Medical Studies Reference Form

Pay particular attention to the "Candidate's Waiver Statement" where you must choose whether or not you want a "closed" or "open" letter, as well as whether or not you will allow your reference writer to disclose information contained in your academic record. This can include, but is not limited to, your grades, your thesis, any of your written academic work or research, and any evaluations of your work or research.

• Closed: A choice of a closed letter means you are waiving your right to read the letter. No OCS staff member can divulge the contents, quality or tone of the letter to you. Writers of waived letters can write whatever they wish with the knowledge that their remarks will remain unknown to you.
• Open: The choice of an open reference letter means you can read and evaluate the letter to judge its appropriateness for your graduate school search. Open letters may be viewed by some, particularly graduate school admissions committees, as a less candid assessment of your potential.

The waiver decision is based upon how well you can trust your writer's opinions of you. If you aren't sure of your reference writer's preferences for open or closed letters, meet with them to discuss the issue. After you choose the open or closed option, you must sign and date the form. Any letter received at the OCS without a waiver statement option indicated on the form or without an OCS form altogether is automatically considered open.

Other considerations…

Encourage your writers to type their letters, since handwritten letters do not duplicate well. Some writers will attach their letters to the forms. If they do this, remind them to sign both the form and the letter.

Follow-up with each reference writer

You are responsible for making sure that your reference writers have sent in their letters. Check with the OCS periodically. If, after several weeks, the OCS still has not received your letters, contact your reference writers to see where they are in the process. Re-contacting your reference writer is especially important if your letters are required by a certain deadline.

Once the OCS has received your letter, you should thank your reference writer for their support. It's always a nice gesture to let your reference writer know to which school you are matriculating.

If you need any assistance with the reference file, registration form, or letters of recommendation, please call the OCS at (207) 786-6233.