Committee letter from undergrad a few years out?

[winterwind_23]

Hi guys,

I graduated from college in 2011 and am applying to medical school next year for admission into the class starting Fall 2016. I just contacted my alma mater to see if they could write me a committee letter, but they said that the time frame for which they would write me a letter has passed, since medical schools would be more interested in what I've been doing the past few years since graduation.

Since I graduated, I've worked at two different tech companies for about a year each, and then decided I wanted to go into the medial profession. Since I was a chemistry major, I had done most of the prereqs, but I'm currently taking classes to raise my GPA (I will have taken 6 lectures and 3 labs as a "postbac" by the time I apply next year). I'm also volunteering to get clinical hours.

My question is whether not having a committee letter from my undergraduate would hurt me. Will it be worth the effort for me to push my undergraduate institution to make an exception for me for the committee letter? Or will it not be very helpful, since I would be 4 years out by the time I apply? I'm just trying to get an idea of how or even if a committee letter could be beneficial to my application at this point.

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ridethecliche]

I got a committee letter from my undergrad for this cycle after graduating in 2010, but my school limits time to 5 years after graduation.

Not having a committee letter won't hurt you, but I would ask for a letter from the committee that they don't write letters for people that have graduated after X number of years.

I would also look into the services for LOR processing as you will need someone to do this. Perhaps it's interfolio? I'm not sure as I've never had to deal with this although I'm sure someone on this forum knows far more than I do.

 

[winterwind_23]

I got a committee letter from my undergrad for this cycle after graduating in 2010, but my school limits time to 5 years after graduation.

Not having a committee letter won't hurt you, but I would ask for a letter from the committee that they don't write letters for people that have graduated after X number of years.

I would also look into the services for LOR processing as you will need someone to do this. Perhaps it's interfolio? I'm not sure as I've never had to deal with this although I'm sure someone on this forum knows far more than I do.

Looks like your undergrad is able to give a committee letter further out than mine. I'll only be out 4 years by the time I apply. I wonder what their time frame is.

In their email response to me, they did mention that I'd qualify to use their letter of recommendation submission system, which I'm guessing is very similar to Interfolio. At least that'll be extremely helpful.

In general, how do medical schools view a committee letter coming from someone that is 4 years out from undergrad? I mean at the very least, the committee letter could summarize what I did as an undergrad and also what I'm currently doing to get ready for medical school. Or does a committee letter purely address your performance and activities as an undergraduate student? If the latter, then I can understand why they wouldn't want to write me a letter.

 

[ridethecliche]

I would honestly just have them write a note saying that they have a policy that they don't write letters for people x years after graduation.