PreProf Advisory Committee Letter

[Munchkin6245]

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I found out today that after reviewing my file(gpa, transcripts, personal statement, and LORs) that the preadvisory committee at my school gave me a "Recommended with Reservations"!!! They said they have some confusion over how I calculated my gpa and that some of my grades could've been better. I didn't calculate my gpa, I used the one from my AMCAS application! So, should I use their committee letter or should I just have them send a "packet" of my LORs???? I'm sooo disappointed with this process.

 

[tinkerbelle]

Um, I would not send something that says "Reccommended with Reservations". Are your individual recs good? If so, I would just send those instead...

 

[Trident]

that really sux. i agree with tinkerbelle, send the individual letters if they're positive.

 

[sootymangabey]

I agree that you should go the individual letter route. BUT keep in mind a lot of secondaries will ask why you're not using a committee's letter.

 

[Munchkin6245]

another problem is that i've already sent in most of my secondaries stating that I will be using the committee letter. Should I send them a letter saying I decided to just send the packet instead? Also some schools want 2 science faculty(not a problem) and one liberal arts(THE PROBLEM) faculty LORs. I have a nonscience faculty letter but they are not a liberal arts prof. I wonder if I should just send in the packet and wait to hear complaints.

 

[Trident]

send the committee letter

upon further deliberation, it seems like it would be a lot of trouble and kind of suspect to the med schools if you changed the type of LOR you'd be sending.

hopefully the med schools will be able to see that the undergrad school is trying to protect their own reputation more than anything else and not really pay that much attention to the "reservations."
what is your undergrad school anyway? jeez.

 

[Jason110]

send the committee letter

upon further deliberation, it seems like it would be a lot of trouble and kind of suspect to the med schools if you changed the type of LOR you'd be sending.

hopefully the med schools will be able to see that the undergrad school is trying to protect their own reputation more than anything else and not really pay that much attention to the "reservations."
what is your undergrad school anyway? jeez.

I agree. I would def. look suspicious if you at the last minute change the type of recs you're sending them. At least you'll have the backing of the committee, even with "reservations." And, since when did ugrad schools start rating their applicants? What school do you go to? Couldn't have they told you earlier? It seems poor on their part.

Jason

 

[Munchkin6245]

i'm a postbacc at this school. It's University of Houston in Texas. My actual undergrad is Southwest Texas State Uni. but I graduated from there 4 years ago. So, since I've been taking classes at UH I decided to go with their committee letter. I didn't think that it would turn out this way, and they won't take into consideration that it's the AMCAS app. gpa. They also said that they looked down on my "B" I got in Physics b/c it was the only class I took that semester and I should've got an "A". I work a full time job 6am-3pm M-F and a part time job 25hrs/wk on the evenings I don't have class. Yet they didn't take that into consideration either. I'm not saying that I was at a disadvantage but I'm proud of my B considering how much was on my "plate". I feel like I'm acting like a child by pouting over this but I'm seriously pissed!

 

[Trident]

i think you have a right to be at least a littled miffed.
your reasons for getting that unacceptable 🙄 B are valid, so at least if/when you get questioned about your committee letter you have valid things to bring up about why your school has stupid reservations.

 

[sunsweet]

i'm a postbacc at this school. It's University of Houston in Texas. My actual undergrad is Southwest Texas State Uni. but I graduated from there 4 years ago. So, since I've been taking classes at UH I decided to go with their committee letter. I didn't think that it would turn out this way, and they won't take into consideration that it's the AMCAS app. gpa. They also said that they looked down on my "B" I got in Physics b/c it was the only class I took that semester and I should've got an "A". I work a full time job 6am-3pm M-F and a part time job 25hrs/wk on the evenings I don't have class. Yet they didn't take that into consideration either. I'm not saying that I was at a disadvantage but I'm proud of my B considering how much was on my "plate". I feel like I'm acting like a child by pouting over this but I'm seriously pissed!

can you talk to the committee people that wrote the letter and explain your situation? maybe if you tell them that its the amcas gpa, and talk to them about all the other stuff you've been doing, they'll reconsider and write you a better letter? good luck

 

[DGhiker]

I agree. I would def. look suspicious if you at the last minute change the type of recs you're sending them. At least you'll have the backing of the committee, even with "reservations." And, since when did ugrad schools start rating their applicants? What school do you go to? Couldn't have they told you earlier? It seems poor on their part.

Jason

My undergrad (in upstate NY) rates the "cohort" each year. And I'm pretty sure they either recommend, recommend with reservations or don't recommend applicants. Seems harsh, but I guess that's the way it goes. Of course, at my school you never know how you were ranked by the committee since you have to waive your right to the recommendation.

 

[Jason110]

My undergrad (in upstate NY) rates the "cohort" each year. And I'm pretty sure they either recommend, recommend with reservations or don't recommend applicants. Seems harsh, but I guess that's the way it goes. Of course, at my school you never know how you were ranked by the committee since you have to waive your right to the recommendation.

To DGHiker: I can see a school rating their "cohort" (i.e., a group of applicants) and comparing them to previous years applicants. Why would a pre-med committee recommend someone with "reservations". If they had issues with you, wouldn't they just outright not support your application? That doesn't make sense to me.

In either case, to the OP: I would try to talk to them about the AMCAS grade issue. Emphasize your post-bacc GPA. I would still send in the committee rec. At this point, you are much better off not dealing with sending individual recs.

Jason

 

[premedgeek]

I am not sure how this works, but if you are sending committee letter, you are not sending individual letters?

I am sending both committee letter and individual letters, and I think I might have similiar problem to OP.

I think my committee letter might have said that I had a significant accent and what not(english is my second language). My committe letter was prepared by PreHealth advisor, and I have only met him once(during the formal interview).

Do you guys think this would be a problem?

 

[Jason110]

I am not sure how this works, but if you are sending committee letter, you are not sending individual letters?

I am sending both committee letter and individual letters, and I think I might have similiar problem to OP.

I think my committee letter might have said that I had a significant accent and what not(english is my second language). My committe letter was prepared by PreHealth advisor, and I have only met him once(during the formal interview).

Do you guys think this would be a problem?

If you're PreHealth advisor would not recommend you for medical school, I don't think they will put any negatives in the letter. They would probably tell you flat out that they don't support your application.

I know that my committee does not send the indiv. recommendations unless you specifically ask for them. Most schools, in my opinion, don't want to read 3+ recs. pre applicant. I personally think they would prefer a committee composite letter.

Jason

 

[Innocent Girl]

How do you know your individual letters will be better? Theoretically, you should not be able to see them. Anyway, that sucks about the committee letter. Maybe you can at least get them to understand how the GPA was calculated by AMCAS. I believe there is a pdf on the AMCAS site that explains the procedure in detail.

 

[milanrp]

I so wish I could see the committee letter. Anyone know a way to do this? Clearly not going to get it from my school, but what about after you're done with the process? Is it part of your file at med school once you begin?

 

[Munchkin6245]

I believe that you can view your file after you are accepted and since that's part of your file then I don't see why you couldn't look at it. My school sends the committee letter and the individual recs together in a packet. I decided to go ahead and send it after talking to my prehealth advisor. She said that the only reservations they had were those two items but that the med schools will probably not even consider those "negs" b/c 1. they have my gpa and will see it's right 2. my "B" won't look so bad after they see that I was working fulltime/parttime while earning it. The committee does not interview any of the applicants at my school. I wish they would change this b/c at least then I would have an opportunity to explain things. Plus it doesn't seem accurate to review a student's file, make a recommendation/ nonrecommendation WITHOUT interviewing the student. Oh well, I'm feeling better about everything now.

 

[JDAWG07]

Wow, I'm sorry. That just sucks. I'm not sure if my school does the whole "recommendation with reservations" thing. However, they do not screen at all who they will write a composite letter for.

 

[mango6110]

I think i would send the individual letters becuase i had a friend this past year who had great stats to get into the top 5 schools but on one of his recs someone wrote one sentence that blew his whole chances of being admitted down...and he got waitlisted at schools he could have gotten into....so i dont know if ud want to throw that committee letter as a redflag....just what i think