Pre-med committee questions.

[Iceageheatwave]

I have some issues with getting a pre-med committee letter. Let me break it down:
1) i only know a few prof. well from my school
2) i need six letters of reccomendation to apply for a committee interview
3) all the supplies have to be in by july 1st
4) i stupidly didnt know that the committee had a deadline to turn things in. (i thought it was just rolling)
5) i have been out of town for the last month and wont get back for a week

What do you think i should do? Should i just bypass the committee and apply to schools that dont reccomend one? I was going to speak to my counselor about it when i got back.

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[Kevbot]

I have some issues with getting a pre-med committee letter. Let me break it down:
1) i only know a few prof. well from my school
2) i need six letters of reccomendation to apply for a committee interview
3) all the supplies have to be in by july 1st
4) i stupidly didnt know that the committee had a deadline to turn things in. (i thought it was just rolling)
5) i have been out of town for the last month and wont get back for a week

What do you think i should do? Should i just bypass the committee and apply to schools that dont reccomend one? I was going to speak to my counselor about it when i got back.

You don't need all your letters to be from profs. Also try to include one from a doctor (osteopathic preferably), a religious advisor you are close to (rabbi or priest etc..), someone you did research or volunteered for; or if you were on the board of an organization, ask the faculty advisor for a letter. Also a lot of times, you don't have to be incredibly close with these people in order for them to write you a decent letter, as long as they know a little bit about you.

Secondly, you should be surprised that there is a deadline. I was under the impression that most schools were rolling. But if that is how your school does it, then you don't really have much of a choice. I would give your councilor a phone call TODAY, whether you're on vacation or not, and tell them that you plan to have everything in by deadline. Then e-mail some people about writing you some recs and tell them your situation so they understand that you need it soon.

If it turns out that you are unable to get everything in by deadline, only then should you send everything yourself. I think there might be a slight advantage to sending your information by composite letter because your school will abridge the file, making it easier (and more importantly quicker) for the admissions committee to read through. (btw if you didn't realize it, that is the purpose of the composite letter)

Good luck and please realize that, as far as asking for reccomendations is concerned, there is no time to waste. Profs are notorious for putting things like that off until the last minute.

 

[mx_599]

I have some issues with getting a pre-med committee letter. Let me break it down:
1) i only know a few prof. well from my school
2) i need six letters of reccomendation to apply for a committee interview
3) all the supplies have to be in by july 1st
4) i stupidly didnt know that the committee had a deadline to turn things in. (i thought it was just rolling)
5) i have been out of town for the last month and wont get back for a week

What do you think i should do? Should i just bypass the committee and apply to schools that dont reccomend one? I was going to speak to my counselor about it when i got back.

Here is my opinion...just speaking from experience and I do not know this info for fact:
1) admissions people get so many thousands of apps, I am not so sure they really scrutinize/care that your letters come from a committee or not. Yeah they make it sound like you need to use them...but I doubt they'll actualy toss an app because you didn't.

2) If it ever comes to question by an individual school, just politely tell them there was a deadline for July first that you didn't meet. That is ridiculous!! You shouldn't have to wait a whole extra year because of a July 1st deadline!! F-that. I got my stuff in incredibly late...July 1st...what a joke.

3) It will be a bit of a pain to ask the writers to to do multiple copies...however, they would probably understand and not really care. I just wouldn't ask them to do like 20 copies. But due to some unreasonable JULY 1st deadline, I don't see why a recommender wouldn't print one up for a good 5 shcools or whatever. Just have all the envelopes ready with postage and stuff, signed waivers for waving the right to see them. Make sure that you would trust the recommender enough to not write anything damaging. That is highly unlikely, most recommenders are gracious in that sense.

4) Many schools would only need about 3-4 letters...so its not like you need 6!


July 1st ridiculous

Remember, I don't know what I wrote is fact...but gives you somethingto think about. In other words, there are so many undergrad institutions across the country that I highly doubt that when they pick up your app they are going to say, "wait a minute, iceageheatwave didn't use a committee and there school had one , please put this file in the rejection pile right away and here is there non-refundable app fee..next..."

 

[Iceageheatwave]

You don't need all your letters to be from profs. Also try to include one from a doctor (osteopathic preferably), a religious advisor you are close to (rabbi or priest etc..), someone you did research or volunteered for; or if you were on the board of an organization, ask the faculty advisor for a letter.

The 6 letters of reccomendation that go to the committee have to be from school prof. Ive shadowed an MD and when i get back i plan to shadow a DO.

I would give your councilor a phone call TODAY, whether you're on vacation or not, and tell them that you plan to have everything in by deadline. Then e-mail some people about writing you some recs and tell them your situation so they understand that you need it soon.

They have to fill a form out also, which i only have at home and i have to sign before giving it to them. The thing is, i dont know if i WILL have everything by deadline. I get back the 14th and i dont know if ill have all six done by then. Ill definitely try though.

If it turns out that you are unable to get everything in by deadline, only then should you send everything yourself. I think there might be a slight advantage to sending your information by composite letter because your school will abridge the file, making it easier (and more importantly quicker) for the admissions committee to read through. (btw if you didn't realize it, that is the purpose of the composite letter)

Good luck and please realize that, as far as asking for reccomendations is concerned, there is no time to waste. Profs are notorious for putting things like that off until the last minute.

Thanks for the advice. I know i should have gotten the letters beforehand but i place it off because i get incredibly uncomfortable doing it. (as im sure many do)

 

[Iceageheatwave]

July 1st ridiculous

Seriously! I looked at it about a month ago and almost started to cry. There is no way im waiting a year just because of that.

 

[mx_599]

Seriously! I looked at it about a month ago and almost started to cry. There is no way im waiting a year just because of that.

Try what Kevbot said...I don't disagree with him at all. The chance of you getting SIX letters in about 2-3 weeks from professors over the summer break is not good. It is like baby sitting...then you don't want to be a pest either and annoy them.

I wouldn't stress too bad about July 1st...I think you can do it on your own. Plus who cares especially if you have good GPA/MCAT scores...whatever. Six required letters is a bit much from professors.

Do it on your own...then you can tell people on SDN about it next year when they're worried about it.

(disclaimer-don't let me be the reason you get rejected, hehehe)

 

[Iceageheatwave]

Try what Kevbot said...I don't disagree with him at all. The chance of you getting SIX letters in about 2-3 weeks from professors over the summer break is not good. It is like baby sitting...then you don't want to be a pest either and annoy them.

I wouldn't stress too bad about July 1st...I think you can do it on your own. Plus who cares especially if you have good GPA/MCAT scores...whatever. Six required letters is a bit much from professors.

Do it on your own...then you can tell people on SDN about it next year when they're worried about it.

(disclaimer-don't let me be the reason you get rejected, hehehe)

Yea, i recently found out a few days ago that AACOMAS doesnt count math grades in their science gpa so that made my day...I dont think many schools will make a huge fuss over the lack of a pre-med letter. Thanks for the advice.