Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)

The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) summarizes your medical school performance and provides a summary evaluation of your potential as a resident. The MSPE letter will accompany your residency application.

The Associate Dean’s office oversees the creation of every MSPE letter. After you complete two related surveys, you will be invited to meet with the OMSE assistant dean and/or faculty leader who will be writing your MSPE in May, June, July or August of your senior year.

The MSPE is a template letter, so the same information is included regardless of who authors the document.

FAQs about the Medical Student Performance Evaluation

How should a student begin the process of the MSPE?

The first step in the process is to complete the MSPE Student Information Electronic Survey, which will ask for a curriculum vitae (CV) and personal statement (preliminary draft version), by the specified deadline. You will also need complete an additional survey prioritizing your top three MSPE letter writers. After you have been matched with an MSPE letter writer, their administrator will contact you to schedule a specific meeting date and time.

What happens during the meeting to discuss the MSPE?

Your meeting will last half an hour. During this time, you and the MSPE letter writer will discuss your career plans, your background, the residency programs you're interested in and your medical school career.

If there have been any unusual events in your medical school career — such as poor grades or a leave of absence — these are discussed so that you can provide an explanation that can be used in the letter, if necessary.

The letter writer will work with you to maximize the amount and quality of the advice you get from the Departments and from Office of Medical School Education as you apply to residency programs.

How important is the MSPE?

While the Medical Student Performance Evaluation is a way to confirm and explore what the application packet says about a candidate, program directors are less interested in the MSPE than most students think. Often, invitations for residency interviews are offered before the MSPE goes out. 

Will I have the opportunity to review my letter prior to releasing it to programs?

Yes. After all the letters are written and ready for review, you will be notified by email that your letter is available for review.