Input on chances?

[ckit10]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for input on my chances for the upcoming cycle and how broadly to apply. I've run into some issues with my committee and LORs that combined with some other weak areas in my app might hurt my chances.

Stats:
Senior bio major
oGPA: 3.8 sGPA: 3.65
22AA/23TS/20PA/22RC (17 in QR, oops)
60hrs of shadowing (trying to increase)
200hrs of volunteering in dental office
250+hrs of volunteer research
60hrs of hospital volunteering
Worked as tutor for 2 summers
Strong personal statement

My committee requires 5 strong letters of recommendation and doesn't upload until August. My state school (#1 choice) requires a committee letter. I will get strong letters from my PI and dentist and a decent letter from a humanities prof. Our committee also requires 2 science letters. I've already been turned down by a prof I thought I had enough interaction with/did well enough to warrant a letter, but was told they haven't known me long enough to comment on my progression and motivations.... And I've recently learned that most professors in my department won't write for students who did not TA or cap the number of letters they write per year. So now I'm stuck spam emailing professors whose classes I did well in, but may not remember me among 200-300 students. This letter will obviously be mediocre and I'm worried that it will result in a poor committee ranking, which won't even be released until August. So how much does the August submission hurt with my credentials/situation and how much weight do LORs hold? Thanks for taking the time to read and good luck to everyone applying!

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[Hannah Banana]

Hey guys,
My committee requires 5 strong letters of recommendation and doesn't upload until August.

That's crazy! 5 letters? You only need 3 for most dental schools. Just submit everything first and send the committee's letter in whenever they finish. It will hurt your chance if they send the letter in Aug and probably take a couple weeks for AADSAS to send out. Get your other eggs (dental schools) first by submitting early.
Good luck! With those stats, you will get interviews.

 

[ckit10]

Just submit everything first and send the committee's letter in whenever they finish.

Thanks for the reply! So, I'm a little confused as to whether it makes a difference that I fill out AADSAS early if my letters don't come in until Aug. Our committee uploads our composite letter + individual references in one pdf so it's not like I can have my individual writers upload directly to AADSAS while I wait for committee (not sure if this is what you meant)

 

[Hannah Banana]

Thanks for the reply! So, I'm a little confused as to whether it makes a difference that I fill out AADSAS early if my letters don't come in until Aug. Our committee uploads our composite letter + individual references in one pdf so it's not like I can have my individual writers upload directly to AADSAS while I wait for committee (not sure if this is what you meant)

hmmm good point, I heard AADSAS changes their LOR's procedure this upcoming cycle because you can choose what letters to be sent to what schools. You can contact them for your specific case.

 

[ajj70]

Thanks for the reply! So, I'm a little confused as to whether it makes a difference that I fill out AADSAS early if my letters don't come in until Aug. Our committee uploads our composite letter + individual references in one pdf so it's not like I can have my individual writers upload directly to AADSAS while I wait for committee (not sure if this is what you meant)

That is a bit screwy. Are they intentionally trying to disqualify their students by their procedures? For your outside letters, I would ask for those to be uploaded separately and then supply a letter to your committee. Can you maybe meet with one or two committee members and just clarify how they are going to change their procedure with the new AADSAS procedure? As for the science letters, I'd go visit during office hours and ask in person vs emailing in your situation.