Non-Traditional Considering Skipping Premed Committee Letter

[Metastatic]

My Background:
I'm applying MD/PhD for admission in 2012. Finished undergrad in 2007 at a school that is known to do premed committee letters. After graduating I worked at a medical non-profit for 1.5 years, then went to work in a lab at a different university from my undergrad. I work there now and have published 11-times (3-first authorships) since joining the lab. I also just completed a master of science while working in the lab full time and earned good grades in my masters coursework. The university where I did my masters does not do committee letters.

My Deal:
I am not really applying as an alumnus from my undergrad. I have 10 strong letters of refference, but they are all from people I have worked with or taken courses from after graduating from undergrad. The committee at my undergrad wants me to do more to include a discussion of undergrad in my committee letter request. Meanwhile all of my relevant experience is from after undergrad. I also know my undergrad is slow at producing committee letters and that I can be much quicker about applying if I go without them.

My Question:
As a non-traditional with 10-awesome letters (yes - 10!), a good resume, decent grades (3.4 cumm, 3.4 BCPM) and a good MCAT (still studying - but I get 38s on the practice tests) --- do I really need to go through the headache of the committee letter?

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[LizzyM]

My Question:
As a non-traditional with have awesome letters, a good resume, decent grades (3.4 cumm, 3.4 BCPM) and a good MCAT (still studying - but I get 38+ on the practice tests) --- do I really need to go through the headache of the committee letter?

No.

 

[Barcu]

Sorry. Misread.

Don't do a Committee Letter.

You've been out of school long enough and done plenty since ugrad to skip out on that process.

 

[SFGuy2011]

I did do a committee letter, but only because it was a requirement at a couple of schools that I applied to. Honestly, I didn't know anyone on the committee, and I'm pretty sure it didn't have much of an effect on my overall application. If it was me - I wouldn't worry too much about it, especially if you already have strong letters.

 

[tkim]

No.

He might, for certain schools, but it would be school specific.

 

[waitlist22]

Don't go through the trouble, I didn't get a committee letter and wasn't as many years out of school as you.

My one piece of advice however is to have a good answer for why you didn't get a letter from your pre-med committee... I got this in an interview and was thrown off and a little rattled because I wasn't expecting it and didn't have a great answer.

 

[Barcu]

He might, for certain schools, but it would be school specific.

Some med schools "require" them, but some schools don't have committee letters and then you have the nontrads.

As waitlist said, as long as you have a valid explanation for not having one, you should be ok.

Being out of school for a while and having significant accomplishments after ugrad that would not be highlighted by the letter should suffice.

However, if you are still in ugrad or a few years out, you are taking a risk by not getting the committee letter. Med schools do prefer them.

 

[URHere]

I agree that you probably don't need a committee letter in your situation.

Just to be safe, I would suggest sending an addendum to each school explaining why you are applying without a committee letter. I did that when I applied and it smoothed things over for me at a few schools that "required" a letter.

Also, while it's great that you have so many LORs, you may want to consider just choosing the best 5-6. Most applicants do not send nearly that number of letters, and I can't imagine that most schools want to read 5 extras.

 

[murkle8832]

I have a problem with my committee letter as well. I just finished undergrad this past December. I've been wait-listed at one school, but the other 14 rejected me. I found out in my interview that my pre-med advisor put bad things in my letter, and straight-up said that she doesn't recommend me for med school. The only problem is that she is truly the only person that feels this way. My friends and family, in addition to myself, all think this adviser is out of her mind; and even the doctors I've met with, though shadowing and even my interviewers said that I would be a good doctor. However, what this person wrote really screwed me. I'm certainly not the most competitive applicant in the world, but I'm good enough--31P, 3.7 overall and 3.8 science--and I'm very dedicated and passionate. I am obviously going to have to apply again, but won't risk applying again with a letter from this adviser. The only other person that writes committee letters barely knows me, and would support the first adviser in any situation. At first, I decided that I would just apply again without the committee letter, sending only a letter packet. However, now I'm very worried about applying without a committee letter, having just read this post, and some of the others.

What do you all think??? If I will actually hurt my chances significantly by applying without a committee letter, then I don't know what to do.

 

[ridethecliche]

I have a problem with my committee letter as well. I just finished undergrad this past December. I've been wait-listed at one school, but the other 14 rejected me. I found out in my interview that my pre-med advisor put bad things in my letter, and straight-up said that she doesn't recommend me for med school. The only problem is that she is truly the only person that feels this way. My friends and family, in addition to myself, all think this adviser is out of her mind; and even the doctors I've met with, though shadowing and even my interviewers said that I would be a good doctor. However, what this person wrote really screwed me. I'm certainly not the most competitive applicant in the world, but I'm good enough--31P, 3.7 overall and 3.8 science--and I'm very dedicated and passionate. I am obviously going to have to apply again, but won't risk applying again with a letter from this adviser. The only other person that writes committee letters barely knows me, and would support the first adviser in any situation. At first, I decided that I would just apply again without the committee letter, sending only a letter packet. However, now I'm very worried about applying without a committee letter, having just read this post, and some of the others.

What do you all think??? If I will actually hurt my chances significantly by applying without a committee letter, then I don't know what to do.

Do you have a copy of said letter?

 

[PITTjdm]

I am two years out because I did TFA and at Pitt the committee is such a hassle and apparently the deadline was the middle of May... but I just got the email about it this week because it took them a month and two emails from me for them to reply to me with the committee materials! Now I think it is necessary because they probably won't give me the letters that are on file. I have obviously changed greatly in two years, and I planned on doing my shadowing and stuff this year which is (stupidly) weighed heavily in terms of ECs for committee based on their example. I am sorry, but watching someone lance moles for 8 hours does not compare to my two years of teaching in the hood as commitment to serving people. I have moved to desiring an MD/PhD, and it is beyond unlikely the people on the committee know the person I am now well enough to decide whether this is the right path for me or not, but it pretty much says right on the front you better make them believe. I have utmost confidence in my interviewing skills and ability to perform in this program, and I feel like the committee is going to be a hindrance to getting that far.

 

[NickNaylor]

I have a problem with my committee letter as well. I just finished undergrad this past December. I've been wait-listed at one school, but the other 14 rejected me. I found out in my interview that my pre-med advisor put bad things in my letter, and straight-up said that she doesn't recommend me for med school. The only problem is that she is truly the only person that feels this way. My friends and family, in addition to myself, all think this adviser is out of her mind; and even the doctors I've met with, though shadowing and even my interviewers said that I would be a good doctor. However, what this person wrote really screwed me. I'm certainly not the most competitive applicant in the world, but I'm good enough--31P, 3.7 overall and 3.8 science--and I'm very dedicated and passionate. I am obviously going to have to apply again, but won't risk applying again with a letter from this adviser. The only other person that writes committee letters barely knows me, and would support the first adviser in any situation. At first, I decided that I would just apply again without the committee letter, sending only a letter packet. However, now I'm very worried about applying without a committee letter, having just read this post, and some of the others.

What do you all think??? If I will actually hurt my chances significantly by applying without a committee letter, then I don't know what to do.

Again, there are some schools - I would say many based on my experience - that require you to get a committee letter from your school if a committee letter is available. You could not send it, but many secondaries require you to explain why you didn't get a letter from the committee if a committee was available. Unless you're going to lie, you don't have a satisfactory answer to provide.

I would go talk with the person that wrote your letter and see why she doesn't recommend you. See if you can address her concerns or otherwise plead your case.

 

[Brudaddy]

As stated above, most school require them and if you cannot provide one or are in the OP's position you will have to explain why you don't have one. It is up to the individual school to determine whether your reasons are valid or not. From my experience if you have good reason not to have one, i.e. non-trad. w/ lots of post ugrad experience, schools are understanding and will accept your other letters in place of a committee letter.
In Murkle's case, your in a tough spot. Like Nick said I would find out exactly why this person wrote you a poor letter and go from there. Unfortunately using this excuse for why you don't have a committee letter would be a huge red flag.

 

[Porfirio]

My Background:
I'm applying MD/PhD for admission in 2012. Finished undergrad in 2007 at a school that is known to do premed committee letters. After graduating I worked at a medical non-profit for 1.5 years, then went to work in a lab at a different university from my undergrad. I work there now and have published 11-times (3-first authorships) since joining the lab. I also just completed a master of science while working in the lab full time and earned good grades in my masters coursework. The university where I did my masters does not do committee letters.

My Deal:
I am not really applying as an alumnus from my undergrad. I have 10 strong letters of refference, but they are all from people I have worked with or taken courses from after graduating from undergrad. The committee at my undergrad wants me to do more to include a discussion of undergrad in my committee letter request. Meanwhile all of my relevant experience is from after undergrad. I also know my undergrad is slow at producing committee letters and that I can be much quicker about applying if I go without them.

My Question:
As a non-traditional with 10-awesome letters (yes - 10!), a good resume, decent grades (3.4 cumm, 3.4 BCPM) and a good MCAT (still studying - but I get 38s on the practice tests) --- do I really need to go through the headache of the committee letter?

What the heck? Why in the world did you not get a PhD? All you have to do is write a thesis and give a defense...

 

[Metastatic]

What the heck? Why in the world did you not get a PhD? All you have to do is write a thesis and give a defense...

I made some very short-sighted decisions. I applied to a terminal master's degree program in the only department accepting applications at the time because I wanted to get some more grades on my transcript knowing that I was applying to medical school soon. Didn't care about the details of what program or if I could switch into the PhD program should I have chosen to later. Afterall it was a stepping stone - not the end-goal itself.... Then I took the lab-tech job in a lab that's not the slightest bit related to my master's program (MS is in engineering, lab is a cancer lab) because they offered me a full-time salaried job that allowed me to still do school and when you have bills to pay - that's a sweet deal. But you're right - if I had planned this better I could have gotten a PhD out of it.

C'est la vie...

 

[m2regen]

Sorry to bring up this old thread again, but I am also applying for MD/PhD for entering class of 2017, but graduated from undergrad in 2013. I'm doing my M.S. in an engineering field at a different university that does not have the pre-medical committee. How many years out do you have to be from undergrad for it to be "acceptable" not to have the committee letter?

Also, I got a low GPA in undergrad, but have done well in post-bacc science courses and in my master's. I will have 3-4 recs from after undergrad and 1-2 from undergrad. Would it potentially mitigate my low undergrad GPA to have a positive letter from my undergraduate committee?

 

[LizzyM]

Would it potentially mitigate my low undergrad GPA to have a positive letter from my undergraduate committee?

No.

Your GPA will hurt you in schools that screen hard.
AFAIK, for MD/PhD programs, besides MCAT and GPA, the big concern is going to be research experience, LOR(s) from your PI(s), and your fit with at least a portion of the research portfolio at that school (is there someone who would want/need you in their lab?). If you look good on paper then it is going to be a question of personality, language skills, motivation for medicine, and career goals in research which will be assessed at the interview.

 

[m2regen]

No.

Your GPA will hurt you in schools that screen hard.
AFAIK, for MD/PhD programs, besides MCAT and GPA, the big concern is going to be research experience, LOR(s) from your PI(s), and your fit with at least a portion of the research portfolio at that school (is there someone who would want/need you in their lab?). If you look good on paper then it is going to be a question of personality, language skills, motivation for medicine, and career goals in research which will be assessed at the interview.

Thank you very much for your insights! Based on this, it seems like there is not really any benefit for me to get the committee letter. I've heard mixed reviews about whether it matters or not, but would not having the committee letter hurt me in the application process?

 

[LizzyM]

Thank you very much for your insights! Based on this, it seems like there is not really any benefit for me to get the committee letter. I've heard mixed reviews about whether it matters or not, but would not having the committee letter hurt me in the application process?

I would not expect the lack of a committee letter to hurt. The lack of a PI letter would (for MD/PhD).