The Health Professions Committee

St. Olaf’s Health Professions Committee supports current students and recent alumni by providing a Committee Letter of Evaluation for students applying to medical, dental, and optometry schools. Most other health professions programs prefer individual letters of reference.

To request a letter from the HPC (Alumni who have been through the HPC process, see Alumni Re-applicants/Request for Updated HPC Letter section below):

• Fill out an HPC Application Due Monday, April 7, 2025 @ 11:59 pm. (to see a copy of questions on the form, click here)
• Current Students:  Waive your FERPA rights to access your entire HPC dossier, including all faculty reference forms and the HPC composite letter
• Alumni (first time applicants to HPC):  Waive your FERPA rights by scrolling to “For Alumni, Former, and Non-Enrolled Students” and choose “Waiver” under “Student Request for Reference”. Use this form to waive access to your entire HPC application including all faculty reference forms and the HPC composite letter by filling in the first blank with “Health Professions Committee & Faculty Evaluators” and checking the box “Application to Another Institution”.  Then check the box “I authorize recommendations/references be provided in response to any requests…” You can submit the completed form to the Registrar’s Office either via email or mail. Please reach out to Dana Rechtzigel with any questions.
• You must ask 3-5 St. Olaf faculty members (current or past St. Olaf professors) to fill out an Evaluation Form (faculty use only: to see a copy of the entire form before you submit it, click here). Evaluations forms are due on or before April 7th.
• For HPC purposes, no letters from recommenders outside of St. Olaf are accepted supporting your HPC application or included with your Committee letter, and with very rare exception, the HPC recommendations must come from St. Olaf professors. If you have questions, please ask Prof. Crisp or Dana.
• Sign up for a 20-minute interview (link will be provided in the confirmation when you submit your HPC application)
• Schedule an HPC practice interview (practice REQUIRED with a Piper Center coach before your HPC interview). Current students can schedule an HPC practice interview appointment on Handshake; alumni please email Dana Rechtzigel.

For 2025, all applicants to the HPC are required to complete a mock interview with the Piper Center prior to their HPC interview. If a practice interview has not been completed before your HPC interview, your HPC interview will be rescheduled.

Additionally, we suggest students email their HPC interviewers in the days following their interview to schedule a meeting to receive feedback. Your HPC interview is both practice and an evaluation, and will be used to write your HPC committee letter. Treat your HPC interview exactly as you would an actual professional school interview.

Practice HPC Interview Questions

If you are receiving a letter from the HPC, you will need to indicate that in your application (“St. Olaf Health Professions Committee Letter”). For the HPC Letter, please put Stacey Argabright’s contact information in your application–not Professor Crisp’s. 

• For AMCAS, please download the Letter Request Form and email or send it to Stacey Argabright. She cannot upload your letter without that form. 
• For AACOMAS, AADSAS, and OptomCAS, please be sure to list Stacey’s name and email as the contact person for your HPC Letter. The application service will generate an email to her, which she needs in order to upload your letter. 

Please note that your letters do not need to be received for you to submit your application or for your application to be transmitted to medical schools.

In addition to your HPC letter, you may request additional letters of evaluation from others outside of St. Olaf who know you well and can speak to your qualifications. All letters outside HPC should be submitted directly to your application service. Please be sure to check the letter guidelines at each school to which you are applying before submitting additional letters.

How to Ask for a Letter of Reference
Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation for a Medical School Applicant (for the letter writer)

We are happy to work with alumni who are planning to apply or reapply to health professions schools. Please email Dana Rechtzigel to start the process.

If you have previously applied for and interviewed with the HPC and are requesting an update to your HPC letter, please fill out the Request for Updated HPC Letter form on or before May 1, 2025.  If you went through the HPC interview process in previous years, you may not need to interview again.  Professor Crisp will use the information submitted on the Update Form to update your HPC letter.  Click on the link to see a sample of the Request for Updated HPC Letter form. 

If you have previously gone through the HPC application and interview process, letter updates will made in a new Committee letter.  Included in your packet will be faculty references from previous years, the new Committee letter from the previous year or years if you have applied multiple times, and the newest updated HPC Committee letter. This assures that the schools have all of the information they need to make an informed decision. The information included in the HPC reapplicant application you submit goes directly into the newest HPC letter from the Committee.

Please reach out to Stacey Argabright or Dana Rechtzigel with any questions.

Students who plan to apply to medical school or dental school are required to attend Pre-Health 301: Apply before applying. Please email Dana Rechtzigel with questions.

Navigating Application Expenses for Health Professions School provides resources, advice, and costs you can anticipate when applying to health professions school.