LORS - what counts as non-science faculty?

[capenn16]

Hi all - looking for advice on letters of rec. I have a handful of letters (7 total) collected from undergraduate professors, my undergrad research mentor, gap-year mentors, and my college pastor. I have a feeling my one non-science faculty letter from undergrad is my weakest letter; however, I know a lot of schools require a non-science faculty letter (though it's hard to tell from the MSAR).

If my gap-year mentors are MD faculty, could that count as a non-science faculty letter? Or does it have to be someone who explicitly taught you in the context of a course? A little hesitant on how creatively I can read the requirements.

For schools with a limit of 5 or 6 letters, it would be ideal to cull the letter that I suspect is weaker than the rest... but I don't want to break any rules either.

Since I have letters from MD mentors, and my pastor, I think my letters do communicate that I have skills and personality beyond science, which seems like the function of the non-science letter. Of course, maybe my assumptions of the function of the non-science letter are wrong as well...

EDIT: for clarification, I'll also have a committee letter written by my school with 6 of the 7 letters.

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[The Knife & Gun Club]

Generally a faculty letter must be from someone that taught you. If you have a committee letter, it should include all your recs in it (at least the faculty ones), no?

 

[capenn16]

So lets be clear. You are using a committee letter and these 6 letters are part of that packet? So you need to follow what your undergraduate schools sets as letter requirements. The individual letter requirements, such as the number of letters, who the letters are from from each school do not matter when using a committee letter

You should submit one of the following:

Committee Letter or Letter Packet, where you follow the requirements of the UG institution and it is acceptable by virtually all medical schools
OR
Individual Letters , where you follow the requirements of each individual medical school

Yes, that's right. I realize now my original post was pretty unclear (sorry about that!). I'll be getting a committee letter and the 6 letters will be a part of that packet. The committee isn't as strict about what kinds of letters we include in the packet, but I wasn't sure if schools would still care about the non-science faculty requirement (even if the committee letter overrides the individual letter requirement).

Your response helped clear it up for me though - thanks so much!

 

[capenn16]

Generally a faculty letter must be from someone that taught you. If you have a committee letter, it should include all your recs in it (at least the faculty ones), no?

Yes - sorry I didn't clarify. The committee letter will include 6 of my letters, but I currently have 7. Since the committee letter apparently overrides individual letter requirements, I guess I won't stress about meeting the individual letter requirements.

 

[capenn16]

. And wh

Lets clarify this yet again: Are you submitting 7 individual letters or are you submitting you submitting 1 committee letter (with 6 letters attached) and 1 individual letter for a total of two submitted letters? Why dont you see if your committee will take the individual letter and make it part if the packet

They'll take a maximum of 6 letters, so I'm planning on just removing a letter from the running entirely.

 

[mariagefreres]

from either a humanities, social science professor. pretty much any g.e. course

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

For the love of god do not submit more than 6 letters. No will read them, and you'll look like a tool

Yes - sorry I didn't clarify. The committee letter will include 6 of my letters, but I currently have 7. Since the committee letter apparently overrides individual letter requirements, I guess I won't stress about meeting the individual letter requirements.

 

[MareNostrummm]

For the love of god do not submit more than 6 letters. No will read them, and you'll look like a tool

2 Science + 1 non science + 1 physician +1 research PI + 1 volunteer coordinator (if even necessary) = 6, yeah I agree that's pretty much the maxing point.

 

[MCATISEZ]

Hi all - looking for advice on letters of rec. I have a handful of letters (7 total) collected from undergraduate professors, my undergrad research mentor, gap-year mentors, and my college pastor. I have a feeling my one non-science faculty letter from undergrad is my weakest letter; however, I know a lot of schools require a non-science faculty letter (though it's hard to tell from the MSAR).

If my gap-year mentors are MD faculty, could that count as a non-science faculty letter? Or does it have to be someone who explicitly taught you in the context of a course? A little hesitant on how creatively I can read the requirements.

For schools with a limit of 5 or 6 letters, it would be ideal to cull the letter that I suspect is weaker than the rest... but I don't want to break any rules either.

Since I have letters from MD mentors, and my pastor, I think my letters do communicate that I have skills and personality beyond science, which seems like the function of the non-science letter. Of course, maybe my assumptions of the function of the non-science letter are wrong as well...

EDIT: for clarification, I'll also have a committee letter written by my school with 6 of the 7 letters.

I am not understanding. If you have a committee to write letters at your undergraduate institution, that typically satisfies any requirement from what I've seen (of course its up to the individual schools). I may be wrong though. My school does not have a committee so I get to submit individual letters.

 

[IWillMakeIt1]

Yeah I have the same problem. I spoke to my premed advisor and she said since the committee letter takes a long time, she suggested to choose committee letter option on AMCAS, and individual letters separately. Im not sure how that work so I'm lost as well!!