What schools absolutely REQUIRE a committee letter?

[jcurtin2013]

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are there any schools that absolutely require a committee letter? I submitted all individual letters (I think I have a valid reason for doing so), but are there any schools that have a firm requirement for a committee letter? thanks

 

[MedPR]

If your school has a committee, you need a committee letter.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I don't think any medical school requires a committee letter, as some colleges don't have a pre-med committee. As the poster above stated, however, you'd better have a darn good reason not to have gotten a committee letter if your undergrad has a committee.

 

[plumhill]

I don't think so, simply because many schools (particularly large state schools) do not offer committee letters. But as was said above, many times if your school offers a committee letter, you must provide one (if you don't, it'll look pretty bad).

 

[StarlingForce1]

If your school has a committee, you need a committee letter.

Do you think this is true for non-trad's who attend a school that has a committee, but have been out of school long enough that a letter would reflect what the student was like when they were a student, and not necessarily reflect their present capabilities?

 

[MedPR]

Do you think this is true for non-trad's who attend a school that has a committee, but have been out of school long enough that a letter would reflect what the student was like when they were a student, and not necessarily reflect their present capabilities?

I don't think it's true at all. I graduated in 2010 from a school with a committee and I've contacted each and every one of the schools I'm applying to and they told me I didn't need one so long as I had the requisite letters (2 science, 1 non science, etc).

Being removed from undergrad even 1 year probably makes it impossible to get your school to write you a committee letter.

 

[StarlingForce1]

I don't think it's true at all. I graduated in 2010 from a school with a committee and I've contacted each and every one of the schools I'm applying to and they told me I didn't need one so long as I had the requisite letters (2 science, 1 non science, etc).

Being removed from undergrad even 1 year probably makes it impossible to get your school to write you a committee letter.

Well the thing is, the committee "service" (quotes because I regard it more of a disservice than something to benefit from) at my undergraduate institution is available to alumni, should they choose to utilize it. I also graduated from undergrad in 2010, and won't be applying until entering class of 2014....still think I can get away without a committee letter with a 3 year time lapse?

 

[semicharmed]

I don't think any medical school requires a committee letter, as some colleges don't have a pre-med committee. As the poster above stated, however, you'd better have a darn good reason not to have gotten a committee letter if your undergrad has a committee.

This. All you need to know. My UG didn't offer a committee letter and I found no institutions that barred me from applying. If your school has it, you need to use it.

My guess is that if your UG has the committee letter, you should use it even with the years of separation. I'm not positive about this, but they might just see your institution and the fact that you don't have one and not factor in the year you graduated vs applied...If your school offers it to alums that must mean that alums use it (and maybe need it).

Best answer-call your UG advising department and ask them how many people utilize the service and what they believe medical schools require. They should know something about this if you can find the right administrator to talk to. You can always call the specific med schools too, just takes more effort

 

[GagaOOlala]

yeah of course no schools can absolutely require it of EVERY one because many applicants attend an undergrad with no committee. However, I've read on some websites that some schools explicitly state that if you have a committee you MUST have it. others are more lax. you really have to look on each school's website to see their opinion on it.

 

[StarlingForce1]

I don't think any medical school requires a committee letter, as some colleges don't have a pre-med committee. As the poster above stated, however, you'd better have a darn good reason not to have gotten a committee letter if your undergrad has a committee.

If your school has it, you need to use it.

Well the thing is, the committee "service" (quotes because I regard it more of a disservice than something to benefit from) at my undergraduate institution is available to alumni, should they choose to utilize it. I also graduated from undergrad in 2010, and won't be applying until entering class of 2014....still think I can get away without a committee letter with a 3 year time lapse?

Is my self-quote a 'darn good enough' reason not to have a committee letter? I would love to reach a consensus on this....

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Is my self-quote a 'darn good enough' reason not to have a committee letter? I would love to reach a consensus on this....

I think it depends. Have you done post-bacc work elsewhere since graduating? If so, letters from your undergrad professors might poorly reflect your academic potential and thus a committee letter would be unhelpful. If not, and you were planning on getting recommendations from your undergrad profs anyway, why not get a committee letter? Are you living somewhere else and does your committee require an in-person interview? If you're an otherwise qualified applicant and don't have any problems with your college pre-med advisors, getting a committee letter (even a few years out of school) can only help you. Why do you consider it to be a disservice?

 

[semicharmed]

Is my self-quote a 'darn good enough' reason not to have a committee letter? I would love to reach a consensus on this....

I stick by what I said-it's great to get SDN advice but you need to call the schools individually. If you're worried about them identifying you, just use generalities without names-they're not going to take notes and blacklist you if you give the impression you'd rather avoid a committee letter. Be honest so you get a concrete answer.

Don't trust anyone's opinion but the institutions you're applying to. It will take a 2 minute conversation with each school to get their policy. Good luck

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I stick by what I said-it's great to get SDN advice but you need to call the schools individually. If you're worried about them identifying you, just use generalities without names-they're not going to take notes and blacklist you if you give the impression you'd rather avoid a committee letter. Be honest so you get a concrete answer.

Don't trust anyone's opinion but the institutions you're applying to. It will take a 2 minute conversation with each school to get their policy. Good luck

This is good advice.

 

[StarlingForce1]

I think it depends. Have you done post-bacc work elsewhere since graduating? If so, letters from your undergrad professors might poorly reflect your academic potential and thus a committee letter would be unhelpful. If not, and you were planning on getting recommendations from your undergrad profs anyway, why not get a committee letter? Are you living somewhere else and does your committee require an in-person interview? If you're an otherwise qualified applicant and don't have any problems with your college pre-med advisors, getting a committee letter (even a few years out of school) can only help you. Why do you consider it to be a disservice?

I have good letters from my undergrad professors, but I am also doing a masters degree, so I will have letters from my academic advisor and my PI here (in grad school.) It is a disservice because it costs $250 to get the committee letter, there is an interview process, and every person I know who has done the letter was always in a hectic state over the process in general - if you have done well and impressed upon people to the point that they are willing to speak on your behalf, why should you have to then go through this subsequent composite process, where in the end, a total stranger who has only known you for a window of 30-60 minutes is writing the letter for you? I am reluctant to pay $250 if I cannot blindly trust what is being written. (I trust my professors, I don't need to see the letter to know they are writing a wonderful and thorough letter.) However, I hold much skepticism regarding a stranger writing a letter, and I am expected to blindly submit it without having seen it? If I am paying $250, I should know what I'm paying for. So, aside from that diatribe - the committee letter is based on ones exploits at that institution, and is not necessarily representative of the applicant at the time of application, or in my case, doesn't represent me now as compared to when I was a student several years ago. I would rather have my undergraduate professors speak to my talents and abilities (and each knows me in a different capacity, so it provides for some breadth of me as an applicant, the letters collectively,) than for the letters to become compounded in some curtailed essay about my aptitude for medical school.

 

[MedPR]

Well the thing is, the committee "service" (quotes because I regard it more of a disservice than something to benefit from) at my undergraduate institution is available to alumni, should they choose to utilize it. I also graduated from undergrad in 2010, and won't be applying until entering class of 2014....still think I can get away without a committee letter with a 3 year time lapse?

Med schools don't know about the service being available to alumni.

Just email or call the admissions department and say something like "I've been out of undergrad for x years and can no longer get a committee letter because my new school doesn't have a committee." And ask if it would be ok.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I have good letters from my undergrad professors, but I am also doing a masters degree, so I will have letters from my academic advisor and my PI here (in grad school.) It is a disservice because it costs $250 to get the committee letter, there is an interview process, and every person I know who has done the letter was always in a hectic state over the process in general - if you have done well and impressed upon people to the point that they are willing to speak on your behalf, why should you have to then go through this subsequent composite process, where in the end, a total stranger who has only known you for a window of 30-60 minutes is writing the letter for you? I am reluctant to pay $250 if I cannot blindly trust what is being written. (I trust my professors, I don't need to see the letter to know they are writing a wonderful and thorough letter.) However, I hold much skepticism regarding a stranger writing a letter, and I am expected to blindly submit it without having seen it? If I am paying $250, I should know what I'm paying for. So, aside from that diatribe - the committee letter is based on ones exploits at that institution, and is not necessarily representative of the applicant at the time of application, or in my case, doesn't represent me now as compared to when I was a student several years ago. I would rather have my undergraduate professors speak to my talents and abilities (and each knows me in a different capacity, so it provides for some breadth of me as an applicant, the letters collectively,) than for the letters to become compounded in some curtailed essay about my aptitude for medical school.

Hmmm, that does seem like too much trouble. It bothers the crap out of me that your school would profit off this service (they have to be profiting; my school did it for free). I'd follow a previous poster's advice and simply call the schools you're planning ton applying to, anonymously, and ask their opinion. Hopefully you won't have to get a committee letter, but be prepared to seek it anyway. This sort of thing you want to start really early.

 

[Rumalum]

my school had a committee, but I didn't use it. Honestly, it's a huge waste of time for one of the worst aspects of the application cycle. And i got into 3 schools, so I doubt they give a **** as long as your letters are actually good

 

[Mazdave]

VCU states outright that if your undergrad has a committee and you don't get a letter from them they will consider that grounds to reject you outright. If you're a non-trad, you can request a waiver and if you don't have a committee you can submit individual letters, but otherwise they really want the committee letter. http://www.medschool.vcu.edu/admissions/md/documents/lettersofrecommend_instructions_2009.pdf

 

[StarlingForce1]

VCU states outright that if your undergrad has a committee and you don't get a letter from them they will consider that grounds to reject you outright. If you're a non-trad, you can request a waiver and if you don't have a committee you can submit individual letters, but otherwise they really want the committee letter. http://www.medschool.vcu.edu/admissions/md/documents/lettersofrecommend_instructions_2009.pdf

Wow, that's heavy. I have decided, I will call the schools and explain my situation. If more than 20% of schools say anything similar to this, I will have to do the letter. If less than 20%, I will just take my chances at those schools and save myself room for another letter from one of my letter writers.

 

[StarlingForce1]

Wow, that's heavy. I have decided, I will call the schools and explain my situation. If more than 20% of schools say anything similar to this, I will have to do the letter. If less than 20%, I will just take my chances at those schools and save myself room for another letter from one of my letter writers.

Actually, read item 3 on that PDF, about non-trads.

 

[Rumalum]

VCU states outright that if your undergrad has a committee and you don't get a letter from them they will consider that grounds to reject you outright. If you're a non-trad, you can request a waiver and if you don't have a committee you can submit individual letters, but otherwise they really want the committee letter. http://www.medschool.vcu.edu/admissions/md/documents/lettersofrecommend_instructions_2009.pdf

I got into VCU, didn't use my committee. Again, I don't think it's something that will make a break a file, especially when you have to pay 250 dollars for the "privilege"