Applying - The Dean's Letter and Transcript

Updated July 2022

By the time you get to the actual application process you have very little control of the content of your Dean's Letter (MSPE) and Transcript.

For an application reviewer these documents are useful for comparing the academic performance of students from the same school.  However, there is so much variability in the formatting and grading approach from one school to the next that it can be difficult to extract decisive information.  So there is quite a bit of variability in how much value Program Director's find in these documents.  Some will pore over them and look hard at pre-clinical grades, but most are looking for a few things:
  • The global recommendation and class rank (if your school provides these)
  • Clinical rotation grades, particularly EM rotations
  • Red Flag's
Knowing the likely content of your Transcript and Dean's Letter can help you and your Advisor gauge how competitive an applicant you are and inform your application strategy.

***COVID-19 Pandemic***
The MSPE is likely to contain an explanation of how grading for partial or missed educational experiences were handled by your school.  Don't worry.  Everybody will have these same issues and programs will be understanding.

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