How can I find out which colleges restrict committee letters/real medical school acceptance %'s?

[AmaranthMoor]

Hello everyone!
I am a high school senior trying to find the best 4-year college for pre-med studies as a backup plan if getting into a combined program fails.
So far, I have seen places who boast huge pre-med to medical school admission rates; however, I have been cautioned that these often weed out "bad" students by setting the bar very high for issuing of a committee recommendation letter.
Any good sites where I can find information on this (the colleges' sites themselves seem to have nothing!) Or, any recommendations for colleges that don't do this, or don't do it so strictly?

Thanks!

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[Cotterpin]

Don't plan on being the kind of student that would get weeded out by a strict pre-med committee. Go to a school where you think you have the best chances of maintaining a very high gpa.

 

[neekzg]

There are schools like this?? I am still confused by the concept of pre-med advisors/committees since my school has nothing of the sort and I had never heard of them until coming to SDN. I can't imagine that there are many schools like this and I would not base my decision of where to go to college on something like this.

Go to a school where you can see yourself having fun and thriving for the next four years. Aside from the cost of attendance, that would really be my primary concern.

edit: Just want to emphasize as said above.. do not consider this as a factor in deciding where to go to college!! The fit and environment of the college are much more important for your happiness and success.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Just go to the best school that you can that you think is a good fit for you.

 

[Strudel19]

Are committee letters really not as important as they used to be? It's expected at my UG.

 

[sovereign0]

Are committee letters really not as important as they used to be? It's expected at my UG.

The decreasing prevalence of committee letters is likely because UG institutions no longer offer them. If you school offers one, you pretty much have to use it barring extenuating circumstances.

For example, I go to a large 40k+ undergrad state institution, with plenty of premeds, and an advising office affiliated with a medical school, and they do not offer committee evaluations.

 

[Cotterpin]

The only place I would recommend looking at this more closely is for those evaluating any sort of formal postbacc. Some of these programs were known in the past to do exactly what the OP had stated. That is, set high committee standards, denying letters to those below it, partly to increase their school wide acceptance rate. Again, it is difficult to ascertain which programs really do this and, more importantly, how important the committee letter is each specific medical school. Some specific UG institutions may have highly regarded committees by certain medical schools, thus making letters more important. However, that is specific to each individual relationship and it would be impossible to map them out nor know what they might be in 3 to 5 years hence.

Which schools have highly regarded committees? It is a case-by-case thing?

Also, I know for sure that Columbia's postbacc has clearly stated standards that will disqualify you from getting a letter if you don't meet them. I know some people who were burned by that.