Ucf college of medicine letters of recommendation

Successful applicants to the UCF College of Medicine M.D. Program are expected to show strong academic skills, a passion for medicine and patient care, interest in research, and compassion for others.

Each applicant must demonstrate strong academic skills, a motivation for medicine demonstrated by interest in research and patient care, and compassion for others.

• Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA-3.00
• Minimum Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math) GPA-3.0
• Minimum MCAT (best single test composite score in 2022, 2023, 2024)- 500
• Significant and meaningful medical clinical activities
• Consistent service to the community
• Physician Shadowing
• Teamwork and leadership skills
• Demonstrated interest in research
• Perseverance or excellence in an activity (sports, research, or other endeavors) at a very high level

Required Prerequisite Course Work

Prerequisite courses should be taken from an appropriately accredited college or university located in the United States. Applicants must have completed at least a bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited college or university in the United States prior to enrollment into the M.D. Program. The UCF College of Medicine does not have a policy prohibiting applicants from taking courses online or at a community college. Academic performance is one of many factors considered through the holistic review of an application. Strong applicants should undertake rigorous academic preparation wherever and whenever possible. To be considered for an interview, an applicant should have completed or be in the process of completing the following course work:

• Biology – 2 Semesters (with labs)
• General Chemistry – 2 Semesters (with labs)
• Organic Chemistry* – 2 Semesters (with labs)
• General Physics – 2 Semesters (with labs)
• College English** – 2 Semesters
• College Math – 2 Semesters

*All prerequisites must be completed prior to the August matriculation into the M.D. program.

Please note, we understand that different institutions offer varying chemistry curriculums and recognize the importance of accommodating these differences. If you have followed your institution’s standard progression (including associated lab courses) and completed a Chemistry sequence equivalent to our prerequisite requirements, we can accept those credits as meeting the minimum requirement.

Courses Recommended but not required:

Biochemistry*, Genetics, Cell Biology, Statistics, Comparative Anatomy, and Calculus. Course work in humanities, natural sciences, or communications arts is also encouraged.

While no specific college math courses are required, some college work in calculus is strongly recommended; familiarity with the principles of statistics for analysis of data is also important.

All majors are eligible to apply for admissions to the M.D. Program as long as the minimum academic requirements are met. Non-science majors are encouraged to take as many science courses as possible.

*Biochemistry (with lab) may be substituted for the second semester of Organic Chemistry.

**Writing Intensive courses may be substituted for English on a case by case basis.

Applicants are required to submit at least three, but no more than five letters of reference.

All letters must be signed, include contact information, and be on letterhead. Please be advised that letters of reference will only be verified and accepted if they include an original signature (signed and scanned) or digital e-signature. A typed name will not be accepted as a valid signature alone.

Reference letters should be no more than two years old upon submission.

Letters from family members and/or significant others will not be accepted.

At least one of your letters is required to be from a core science faculty (i.e. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc.) who has taught you in a lecture or lab course, and who can adequately speak to both your academic readiness and personal suitability for the pursuit and practice of medicine.

Non-Traditional Applicants may submit a letter from a current or recent supervisor in lieu of the required faculty letter.

Non-Traditional Applicant – an applicant where at least one year has passed since obtaining the initial bachelor’s degree. This applicant may have completed additional academics possibly leading to another degree, or may have been away from academics for several years.

Your remaining letters may come from professors, advisors, research coordinators or preceptors, supervisors, coaches, mentors and personal or professional colleagues. Please note, if you indicate in your application that you have spent a significant amount of time with an individual, such as a physician or research mentor, it is advisable to have this individual submit a letter on your behalf. A physician letter is encouraged, but not required.

A Pre-Health Advising Committee letter/packet may fulfill our letter requirements. Please note that our preference is for the committee letter to be appended with the individual letters submitted to the Pre-Health Office/Committee to support that letter. Please check with your Pre-Health Advising Office on the format of their committee letter if you are not sure. If individual letters are not included with the committee letter, the applicant may wish to solicit individual letters in addition to the committee letter.

Letters are a very important part of the application. Applicants are advised to select references who can collectively address a range of competencies which are outlined by the AAMC. These competencies include:

• Thinking and Reasoning Skills
• Science Knowledge
• Interpersonal Skills
• Intrapersonal Competencies

The Early Decision Program (EDP) is a program for exceptionally motivated, capable, and passionate applicants who have demonstrated excellence in academics. The M.D. Program Admissions Committee reviews applicants to the program in mid-August of the application year. The Admissions Office contacts each Early Decision Program applicant to advise them of the committee’s decision about an interview.

Early Decision Program Guidelines

• Applicants must be Florida residents currently enrolled as seniors or graduates of an appropriately accredited university or college in the United States. Students must receive a baccalaureate degree before August of the year they intend to enter medical school.
• Applicants must have an undergraduate cumulative overall and science grade point average of 3.8 or better. Science and English requirements for entrance to the college should be completed.
• The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) must be taken no later than the spring of the year students are applying. Students must have earned a score of at least 513 or better with no score below 128 in any single category.
• An American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) application and transcripts must be verified by AMCAS prior to August 1 of the year of application.
• The Secondary application (e.g. application, fee and Letters of recommendation) must be received no later than August 15 of the year of the application.
• Eligible applicants for EDP are interviewed in September of the application year.
• Applicants should only be applying to this institution with the full intention of attending if accepted. Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance is sent no later than October 1 of the application year. An acceptance means a firm commitment to attend UCF M.D. Program.
• Applicants who are not accepted under this program, in most instances, are still given consideration for admission during the regular admission cycle. Applicants are also eligible to apply to any other medical school of their choice.
• Applicants to the EDP must apply via AMCAS using the “Early Decision” application type.

UCF’s College of Medicine offers a variety of joint degree programs for students interested in an expanded training experience. In addition to medicine, the joint programs offer experiences in biomedical research as well as business, hospitality and biomedical engineering.

M.D./Ph.D.

The M.D./Ph.D. degree trains students wishing to become “Physician-scientists.” It begins with the current first two years of the M.D. curriculum, followed by three to four years of intensive research training under the medical school’s Burnett School of Biomedical Science’s Ph.D. program, including writing and defending a dissertation. Then the student begins two years of clerkship rotations at hospital and clinics.
M.D./Ph.D. candidates will take courses in research and complete Burnett School lab rotation in place of the M.D. program’s two-year Focused Inquiry and Research Experience (FIRE). UCF’s candidates earn doctorates in biomedical science through the M.D./Ph.D. track in the existing interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program.

M.D./M.S. Hospitality

The medical school also offers an M.D./Master of Science in Hospitality program built on the strength of UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management to provide students with the customer-service skills to bring hospitality to today’s medical industry.

M.D./M.B.A.

The college’s M.D./M.B.A. program equips participants with the analytical tools, problem-solving and decision making skills to succeed in today’s competitive, ever-changing medical field

M.D./M.S. Biomedical Engineering

The UCF College of Medicine and College of Engineering & Computer Science offer a combined M.D./Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (M.D./M.S.B.E.) to students with engineering background and interest in the field. The combined program is five years in duration. M.D. program students complete the requirements for the Master’s degree in the third year with the FIRE project expanded to satisfy the requirements of their thesis work.

Transfer

The M.D. Program does not accept Advanced Standing (Transfer) applicants at this time.

International

The UCF College of Medicine M.D. Program will only consider applicants who are U.S. Citizens, Permanent Resident Aliens or Asylees as designated by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Permanent Resident Aliens or Asylees must possess a final INS documentation (green card) before the application will be considered.

The M.D. Program educates physicians who are capable of entering residency training (graduate medical education) and meet all requirements for medical licensure. All candidates are evaluated according to the same standards and criteria.

Delineation of technical standards is required for the accreditation of U.S. medical schools by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The technical standards describe the essential abilities required of all candidates.

Reasonable accommodation in achievement of the standards is defined under federal statutes applied to individuals with disabilities. Such accommodations are intended to support the successful completion of all components of the M.D. degree.

The technical standards for the M.D. degree are applied in concert with other policies of the university, including academic policies, academic standards established by the faculty, and student conduct policies.

The technical standards include the following:

• The M.D. Program supports a broad, undifferentiated degree attesting to the acquisition of general knowledge in all fields of medicine and the basic skills requisite for the practice of medicine.
• The guidelines for admission as set forth by LCME must continue to govern the decisions of medical school faculties.
• The medical education process, which focuses on the safety and well-being of patients, differs markedly from post-secondary education in fields outside the health sciences.
• The primary responsibility for the selection of students and the content of the curriculum rests with the medical school and its faculty.
• All candidates in the M.D. Program must possess physical, cognitive, and emotional capabilities required to undertake the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence required by the faculty.
• Candidates who meet the academic criteria and who demonstrate the ability to meet the technical standards listed in this document are eligible for consideration for admission, progression, and graduation.

Admission to M.D. Program is conditional based on the ability to meet these technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodation. Candidates are asked to certify that they are able to meet the technical standards of the program.

Individuals with questions regarding technical standards are encouraged to contact the College of Medicine’s associate dean for students. UCF Student Accessibility Services (SAS) provides strategies to candidates with disabilities. Case-by-case consideration of alternate styles of achievement are applied to candidates in advanced stages of screening for admission and those who are enrolled.

Standards in five areas must be met by all candidates: Observation, Communication, Motor Function, Cognitive, and Professional.

Observation

Candidates are reasonably expected to:

• observe demonstrations and participate in experiments in the basic sciences
• observe patients at a distance and close at hand
• demonstrate sufficient use of the senses of vision and hearing and the somatic sensation necessary to perform a physical examination
• integrate findings based on these observations and to develop an appropriate diagnostic and treatment plan

Communication

Candidates are reasonably expected to:

• communicate in verbal and written form with health care professionals and patients, including eliciting a complete medical history and recording information regarding patients’ conditions
• perceive relevant non-verbal communications such as changes in mood, activity, and posture as part of a physical examination of a patient
• establish therapeutic relationships with patients
• demonstrate reading skills at a level sufficient to individually accomplish curricular requirements and provide clinical care for patients using written information

Accommodation through use of a trained intermediary or other communications aide may be appropriate when this intermediary functions as an information conduit.

Motor Function

Candidates’ motor and sensory functions must be sufficient to diagnose and deliver effective patient care by consistently, quickly, and accurately integrating all data gathered through whatever sense(s) employed.

Candidates are reasonably expected to:

• perform physical examinations and diagnostic procedures, using such techniques as palpation, auscultation, and percussion
• complete routine invasive procedures as part of training, using universal precautions without substantial risk of infection to patients
• perform basic laboratory tests and evaluate routine diagnostic tools such as EKGs and X-rays
• respond in emergency situations to provide the level of care reasonably required of physicians
• participate effectively in physically taxing duties over long hours and complete timed demonstrations of skills

Cognitive

Candidates must have sufficient cognitive abilities and effective learning techniques to assimilate the detailed and complex information presented in the medical curriculum.

They are reasonably expected to:

• measure, calculate, analyze, synthesize, extrapolate, and reach diagnostic and therapeutic judgments
• recognize and draw conclusions about three-dimensional spatial relationships and logical sequential relationships among events
• formulate and test hypotheses that enable effective and timely problem-solving in diagnosis and treatment of patients in a variety of clinical modalities
• understand the legal and ethical aspects of the practice of medicine
• remain fully alert and attentive at all times in clinical settings

Problem-solving, the critical skill demanded of physicians, requires all of these intellectual abilities.

Professional

Candidates are expected to demonstrate behavior and social attributes that enable the effective practice of medicine.

Candidates are reasonably expected to:

• demonstrate the judgment and emotional stability required for full use of their intellectual abilities
• possess the perseverance, diligence, and consistency to complete the medical college curriculum and prepare to enter the independent practice of medicine
• exercise good judgment in the diagnosis and treatment of patients
• complete all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients within established timelines
• function within both the law and ethical standards of the medical profession
• work effectively and professionally as part of the health care team
• relate to patients, their families, and health care personnel in a sensitive and professional manner
• participate effectively in physically taxing duties over long work hours, function effectively under stress, and display flexibility and adaptability to changing and uncertain environments
• maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance for classes and clinical responsibilities
• contribute to collaborative, constructive learning environments, accept constructive feedback from others, and respond with appropriate modification

Compassion, integrity, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that are assessed during the admission and educational processes.

All candidates are responsible for meeting acceptable standards for behavior and intellectual functioning. Only minimal accommodation is foreseen with regard to the professional section of the technical standards.

Criminal Background Check

A Criminal Background Check (CBC) is initiated via AMCAS when an applicant is admitted to a program (beginning in January of the year that the applicant plans to enroll). As additional institutions offer acceptance to that applicant, those schools are also provided access to the result of the original CBC. Each M.D. Program will develop their own criteria for continuing an offer of acceptance based on information received. We anticipate that each response will be viewed on a case-by-case basis within the scope of the entire application.

The M.D. Program Admissions Office evaluates completed applications from both residents and non-residents of the State of Florida. Qualified non-Florida residents may be invited for an interview. However, as a state-supported institution, UCF has a responsibility to assure that a large majority of each matriculating class will be composed of Florida residents.

For initial determination of residency for tuition purposes as a newly admitted medical student at UCF, you can submit the Residency Declaration form to the College of Medicine Admissions Office. If you are currently attending UCF as a undergraduate or graduate student and wish to reclassify your current residency for tuition purposes, the College of Medicine Registrar’s Office will review requests for changes in residency status for all subsequent terms of attendance. For more information, please visit the UCF Registrar’s Office website http://registrar.ucf.edu/.

Using the self-assessment guide below, you will be able to review your application and discern where your areas of strength and weakness are compared to applicants who are selected for admission.

Our Application Review Process

The following provides general information regarding important sections of an application that we highly value in an application.

We desire applicants to provide a solid indication that they would be able to graduate the program and obtain licensure within the 4-6 year period allotted by the licensure process. Our committee will review academics and testing scores in relation to the averages from your undergraduate institution as an indicator of competitiveness. Please visit http://www.med.ucf.edu/admissions/application-requirements for details on admissions and academic requirements.

In tandem with these academic and testing components we also want to know an applicant has an understanding of what medicine is all about and has a passion for assisting people both in medical and non-medical environments. Applications should demonstrate consistent and strong evidence that an applicant will be a good team member in the classroom and as a future physician. The information in your application will be reviewed by multiple reviewers to gain an understanding of your motivations and your life path to medical school. Applicants selected for an interview will likely have demonstrated a long-term, consistent motivation for medicine and for assisting people by way of volunteer activities. The reviewers will specifically assess the following areas of an application, mainly performed in the U.S.:

• Academics : While we consider many factors, academics are the cornerstone of a competitive application review. Although UCF has minimum requirements of a 3.0 BCPM GPA, 3.0 Overall GPA, and a 500 MCAT, applicants invited to interview will exceed these minimum requirements by far. Our enrolled students presented an average GPA of 3.85 and an average MCAT score of 515 last year.
• Medical motivation:
  • Clinical volunteering: Consistency of medical clinical volunteering in hospitals, clinics, or mobile units.
  • Physician Shadowing: Like clinical volunteering but more a personal relationship in learning the responsibilities of a physician in a specialty. Understand that paid scribing and Med Asst/CRN-type jobs can substitute for shadowing, but they will not substitute for medical volunteerism.
  • Letters of Recommendation: We require a minimum of 3, max of 5. Of the 3, one should come from a professor in a core science discipline. It is helpful to have one letter from a physician; the third and remainder may come from professors, mentors, club/group/work leadership etc. who can attest to your character.
  • AMCAS Personal Statement/Essay: This short essay should tell us how you became interested in medicine and the personal influences that caused you to make the decision. The goal is for the reader to understand some of your interests, obstacles, and passions, as well as to gain a sense of your unique perspective.
  • UCF Essay(s): This essay is similar to the AMCAS statement, but more direct to the specific UCF topic.
  • Life Situations/Priorities/Time Management: We also understand that each applicant comes from a different situation, with unique life-requirements and time constraints. We acknowledge that these things reduce the time available to participate in volunteerism and other activities ranging from high-level sports to caring for family, job duties, etc. We also believe that if one is truly motivated for something, they will find some time, if even a little, to consistently pursue that interest.
  • A Holistic Classroom: The final goal of our application process is to matriculate a classroom of diverse team members. In our holistic admissions process, diversity is an over-arching evaluation process that means that we seek to interview applicants that come from different backgrounds, regions, interests, experiences, beliefs, talents, races, ethnicities, personalities, identities, skill sets, educational and socio-educational backgrounds, vocations, etc. The qualities that make one student different from another contribute to life-knowledge in the classroom that strengthens understanding and enables our students, and program, to better serve all patient populations.

  An accurate self-analysis is key when reviewing your own application. To put this in context you should know that we will normally receive about 5,500 applications per application cycle, interview nearly 500, and accept about 300 to seat our final 120 matriculants. We ask you to address each section that we presented above and, based on the time that you made available, make your best estimate of competitiveness. Do you believe that your effort in each category was probably more competitive (MC), less competitive (LC), or equally competitive (EC) than most applicants that we interviewed?

  • Academics
  • Standardized Testing
  • Medical Clinical Volunteering
  • Medical Shadowing/paid work
  • Community Service Volunteering
  • Teamwork/Leadership
  • Process of Research
  • Application Message
  • Final Assessment: Where do you feel that your application could be enhanced and what is your plan to make that perceived area a strength.

  College of Medicine

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  UCF Health Practice Phone: 407.266.3627