Advisor Says They Don't Write Committee Letters for Pod School

[itsallgood19]

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I e-mailed the head of the pre-health committee at my school telling her of my intentions to apply to podiatry school and how I had some questions about the LORs via interfolio and if they could be used to supplement the composite letter of recommendation that the pre-health committee can generate. Without any review of my grades or anything, she informed me that our school does not write composite pre-health letters for those applying to podiatry school.

Does this seem weird to anyone else, because from some of my research for pod schools (like Temple and NYCPM) they want either a composite pre-health letter or 2 letters from science professors, and additionally a letter from a pod. I am just confused as to why my school doesn''t even consider it, and I don't want any schools thinking I wasn't "qualified" to have my school approve me for writing one on my behalf.

Any ideas of what to do? How bad does it look if you don't have a composite letter? So far I am getting one from a podiatrist and one from my volunteer supervisor. She said all of the letters should be sent via interfolio. How many should I am for in total - 5?

Thanks for everybody's help!!

 

[Shinobiz11]

Ok, an LOR is not really that big of a deal. Those two that you have should be fine. Regarding your committee letter, that just doesn't make any sense to me. Schools don't normally write LOR's, at least I've never heard of it. They are usually obtained by someone you have closely worked with and you feel comfortable enough for them to write one for you. It's a personal recommendation (though not in every case) so I'm not sure how a school/committee would write one for you. If they write them for other professional schools, then I could see where this would be unfair. Don't worry about it though, you should be fine as long as your stats hold up. Good luck! 🙂

 

[heybrother]

If you are really that worried then you'll pick up the phone and call the schools you are interested in to find out what they'll accept. I suspect that whatever happens (phonecall or not) you'll come to find this isn't that big a deal and as long as you have a letter from a podiatrist along with some sort of combination of two letters from professors or relevant people you probably won't have any issues. I believe DMU only requires 2 letters and I was accepted to Temple with only 3 letters even though their website indicates they require 4. The admissions office is your friend and if you want something enough you'll do what it takes to make it happen.

On a different note, I would strongly suggest contacting the schools and ensuring that they have received your letters once you know they have been sent. From my personal experience, Scholl does not grant interviews until they've received letters.

 

[heybrother]

Ok, an LOR is not really that big of a deal. Those two that you have should be fine. Regarding your committee letter, that just doesn't make any sense to me. Schools don't normally write LOR's, at least I've never heard of it. They are usually obtained by someone you have closely worked with and you feel comfortable enough for them to write one for you. It's a personal recommendation (though not in every case) so I'm not sure how a school/committee would write one for you. If they write them for other professional schools, then I could see where this would be unfair. Don't worry about it though, you should be fine as long as your stats hold up. Good luck! 🙂

Its not unusual at all. My undergrad had a committee to which you would submit all of your experiences, grades, letters, etc by a certain deadline. They would then write up a summary letter.

 

[rushrhees]

It is not impossible that the OP's school does not do committee letter, but a lot of schools do. Loyola would do committee letters, but to get one was a long list of things that had to be done (biography, several essay questions it was a whole page checklist and I think you needed at least a 3.25) and even then they would only write one if they feel you have a chance at what you are applying for. I always thought these committee letters often held more weight than individual prof letters. My friends who went into MD/DO/DDS used this to fulfill their LOR requirement.

 

[Robert De Niro]

I only used 2 LORs; one from a Pod and another from my school advisor (it was not a committee letter). I'm sure if you went to another professor to write an individual letter you'll be fine! Good Luck!!!

 

[MaxillofacialMN]

Any ideas of what to do? How bad does it look if you don't have a composite letter? So far I am getting one from a podiatrist and one from my volunteer supervisor. She said all of the letters should be sent via interfolio. How many should I am for in total - 5?

Thanks for everybody's help!!

Don't inundate the schools with 5 letters unless they ask for them/all say something profoundly unique. If a school asks for 2 letters and you send in 5 that all say basically the same thing, they will get annoyed at you. Before people tell me that I'm wrong and sending in five won't hurt - you're right that it probably won't hurt, but that's because almost nothing "hurts" in pod school admissions.

Don't sweat not having a committee letter. If I were you, ask everyone (that you know) on the committee to write you individual letters. This serves two purposes: you get your LORs that you need (pretty sure you can pick which ones to actually send on interfolio?), and secondly, it will annoy the professors you ask because they have to write their own letter instead of a committee letter. Teach them a lesson for discounting podiatry!! Think of how much easier it would have been to write a committee letter than 5 individual letters!

Okay, don't do the last part unless you want revenge.

 

[pacpod]

I didn't have a committee letter when I applied. I went to a really small undergrad and they didn't write committee letters for anyone no matter what degree they were applying for.

You will be fine if you send normal LOR. But like MaxillofacialMN said, don't send them a ton more than they ask for, if they want three, send them three.

Best of luck!

 

[hughesn2]

I wouldn't be surprised if here at Michigan State they would do the same thing since when I went to talk to my advisor she had no clue what Podiatry schools there were in the nation. I think I had informed her more of podiatry schools than she had known before...and she was rated by all pre-professional students as "the best pre-med advisor on campus"

But I would never use them as a LOR since I don't talk to that advisor. I talk to my advisor in Lyman Briggs and she would help me out, but not the Natural Science pre-professional advisor.

When I went into the ladies office the only things MSU counts as pre-professional is: MD, DO, PA, DPM, Dental, and Optometry. They completely forget about DPM. Somehow according to them the Physical Therapy profession is more prominent than Podiatry. She seemed to not care that I was frustrated that. Yet when you look at Medicine this is what appears: Medicine (MD/DO/DPM).

I will use my Lyman Briggs College of MSU for a committee letter and they will do it b/c they consider Podiatry a pre-professional route, but the Natural Science College at MSU does not.

 

[EK18]

When I went into the ladies office the only things MSU counts as pre-professional is: MD, DO, PA, DPM, Dental, and Optometry. They completely forget about DPM. Somehow according to them the Physical Therapy profession is more prominent than Podiatry. She seemed to not care that I was frustrated that.

Well, Physical Therapy is definitely a much more visible profession than Podiatry. There are 226 DPT programs across the country (compared to our 9 DPM programs) that enroll a combined number of almost 25,000 students. That's nearly double the number of practicing Podiatrists out there today.

I guess what I'm saying is it makes sense that the faculty/administration would spend time and resources to assist students getting into well-known and popular professional programs because that's what the students want. I went to a large university (20,000+ total enrollment) and at the career center when I was inquiring about scheduling a mock interview for Pod school they thought I was mistaken and meant DO or MD. They didn't have any information on Pod school interview so I had to generate my own questions to hand it to them to use during the mock interview.

 

[hughesn2]

I went to a large university (20,000+ total enrollment) and at the career center when I was inquiring about scheduling a mock interview for Pod school they thought I was mistaken and meant DO or MD. They didn't have any information on Pod school interview so I had to generate my own questions to hand it to them to use during the mock interview.

Same exact thing happened to me, I go to a school with 40,000+. They thought I was mistaken for saying MD. They had no info on podiatry and it frustrated the hell out of me.

I under PT does have more schools, but the fact that one of the counselor's at these schools can just research for two days on podiatry and then she would at least have enough information on GPA, MCAT, requirements, location, and application processes to give to any DPM hopeful students.

 

[itsallgood19]

I talked to the chair of my pre health committee and I got it out of her that they are willing to write one but they honestly have never written one for POD ever, which I find pretty odd. She admitted that previous students have gained admission to pod school but the overall interest and actual applying to pod school has been very low.

I'm wondering if I should just go with finding separate letters instead of the pre health letter. At my school they only write composite letters for those with qualified stats and they have to wait until all materials (GPAs, MCAT scores, supplmentary letters, resumes, etc) are in. I am planning on taking the MCAT this upcoming summer (late August) so that means they won't write me one (if they approve me) until the beginning of the fall semester September.

Does anyone know if pod schools favor composite letters over the separate letters, bc at least for MD/DO admissions I've heard that if you don't supply a composite pre health letter they assume your school was not willing to write you one. I don't want them to ask why I never received one, but I feel if I could just get separate ones on my own the process will go much quicker and I could get my app in faster without waiting for the stupid composite letter.

 

[Cascade11]

Don't bother with the composite letter. Take the faster route, I have never heard of pod schools preferring committee letter over individual ones.

 

[Curringt]

I wouldn't be surprised if here at Michigan State they would do the same thing since when I went to talk to my advisor she had no clue what Podiatry schools there were in the nation. I think I had informed her more of podiatry schools than she had known before...and she was rated by all pre-professional students as "the best pre-med advisor on campus"

But I would never use them as a LOR since I don't talk to that advisor. I talk to my advisor in Lyman Briggs and she would help me out, but not the Natural Science pre-professional advisor.

When I went into the ladies office the only things MSU counts as pre-professional is: MD, DO, PA, DPM, Dental, and Optometry. They completely forget about DPM. Somehow according to them the Physical Therapy profession is more prominent than Podiatry. She seemed to not care that I was frustrated that. Yet when you look at Medicine this is what appears: Medicine (MD/DO/DPM).

I will use my Lyman Briggs College of MSU for a committee letter and they will do it b/c they consider Podiatry a pre-professional route, but the Natural Science College at MSU does not.

The College of Natural Science Preprofessional advisors have podiatry listed as an option on the preprofessional website. We all know podiatry as a profession and information about being competitive for those schools, and no, you did not inform me of anything during our appointment. We count any health profession as preprofessional, so there are actually much more included than you listed, even though you listed DPM twice. Also, MSU does not have a proprofessional committee, so you will not be able to get a committee letter from anywhere, not even Lyman Briggs.