two science faculty, one non-science faculty in the humanities or social sciences and one Doctor of Osteopathic medicine preferred/or work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, research supervisor, coach, etc. 

Physician Assistant — CASPA centralized application (3 total allowed)
Recommended: one science faculty, one non-science faculty in the humanities or social sciences and one Physician assistant preferred/or work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, research supervisor, coach, etc. 

Dental — AADSAS centralized application (4 total allowed)
Recommended: one or two science faculty, one non-science faculty in the humanities or social sciences and one Dentist preferred/or or work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, research supervisor, coach, etc. 

Pharmacy — PharmCAS centralized application (4 total allowed)
Recommended: one or two science faculty, one non-science faculty in the humanities or social sciences and one Pharmacist preferred/or work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, research supervisor, coach, etc. 

Veterinary — VMCAS centralized application (3 VMCAS evaluations allowed)
Recommended: one science faculty, one non-science faculty in the humanities or social sciences and one Veterinarian preferred/or work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, research supervisor, coach, etc. 

Physical Therapy — PTCAS centralized application (4 total allowed)
Recommended: one or two science faculty, one non-science faculty in the humanities or social sciences and one Physical Therapist preferred/or work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, research supervisor, coach, etc. 

Occupational Therapy — OTCAS centralized application (3 total allowed)
Recommended: one science faculty, one non-science faculty in the humanities or social sciences and one Occupational Therapist preferred/or work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, research supervisor, coach, etc.

Selecting who should be a letter writer

Develop a relationship and connect with your faculty and supervisors EARLY in your college career. It is important that you start building relationships early in your college career (freshman year). Waiting until your junior or senior year to start making connections will result in a forced and shallow relationship. Making a strong connection early on will allow potential letter-writers to get to know you on a personal level, witness your growth over a period of time and ultimately develop the basis for writing a more compelling letter.

Selecting who will write your letters is an important decision. While it is important who the letter writer is, it is equally important what the writer has to say. The writer needs to offer additional information to complete and complement what you have already shared through your application materials. Do not select a writer simply because they hold an important position, "like you" or you "like them." Rather, select a writer that has a basis (evidence) for being able to write a letter that can make a strong case for the strengths you exhibit. Have a balanced approach to selecting your writers; select writers that know you from different areas to give the selection committee a well rounded look at you as an applicant.

Asking for a letter

When asking for a letter, make an appointment to meet in person (if at all possible).

Before designating your writers, schedule an appointment with each potential writers to let them know why you want to go into this particular health field and explain to them why you think their perspective of you as an individual will best support yours application. Be sure to share when the letter is needed, and ask if they would be able and willing to write a strong letter of recommendation.

Give letter writers plenty of advance notice, recommended (a month or even two).

Make sure that your writer knows your timeline for applying and when you are hoping to have their letter submitted.

Allow the person the option of saying NO. You need a strong letter and if the person is hesitant or uncomfortable or does not have enough time, you will NOT get a strong letter. Most likely it will be generic, short and weak. LISTEN to what the person is telling you. It is much better to have them be honest and to avoid a weak letter, so that you can identify someone different to write you a strong letter.

Etiquette after asking someone to write

• Complete the Gustavus Letter of Recommendation Online Form
• During the Centralized Application process print off or email the Letter Request Form to your letter writers with directions and information about how to upload and submit the letter.
  • For Medical School Applicants: AAMC Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation
• Friendly reminders about your letter are helpful, but do not pester/annoy them. Interpersonal interactions and effective communication skills are things that your writer will most likely be referencing.

Waiving your right to access the letter

Highly recommended you waive your right to access the reference letter. If you mark, "I do NOT waive my right to access this reference letter," the person writing the reference will know that you will be able to view the letter. Waiving your right indicates to programs that your reference will be more honest and candid in their remarks. If you choose to NOT waive your right, you may be asked to explain your decision during interview(s).

Follow-through expectations

Write a thank you note to each letter writer. Email, call or stop by and let your writers know when you get accepted and where you have decided to attend school and thank them again for their assistance, support, encouragement and overall effort.

Individual Letters vs. Pre-Health Committee

Gustavus does not have a pre-health committee or pre-health advisor that writes a committee letter. Three different types of letters can be sent to AMCAS; at Gustavus the method used is an individual letter written by one author. Below is a description of the types of letters that can be forwarded to AMCAS on your behalf.

Individual Letter: An individual letter refers to a letter authored by, and representing, a single letter writer. (Method at Gustavus- Individual Letter. Typically one science faculty, one non-science faculty, and one "other").

Committee Letter: A committee letter is a letter authored by a pre-health committee or pre-health advisor and intended to represent your institution's evaluation of you. A committee letter may or may not include additional letters written in support of your application.

Letter Packet: A packet or set of letters assembled and distributed by your institution, often by the institutions career center. A Letter Packet may include a cover sheet from your pre-health committee or advisor; however, in contrast to a Committee Letter, a Letter Packet does not include an evaluative letter from your pre-health committee or advisor.

Personal Statements are an important part of a graduate and professional school application. A personal statement is your opportunity to bring your individual voice and personality to your application, and its purpose is to convince the reader that you are an ideal candidate to enter the program.
You need to show evidence that you have the research skills, mindset, and scholarly interest to succeed.

Learn more about writing your personal statement.