Committee Letter vs. Faculty LORS

[artaxerxes]

I should have thought about this earlier, but I recently realized that i only have 1 science faculty in my committee letter package. Most schools say they want either a committee letter (with unspecified science letters) or a number of faculty letters (2 or 3 science). since I've already been getting interviews, should I bother finding another lor to send in before the final review? or is the committee letter, which is in effect written by the entire bio faculty, good enough?

I should also have a volunteer letter and physician letter before final review, don't know if those really affect anything.

Edit: do admissions look at your LORs before they invite you for interviews or do they just look to see that you have them? I kinda worried now since I have 1 non-sci professor, 1 sci-professor/PI, 1 post-doc/research associate supervisor, and 1 non-professor instructor for my committee letter, so it isn't strongest set of clout around. Thing was my premed advisor accepted all my letters and said the composite letter was very strong, which makes me wonder how med schools are going to see it.

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[MassTransport]

I believe a committee letter will skirt any individual requirements the schools may have. High time for a phone call.

Some schools will no doubt read the letters or at least glance at them before inviting you for an interview, but some won't. Duke doesn't even ask for the letters until after you've been invited.

 

[artaxerxes]

probably a good idea, gonna go visit my school tomorrow to feel things out, and maybe ask for another letter from my thesis advisor/genetics prof.

Edit: just reread my committee letter requirements, indeed they only require 1 sci-faculty.....perhaps they are setting the lot of us up for failure!!

 

[FlowLimited]

MassTransport is right. A committee letter trumps faculty LORs. If you've got one, you technically don't need any others.