i go to a fairly wellknown/large undergrad school with a huge premed program. our committee letters are sent out pretty late, so even if you are in the "first tier" (hit every deadline and submit your primary before 6/10) you may not get your letter until mid august. i have been submitting secondaries already but i am getting really stressed bc i am not complete at any schools until i have this in. the committee likes to reassure people by saying that "its well known that our committee letters arrive late, it wont be held against you" but does that really matter? like i highly doubt adcoms are sitting there waiting for apps from my specific school. im definitely just getting stressed bc its annoying that my letter hasnt come out yet, but does anyone have insight on if med schools actually are aware about certain undergrad committee letters taking longer?
committee letter question
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Complete the parts you have control over, that's all you can do.
Med schools know that the pre-health committees often don't meet to send out those letters until fall term starts up.
Med schools know that the pre-health committees often don't meet to send out those letters until fall term starts up.
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This^^^^. Stressing about something you have no control over is not going to help. That said, your instincts are correct. No one is sitting around waiting for your school, and you ARE losing whatever advantage in the process you otherwise might have had by being complete in early July instead of mid-August, or later. Decisions on IIs are being made now, and your application is not being considered because your committee letter is not in.
If your UG is Harvard, it's not going to matter, but, if it's a large state school, yes, your committee is doing you no favors, and its assurances that its slow process isn't going to adversely impact you is worthless. If you are otherwise a great applicant, you'll be fine, but if you are on the bubble, holding you up for close to two months is BS, and no one is sitting around waiting for your letter, except you.
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I also agree, most of us in admissions know that prehealth institutional letters often will arrive later in August or September. My own analysis on this issue with one of my committees shows that our group did not adversely penalize those whose letters came later vs. those that came earlier.
That said, there are some adcoms that like to upset the prehealth advising community by imposing rather improper deadlines (before mid-July???!!!) on when they want those letter packets to be received. If there is anything you should learn about academia is that you can never impose a deadline on faculty unless you are offering a grant.
That said, there are some adcoms that like to upset the prehealth advising community by imposing rather improper deadlines (before mid-July???!!!) on when they want those letter packets to be received. If there is anything you should learn about academia is that you can never impose a deadline on faculty unless you are offering a grant.
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Unless you consider the penalty an adverse impact on students. Committees that prioritize their schedules over their students apparently do not.
Med school admissions really are a rat race today, and it is EXTREMELY SELFISH for committees to screw around with these letters all summer when admissions are rolling, there are more than two applicants for every seat, and the process begins more than two months before some of them get off their a$$es and push the letters out the door (end of June to end of August, or beyond). These letters should all be done, everywhere, by the end of May for people who make timely requests, if summer vacations are important. Otherwise, they should all be done before first AMCAS transmissions to schools take place at the end of June. Period.
No matter what anyone says, some people are absolutely adversely impacted by having to wait all summer before having their application reviewed by an adcom for no reason other than a committee doesn't want its summer vacation disturbed by the med school admissions process. Even if the polling of one of your committees indicates that they do not make any II decisions until all committee letters are received from all schools, which I am pretty sure would be absolutely BS, if anyone actually said that.
They are giving the PC answer to not ruffle any feathers, but any applicant who hustled to be complete early to be eligible for every possibly advantage in the rolling admission process should not have that taken away from them by a committee, or have to rely on hollow assurances from adcoms responding to inquiries from people like you that everyone has an equal shot right up until the last II is issued, because common sense dictates that is not true, anywhere.
Even though there are certainly spots available until there aren't, people who go to the adcom first have an advantage. I did far better with my earlier interviews than my later ones last cycle, and doubt I would have had as many interviews as I had if I was complete two months later than I was.
this is definitely the part i am most angry about, i paid them (not a small sum either!) and sent them about 12 pages of essays AND interviewed, all in febuary/march. they did not consider me "complete" until i sent in proof that i had submitted my primary app, which obviously i couldnt do until may 31. i have absolutely no idea why they didnt start writing them back in march when they collected all my information and money. i know there is nothing i can do and i guess i am just frustrated and hoping people would tell me all is fine. anyways, appreciate anyones help!
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I don't mean to freak you out, because it IS going to be fine. Obviously, many successful people are in exactly your position each year. It's just that they are unnecessarily costing you a potential advantage you worked hard for, simply to adhere to an arbitrary schedule they set for their convenience, not your benefit.
i have no idea for other schools, but this is a lower tier ivy league and we paid $180
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It is not rare, but it is not the general trend. Some committee processes are an extra burden that comes unfunded.
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I cannot answer for your institution (which we should keep nameless here), but this is one reason why I really urge people to find out early what your committee process is (apparently including costs) before you begin. You always have the right to go without your committee letter, but understand if some schools on your list will prefer you go through that process.
I don't know how many packets have to be written, but I can only guess that some reasons for delaying include how to include considering class performance and waiting for their grades, waiting for test scores if they deemed them important in their review, and giving ample time for faculty to submit their letters or comments.
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Well, there are other priorities hitting the process at the same time, namely planning orientation and start of the incoming class, especially if we have last-minute drops. It's not just about summer vacations. (I would plan mine for right after commencement.)
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Yeah, colleges are really starving for money, especially the private ones. Tuition, fees and endowments are not nearly high enough, anywhere.
No opportunity to squeeze a few extra bucks out of a premed should go unexploited. Don't want to "burden" faculty or staff with anything that might help make an education worth the investment, without paying them extra for their efforts.
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I don't completely understand it either. The advisor community often complains about how so many of their students pay hundreds to thousands on test prep and admissions consulting. ...Yeah, colleges are really starving for money, especially the private ones. Tuition, fees and endowments are not nearly high enough, anywhere.
No opportunity to squeeze a few extra bucks out of a premed should go unexploited. Don't want to "burden" faculty or staff with anything that might help make an education worth the investment, without paying them extra for their efforts.
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There's nothing to understand. Med schools blazed the path, by showing what the market will bear with 3-figure secondary fees, and UGs are starting to get in on the action.
It's not advisors making the decisions. It's the administrators. They justify it because the letter is "optional."
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For those with a late committee letter, it may be best to avoid applying to Tulane as in past years, they have filled up their interview slots rather fast.
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Residency programs do require their standardized letters from medical schools (dean's letters/MSPE's), and many medical schools back in the beginning told a few prehealth advisors/undergraduate institutions to do something similar. UG's are definitely getting in on the action, but that's through the SMP and postbac routes, also borne from medical schools. Different discussion for a different thread.
Undergrad faculty and admins have different concerns regarding their budgets, and for many the support for a prehealth office is extra to what they are supposed to get for their budget. Someone higher than them makes that decision, and surprisingly many faculty are not really that invested.
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This thread was closed temporarily yesterday because of some comments that were derogatory and inappropriate in content.
If members would like to continue on-topic discussion of committee letters, timing, or associated fees, the thread is back open.
Thanks wysdoc
If members would like to continue on-topic discussion of committee letters, timing, or associated fees, the thread is back open.
Thanks wysdoc
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just wanted to share that my letter was literally submitted today just goes to show that maybe being super neurotic does help! just kidding, but thanks to everyone for the insight! i am really happy that the fate of my app isnt in the hands of some random committee, and will have to get back on the secondaries grind
just goes to show that maybe being super neurotic does help! just kidding, but thanks to everyone for the insight! i am really happy that the fate of my app isnt in the hands of some random committee, and will have to get back on the secondaries grind
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Y'all ain't seen nothing yet. My dean's letter wasn't uploaded to ERAS until noon on deadline day. I had friends awaiting critical letters from high-up surgeons they rotated with until like 3am on the day they were due. Students are expected to submit everything way in advance, respond quickly to emails, have their essays already written to help their LOR authors, etc. That's all completely a 1-way street, your time and peace of mind are not valued by anyone else (a recurring theme in medical school and early training)
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