Committee Letter Submission Timeline

[artist27]

So I am part of my school's committee and have been planning on submitting both DO and MD apps on the first day they are open for submission. For DO schools, this is May 4th, and for MD schools, June 6 (I believe).

I was just looking at committee info to release letters. These are quotes from the info packet:

• You may request your Committee Letter to be released as early as June 1, 2017
  
• Applicants need to fill out and submit specific materials to release their letters
  
• We try to compose the Committee letter as soon as possible and it generally takes four (4) weeks (although sometimes longer) from the receipt of all required materials to the loading of one’s Committee materials online to AMCAS/AACOMAS/AADSAS/etc. letter service websites
  
• The Pre-Health Professions Program cannot commit to loading letters before the final Friday in August 2017. If this timeline is problematic to an applicant, he or she should consider applying to health professional school by means other than the Committee. You may wish to use Interfolio letter service or other letter coordination services.

4 weeks??? So that means the earliest I will have a complete application is the beginning of July. I know that still isn't considered "late" but they also said they won't even guarantee they will be in by the end of August. I need all the help I can get with this cycle and wanted to submit on day 1 but is this a normal timeline for committee letters? Will I be at a disadvantage? Is it better to have the committee letter and submit later, or skip the committee letter and submit on the first day?

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[kitkat13]

My school does 6-8 weeks 🙁

 

[Nucleophile1]

That's a normal timeline for committee letters. My school has a similar (albeit later) timeline for committee letters and I fared just fine. It's always best to go with the committee letter.

 

[artist27]

Thanks for the insight! I guess I am just frustrated because all previous advice has been to apply early and I'll be good, but now I don't even have that going for me. I have stats on the low end (3.5/510) so I'm just a bit anxious.

 

[artist27]

Letters are the last thing they look at but are important. Get the committee letter.

Does this mean I can submit my app for verification before the letters come in?