Pre-Med Committee

[Mr_Doc]

Hey, few months back I went and talked with the head of the Pre-Med committee at my university and she told me that with my gpa (2.9-3.0) that I would be given a LOR that did NOT recommend me for medical school. I am very inrested in PCOM and I've heard that you NEED a letter from your committee to apply there. This being said, will I be apply to apply? I really dont want to get a letter from the committee since it will not be in my favor....what should I do? I have been stressing over this for a few week now and starting to feel pretty ****ty about myself. Any advice would be very helpful, thanks.

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[supersash]

get a letter from the dean. it will probably only need to say that mr_Doc is a student at X university in good standing. someone else can elaborate i'm sure. hope this helps!

 

[Fistibun]

Hey, few months back I went and talked with the head of the Pre-Med committee at my university and she told me that with my gpa (2.9-3.0) that I would be given a LOR that did NOT recommend me for medical school. I am very inrested in PCOM and I've heard that you NEED a letter from your committee to apply there. This being said, will I be apply to apply? I really dont want to get a letter from the committee since it will not be in my favor....what should I do? I have been stressing over this for a few week now and starting to feel pretty ****ty about myself. Any advice would be very helpful, thanks.

I was in the same boat as you last year (Cum GPA<3.0 BCMP<3.0). I also felt pretty ****ty about myself. The Pre-Med committee wanted nothing to do with me. They just threw all the forms at me and sent me on my way (figuratively). What I ultimately did was send out 5 LORs (All Ph.Ds) to show them that there were several faculty members that were confident in my abilities. I got one allo interview and 3 DO interviews.

...I also scored a 35R on my MCAT, but nevertheless it's entirely within the realm of possibility that you would get a school's attention. One piece of advice: apply to as many schools as humanly possible.

I hope that helps.

 

[Fistibun]

get a letter from the dean. it will probably only need to say that mr_Doc is a student at X university in good standing. someone else can elaborate i'm sure. hope this helps!

Letter from the dean is also an excellent idea. To be fair and realistic, though...I wouldn't have the mindset of going to a specific school, I would shoot for going to a school. Unless you have some awesome quality about yourself that completely overshadows your GPA, I would diversify. Hint: my MCAT score was definitely not enough as I've learned through talking to several admissions offices.

 

[Mr_Doc]

Yes well of course I will be applying to numerous school, not just PCOM, but it is def one of my top choices. If you dont mind me asking, what school did you gain acceptance to Fistibin?

 

[Fistibun]

Yes well of course I will be applying to numerous school, not just PCOM, but it is def one of my top choices. If you dont mind me asking, what school did you gain acceptance to Fistibin?

*ahem*...uhhh...NONE. I was rejected from my one allo and I'm waiting on the decision from my first DO. My other two DO interviews are this week and next week. Don't let this get you down, I had a pretty strong chance considering where I started. It's all about the timing and your attitude/confidence when you talk to them.

 

[clc8503]

Hey, few months back I went and talked with the head of the Pre-Med committee at my university and she told me that with my gpa (2.9-3.0) that I would be given a LOR that did NOT recommend me for medical school. I am very inrested in PCOM and I've heard that you NEED a letter from your committee to apply there. This being said, will I be apply to apply? I really dont want to get a letter from the committee since it will not be in my favor....what should I do? I have been stressing over this for a few week now and starting to feel pretty ****ty about myself. Any advice would be very helpful, thanks.

Well, technically you do not have to have a letter from a pre med committee to apply to any Osteopathic Medical School. True PCOM is the pickiest school when it comes to letters of recommendation, however, the AACOM clearly stipulates on there website that PCOM requires a letter of evaluation from the premedical committee, PREMEDICAL ADVISOR, or DEAN OF COLLEGE GRANTING THE UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE. http://www.aacom.org/colleges/pcom-ga.asp All the other schools say you can submit 2-3 letters from science faculty members and/or a letter from a physician in place of the committee letter. How do I know this? I just looked at all the schools admission requirements regarding the letters that they require. I became interested in this exact topic a while back because even though my grades are good (3.5 cum and 3.4 science) there is this Anatomy professor on my schools Pre med committee that does not like me. It's not just me though. She's just very rude to everyone. I do research for the Microbiology professor at my school and she asked me one day to find a specific journal article, on the Internet, to supplement her work. I found the article and then I printed it out from her lab. The article printed out in the faculty/ professor copy room a few doors down from the research lab. My professor was busy doing 99 things so she sent me down to the copy room to retrieve it. The Anatomy teacher, at my school, stopped me as I was leaving the copy room and asked me what I was doing in there? Before I could reply she was up in my face yelling at me, telling me I was not supposed to be in there! I tried to respond but she just got up in my face saying "WHATEVER&#8230;WHATEVER! I don't want to here it!" All the faculty members came outside their offices to see whom Mrs. X (the Anatomy teacher) was yelling at. Then she told all the professors I was using the copy room for my own personal use, even though the document I was retrieving clearly said "RNA Synthesis of Ancanthamoeba Castalanii" which was what my professor's research was on. To make a long story short, this woman is on my school's premed committee. Ever since that day, she gives me this evil look whenever she sees me in the hall. I'm not going to set in front of a board, she's on, that could very well write the letter that determines the rest of my life, so I'm going to talk to my dean and see if he'll write a letter for me if indeed I do decide to apply to PCOM.

 

[HunterGatherer]

I was granted an interview to PCOM by using a letter from my department advisor stating "I am the depatment advisor for HG. He is a student in good standing and is expected to graduate with a BA in biochem in may 2006. his current GPA is x.x" I saw my department advisor on only 2 other occassions to declare my major and to switch my minor so don't stress on not having a good relationships with your advisor since this is a generic letter. I asked my advisor to email me when he mailed the stamped addressed envelope i gave him.

when the time comes verify this with PCOM staff and figure out the LORs you need to replace the premed committee LOR.

I had a 3.2 GPA and wanted to skip the whole premed committee red tape so I understand. Like others said you should also aim to rock the MCAT.

 

[Mr_Doc]

thanks for all the feedback guys, i feel much more relieved now! I will probably just ask my advirsor for the letter since i have never once met the dean of my college haha.