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[SonhosDaVida]

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[Goro]

The committee LOR is all that counts

 

[gyngyn]

A committee letter serves in lieu of individual letters. It is equivalent to or preferred to separate letters at all but one MD school.

 

[candbgirl]

Thank you wise professors, but my schools sends in a hybrid letter packet and committee letter.

They send in the committee letter along with all 4 of my individual letters under ONE letter submission.

So for schools that ask for a max of 3 recommendation letters, should I ask my premed committee to create a separate file and just send the committee letter to them? Or is it ok if my premed committee letter sends the hybrid letter packet + committee letter? The schools that only accepts a maximum of 3 letters can either read or choose not to read the individual letters attached to my committee letter.

Lots of schools send the individual letters attached to the committee letter. I’m pretty sure that whole submission is considered one letter. I think you are fine.

 

[candbgirl]

Then call the school. We can’t possibly answer because we don’t know the idiosyncrasies of this one school. Most advice on SDN is general based on experiences over the years. In this situation you need further explanation from the school and maybe reassurance. Good luck.

 

[Flareicus]

The best way to think about a committee letter is that it is usually considered all encompassing for letter requirements.

The other letter guidelines (number of letters, type of letters, etc.) typically only apply for those who are sending in a packet of individual letters, and you should not worry about those policies since you have a committee letter.

 

[Flareicus]

But my committee is sending the letter packet and committee letter together under one entry. I'm just afraid of how this will look if I go over the letter packet max # of letters with everything being sent in under one entry.

I don't know how else to explain that committee letter packets are seen differently and are given leeway regarding typical letter requirements for individual letters (submission requirements or otherwise).

Another way I guess you should look at is you're not the first person to apply with your school's premed committee. If they were doing something wrong, they should have been alerted and fixed it long before your application. They most definitely know how their committee letters should be submitted by this point.

 

[gyngyn]

But if that committee letter and my letter packet is only considered ONE letter, that same school has a minimum requirement of 3 rec letters.

My committee letter attached to my 4 individual letters (submitted under ONE rec letter submission) would not meet that requirement either??

The packet/letter is fine as is!
Letter limits are for folks who do not have a committee letter.

 

[candbgirl]

But my committee is sending the letter packet and committee letter together under one entry. I'm just afraid of how this will look if I go over the letter packet max # of letters with everything being sent in under one entry.

You are getting all wrapped up in numbers. You are making it difficult for yourself. As @Exocus clearly stated stated “The best way to think about a committee letter is that it is usually considered all encompassing for letter requirements” and more explicitly “Another way I guess you should look at is you're not the first person to apply with your school's premed committee. If they were doing something wrong, they should have been alerted and fixed it long before your application. They most definitely know how their committee letters should be submitted by this point”.

If you don’t want to or are uneasy believing what you are being told, you will just have to take a leap of faith or call the school that is causing you to question the LOR submission to get some direction. You could also go find more people to write you letters but…

 

[Goro]

But my committee is sending the letter packet and committee letter together under one entry. I'm just afraid of how this will look if I go over the letter packet max # of letters with everything being sent in under one entry.

Jeeze, you're just not letting go of this. Not a good sign, so pay attention.

It doesn't matter if the school sends the committee LOR with the separate letters attached, or individually, or if they send them with a first edition copy of War and Peace. They all count as a single letter.

The limits on individual LORs are for people who submit apps WITHOUT a committee LOR.

Better now?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You are drastically overthinking this. What is more likely? That your school, which has been sending premed committee letters like this for thousands of students, has been getting it wrong all along and either just refuses to change or no one has told them…OR the way they do it meets requirements for medical schools and you’re just misunderstanding the requirements?

Basically every medical school in the country says a minimum of 3 (or whatever the number is) letters OR a premed committee letter (and they usually prefer the latter).