Blog — application strategy

A record 93,176 qualified nursing applicants were turned away in 2025. Learn how to coordinate your NursingCAS personal statement and recommendation letter into one cohesive narrative that gives admissions committees a reason to say yes.

A complete strategy guide to securing strong letters of recommendation for medical school, covering MD and DO requirements, who to ask, how to ask, the recommender packet, FERPA waivers, and advice for non-traditional applicants in the 2026–2027 cycle.

(Without Getting Stuck at the Last Step)

TL;DR

Getting a recommendation letter written is only half the battle. These days, most schools, universities, scholarship programs, and professional organizations require recommenders to submit letters through secure online portals. That means the letter usually cannot come from a random Gmail address, a personal email account, or the applicant themselves.

Anyone can open an AI tool and generate a recommendation letter in minutes. That part is easy. The hard part is making sure the letter gets submitted the right way, from a credible source, through the system that the school actually accepts.

That...