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I think you have a good reason for not getting a letter. I know my school requires you to take your last X credits there so there are times people are not eligible.
In that case you would collect letter individually and probably store them using interfolio. Some secondaries will ask "Why dont you have a committee letter", you would use what you wrote as an explanation.
Typically people get 3-4 letters, two being science and one non science. You can think about adding one additional letter from a volunteer organization or maybe a doctor you shadowed for DO. If you are submitting individual letters you need to look at each schools requirement then (some schools need letters from your major or from a doctor or PI if you did research).
Committee letter will supersede any LOR requirements specific to the school which makes them pretty nice despite what SDN thinks about them.
In that case you would collect letter individually and probably store them using interfolio. Some secondaries will ask "Why dont you have a committee letter", you would use what you wrote as an explanation.
Typically people get 3-4 letters, two being science and one non science. You can think about adding one additional letter from a volunteer organization or maybe a doctor you shadowed for DO. If you are submitting individual letters you need to look at each schools requirement then (some schools need letters from your major or from a doctor or PI if you did research).
Committee letter will supersede any LOR requirements specific to the school which makes them pretty nice despite what SDN thinks about them.
I had a similar situation. I did not get a committee letter from my school because they require an in person interview and I could not fly back across the country. I was accepted without my school (attended 4 years) committee letter.
Is there a health professions advisor at either school you attended? You should contact one of them to see if they will assemble a letter packet for you. Unlike a committee letter, a letter packet offers no evaluation or recommendation. If possible, see if they will write a cover letter for the packet explaining that you are ineligible for a committee letter due to insufficient credits etc(my advisor wrote me a cover letter explaining I could not return for the committee interview). This will give you the chance to have all your LOR in one place and a letter packet is better than individual LOR because it acts as a committee letter in the sense that you only need one. Schools will also not need to speculate on why you dont have a committee letter. If you have an understanding premed advisor they should help you with this good luck!
Is there a health professions advisor at either school you attended? You should contact one of them to see if they will assemble a letter packet for you. Unlike a committee letter, a letter packet offers no evaluation or recommendation. If possible, see if they will write a cover letter for the packet explaining that you are ineligible for a committee letter due to insufficient credits etc(my advisor wrote me a cover letter explaining I could not return for the committee interview). This will give you the chance to have all your LOR in one place and a letter packet is better than individual LOR because it acts as a committee letter in the sense that you only need one. Schools will also not need to speculate on why you dont have a committee letter. If you have an understanding premed advisor they should help you with this good luck!
Wouldn't it be better to get a letter packet from a pre-med advising office with a cover letter explaining why they can't provide a committee recommendation?
southpaw3
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I didn't realize committee letters were the norm. This cycle I went ahead and gathered individual letters, and that's my plan for next cycle if I have to apply again. Is there any reason I should consider switching to a committee letter instead? I was never asked about my choice of individual letters in my interviews this cycle.