Committee Letter Question

[begoood95]

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This may be a dumb question, but that's what anonymous forums are for! So:

I won't be getting a pre-health committee letter for reasons I'm not going into right now. I've emailed all relevant medical schools, and some said that,

"In fact, if your school provides committee letters and your application does not include one, we ask that during your application cycle, you inform us in writing as to why you were unable to obtain one."

Question is, do they mean they want an actual letter sent to them, or would an e-mail suffice?

 

[efle]

E-mail should work, I'd include your explanation both in the email body and as a PDF attachment.

So now that that is answered, expand on this!

I won't be getting a pre-health committee letter

You have good academics and a letter is available, why not have it sent in along with your individual letters?

 

[begoood95]

E-mail should work, I'd include your explanation both in the email body and as a PDF attachment.

So now that that is answered, expand on this!


You have good academics and a letter is available, why not have it sent in along with your individual letters?

Email + PDF sounds like a good combo!

As for the other question... I had a pre-med advisor. Said pre-med advisor said, "Oh! You know W, X, Y, and Z professors from W, X, Y, and Z departments—a good variety of humanities and physical sciences professors. They'll write you very strong letters [I knew them each for 3+ years, and indeed they would]. Forgo our committee, it's made up of faculty who don't know you and base everything on one interview, and do not incorporate other letters."

So, long story short, deadline to apply for the committee letter came and went, and now I can't get one; this is all because I was advised not to get one. I don't come from a very well known university, so I don't think the damage will be too bad, especially given the rest of my application. Obviously a letter might have been more ideal, but I'm done stressing about it at this point!

 

[efle]

and do not incorporate other letters.

...but couldn't you request the committee letter, and then also send in your individual letters to AMCAS?

Not that it matters at this point for yourself, very true

 

[begoood95]

...but couldn't you request the committee letter, and then also send in your individual letters to AMCAS?

Not that it matters at this point for yourself, very true

For some schools, that may work; for others—and I think a majority—it's either one or the other, not both. In other words, if I send in the committee letter, they don't want the individual ones because it'd be overkill I guess, in their opinion.

 

[efle]

For some schools, that may work; for others—and I think a majority—it's either one or the other, not both. In other words, if I send in the committee letter, they don't want the individual ones because it'd be overkill I guess, in their opinion.

Interesting. I thought that was the system for "packets" where the committee wrote a letter themselves but then attached all the letters, or for committee letters that draw on a bunch of individual letters you submit to them, since then it would be redundant. Surprising that a committee letter that doesn't make use of individual letters at all would be seen as a substitute.

So does this mean premeds there at your state flagship never have to worry about asking any professors or PIs for letters? Most people just do an interview with the prehealth committee and that's it as far as recs?

 

[begoood95]

Interesting. I thought that was the system for "packets" where the committee wrote a letter themselves but then attached all the letters, or for committee letters that draw on a bunch of individual letters you submit to them, since then it would be redundant. Surprising that a committee letter that doesn't make use of individual letters at all would be seen as a substitute.

So does this mean premeds there at your state flagship never have to worry about asking any professors or PIs for letters? Most people just do an interview with the prehealth committee and that's it as far as recs?

I think packets are actually a part of some committee letters, and are therefore a sub-class of committee letters, essentially. So with most medical schools, we send either (a) one committee letter, (b) one "packet" (which is really [a] with individual letters attached), or (c) individual letters.

Option (c), whenever you school does have either (a) or (b) is seen as less than ideal because some students appear to circumvent GPA/MCAT cutoff requirements; in other cases, pre-med committees are well-known, and so not having one would raise a flag. My case is neither, so hopefully it's not too bad.

And I 100% agree with you: it's strange (perhaps even dumb, in my university's case) that individual letters are not included in the letter—especially because the two to three people that interview you most likely don't know you at all. How are they supposed to evaluate your candidacy and preparedness for medical school in a 20-30 min interview? And without any extra materials besides raw stats they have available?

Not at my state's flagship, but I'd say we're fairly equal, with the other university holding a slight edge. Pre-meds at my university, unfortunately, are not very well informed, due in large part to our abysmal advising; I think most students stay in state, and most students go to our affiliated DO school. I don't know what most people do, but I'd wager that most do in fact only get the committee letter, and because they don't include individual letters, you're right—they don't have to ask any professors.

If it wasn't for SDN, I'd be DOA this application cycle.

 

[efle]

I think packets are actually a part of some committee letters, and are therefore a sub-class of committee letters, essentially. So with most medical schools, we send either (a) one committee letter, (b) one "packet" (which is really [a] with individual letters attached), or (c) individual letters.

Option (c), whenever you school does have either (a) or (b) is seen as less than ideal because some students appear to circumvent GPA/MCAT cutoff requirements; in other cases, pre-med committees are well-known, and so not having one would raise a flag. My case is neither, so hopefully it's not too bad.

And I 100% agree with you: it's strange (perhaps even dumb, in my university's case) that individual letters are not included in the letter—especially because the two to three people that interview you most likely don't know you at all. How are they supposed to evaluate your candidacy and preparedness for medical school in a 20-30 min interview? And without any extra materials besides raw stats they have available?

Not at my state's flagship, but I'd say we're fairly equal, with the other university holding a slight edge. Pre-meds at my university, unfortunately, are not very well informed, due in large part to our abysmal advising; I think most students stay in state, and most students go to our affiliated DO school. I don't know what most people do, but I'd wager that most do in fact only get the committee letter, and because they don't include individual letters, you're right—they don't have to ask any professors.

If it wasn't for SDN, I'd be DOA this application cycle.

Well, it sounds like you've made the right choice here for sure then. I know there have been past people on SDN that came from an unknown state campus, bypassed their committee letter, but had high numbers and they ended up getting like half a dozen t20 interviews. This guy is a moderator from a few years back who I'm thinking of if you hadn't already come across it. You'll do great.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Hmmm...I wonder if there was a miscommunication. CL's are like cover letters that sit on top of the LORs behind since there still is an expectation that there be LORs from science profs, etc

 

[AttemptingScholar]

Hmmm...I wonder if there was a miscommunication. CL's are like cover letters that sit on top of the LORs behind since there still is an expectation that there be LORs from science profs, etc

Not necessarily. At my school, the CL is in packet format where an informational letter sits on top of the individual letters. At some, the individual letters just inform the CL, which is a single letter.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

Not necessarily. At my school, the CL is in packet format where an informational letter sits on top of the individual letters. At some, the individual letters just inform the CL, which is a single letter.

Interesting. Lol...I don't like that.
Seriously, the idea that an all-inclusive CL can best capture the high points of what was contained in several LORs is naive. Having the CL be the cover that sits on top of the LORs allows adcoms to further read, if they feel the need to, to learn more about the applicant from the recommenders that likely know the applicant better than the committee.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

Interesting. Lol...I don't like that.
Seriously, the idea that an all-inclusive CL can best capture the high points of what was contained in several LORs is naive. Having the CL be the cover that sits on top of the LORs allows adcoms to further read, if they feel the need to, to learn more about the applicant from the recommenders that likely know the applicant better than the committee.

Definitely agree. I like my system much better.