Letters of Recommendation/Evaluation are an important portion of the veterinary school application. You should familiarize yourself with the types of letters of evaluation each vet school requires well before you head into the application cycle.
The Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) requires a minimum of three electronic evaluations and allows a maximum of 6 recommendations to be electronically submitted. If there are strong preferences of types of letters, it will be indicated. If the school does not give any guidance about the letters they expect, the "model" typically followed by applicants are one hard science professor, one veterinarian and another “professional” reference. This can come from another veterinarian, a research mentor, volunteer coordinator, employer, etc.
You should be selective in who you ask to submit letters on your behalf and you should always double-check the individual requirements of each school to which you want to apply. Remember that while you do want to make sure that you are satisfying the requirements of the schools to which you are applying, it is equally critical that you obtain letters from evaluators who know you well and can speak positively on your behalf. It is more important that you have strong, substantive letters than it is for you to have the maximum number of letters. This does not mean that you cannot collect the maximum if you know you can get 6 strong letters.
UGA does not provide committee letters nor do we assemble letter packets. Instead, you will need to assemble a minimum of three individual letters for submission.
You should NOT use personal references such as friends or family nor should you use professional references from evaluators who do not know you — e.g. a professor from a large lecture class who you have never spoken to, a senator that you have never worked with, your pastor, etc.
Click here for VMCAS Instructions for Letters of Evaluation