committee letters? what do you think?

[Dr. N]

I have interview scheduled of begining on May for committee letter. Those people who are interviewing us practically don't know us at all, vs people who are writing recletters for us. Those of your who are applyed this year and got in, let us know if think it is useful or not.

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[10minutes]

If I'm not mistaken, most schools require Pre-med committee letter if your school has the committee.

 

[Dr. N]

If I'm not mistaken, most schools require Pre-med committee letter if your school has the committee.

yes, that is right. But my predem advisor also said that students that are too late to schedule interview can send individual letters of rec. So I guess it is still the option.

 

[IcedCube]

i suspect they'd wonder why no letter.

 

[TheRussian]

A lot of schools will want written explanations for why you chose not to get a committee letter. If you have a good excuse then that's fine. Otherwise you should definetely get it

 

[exmike]

A lot of schools will want written explanations for why you chose not to get a committee letter. If you have a good excuse then that's fine. Otherwise you should definetely get it

exactly. there is no reason not to use the committee that i can think of. "I was too late in setting up my committee interview" probably wont go over too well with admissions, so think of something good.

I dont think you (the OP) understand the committee process. The committee will READ all of your recommendations, then interview you based upon those letters. The committee will then write a cover letter highlighting certain points from the various individual letters to make you look as complete as possible, and also adding elements from your interview with the committee. They really make you look a lot better than a mishmash of random recommendations. I had several schools comment on how great my committee letter was. Its also a lot easier for a school to read one comittee letter rather than six individual recs. You should definitely do it, its to your advantage in every way.

 

[LanceP97]

This past Friday I had my interview with the preproffessional committee. Going into it I was nervous because of the way its set up with 8 professors who all know you from different situations sitting together and asking difficult questions. They all had a small resume of my life sitting in front of them that they used to ask their questions. I would recommend doing the committee interview because several of the professors brought up strong points that the other professors were not aware of. In all the interview went well and was fairly laid back and conversational with occasional laughs. I'd definately recommend this.

 

[chopper]

One 'good' reason for not going through the committee (applicable to post bacs) is that you have not completed the required number of classes at that school to qualify for the committee. My school requires 16+ credits. Some post bacs only need a couple classes, and therefore can't go through, even though the school has a committee. I'm sure there are other reasons - I've heard anectodotal evidence of people not using it but still getting in.

That said, i would recommend using the commmittee if you can. It is another 'dry run' that will help you out when applying, and it is a sign to medical schools that you've had to be vetted in some way before getting to their desk.

 

[EM Junkie]

My undergrad school uses a very long "questionairre" (sp?) that you fill out at your leisure and return. They then use the high points, along with your rec letters, to create a cover letter.

I wouldn't sweat the interview though - their job is to make students from their school look OUTSTANDING to medical schools. Their letter can only help you!

My $0.02

 

[34140]

My schools committe won't let me interview with them. I apparently have a low GPA, I think its high enough, but they have a minimum. Which is not fair.

 

[kiki the alto]

That sucks! Who's to say you can't be a doctor, to refuse you the chance?
Well, I love the way my school works it. You choose two profs and the advisor chooses one, you interview with each separately, and then they combine their feedback into one letter. The teachers I chose have a wonderful opinion of me and I was really relaxed and articulate during the interviews. My problem is, whether or not I ought to get more letters beyond just the committee. I know I need non-academic ones, but do I need more academic ones? Anyone know?

 

[TheRussian]

That sucks! Who's to say you can't be a doctor, to refuse you the chance?
Well, I love the way my school works it. You choose two profs and the advisor chooses one, you interview with each separately, and then they combine their feedback into one letter. The teachers I chose have a wonderful opinion of me and I was really relaxed and articulate during the interviews. My problem is, whether or not I ought to get more letters beyond just the committee. I know I need non-academic ones, but do I need more academic ones? Anyone know?

Yes you do. Typically you need at least 3 LORs from proffesors outside your committee. You might be able to ask members of the committee to write you seperate letter in addition to the committee letter but I felt uncomfortable doing that because I thought it would look bad to have the same professor contribute to two different letters.