Hello, can anyone tell me is PCOM very strict on its Dean LOR requirement. I don't have a pre-med committee and I have no idea on how about to get my Dean to write a letter. If PCOM ABSOLUTELY needs one then it looks like I won't be applying there :/
PCOM Dean letter?
- Thread starter pucciola
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From what I have read about PCOM and their "dean letter" situation, I can tell you, you are not the only one with this problem.
I don't think there is an alternative to the dean letter. What some people say they did, was just contact the dean, tell them a deans letter is required if the school has no pre-med committee. Tell him/her, that the school has no pre-med committee and that you need a letter.
It will likely be a very bland and basic, "[NAME] graduated from [School] in good standings with a BS in [MAJOR]". You can ask him/her to mention your GPA trend. A simple, "[NAME] improved from a 3.2 GPA to a 3.5 GPA in his senior year". If you school keeps track of volunteering hours, you can ask him to mention it. You can also ask him/her to mention any clubs.
Don't expect all that though.
He/she probably wont turn you down and say "no" but it will likely be very bland.
I thought about applying to PCOM but ended up crossing it off my list due to the Dean's letter requirement. For a non trad like myself this letter is ridiculous. I don't have a pre med committee so I would have to to get the Dean's letter. And the letter has to be from the dean at the school that granted my Bachelor's. How ridiculous is this when I received my Bachelor's degree 17 years ago?
From PCOM threads last year and this year it really seems like PCOM is pretty inflexible on this requirement. And some people on SDN have stated that they had difficulty getting a Dean's letter from their school.
I would call the school if you're interested in applying. This year's class has several older individuals in the class who probably had the same troubles as you.
My husband had the same problem since he graduated undergrad in '91 I think. He even told the dean, not the same one as when he attended school there, that he just needed something saying he did go to school there and graduated in good standing. The dean said he wouldn't do it. So we didn't submit the secondaries at either PCOM. It really is a pain in the rear for nontrads.
Some schools (UCLA, UCI, etc) have an office for the dean of students, and they offer a "dean's certification" that fulfills PCOM's requirement. You may want to check and see if your undergrad has something similar.
This.
Call PCOM.
Every class has several older non-trads. They must be able to fulfill this requirement somehow, right?
I scratched them off of my list because of this hogwash! It makes absolutely no sense. Can't they just look at the darn transcript and determine "good standing?" Ridiculous. Says a lot about the school right off the bat; I'd rather avoid this place. Thanks for the heads up PCOM. Better now than after I spend a boat load of dough on ya.
Easy now.
There are ways around it. Be proactive and call PCOM to help you out rather than complaining about it anonymously on an internet forum.
It's actually not that bad...They give you many options.
There's of course the committee letter.
The "Dean's Letter" can be from a Dean or from A pre-med adviser. Doesn't have to be YOUR pre-med adviser. "X graduated in Year in good standing."
There can be a full pre-med adviser letter that goes into more detail.
If you have a letter writing service at your school, you can ask them to compile all of your LORs and send them. This also meets the requirement.
I'm a non-trad...my school has a committee and pre-med advisers. But since I'm post-bacc, I didn't even have an adviser or major. And I did all my pre-reqs in a year and the committee wouldn't have half my grades or letters or MCAT by the time they normally reviewed people. So I went to a pre-med adviser at the school (not mine) and asked him to write a simple sentence: "BigBoosting graduated in 2006 from this school in good standing. Signed, John Doe - Pre Med Adviser"
That was enough to meet the requirement and I got an interview with just that and my science, nonscience, DO and MD letters. A couple weeks ago someone suggested I ask for an emergency committee meeting for my in-state MD schools and they wrote me a committee letter as well. I sent that to GA-PCOM as well as my MD schools and was accepted to GA-PCOM. So basically I know you can get an interview with just a generic Dean's/PreMed Adviser letter. IDK if the committee letter played a part of me being accepted, but I'm sure it helped.
There's of course the committee letter.
The "Dean's Letter" can be from a Dean or from A pre-med adviser. Doesn't have to be YOUR pre-med adviser. "X graduated in Year in good standing."
There can be a full pre-med adviser letter that goes into more detail.
If you have a letter writing service at your school, you can ask them to compile all of your LORs and send them. This also meets the requirement.
I'm a non-trad...my school has a committee and pre-med advisers. But since I'm post-bacc, I didn't even have an adviser or major. And I did all my pre-reqs in a year and the committee wouldn't have half my grades or letters or MCAT by the time they normally reviewed people. So I went to a pre-med adviser at the school (not mine) and asked him to write a simple sentence: "BigBoosting graduated in 2006 from this school in good standing. Signed, John Doe - Pre Med Adviser"
That was enough to meet the requirement and I got an interview with just that and my science, nonscience, DO and MD letters. A couple weeks ago someone suggested I ask for an emergency committee meeting for my in-state MD schools and they wrote me a committee letter as well. I sent that to GA-PCOM as well as my MD schools and was accepted to GA-PCOM. So basically I know you can get an interview with just a generic Dean's/PreMed Adviser letter. IDK if the committee letter played a part of me being accepted, but I'm sure it helped.
Let me help clear this up. I am one of the older non traditional students. I graduated from undergarduate college in 1982. I contacted the head of the Biology Department and explained my situation. Of course he had no memory of my attendance given the passage of time. He wrote me a generic letter that I had attended and graduated. I provided him information about taking premed course decades later and he mentioned that and my life accomplishments since then - all information that I provided to him. It satisfied PCOM GA.
Don't write off a great school just because of this requirement. My approach satisfied PCOM GA. If you have doubts called Trena G. in admissions. What PCOM takes is liberally defined.
Think about how many non traditionals don't apply because of this requirement. About a third of the class is nontraditionals. They are welcome at PCOM. Writitng off the school and not applying is a huge mistake.
If you need help send me a PM ands I'll help you. So if the Dean or the pre med committee gives you the cold shoulder, go around them and get a letter from someone else.
Don't write off a great school just because of this requirement. My approach satisfied PCOM GA. If you have doubts called Trena G. in admissions. What PCOM takes is liberally defined.
Think about how many non traditionals don't apply because of this requirement. About a third of the class is nontraditionals. They are welcome at PCOM. Writitng off the school and not applying is a huge mistake.
If you need help send me a PM ands I'll help you. So if the Dean or the pre med committee gives you the cold shoulder, go around them and get a letter from someone else.
Nah, too annoying. I'd rather deal with the schools who aren't making me jump through hoops and over hurdles. And dude, my anonymity has nothing to do with it. Obviously I'm not applying there so I wouldn't care if they knew who I was. In fact, I'll send an email expressing my opinion.
Peace out.
Peace out.
Dharma,
Feel free to apply where you like. Just a word to the wise, if you think this requirement is annoying, it pales in comparison to the hoops you have jump through after acceptance and before medical school starts: i.e. criminal background check; sending in original transcripts; a physical examination; immunizations (lots of them); titers to show that your body has immunities; FAFSA; sending in tax returns; ordering books and equipment (think a couple of grand).
Then you start medical school if you are blessed enough to get accepted. Nothing prepares you for the daily nightmare that seemingly never ends. Annoying? Yes, but a means to an end - like the Dean's letter.
Best wishes to you.
Okay. Let's see.
done, done, done, done, done, done, AND done. I've done all of these other things in the past. But getting a letter from a dean who doesn't have the time or desire to deal with a student he doesn't know because he graduated 10 years ago, well, that's a bit on the annoying side, and certainly not a necessity. When something NEEDS to get done, I'm on it like white on rice.
It's all good though. I'd rather go to UMDNJ.
UMDNJ is an excellant school. A good choice for sure. Just to be clear, the letter to PCOM need not come from the Dean. If not the Dean, a pre-med advisor. If not the pre-med advisor or a Department head even a professor will do. It just needs to come from someone at the school that granted the applicant his or Bachelor's degree. I know not the reasoning behind this requirement. But, rather than put all your eggs in one or a few baskets, as competitive as medical school is to get in, cast a wide net I say.
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Not to self: Scratch UMDNJ off my list.
LOL YUP. You think getting a stupid deans letter or whatever is a huge deal? Wait until you move to the Peoples Republic of New Jersey.
Anyways. I am a non trad and was never a pre med as an undergrad. All it took for me to satisfy this requirement was to have the old dept chair I knew write a letter. He didnt remember me...but it was a non issue.
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LOL YUP. You think getting a stupid deans letter or whatever is a huge deal? Wait until you move to the Peoples Republic of New Jersey.
LOL YUP. You think getting a stupid deans letter or whatever is a huge deal? Wait until you move to the Peoples Republic of New Jersey.
Anyways. I am a non trad and was never a pre med as an undergrad. All it took for me to satisfy this requirement was to have the old dept chair I knew write a letter. He didnt remember me...but it was a non issue.
What Jersey? Born and raised. And btw just because it was easy for you to get that letter doesn't exactly mean its been the same for me. I'm glad it worked out for you.
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Thanks dude. I've talked to the professor who has already written a letter for me and she's trying to help me out with this.
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My school has a letter service. I gave the contact info of all my letter writers to the service and they sought the individual letters. Once all of them were turned in my letter packet was compiled and sent through interfolio. PCOM accepted this packet in lieu of a deans letter. My school doesn't have a pre-medical committee which writes letters. I called over a month ago and was told I was complete.
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