not using pre-med committee letter

[TheoryOfEverything]

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I was recently informed that my schools pre-med committee won't write a committee letter for me. Will this matter much, I plan on applying only to DO schools. I'll have 2 science letters, a non science, a volunteer letter, and a DO letter.

The reasons they stated for not writing me a letter were for not having enough clinical volunteer experience and not having enough shadowing experience.

I have about 150 hours clinical volunteering which I started back in October. I realize it would be better to have a commitment for several years, but I wasn't considering med school until recently. I have about 50 hours shadowing a family medicine DO. Do these seem like inadequate amounts of clinical volunteer experience and shadowing experience?

Will it hurt my chances not using a committee letter, do any DO schools require or highly prefer a committee letter?

 

[LChristmas]

Shadowing and clincal hours are good. The purpose of both is to prove to yourself and others that you can be around sick people for decades to come, so as long as you can do that you're fine. Your 5 LORs are more than sufficient as well.

 

[MightBeACylon439]

It depends from school to school, some require a committee letter some don't.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

It depends from school to school, some require a committee letter some don't.

Can you list any schools off the top of your head? I spent some time looking and couldn't find any.

 

[karling]

I didn't have a committee letter and it wasn't an issue anywhere.

You seem to have everything covered. Just continue your volunteering position. You're fine.

 

[songl4a]

.

 

[AM508]

If your school has a committee and you don't submit a committee letter I would think that that may raise some questions.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

Are you sure any other part of your application wasn't lacking? Those seem like adequate hours. Either way, you'll be fine without a committee letter.

I do not believe any other part of my application is lacking, and the committee did not indicate they felt otherwise. I have a 29 MCAT and 3.4GPA (both sci and cumulative). They committee was aware I was primarily focused on applying to DO schools and thus that my stats were relatively competitive.

If your school has a committee and you don't submit a committee letter I would think that that may raise some questions.

I was also under that impression. However, they decided not to write me one; it's not like I avoided them for some reason. Nothing I can do about it.

 

[AM508]

I was also under that impression. However, they decided not to write me one; it's not like I avoided them for some reason. Nothing I can do about it.

Yeah, that would just be something to be very ready to talk about should the question were to come up in an interview.

 

[GUH]

I was recently informed that my schools pre-med committee won't write a committee letter for me. Will this matter much, I plan on applying only to DO schools. I'll have 2 science letters, a non science, a volunteer letter, and a DO letter.

The reasons they stated for not writing me a letter were for not having enough clinical volunteer experience and not having enough shadowing experience.

I have about 150 hours clinical volunteering which I started back in October. I realize it would be better to have a commitment for several years, but I wasn't considering med school until recently. I have about 50 hours shadowing a family medicine DO. Do these seem like inadequate amounts of clinical volunteer experience and shadowing experience?

Will it hurt my chances not using a committee letter, do any DO schools require or highly prefer a committee letter?

Don't waste your time with a committee letter if they aren't going to help you. I didn't have one and it was not a problem.

 

[allantois]

If anyone, DO schools should be more lenient with your situation. Unless a school gets many applicants from your university, they may not even know that there's a committee at your school.

 

[MightBeACylon439]

Can you list any schools off the top of your head? I spent some time looking and couldn't find any.

http://www.aacom.org/docs/default-source/cib/2015_cibfull-web.pdf?sfvrsn=12

You can go through the schools you want to apply to and see what their "supplimental application" requirements are. Most if not all list what LOR's they require.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

Don't waste your time with a committee letter if they aren't going to help you. I didn't have one and it was not a problem.

Did your undergrad have a pre med committee? I was looking at the link that nontradDO posted below, and a few schools (such as NSU and RVU) state that if your school doesn't have a committee, then 2 science letters can replace. I'm not sure if I would still be eligible to apply, since my school does have a committee, they just won't write a letter for me.

If anyone, DO schools should be more lenient with your situation. Unless a school gets many applicants from your university, they may not even know that there's a committee at your school.

Yeah I find it very unlikely that many DO schools would know that my undergrad had a committee. As I stated above, some DO schools state that science letters can replace a committee letter if your undergrad doesn't have a committee. Do you think I could still apply to those schools, even though my school technically has a committee (just not available to me).

http://www.aacom.org/docs/default-source/cib/2015_cibfull-web.pdf?sfvrsn=12

You can go through the schools you want to apply to and see what their "supplimental application" requirements are. Most if not all list what LOR's they require.

Thank you, that was very useful. It appears there are a few schools that require a committee letter or pre med advisor letter: KCUMB and MUCOM apparently. NSU and RVU say science letters can replace committee letter IF your school doesn't have a committee (not sure if this would apply to me). COMP says committee preferred.

I may have missed 1 or 2, I looked quickly.

 

[GUH]

Did your undergrad have a pre med committee? I was looking at the link that nontradDO posted below, and a few schools (such as NSU and RVU) state that if your school doesn't have a committee, then 2 science letters can replace. I'm not sure if I would still be eligible to apply, since my school does have a committee, they just won't write a letter for me.

My undergrad had a premed letter committee but I pretty much ignored it and got letters elsewhere. It never came up as a problem.

 

[darkeon]

Your numbers (gpa and volunteer/shadowing hours) are more than sufficient. Go on with just your individual letters. I'd like to take a guess and say that your premed committee is only giving letters to their "best students" so they can report a high percentage of "students getting into medical school" (from their own selective pool).
Op, apply and have success.