How badly will not having a committee letter hurt me?

[passerbyca]

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I come from a school that has a premed committee and writes committee letters for applicants. The deadline to apply for a letter was late January, and at the time, I decided to forgo the letter because I didn't have any LORs/PS/activity descriptions ready and didnt know if I would even be applying this cycle (took a late january mcat and the letter costs $$). I am now starting to see that a good amount of schools dont look at applicants without one or want an explanation for forgoing the letter, and I dont know if my reasoning will be convincing.

I think I just need to hear some anecdotal experiences from people that had successful cycles without a committee letter (when they had access to one but didnt use the resource). Spent too much money on my primaries, and would hate to have something like this keep me from being seen as a competitive applicant.

Any thoughts/experiences are appreciated!

 

[DrDarce]

I know of someone at my undergrad that didn't go through committee and had a few acceptances. I'm not sure his reason why, but he was able to get a LOR from the premed office (although not a committee letter). He had a strong application otherwise.

From my understanding, you should have an explanation for why you didn't get one. It's not an application killer, but will probably set you back a little bit.

EDIT: OP, I would ask the premed office of they can write a LOR since you didn't get the committee letter. It's possible they have something they can do for people who miss deadlines for committee and such.

 

[first_time_poster]

Well, it's not good. If you're a traditional student, you should have gotten the committee letter, especially coming from CA. I didn't have a committee letter, but then, I was a non-traditional student.

 

[jhg1232]

some schools dont even offer committee letters

 

[eternelle]

I didn't use a committee letter. A lot of schools didn't even ask me about it.

 

[Gandyy]

I've been out of school for 3 years and according to my school's webpage, they only do committee letters for traditional students. I have heard that not obtaining a committee letter as a traditional student looks pretty bad and is a red flag. I believe you have to have extenuating circumstances to not have one as a traditional student.

 

[Gandyy]

Not really. It depends on the schools you're applying to. I was a traditional student, and only one secondary asked me about a committee letter. I did 8 interviews and was never asked about it.

Ah good news for the OP. I'm only saying what I know I've read some adcoms post on here.

 

[nwts]

It also depends on what school you go to. If you go to a school that sends a bunch of applicants to medical schools and has a very well-known committee, it will be more of an issue than if you go to a school that doesn't send many people to medical schools. If you go to the latter type of school, many medical schools may not realize that your school even has a committee.

 

[premed010101]

Well, it's not good. If you're a traditional student, you should have gotten the committee letter, especially coming from CA. I didn't have a committee letter, but then, I was a non-traditional student.

can you clarify what a traditional vs nontraditional student means? I'm taking a gap year. Am I "non-traditional"?

 

[Gandyy]

can you clarify what a traditional vs nontraditional student means? I'm taking a gap year. Am I "non-traditional"?

Technically you are a non-traditional student even though you are probably still in your early 20's. I'm 25 and applying (been out of school for 3 years) and I'm considered non traditional. If you arent applying to medical school during your Junior Year of college, you are a non traditional applicant.

Edit: Nvm according to @gonnif definition, it looks like you are still a traditional applicant.

 

[Gandyy]

It is a category of a social group, therefore there is no absolute definition. Typically is was defined as older than 26 as that was the age cut off posted by medical schools circa 1980. Anything other than HS to College to Medical school, with a gap year or two in between, would be a non trad.

Good to know. Wait, why did this definition change? Social reasons or was there some particular shift in admissions thinking, etc?

 

[Goro]

To follow up on my learned colleague's comments, there are schools that require the committee LOR, and will want a good explanation as to why there isn't one. Obviously, a school lacking a pre-med committee gets you a bye, but as the wise LizzyM has pointed out, not having one when your UG school is a feeder to a med school can hurt you.

To OP, why can't you get a committee LOR right now?

a decade or more ago, not having a committee letter from a school that offered was huge negative. With the advent of online letters via interfolio and AMCAS service, it is much less an issue. While a some, mostly private, medical schools still put a significant weight on committee letters, it non-issue or small blip at most schools. I would suggest that the OP look carefully at the requirements for each school he/she applies to on each school's website for specifics and see how much they emphasize the committee letter. It might impact your school list

 

[Gandyy]

yeah, it was called age discrimination. There was a massive shift in the 1970s when both age discrimination and gender discrimination became accepted and common legal arguments across America that forced medical schools to remove policies/standards limiting both older candidates and women from applying and being accepted in medical schools. Until that time many medical schools had a formal stated policy that they would not consider applications from anyone over 26. Additionally women were routinely denied acceptance both in medical school and more importantly certain residency specialties as they were expected to get married, have children and leave. The impact on the healthcare system workforce, and the American workforce in general cannot be understated and widespread inequities are still felt by millions. This was also an era where interracial marriage was still illegal in many states as well as homosexual conduct (it never made sense to me to lock up the homosexuals in jail with lots of men as punishment for them). As a sociologist who grew up during this era, the profundity of the changes astound me. I could easily be introduced to a pair of older guys, one white, one african american in the incoming medical school class who are happy to announce that they just got married.

A thorough post!

 

[Goro]

We live in interesting times! I'm a political junkie, and in following the California Prop 8 court fight all the way to SCOTUS, I swore that the time of the plaintiffs was poor, because the Fascist wing of the Court would have OK'd Prop 8. Yet look how it turned out! Who'd a thunk it!!??

As a sociologist who grew up during this era, the profundity of the changes astound me. I could easily be introduced to a pair of older guys, one white, one african american in the incoming medical school class who are happy to announce that they just got married.[/QUOTE]

 

[Goro]

This also reminds me of the Howard Stern joke "What, gay people want to be miserable like the rest of us?"

Though this latest supreme court ruling means I will have to buy twice as many wedding gifts now!

 

[first_time_poster]

Though this latest supreme court ruling means I will have to buy twice as many wedding gifts now!

twice as many wedding gifts. twice as many divorce lawyers. ha

 

[premed010101]

To follow up on my learned colleague's comments, there are schools that require the committee LOR, and will want a good explanation as to why there isn't one. Obviously, a school lacking a pre-med committee gets you a bye, but as the wise LizzyM has pointed out, not having one when your UG school is a feeder to a med school can hurt you.

To OP, why can't you get a committee LOR right now?

Read the post?

 

[Akech]

To follow up on my learned colleague's comments, there are schools that require the committee LOR, and will want a good explanation as to why there isn't one. Obviously, a school lacking a pre-med committee gets you a bye, but as the wise LizzyM has pointed out, not having one when your UG school is a feeder to a med school can hurt you.

To OP, why can't you get a committee LOR right now?

Would taking a gap year or two count as a good reason why you aren't using a committee letter? Something to the tune of "I believe that these new references from my gap year reflect me more accurately than a committee letter that may be weighed down by unsatisfactory performance in earlier years"

 

[ChrisMack390]

I'm not getting one. I will have graduated 3 years before I apply, and I will be getting my LORs from my graduate school professors, so my UG won't give me one.

Stupid grad school only gives them to undergrads 🙁

Oh well, I honestly don't expect this to matter very much. Most web pages say committee OR x, y, z letters. I don't buy the common thought that med schools are lying through their teeth about what they want.

 

[Gandyy]

I'm not getting one. I will have graduated 3 years before I apply, and I will be getting my LORs from my graduate school professors, so my UG won't give me one.

Stupid grad school only gives them to undergrads 🙁

Oh well, I honestly don't expect this to matter very much. Most web pages say committee OR x, y, z letters. I don't buy the common thought that med schools are lying through their teeth about what they want.

Well i'd say for non-trads like you and me, committee letter matters much less anyways.

 

[emraldragon]

I got my BA in '05 and I called my undergrad to ask about interview prep (free service offered to alums). They misunderstood me and tried to schedule me to come in to interview for a committee letter. I was surprised to say the least.

To the OP, if you are still looking for suggestions, say that you missed the application deadline because you needed to make an informed decision about applications and timing upon receiving your MCAT score. It seems like a decent reason to delay matters. I wouldn't mention the money bit as a deterrent because while it seems everyone knows this process is wicked expensive, it doesn't appear prudent to discuss that fact (even if not actually complaining about it).