Looking for some advice here...
Ok...I'm a 35 y/o non-trad. that got my B.S. in 1995. After around 15 years as a paramedic I decided to make the leap towards med school, specifically as a D.O.
I sent in my supplemental, my DO letter, and my advisor letter in late Jan. Today...the day just before our supplementals are due in their entirety...I get a letter informing me that I'm not complete and that my file is missing my advisor letter.
Clearly frustrated, I checked with interfolio and my letter WAS delivered, so I call the adm. office who also confirmed my stuff had been received.
Ok...as a nontrad, although I got my BS in 95, I've been attending a new school to complete my post-bac pre-med requirements. As a recent (I've been going there for 3 years now) student, I submitted my health science advisor/committee letter from my post bac school (the most recent one). Please understand...my original B.S. was in another subject, it was years ago, and my advisor has long ago died of breast cancer.
The PCOM person in the office told me that my health science advisor letter from my current advisor (although they have been my only pre-med advisor ever) simply won't work and I HAVE TO submit a letter from the school from which I got my original BS.
I tried to reason with the admissions person utilizing all of the following: my current advisor IS my one and only health science/premed advisor that I've ever had...as my original undergrad BS was of a completely different specialty it wouldn't really be applicable anyways, my undergrad advisor (from whom they seem to want the letter) died years ago from breast cancer...i.e. can't get a letter from her now!, my original undergrad program doesn't have a "Dean" as it is a tiny unique program within the Univ., and my undergrad univ has gone through 3 presidents since I graduated...none of whom know me.
This being said, it is clear that as a non-trad applicant (like many other non-trads I presume) I am not able to fulfill a technical requirement of the school.
What can I do or who in the PCOM admissions office can I talk to that is able to reason beyond "What the rule says!!!" mentality in order to get them to understand that my current premed/health science advisor letter (from a person that knows me) is much more appropriate than a blanket letter from someone who has never met me?
I hope my frustrated rambling made sense...if it didn't...please let me know.