veCollect Update
This is an update as to where we are in terms of implementing a paperless reference letter system for use by the Prehealth Committee. It will directly affect anyone applying to the April 1, 2010 Prehealth Committee for a fall 2011 admission.
We are currently in contact with the vendor confirming several features to assure that the process runs smoothly when we begin the actual transition. We would like to see the complete testing of all the features to assure that the process is seamless once we open it up to the UB prehealth student population. As our institution involves a large population of potential users, our primary concern is the convenience and efficiency for all users involved (e.g., students, evaluators, professional schools). As such, we are going to reexamine where the vendors are at in early January 2010 before we open the veCollect system. In the interim, we will allow applicants to begin to request and collect letters using the system we have been using for the past several years.
Effective immediately, you can begin to ask recommenders for a letter and they have the option to submit them to our office before January. In order to have letters submitted to our office, you must first complete the top portion of the Letter of Recommendation Request Form and then give it to your recommender. He or she will then provide the reference and submit it to our office via paper. Please note that if they attach a letter of recommendation as opposed to using the actual form, the letter needs to be on letterhead stationery with their signature. Letterhead paper and the evaluator’s signature are REQUIRED. We will need to return any letters not on letterhead and/or missing a signature.
If, by early January the veCollect system is running to our satisfaction, we will send you an authorization code to open an account after you have attended a veCollect workshop. All workshops for fall 2009 and spring 2010 will be posted at the link.
Once veCollect is up and running, you will simply add the names of any evaluators on veCollect who may have already submitted letters for you via paper between now (November) and January. Our office will upload the paper letters into the veCollect letter system for you once you have opened an account and have created an entry for your evaluators.
Any questions you have can be answered by any of the prehealth advisors in 109 Norton Hall. Please set an appointment by calling 645-6013. Quicker questions can be answered via email. Jinny Majewski (vmajewsk@buffalo.edu) administrative support to the Prehealth Committee can assist you as well with any veCollect logistical questions.
Thank you for your patience while we make this transition. Again, the efficiency, accuracy, and convenience of the system for all users remains our primary goal.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We were informed today that the system will available for us to use in early November. The workshop schedule will remain as is, and we encourage you to still attend any workshop beginning with the one scheduled for next Wednesday, October 7.
Remember we are scheduled to transition to the veCollect system starting EARLY NOVEMBER.
If you are planning on using the services of the Prehealth Committee for the April 2010 deadline, you MUST attend one of the several Prehealth Committee/veCollect workshops offered from October 2009 to March 2010. Please note that only the fall semester workshop dates are noted below. After you attend, you can then become a registered veCollect user and be able to have individual letters of recommendation submitted to our office on your behalf. If you are planning on applying to the professional health schools at some later time and wish to be able to have letters submitted for you any time soon (for some later, future application), you may come to workshop as well. These sessions are not limited to juniors; freshmen and sophomore students may also attend, so that recommendation letters can be submitted to our office on your behalf.
Fall veCollect Workshops
Wed., Oct 7 4:00-5:00 p.m. 145C SU
Tues., Oct 13 3:30-4:30 p.m. 145D SU
Thurs., Oct 22 9:30-10:30 a.m. 330 SU
Wed., Oct 28 2:00-3:00 p.m. 330 SU
Tues., Nov 3 2:00-3:00 p.m. 145C SU
Thurs., Nov 12 3:30-4:30 p.m. 145C SU
Wed., Nov 18 11:00-12:00 p.m. 145D SU
After November 18, workshops will be scheduled to start again in January 2010.
veCollect – Reference Letter Collection System
Remember we are scheduled to transition to the veCollect system starting NEXT Wed., October 7, 2009 to align with our first veCollect workshop.
If you are planning on using the services of the Prehealth Committee for the April 2010 deadline, you MUST attend one of the several Prehealth Committee/veCollect workshops offered from October 2009 to March 2010. Please note that only the fall semester workshop dates are noted below. After you attend, you can then become a registered veCollect user and be able to have individual letters of recommendation submitted to our office on your behalf. If you are planning on applying to the professional health schools at some later time and wish to be able to have letters submitted for you any time soon (for some later, future application), you may come to workshop as well. These sessions are not limited to juniors; freshmen and sophomore students may also attend, so that recommendation letters can be submitted to our office on your behalf.
After October 7, links to veCollect site and other important forms will be found at the link.
Fall veCollect Workshops
Wed., Oct 7 4:00-5:00 p.m. 145C SU
Tues., Oct 13 3:30-4:30 p.m. 145D SU
Thurs., Oct 22 9:30-10:30 a.m. 330 SU
Wed., Oct 28 2:00-3:00 p.m. 330 SU
Tues., Nov 3 2:00-3:00 p.m. 145C SU
Thurs., Nov 12 3:30-4:30 p.m. 145C SU
Wed., Nov 18 11:00-12:00 p.m. 145D SU
This message is from Sydney Domanowski, president of APMS
Hi all new and returning APMS members!
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year! I hope you all had a wonderful summer. I just wanted to send out an e-mail giving an overview for the fall 2009 semester. This way, everyone can plan ahead and be as involved as possible! This is going to be a long one, but bear with me, it’ll be worth it!
1) APMS is open to anyone interested in any health-related field. SO if you have friends who want to be PA’s or NP’s or whatever the medically related field may be, they are more than welcome!
2) Here is a list of our 2009-2010 e-board. (Please don’t e-mail any of the previous board members regarding this year)
*Sydney Domanowski-President
std2@buffalo.edu
*Christa McPhee-Vice President
cfmcphee@buffalo.edu
*Becca Roach-ER Shadowing Coordinator
rroach@buffalo.edu
*Matt McClure-Specialist Shadowing Coordinator
mdm34@buffalo.edu
*John Boyd-Treasurer
jbjr3@buffalo.edu
*Stacie Kahn-Secretary
sckahn@buffalo.edu
Our general body meetings will be:
1) Thursday, September 10, 5:30pm, Baldy 101
*Dr. Spurgeon will be discussing shadowing and the road to and through medical school. Pizza will be served and we will have sign-ups available for all of the events for the semester.
2) Thursday, October 8, 5:30pm, Baldy 101
*We will have a 1/2 price Kaplan course raffle, presentation by a Kaplan representative, and we’ll watch a great movie following the lives of several students as they progress through medical school. Snacks will be provided and we’ll have sign-ups for upcoming events.
3) Tuesday, November 3, 5:30pm, Fronzak 454 (Tentative)
*We will be having a speaker at this meeting. However, we have not yet confirmed who. Snacks will be provided and we’ll have sign-ups for upcoming events.
4) Tuesday, December 1, 5:30pm, Fronzak 454 (Tentative)
*A UB Medical School Student Panel will be attending to answer any and all questions about Medical School and the application process. Snacks will be provided.
Also, we will be having several volunteer and social opportunities during this semester:
1) Pre-Health Pinic on Sunday September 13 from 12pm-4pm. in South Lake Community Room. **This is a great way to meet people from all the pre-health clubs and also get to know the UB Pre-Health advisors. Additionally, several doctors who work with UB’s Medical School and the APMS shadowing program will be in attendance.
So bring a friend and come enjoy lunch while getting to know the UB Pre-Health community! (Please RSVP to std2@buffalo.edu if you plan on attending)
2) We will be volunteering at Fall Fest next weekend. Christa McPhee is in charge of this opportunity and here’s a note from her:
3) APMS will be helping out at the Fall Fest ‘09 concert before, during, and after the show. The shifts that are available for Saturday September 5th 1.) Pre show [8:30am-4:30pm] 2.) During show [4:00pm-11:30pm] 3.) Clean up [11:00pm-2:00am] at Alumni Arena. If you are interested in helping out please contact Christa McPhee at cfmcphee@buffalo.edu.
4) APMS will be involved in making meals for Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo. We leave from UB North campus, make the meal, and can also get a tour of the house. We can have up to 12 people attend each event, so sign-up early (std2@buffalo.edu)! Rides will be provided for each available date. Here are the dates:
*Sunday, September 27th from 11am-2pm
*Sunday, October 18th from 3:30pm-6:30pm *Sunday, November 22nd from 3:30pm-6:30pm *Saturday, December 5th from 3:30pm-6:30pm
5) Linda Yalem Safety Run-September 27th. Christa will have more information about our involvement and a sign-up sheet at the first meeting. (cfmcphee@buffalo.edu)
6) Grey’s Anatomy Season Premiere Night Social! Thursday, September 24 from 8pm-11pm. We will announce the location for this event at the first meeting. We will have snacks available and you’re welcome to bring anyone you want! Please rsvp to std2@buffalo.edu so we have a round-about count as soon as possible.
7) American Diabetes Association’s Walk to Fight Diabetes on October 17. Becca Roach is in charge of this event and will have more details at the first meeting (rroach@buffalo.edu).
8. We will be volunteering for at least two Red Cross Blood Drives this semester. Also, participating in these events allows us to enter members into a raffle for a $400 scholarship for the following year. Becca is in charge of these and will have dates and more information at the first meeting (rroach@buffalo.edu).
9) The Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic, every Wednesday from 5:45pm-about 9pm.
We will be volunteering to do data entry (which allows this clinic to receive grants and funding) and we should be able to shadow some of the Medical Students running the clinic. RSVP to std2@buffalo.edu. I will be holding a “orientation”
to get everyone familiar with their computer database.
10) We will be making Trick-or-Treat Bags for Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo on October 25th. (cfmcphee@buffalo.edu)
11) We will be holding a book drive in October to provide books to a Community Center in Rwanda which is book-less and attempting to convert to English. Becca will be in charge of this (rroach@buffalo.edu).
12) We will be holding a winter clothing drive in early November for local children and families.
13) We’re going to be working on providing CPR Certification classes free of charge to APMS members. John will be working on this. (jbjr3@buffalo.edu)
One final note. Shadowing will be available throughout the semester. If you have any issues filling out our online form, please attach a copy of your application in an e-mail to one of the shadowing coordinators. Dr. Spurgeon is currently our ER physician and we’ll be working on approving a second ER physician. For specialty shadowing, we currently have a Cardiologist, Gastroenterologist, Pediatric Endocrinologist, and Sports Medicine Specialist. We are working on approving a surgeon and general practitioners. Hopefully we will be able to fill everyone’s shadowing and volunteer needs for the semester!
Please let me know if anyone has any other ideas or events they want to take part in or coordinate! I’ll send out e-mails throughout the semester reminding everyone of upcoming events. See you all at the first meeting and have a great weekend!
Sydney Domanowski
APMS President
Fall 2009 (Sept 1) Prehealth Committee Process – This is the LAST Committee cycle for fall 2010 (regular) application
ATTENTION: Those applying for fall 2010 admission to the professional health schools.
If you are a junior this year and/or plan on applying for the entering class of 2010 to medical school (MD or DO), dental school, veterinary school, optometry, etc., and DID NOT come through the Prehealth Committee in the spring of 2009, please read below.
You also will want to consider making an appointment for prehealth advisement several weeks prior to the Sept 1 Prehealth Committee deadline to be sure you are well informed and prepared to come through the Committee in support of your fall 2010 application.
DEADLINE: TUESDAY, SEPT 1, 2009
Please look for future listserv and Prehealth Bulletin http://prehealth.buffalo.edu/bulletin/ announcements for the procedures for turning in your application on September 1.
Four to seven individual letters of recommendation can be sent to the office in 109 Norton Hall anytime in support of your application.
If you are unclear as to what is involved in applying to the Committee, please click on the link.
All necessary forms are located at the link.
All forms, aside from the Preprofessional Data Sheet/Application, are also available in 108 Norton.
**There is a detailed checklist of what you need to assemble for the Prehealth Committee on the shelves in 108 Norton.**
A minimum of FOUR letters of recommendation MUST BE RECEIVED for you by SEPT 1, 2009.
**Please remember that applications to these professions school have been on the rise and; therefore, they are extremely competitive schools in which to gain admission. If your overall or science/math GPA is around or below a 3.0 (e.g., 2.8 to 3.3), please make an appointment to see the prehealth advisor prior to applying to the Prehealth Committee***
Please call 645-6013 to set up an appointment if you need more information regarding this process.
If you are a prehealth student at UB AND currently reside in the South Lake Village apartments, could you please contact Libby Morsheimer at The Office of Prehealth Advising Services at etm3@buffalo.edu at your earliest convenience?
Plans are underway for the fall Annual Prehealth Picnic for Sunday, September 13, and we would very much like to hold it at the South Lake Community Room. We need your assistance! Thanks so much in advance to anyone who can help.
As alluded to in a listserv announcement last week, it appears as though it would be prudent to alter our policy for sending letters to the central service of AMCAS (MD schools) and to individual DO medical schools.
In the past, we would ask for your completed Release Forms (one for MD schools; one for DO schools IF you were applying to both types of medical schools) and then stagger the transmission of these letters to the schools as we heard from you about the receipt of secondary applications.
Because AMCAS has now over 117 schools in their letter pilot program, and it appears as though we cannot no longer select each of the 117 individual schools, we will be sending your letters all at once when you submit the required paperwork, even if you have not yet received a secondary applications from the schools. To avoid any further confusion, we will follow the same policy for the DO schools to which you are applying. There is no harm in transmitting the letters before you receive secondary applications as the schools can elect to download or not download the letters we provide for them.
We apologize for any confusion this may cause. The change has really come about as the system we are using to transmit your letters (VEClient) has changed its relationship with AMCAS this year. So as to avoid any further confusion, we will treat DO schools in the same manner.
If you have already submitted the necessary paperwork to our office and wish for us to NOT transmit your letters at this time, please let us know (e.g., you are waiting on additional letters to be submitted on your behalf). Otherwise, if you have your completed forms in, we will forward your letters to all your AMCAS schools indicated as well as your DO schools.
If you wish, you may submit your AMCAS (MD) Release Form and Letter ID Form separate from your DO Release Form. We will then we send letters intended for AMCAS and letters intended for the DO schools out at separate times.
If you have any questions whatsoever, please email Libby (etm3@buffalo.edu) or Jinny Majewski (vmajewsk@buffalo.edu).
AMCAS 2009 Letter Pilot (Approx 118 Schools)
If you are applying to any of the schools listed here, please do the following:
- Complete the “AMCAS Letters of Evaluation/Recommendation Section” of the AMCAS Application
- Indicate in your AMCAS application that your letters will be in the form of a “Committee Letter” IF you have or plan to go through the UB Prehealth Committee
- Enter “Elizabeth Morsheimer” as the “Primary Author/Contact”
- As the Committee packet contains multiple other letters (4-7), it is NOT necessary for you to list those letter writers in the “Additional Authors” section of the AMCAS letters tab.
- You will be provided with a printable form containing an AMCAS letter ID. Our office in 109 Norton Hall NEEDS this form which includes your AMCAS Letter ID. You can send this to Jinny Majewski at vmajewsk@buffalo.edu or drop/mail the form off to 109 Norton Hall.
This is summarized as well under item #8 at the link.
Key Deadlines
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine Early Assurance Application (for sophomores only) Please recall that Monday, June 1 is the *deadline* for applying to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine Early Assurance Program (sophomores only). Your application, fees, transcripts and Committee letter are all due by this date. Please click on the link above for more information. If you have completed the Prehealth Committee process for spring 2009 and completed a Release Form for our office, your Committee letters will be delivered by our office for June 1.
Regular US Dental School (DDS) Application Process
Opens June 1, 2009 for the fall of 2010 entering class. Please click on the link for more information about applying to US dental schools.
SUNY Upstate Medical College (Syracuse) Early Assurance Deadline
The deadline to apply for college sophomores is July 1, 2009. Please go to the SUNY Upstate Early Assurance Program link here. Please recall our office must have a completed Release Form from you in order to forward your packet by the deadline.
Regular US Medical School (MD) Application Process.
The American Medical College Application Services, (AMCAS) expects to begin receiving applications on or around Tuesday, June 2. Please go to http://www.aamc.org/audienceamcas.htm and then click on “Applicants.” It is advisable to review the Support for the 2010 Entering Class for all the information resources available to guide you through the application. In order to have your Committee packet sent at the time you begin to receive secondary applications (after you submit your primary), please be sure to complete and submit a Release Form .
If you did not come through the April 1, 2009 Prehealth Committee and plan to do so for September 1, 2009, please be sure to set an appointment with Dalene Aylward or Libby Morsheimer several weeks/months ahead of the deadline to review the steps of the application and to begin securing individual letters of recommendation. Please call 645-6013 to set this appointment.
If you are a UB student who completed CHE 101/105 and CHE 102/106 with grades of A- or A and are interested in helping a fellow student, please email Libby Morsheimer at etm3@buffalo.edu. This student is seeking someone to assist her refresh her knowledge base in general chemistry after having completed it within the last 5-7 years.
Once interested students email me, I will forward the names directly to this student so that arrangements can be worked out further between the two.
